September 1, 2010 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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Wednesday, September 1, 2010

September 1, 2010 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 2:29 PM :: 10038 Views

Early voting sites open Friday

The Oahu sites are located at Honolulu Hale, Kapolei Hale and Windward Mall.

They will be open Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., until Sept. 16.

City Clerk Bernice Mau said Tuesday voters should bring a photo ID when voting absentee.

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Hilo debate: Hannemann applauded for smack down of Abercrombie on Akaka Bill

(The audience at UH Hilo was weighted with Abercrombie supporters, but they applauded Hannemann for this….)

From HTH: The one flashpoint came during discussion of the ramifications of the Akaka Bill, which is awaiting passage in the U.S. Senate. As for how the bill would affect land use in Hawaii, Abercrombie said the bill was "principally enabling legislation" that would allow Hawaiians to determine their own destiny, so there was ambiguity in what results the bill would generate.

Hannemann struck back in his rebuttal.

"Ambiguity exists in the legislation, and that's the product that's going to come to the governor," he said. "Why wouldn't you address it at the legislative level before foisting it upon the governor to sort all of this out? That's what legislators do. They draft good policy. They draft good legislation before you pass it on to the management part of government."

He spoke to Abercrombie directly, over the head of moderator Linda Coble.

"So this is part of the ... unfinished business that you left behind when you left the Congress prematurely, to come home to run for governor," Hannemann said over applause and a smattering of boos.

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Hawaii GOP Chairs Tells Christians To Shun Hannemann

Aiona was quick on Tuesday to distance himself from the letter calling it divisive. He said it is upsetting his supporters.

"I wanted everyone to know this was not my letter. This is not how we campaign and we will not campaign in that fashion," said Aiona. "While faith is a central part of my life, I am running for governor to serve all the people of Hawaii regardless of their religion."

University of Hawaii political science professor and political analyst Neal Milner said the language used in the GOP chairman's letter is carefully written to appeal to conservative Christians but it risks alienating the more moderate Republicans Aiona needs to advance his campaign.

"This letter is purposefully divisive. It portrays the opposition Democrats as sinners, blasphemers, and crooks," said Milner.

But Hawaii Republican Director Dylan Nonaka said Tuesday he supports Ka'auwai's goal of using religious verses and scripture to try to stop Hannemann from persuading Christian voters to support him.

"It is clear that Mufi Hannemann needs Christians and other conservatives to vote for him in the Democrat primary in order to win and it is important that is prevented," said Nonaka.

Nonaka said in spite of Aiona's dismay, the letter is politically beneficial to Aiona.

"Obviously, it would not have been done, if there wasn't some benefit," said Nonaka.

GOP strategists believe Aiona has a better chance to win the the general election if he runs against the more liberal, gay rights supporting Abercrombie than he would running against Hannemann who as an avowed same sex marriage opponent draws on some of Aiona's Christian base.

"A lot of people agree that Abercrombie is the better opponent for Duke Aiona than Mufi Hannemann, " said Nonaka.

Hawaii Christian Coalition State Chairman Garret Hashimoto also endorsed Ka'auwai's letter as helpful.

"I believe that Mufi and his people hope to split the Christian vote against Duke. I support the idea that the Christian voters should stand behind Duke and only Duke." said Hashimoto.

Maui News Poll: Will the religious faith of the candidates for Hawaii governor play a role in your decision on whom to vote for?

National atheist lobby: Trouble In Paradise: Hawaii GOP Official Warns Of ‘Unrighteous’ Government

(Our local atheists are strangely quiet over this because they are hoping that Christians—ie Republicans--WILL stay out of the Dem Primary and allow Abercrombie to be nominated.)

Inouye: “Rail is just a promise”

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye used a workshop on Rail Transit to re-state that Federal funding is in jeopardy unless the project moves ahead. He said $1.55 billion isn't a guarantee-in-waiting.

"It is not bound in steel. It is just a promise," he said…. (And we know what a politician’s promise is worth.)

The Office of Environmental Quality Control has the EIS. It's responding to more than 13,000 public comments.

Lingle's spokesman Russell Pang said the process must be followed.

