June 14, 2011 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

June 14, 2011 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 1:10 PM :: 13172 Views

Enough for 35 Pro Bowls: Abercrombie’s $140M gift to Dante Carpenter

Renewable Energy and Hybrid Cars Still Only at 1%

Survey: Fewer than 3% of Ewa residents plan to ride Rail

Obama: My family would be fine with just 1 term

President Barack Obama says his wife and daughters aren't "invested" in him being president and would have been fine had he decided against running for re-election…”They're not invested in daddy being president or my husband being president." He says first lady Michelle Obama would be the first one to encourage him to do something "a little less stressful"….

Utah governor Huntsman getting into GOP race

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, a Republican who until the spring served as President Barack Obama's ambassador to China, is running for president, officials said today. The Republican planned to formally announce his intentions June 21 at Liberty State Park in New Jersey….

250 Marines, sailors return from Afghanistan

The Marines and sailors are with Echo and Fox Companies, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment.

They recently completed a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

"We did a lot of good things, we left the place better than how we found it and we got everybody home. So that should speak for itself on how our deployment went," Capt. Joe McNamara said.

Reapportionment: Shapiro comes out against Counting Military Personnel

So here is the best comment countering his argument:

As someone who has regularly attended the Reapportionment Commission meetings except for the first one back in early April, I addressed this issue at its last meeting and intend to do so again this week. I strongly support counting the military, and I assure you that I am way off in the left-hand corner of the Democratic Party tent. In fact, I sit on both the Oahu County Committee and the State Central Committee.

1) The federal government counts the military and their dependents in determining the boundary lines for the U.S. House Districts. It it works for them, it will work for us. Forty-eight states also count the military.

2) The military and their dependents use our infrastructure – roadways and parks and sewers and public libraries to name a few – and they pay a variety of taxes and fees to live here – including the GET on anything purchased outside their military base. They send their children mostly to public schools.. Many of them also live off base and pay property taxes either directly or indirectly. Definitely taxation without representation. Their kids are counted in some instances, but not always even though they’re physically present in the schools.

NOTE: The counties will use the same criteria for determining the boundary lines for the Council districts so the same arguments can be used regardless of which governmental level provides the services.

3) Military members and their dependents provide countless hours of community service and take part in a wide range of community programs such as youth sports – especially in places like Kalihi, Kailua/Kane`ohe, Wahiawa, Salt Lake/Moanalua/Aiea/Pearl City.

4) By not counting them, they become ghost residents which leads to expanding out district boundaries which, in turn, puts a greater burden on legislators to provide services.

People who don’t count? Children of deployed troops attend Oahu camp

Abercrombie signs $140M in Bonds for Companies tied to Dem Party Chair Dante Carpenter

Two other bills now signed into law by the governor allow for the issuance of up to $100 million in special purpose revenue bonds to assist BioEnergy Hawaii and up to $40 million for Carbon Bio-Engineers.

Both bills were supported by Dante Carpenter, who has business ties to both companies and is the chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii.

Duke: Abercrombie puts ideology above public interest

The third tweet, however, was to an Aiona post on Facebook, and it is fresh commentary: “As to pro bowl. Governor Abercrombie's statement and position on the pro bowl is another example of his lack of business acumen, recognition of this state's love of the pro bowl, and his commitment to his ideology as opposed to what's best for the entire state. Lastly, it highlights his lack of diplomacy and aloha for an organization that has given back to this community in so many ways for so many years.”

Aiona's post, as of yesterday, had received 52 "likes," including this one from Jeffrey Domdoma: “This is why I voted duke aiona!!! I wish the elections were coming up in November 2011. I hope Neil doesn't destroy our 808!!! We should impeach him before he does more damage!!!”

NFL Contributions to Community Unappreciated

“The big picture is the NFL has done a lot for a lot of people in this state and it goes unnoticed.”

Jones pointed to the league’s $1 million donation to help build the Youth Education Town center in Nanakuli as evidence of the NFL’s many contributions to the community.

“All those type of things benefit the kids; I mean that's basically what you're trying to do,” said Jones. “I have some strong feelings because I was part of some of putting together those things.”

General Fund Deposits Up 3.8%

The Hawaii Department of Taxation said Monday that general fund deposits are down 0.8 percent compared to the last fiscal year.

The department said that $416 million was deposited in the general fund in May, bringing the 11-month total for this fiscal year to $3.98 billion. That figure is down from just over $4 billion for the same period last year.

The department said the decline is due to the release of more than $187 million in accrued income tax refunds in July 2010. If those refunds are factored out, general fund deposits are up 3.8 percent so far this fiscal year.

Panos goes for threepeat

Some say the 19 percent of the votes he got last year were more anti-rail than pro-Panos.

