November 3, 2011 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Just in Time for APEC: Sovereignty Torturers Demand Iolani Palace Staff Leave

A group of about 20 Hawaiian sovereignty activists belonging to the group Hawaiian Kingdom Government issued a 50-page statement Wednesday demanding that the Friends of ‘Iolani Palace vacate the grounds.

Mahealani Asing Kahau, head of state for the organization claiming to be the rightful heirs to the Hawaiian government, handed the document to Kippen de Alba Chu, Friends of ‘Iolani Palace executive director, in front of the Kana‘ina administrative building shortly before noon.

State Land Board Chairman William Aila, who was on hand along with several state enforcement officers and palace security personnel, said he received a similar letter on behalf of the state Tuesday.

The move comes less than a week before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering that will draw 21 heads of state….

DLNR spokeswoman Deborah Ward said the state has no plans to tighten access to palace grounds during APEC week.

Background:

read … Thugs to try APEC Stunt at Iolani?

Hawaii Superintendent's Lesson — Keep Your Head in the Sand

Asked Tuesday about Civil Beat's series, "Taken for a Ride," which chronicles how runaway school bus costs have burned up millions of dollars that could have gone to classrooms, she told our Katherine Poythress: "I haven't read it."

OK. She's a busy person. That's understandable.

But it's no secret to the department's leadership that school bus costs are a big problem. The Legislature is so fed up that it removed all money for regular school transportation from next year's budget and said it would only put it back if the district came up with a plan to keep costs down.

Nothing to say?

"I'm not that involved in contract negotiations," she told Katherine. "Talk to Randy (Moore). He's the one who handles all of that."

read … Just Another Day in the DoE

Jackbooted PBS Thugs Seeking Profit, Drive Poor Sick Homeless Women and Children off Vacant Land

The land is owned by PBS Hawaii which is putting up a new fence. The public television station plans to sell the 28,000 square foot parcel. The money will be used to move into a new facility.

"Sidewalk encroachment always presents an issue and a challenge for people who want to walk freely. I believe that when there are encampments, there are issues raised with sanitation and health and safety," said Roberta Wong Murray of PBS Hawaii.

(In spite of the fact that the liberals at PBS are a bunch of hypocrites, their momentarily enlightened policy has done exactly what we predicted—forced some more homeless to accept shelter….)

1) a homeless woman named Amanda….planned to move to the Big Island to join her boyfriend's family….

2) "One of the campers here, she decided it's time to get off the street. Fortunately, we're here and we can work on bringing her into the shelter," said November Morris of the Institute for Human Services.

But others who refused the help will now have to find a new spot for all their stuff…. (They sure do have a lot of stuff.)

read … PBS Hypocrites

Big Wind hits road blocks from State Procurement Office, Public Utilities Commission & the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs

Henry Curtis: On September 29, 2011 DBEDT filed Amendment 1 with the State Procurement Office “ requesting the additional scope of services (solar/photovoltaic and geothermal) at an additional cost of $2.1 mil [million].”

The Amendment stated in part: “after DBEDT compiled and sorted through comments from more than 250 individuals and entities, it became apparent that the request from the public for DBEDT to study additional renewable energy technologies as part of the programmatic EIS was an overwhelmingly common theme.”

On October 27, 2011, the State Procurement Office rejected the exemption. “It seems very short sighted and detached from the subject matter on DBEDT’s part that the public had to inform them they should consider solar/photovoltaic and geothermal technologies. DBEDT knew of these technologies at the time they issued the initial solicitation and had the opportunity to include it in the solicitation for proper disclosure and open competition. DBEDT chose the narrow scope of services.”

First Wind’s Moloka`i proposal collapsed since they could not secure a site.

Recently the PUC opened a docket so that HECO could ask for competitive bids to make up for that 200 MW. The PUC said that any renewable from any island that could connect to O`ahu would be considered.

Hawaiian Electric Company file a Draft Request for Proposal for 200 MW of renewable energy with the PUC. HECO insisted that anyone who proposes a solution using Neighbor Island resources has to have a way of delivering the power to O`ahu, and that anyone who proposes to build a cable to O`ahu from anywhere has to include a cable from Lana`i to O`ahu.

Castle & Cooke is in negotiations with Moloka`i Ranch and Pattern Energy for a 200 MW windfarm on Moloka`i and to increase Lana`i’s proposed wind farm from 200 MW to 400 MW.

Thus any other Neighbor Island proposal would be dead on arrival, since proposing a cable to Lana`i requires getting David Murdoch’s approval to land a cable on Lana`i and interconnect it to the Lana`i wind farm. Castle & Cooke has veto power over all other Neighbor Island submittals and therefore the DBEDT proposal to look at other Maui alternatives is a sham….