"The OEQC must address all public comments," he said.

(This is just a cheap political maneuver to stampede labor into voting for Hannemann.)

Finnegan: Education a passion

LIHU‘E — Former state House of Representatives minority leader and Republican candidate for lieutenant governor Lynn Finnegan says if elected she would work with the governor for education reform and creation of jobs in the private sector.

“(The) educational system is a real hot button for me,” she said.

Finnegan’s first experience as an elected official happened when she got elected to the board of a local charter school, which led her to start a career in politics. She first got elected to the House in 2002, and had been there since, until she had to resign to run for lieutenant governor.

Finnegan said the amount money spent by the state Department of Education goes with no accountability. A central, statewide system seldom gives an opportunity for teachers and principals to give input.

“You’ll rarely find that the decision-making is actually happening at the school level,” said Finnegan, adding that most of those decisions come from politicians.

Cutting out the middleman: HSTA boss Takabayashi running for School Board

Shapiro: HSTA just signed off on a $75 million federal Race to the Top grant in which Hawai’i promised significantly tougher performance standards for teachers and students to raise our schools from the cellar of national rankings in reading and math.

But at a recent candidate forum, Takabayashi warned against raising the bar too high.

“Some of the standards I feel are very unrealistic,” he said. “I believe we have a good public school system. We are offering quality education. How come your child did not take advantage of it?”

TOTALLY RELATED:

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Campaign law limits rights, suit says

James Bopp Jr., the attorney who brought a federal lawsuit against Hawaii's campaign finance law, said the law severely limits First Amendment rights to criticize the government and participate in political campaigns.

"It is a serious challenge. We do think it's a serious violation of the First Amendment, and that's the reason we're pursuing it," he said in a telephone interview.

On the Net:

Campaign Spending Lawsuit
Exhibit 1
Exhibit 2
Exhibit 3
Exhibit 4
Exhibit 5
Exhibit 6
Exhibit 7

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City Councilman Apo resigning to work for new Disney resort

Apo today said his resignation would take effect Nov. 8, giving potential candidates time to study the issues and get their campaigns up to speed.

Once his resignation takes effect, the remaining Council members would have to reorganize and call a special election to fill the final two years of his four-year term.

Apo, an attorney, is the vice president of corporate operations for (Jeff Stone’s) Ko Olina Resort & Marina. He was elected to represent the Ewa-Waialae Coast-Kapolei district in 2004 and again in 2008.

Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa at Ko Olina, is scheduled to open in August 2011. Attractions include an 18,000-square-foot spa, two restaurants, Disney character breakfasts, a kids’ club, a wedding lawn and a water-park style pool area.

Kauai Senate Candidates address parks, hospitals

David Hamman: “The situation in Koke‘e is definitely something that can be addressed,” Hamman said. “About three quarters of those roads have been gradually re-paved over three or four different segments.” The state is “almost prepared to deal with the situation.” Polihale State Park is a more complex situation because the road is graded approximately once a year, at a $100,000 price tag. Hamman said funding is a major issue, but assuming that the there was funding to pave Polihale road, there should be a discussion to see if that’s what the community really wants.

JoAnne Georgi: She once counted 120 tourist cars while coming down Koke‘e Road, and kept looking at the deterioration of the road. She then drove to Polihale, and “bounced all over the road.” The bathrooms were “absolutely disgraced. Some of the things haven’t even been repaired since Hurricane ‘Iniki,” she said. Georgi suggested that tourists pay a $5 fee each time they visit those parks, and locals pay $1 for a pass valid for one year. The funds would be used to fix and maintain those roads. She also said Polihale road should have at least some kind of paving so it wouldn’t get damaged after each rain.

Hamman: “The Legislature is incapable of living on a budget,” he said. “They are unwilling to reduce the government, and therefore increased or created many taxes in the last session. This insanity has to stop,” he said.

Georgi: “The businesses need to make a profit. We are taxing everyone to death,” she said. “Our government is discouraging businesses.”