There’s some truth to that as dumping the rail project was his main campaign theme.

Where he went off the tracks was he rarely addressed any of the other problems in our city.

County seeks to intervene in Big Wind power project

The county is seeking to intervene as the Public Utilities Commission considers a huge wind power project, called Big Wind, that will be either on Lanai, or Lanai and Molokai both.

The project docket opened as far back as 2008 as an Oahu-only proposal, but it has since grown in size and reach, and collected a string of critics along the way.

Earlier this summer, Hawaiian Electric asked for a new docket, 2011-0112, to allow it to be reimbursed for $3.9 million spent on planning. County Energy Coordinator Doug McLeod says the total is closer to $7 million, much of that from federal stimulus funds, and the project seems to be much further along than the public has been told.

Hawaii electric rates top nation, nearly 4x national average

The effective rate for electricity in Honolulu is 31.2 cents per kilowatt-hour in June, up from the 30.1 cents last month.

Maui Electric Co. customers saw rates rise to 37.6 cents per kilowatt-hour this month from May's 35.9 cents. The typical Maui bill rose by $10.22 to $233.43.

Hawaii island residential rates fell to 41.8 cents a kilowatt-hour from last month's 42.4 cents. The typical bill fell by $3.92 to $262.04.

On Kauai, the rate fell to 44.05 cents per kilowatt-hour. Last month the rate charged by the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative was 44.27 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Hawaii typically has the highest cost for electricity in the nation. The national average was 11.64 cents per kilowatt-hour in March

Pay even more: Nissan turns over new Leafs with a sense of urgency

9th Circuit dismisses Hawaii's appeal of a law that attempted to limit contributions to PACs

The state of Hawaii has dropped its federal appeal of a ruling that allowed unlimited contributions to political action committees.

The action permits Hawaii residents to donate as much as they want to noncandidate committees that make solely independent expenditures, and it invalidates a $1,000 limit on contributions passed into state law in 2005.

Officer jailed for hitting pedestrian while driving drunk

A 24-year Honolulu police veteran will have to spend 30 days in jail, pay $1,000 in fines and perform 300 hours of community service for hitting a 61-year-old pedestrian last year while driving drunk, as well as for driving twice after the state revoked his license.

Gay Rape Charged on Kauai

On Monday afternoon, District Judge Trudy Senda arraigned Lihu‘e resident Ernest R. Moniz Jr. on five counts of first-degree sexual assault, two counts of second-degree sexual assault and one count of kidnapping.

First Deputy Prosecutor Jake Delaplane said the alleged victim is a man, but could not provide other details.

The incident allegedly occurred on the night of June 6, Kaua‘i Police Assistant Chief Roy Asher said.

According to the Kaua‘i Police Department arrest log, officers arrested Moniz at 3:15 p.m., June 7.

In court, the 6-foot-3-inch, 345-pound Moniz appeared before the judge in a gray T-shirt and red shorts.

Third Trafficking Suspect to Plead Guilty in Hawaii

A third defendant in what the FBI has called the largest human trafficking case in U.S. history is expected to appear in federal court Tuesday afternoon to plead guilty.

Sam Wongsesanit is one of eight defendants charged with conspiring to keep more than 600 Thai workers as indentured laborers on farms in Hawaii, Washington and other states.

Wongsesanit was a supervisor at several farms in Hawaii, says Clare Hanusz, an attorney who represents dozens of the Thai workers involved in the case.

Civil Beat’s Disclosure: “Global Horizons is also accused of providing cheap labor to Maui Pineapple Co. Ohana Holdings LLC, a company controlled by Civil Beat CEO and Publisher Pierre Omidyar, in 2007 invested in Maui Pineapple's former parent company, publicly owned Maui Land and Pineapple Co. Read a column he wrote about this issue. The largest shareholder in Maui Land and Pineapple is Steve Case, co-founder of AOL.”

Better yet, read THIS instead: Green hypocrites: Case & Omidyar’s Maui Land & Pine tied to human trafficking case

Honolulu Ranks High For Parents: Top City To Live, Raise Family In

Honolulu hits the top ten when it comes to places to live and raise a family, according to Parenting magazine

Hawaii has fewest Health Savings Account Holders

Florida has the fifth-highest number of people enrolled in the plans. California has the most, with more than a million people covered, and Hawaii has the least, with less than 1,500 people enrolled. Nationwide, there are 11.4 million people covered, or 6.6 percent of the market share, up from 10 million in 2010.

Fishery regulators to meet on Oahu

The federal body responsible for managing fisheries around Hawaii and other parts of the western Pacific region is meeting this week to discuss catch limits on deep-water bottomfish, opelu, lobster and other species.

