What Did Rep Brower say about “intolerant” Hawaii?
Dear Editor:
I read your story entitled, The Plan to Overhaul Straight Hawaii. (Monday March 21st, 2011)
On February 22nd, I held a public meeting called, “How Civil Unions Might Affect Tourism.” I took notes on everyone who showed up and spoke at the meeting and shared those notes with the public.
At no time have I ever stated,” Hawaii is an “intolerant place” which needs to “create a market to attract progressive, educated individuals who want to visit a society that is open to all people.”
Someone at the meeting may have said that, but I did not.
This meeting was one of several which I have conducted at the State Capitol.
I will include you in future emails on notes from my meetings.
Mahalo,
Tom Brower
State Representative, Waikiki, Ala Moana, Kakaako
Chair, Tourism Committee
Editor’s RESPONSE:
This is from the text from Rep Brower's written report. The quote in question is #3 below:
Here are 5 interesting points:
1. To be effective, “It may take a gay-minded marketer to effectively market to gay people.” Gays
know discrimination, are sensitive to subtle cues.
2. Former Ala Moana Center marketer reports that gay travelers spend more on shopping and
dining per day than any other traveler from continental US.
3. Hawaii needs to address its perception of being an intolerant place for gay couples. We need to
create a market to attract progressive, educated individuals who want to visit a society that is open to all
people.
4. One speaker states that anchor events (like parades and festivals) would help promote tourism in
Hawaii by drawing people to travel here. This would help with "shoulder periods" when travel is down.
5. One speaker stated that, worldwide, gay travel represents $84 billion.
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Ministry Group Buying out Porn Shops in Wahiawa
Dear Editor: March 18, 2011
As of February 28, Sufing the Nations has been in escrow and in the process of closing on all three Wahiawa properties (Divine Pleasures, Market 88, Club Texas)! We already paid off the Top Hat Bar and now run many community programs out it. We are gutting out the very center of sex trafficking, human trafficking, and drug trafficking on the North Shore!
Surfing The Nations will close on the porn shop first, possibly by Wednesday, March 23. We now have $80,000 for the down payment and are hoping you will get involved financially to close the second largest porn shop/theater in Hawaii now! These properties will be replaced with family-oriented shops and community resource centers. If you would like to see the detailed work, please visit www.surfingthenations.com and click on "Transformation".
In amazement and gratefulness,
Cindy Bauer
Director, Surfing The Nations
Wahiawa, Oahu
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HB548: Trespassing Liability Taskforce to Exclude Publishers
Aloha friends of the first amendment and fellow publishers,
Something is rotten in the state of Hawaii.
After the senate committee (WLO) re-examined SB1207 and removed all liability wording in the bill, the house submitted its mirror bill HB 548 to the senate.
The WLO senate committee shot down the senate mirror bill (SB 1207) as it was, in order to form a task force. Now the House has submitted its bill HB 548 and is circumventing the senate committee that heard (and altered) SB 1207. Clearly there are some messy politics going on here.
In the revised HOUSE bill - see link: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2011/bills/HB548_HD3_.pdf
The committee wants to form a task force - to EXCLUDE the very group to which this bill is designed to attack - PUBLISHERS.
Please submit testimony for this bill by going to the Hawaii.Gov website here: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/emailtestimony/
Apparently, the legislature didn't hear the first time when testimony showed them the bill is a clear violation of first amendment of the constitution and has been tried before - unsuccessfully - in the courts.
Use your voice, no publisher will be untouched.
Mahalo & Aloha,
Lisa Pollak, Director of Marketing Wizard Publications, Inc.
Lihue,Kauai
www.wizardpub.com
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Tom Berg saves Barbers Point Ewa Stables
Aloha,
The City Council Committee with Councilman Tom Berg got Navy Region Hawaii to give the Barbers Point Ewa Stables a year or more extension.
This will be a tremendous relief to many Ewa Civilian and Military-DoD Horse owners and provide time for a long range transition plan to be worked out.
John Bond, Save Ewa Field
RELATED: Stables can stay awhile, says Navy