WHT: District 7 and 8 candidates take on impact fees and ag issues

While Greenwell and Freire skirted a direct answer on how they would vote on the issue of development at Ooma, Ford, Hecht, Rath and Pilago said they would vote against the development.

The candidates also varied on how they would handle the ever-filling Hilo Landfill. Rath, Hecht and Ford proposed utilizing an adjacent quarry to expand the landfill, while Greenwell, Freire and Pilago said the county needs to convert the trash into energy or another usable commodity, such as Greenwell's suggestion trash be converted to "black dirt" to be used by developments along shorelines to reduce seepage into the ocean.

Prevedouros' aim is stopping rail

Back in the days of Hawaii Motor Speedway, Panos Prevedouros made a habit of going to the races.

Not for research on roads or cars, but to race.

As a licensed member of the Sports Car Club of America, Prevedouros was known to take his modified Mazda Miata out on the bends and straightaways of the Kapolei track.

Carlisle draws multiparty support

In a recent Honolulu Star-Advertiser/Hawaii News Now poll, Carlisle was the clear front-runner, leading his nearest challenger by a 2-to-1 margin. His appeal also cut across party lines, with high favorability ratings from Democrats, Republicans and independents.

"I've spent some time with the Republican Party, and I'm much more comfortable being a nonpartisan," he says.

Some of his recent statements distancing himself from the state GOP rankled party Chairman Jonah Kaauwai, who noted that Carlisle was a registered party member for four years and served as chairman for two state party conventions. "It is unclear why he feels it is necessary to mislead voters about his membership and involvement with the Republican party," Kaauwai said in a news release.

But Carlisle counters, "There was a time when a lot of people thought I was a Democrat, too. I'm neither."

He adds, "The one thing that's been really interesting is that I'm getting support from quarters that I never got before. And there's a lot more interest in the race than in the prosecutor's race because the issues are so varied and it has so much impact on so many different people."

Kelly “GTMO” Greenwell to face trial Oct. 26

The 70-year-old was arrested July 17 after police, using a handheld laser, reportedly clocked Greenwell traveling 51 mph in a 35 mph zone. Police allege Greenwell failed to stop and subsequently became confrontational.

Greenwell pleaded not guilty Aug. 12 in District Court to charges of resisting an order to stop, resisting arrest, and refusing to provide identification.

Candidates rate drugs as top issue

Three candidates who all have city prosecutorial experience hope to succeed longtime city Prosecutor Peter Carlisle, who resigned this summer to run for Honolulu mayor.

The three in the winner-take-all, nonpartisan special election on Sept. 18 are Darwin Ching, a former supervising deputy prosecutor; Keith Kaneshiro, city prosecutor for two terms from 1989 to 1997; and acting First Deputy Prosecutor Franklin "Don" Pacarro Jr., who has spent his entire legal career of 24 years at the office.

Carlisle's resignation means a new head after 14 years for the city Prosecutor's Office, which has an annual budget of about $19 million and a staff of about 290, including more than 100 deputy prosecutors.

Enviros: Our latest scheme will jack up Hawaii electric rates

The idea is designed to discourage the public utility from seeking higher profits by selling more electricity. Instead, the company would be getting paid for providing access to power through its electricity grid. (In essence, HELCO profits are now tied 100% to obeying government eco-dictat and 0% to producing and selling electricity.)

Known as "decoupling," the plan is a key part of the state's goal of getting 70 percent of its power from clean sources by 2030 - 40 percent from renewables and 30 percent from efficiency improvements.

The state so far gets less than 10 percent of its power from renewable sources.

The utility's 400,000 customers may see their power bills increase over the next few years as a result of decoupling, but the state will benefit from becoming more energy independent, said Doug Codiga, an attorney for Blue Planet Foundation, which aims to make Hawaii more energy sustainable.

"Over the long haul, everybody's rates will go down. Why? Because we're promoting renewables, which are cheaper than oil," Codiga said. (What an insult. He actually believes you are so stupid you will believe that.)

SA: HECO revenue plan approved

Absent worker, alleged thief still got paid by the state

The state Department of Transportation overpaid a Lihue airport worker who stopped reporting to work $5,000 plus $2,200 for unused vacation, according to testimony during a Senate information briefing yesterday.