Hawaii Organic Dairies using Borax as Cattle feed

If “corporate” farmers were doing this, the organic cultists would be screaming.

Quack Site: Dairy Farmers Fight Radiation with Boron (one stupidity piled upon another)

Tammy Duckworth leaving Dept. of Veterans Affairs

News reports from the Land of Lincoln say Duckworth is expected to run for a congressional seat from the state’s 8th Congressional District, which President Obama won with 62 percent of the vote in 2008. The state’s redistricting plans are awaiting the final approval of Gov. Pat Quinn (D), and appear to favor Democrats in several areas.

As predicted: Redistricting: Tammy Duckworth gets Gerrymandered into Illinois 8th Congressional District

Union says some TSA workers to fight firing

A union attorney who flew to Honolulu to consult with airport security workers being fired said Monday at least some of those workers will contest their termination.

Cathie McQuiston, Deputy Director and Staff Counsel for the American Federation of Government Employees, said she met Sunday with about 15 of the 36 TSA workers targeted for termination. McQuiston said they have until Friday to contest being fired.

AFGE is one of two unions vying to organize TSA workers. The other is the National Treasury Employees Union. TSA workers nation wide are voting on which union they prefer. Results of the vote will be announced June 23, 2011.

SA: Rep John Mica calls for privatization of Airport Security

Half of Hawaiian Airlines profit comes from Bag Fees

Hawaiian, the state's largest airline, raked in $54 million last year from checked-bag fees, or roughly half of its $110 million profit….

Hawaiian ranked 12th out of 20 U.S. airlines in 2010 for baggage fees and 10th for reservation cancellation and change fees.

The combined baggage and cancellation change fees represented 5.5 percent of the company's revenue of $1.31 billion last year.

Vanpool Hawaii customers get a reprieve from rate increase

Vanpool Hawaii customers will get a one-month reprieve in July from an expected rate increase that could come as early as August.

VPSI, Inc., which has operated the Vanpool Hawaii program since it began in 1994, is still calculating how much it will need to raise rates after state Department of Transportation officials announced this month that they would no longer subsidize the program ….

Hawaii eyed by Fuel Cell promoters

In its 2010 report, “State of the States: Fuel Cells in America,” Fuel Cells 2000 singled out California, Connecticut, New York, Ohio and South Carolina as leaders in moving the industry forward in the U.S. These “Top 5” states continue their reign in 2011, but several other states are hot on their heels. Fuel Cells 2000 selected Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, and Texas as “Up and Coming” states to watch.

Download the report for free at: http://www.fuelcells.org/statereport.html

Dopers, ACLU to celebrate 40th Anniversary of Nixon one-liner

The ACLU of Hawaii Foundation said the events coincide with the anniversary of President Richard Nixon's declaration of a war on drugs.

(6500 years ago, Moses declared war on murder…yet murders keep happening. We must stop the failed war on murder which is filling our prisons with people who would be innocent except for this unjust law….)

Marijuana Minister contemplates Plea Bargain

It is ironic that “crime” under which Roger now stands charged and imprisoned without bail has been legislated simultaneously at the Hawaii State Legislature three miles away from his prison cell . Though all attempts to open a state regulated Medical Marijuana Clinic in Hawai’i failed, no one (not even Josh Green) thought prospective out-of-state operators to be “a danger to the community” — which is the sole federal rationale of Christie being held without bail.

Even the concept of Punessence (“Marijuana” or the blessed Cannabis) being a “Gateway” or Sacrament to finding the Divine, was well understood by those who heard Roger’s realization. Proof exposing the anti-Cannabis laws as corrupt and racist in its origin could even be seen monthly on A&E and the History Channel. Or he could prove his righteousness with a piece of Hemp cloth that he first introduced to Hawai’i in the late ‘80s. (Bla, bla, bla….)

HND: Roger Christie Reaches Out from Detention

An Alternative to Recycling Oahu’s Scrapped Cars

It has come to our attention that Schnitzer and a few citizens continue to lobby Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle to pass Bill 36. Accordingly, Schnitzer is threatening to stop suppliers from delivering scrap cars to the landfill, including the materials which eventually wind up as ASR or automobile shredder residue. Their argument is that the “dirt” will again litter the landscape here….Unfortunately, Schnitzer is well aware of the net effect, so it will only be another threat which they will not follow through with. Therefore, it will be highly likely that more “waste” will wind up in our landscape.

History of Modern Hawaii as Taught in Hawaii Schools

All students in Hawaii public schools are required to pass a course on the modern history of Hawaii before they can graduate. As a result of the history-twisting and victimhood mentality spawned by this course, thousands of teenagers and young adults now feel rising levels of anti-Americanism….