Another former employee of the Lihue airport was given about six weeks of paid leave after acknowledging she embezzled about $15,000, according to information disclosed during the meeting of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

The briefing was part of an ongoing probe of the Airports Division of the state Department of Transportation….

KITV: Kauai Airport Supervisor Fired For Theft

Army study: Radioactive residue is not a hazard

Cue caterwauling activists.

WHT: Military says DU at PTA likely harmless

REALITY:

Bananas More Radioactive than Depleted Uranium

Depleted Uranium: Radioactive Propaganda

The Depleted Uranium Scam

Council denounces depleted uranium

Neighbor is charged under hate crime law

Honolulu police said Fiust left multiple telephone messages telling his neighbor to get out of the neighborhood, threatening to kill the man and his family, to blow up their house and to kill all Jews. When his neighbor answered the phone and asked the caller if he was Tommy, his neighbor of 25 years, Fiust said, "No. I am not Tommy anymore. I am now God!"

Fiust called his neighbor a f------ Jew and told him to go back to Tel Aviv, Kapp said.

She said the neighbor was so scared he left the island just to get away from Fiust.

The neighbor and two family members have filed for temporary restraining orders against Fiust. A court hearing on the requests is scheduled for Friday.

Photo: Terroristic threatening suspect indicted under hate crimes statute

Hawaii visitor arrivals jump for eighth straight month

The growth in visitor arrivals was led by the U.S. East, which saw its numbers go up by 12.3 percent. Canadian visitor arrivals increased 10.7 percent, Japan arrivals increased by 8 percent and arrivals from the U.S. West rose by 3.4 percent.

Strong arrivals growth helped push total visitor expenditures up 23.3 percent to $1.1 billion. Per-person-per-day spending rose 10.6 percent to $168.30.

Police investigate two cases of children assaulting teachers (Just another day in the DoE)

A 35-year-old woman was recovering Tuesday after her student elbowed and head-butted her about 10:05 a.m. in Honolulu, police said. The woman complained of pain, swelling, and a small cut, police said.

Officers arrested the 13-year-old boy on suspicion of second-degree assault. Police would not name the school where the alleged assault happened.

Abercrombie says he made a mistake accusing website of being a Republican front

Abercrombie, a former congressman, made the allegation about Congress.org during yesterday's televised debate.

Today, spokeswoman Laurie Au said in a statement that Abercrombie was referring to another website.

She says ratings from both sites were cited in a controversial flyer sent voters by Abercrombie's rival, Democrat Mufi Hannemann.

(The only other website mentioned on Hannemann’s mailer was the Washington Post. Is Au suggesting that Abercrombie meant to say that the Washington Post is a Republican front group? Or was he talking about Hawai’i Free Press??? After all, we did break this story.)

Political Radar: Right side of my mind

Judge rejects challenge to Kauai Republican's candidacy for a House seat

State law gives political parties three days to find replacements when one of the party candidates withdraws. Hamman is running for state Senate.

"This one was pretty cut and dry. We were sure from the beginning that they were not going to prevail," said Dylan Nonaka, executive director of the state GOP.

Democrats claimed Hamman did not properly file his nomination papers and was never a qualified House candidate. Republicans countered that Hamman's paperwork was accepted by the elections clerk as valid. Questions were also raised about whether the GOP named Williams within the three-day window provided under the law.

KGI: Judge rules Williams’ candidacy legal

Candidate questionnaires designed to protect union bosses against complaints about endorsements from union members

Other union leaders say the questionnaires and candidate interviews do little good.

"The only thing they are good for is to cover your okole with your own members," says one union leader who asked not to be identified.

"Government is a tough, dynamic business. Situations are going to change and we understand that," he notes.

NPR: Trouble In Paradise: Hawaii Waits For Drought Relief

Hawaii is suffering through an unprecedented drought — El Nino conditions in the Pacific have added new misery to a half-century of declining rainfall on the tropical island chain. A two-year dry spell has fueled wildfires and destroyed crops from Oahu to the Big Island.

(Obviously this is caused by Global Cooling)