Four groups have requested to the PUC that they be admitted as parties in the RFP regulatory proceedings: (1) Friends of Lana`i, represented by Attorney Isaac Hall; (2) I Aloha Molokai; (3) Lana`i and Moloka`i Hawaiians (Kaulana Kaho'ohalahala, Clarence Halona Kaopuiki, and Matthew Mano) represented by the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. (NHLC); and (4) Life of the Land….

On October 29, 2011, at the Annual Convention of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs at Turtle Bay, Resolution 11-50 was passed: “Urging Governor Neil Abercrombie and the Hawai`i State Legislature to Support Sustainable, Low Impact Alternative Energy that will make O`ahu Energy Self Sufficient Rather than Dependent upon Lana`i and Moloka`i for its Energy and Protect the Open Spaces, Natural Resources and the Hawaiian Lifestyle of Moloka`i, the last Hawaiian Island.”

The Resolution stated in part: “the proposed development of a 200 megawatt industrial farm on Molokai will turn Kaluako`i, Moloka`i into an industrial wasteland with 42-story high towers (tallest Moloka`i building is 3 stories), with 3 blades, each larger that a Boeing 747 wing; 725 ton concrete bases that are 60 feet in diameter and 10-20 feet deep” and “in two surveys on Moloka`i with an accumulated response from 1,000 people, 99% said NO to Big Wind”

read … Big Wind Hits Roadblocks

Council Rejects New Rail Vote 7-2

Council members said they took the relatively rare step of killing a resolution immediately after it was introduced because they are worried another public vote could cause further delays in the project, or result in the loss of federal funding for rail transit.

The proposed City Charter amendment introduced by Councilman Tom Berg was rejected in a 7-2 vote, with only Berg and Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi voting to advance the measure.

Berg said the proposed Charter amendment was a "Hail Mary" last-ditch attempt to get the city to reconsider plans to build a steel-wheel-on-steel-rail system, which Berg called an "archaic, obsolete technology that belongs in the Smithsonian."

read … 7-2

Department of Justice motion to delay Global Horizons human trafficking case is denied

Judge Richard L. Puglisi denied a government motion today to delay the trial of Mordechai Orian and other defendants in what has been described as the largest human trafficking case in US history. The ruling means that the trial will most likely go on as scheduled in February 2012. In prior hearings, Judge Susan Oki Mollway had reiterated that she expects the trial will go forward on schedule.

read … Department of Justice motion to delay Global Horizons human trafficking case is denied

Star-Advertiser Parent Company Reduces Losses Annual Report

ILind: According to Torstar’s latest earnings report, made public today, Black Press results “slightly up” compared to last year.

Torstar is also not currently recording its share of Black Press’s results due to a notional accounting negative carrying value. Torstar’s share of Black Press’s net income would have been a loss of $0.3 million in the third quarter of 2011 compared with a loss of $0.7 million in the third quarter of 2010. Year to date, Torstar’s share of Black Press’s net income would have been $1.2 million compared with a loss of $2.3 million in 2010. The 2010 loss included a $3.1 million impairment loss related to a customer-related intangible asset and goodwill related to a printing operation. Excluding the impairment loss in 2010, results were up slightly year over year.

Although still losing money overall, Black Press continued its string of acquisitions with the purchase this week of several community newspapers in Washington state, including Peninsula Daily News, described as “the largest source of news and advertising on the North Olympic Peninsula,” and Olympic View Publishing Company, publisher of the Sequim Gazette and several smaller publications.

read … Star-Advertiser Losses?

Hawaii’s Futile Congressional Delegation Introduces Futile Bill to Make Feds Pay for COFA

U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa on Wednesday introduced legislation to amend the Compact of Free Association to provide for "adequate Compact-impact aid" to affected states and territories.

Those states include Hawaii, which has struggled to cover tens of millions of dollars in annual government services to help Micronesians living here.

The legislation — titled the "Compact-Impact Reimbursement Act of 2011" — has not yet been assigned a bill number. Co-sponsors are Hawaii Rep. Mazie Hirono and and Rep. Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam)….

The bill's chances of passage, however, will likely be hindered by partisan clashes over the federal budget and deficit.

(In other words, because Hawaii has no Republicans on the Congressional Delegation, we won’t be getting any help to fix the problem that Abercrombie created when he helped draft COFA. This is but a small portion of the price Hawaii pays for electing Democrats.)

Nov 2, 2010: Abercrombie admits responsibility for costing Hawaii millions under Compact of Free Association

HFP: Micronesians: “Its just better in Arkansas”

read … No Hope

Black Students in Hawaii Top Nation, Texas Second

Hispanic and black students in Texas earned the second highest score among their peer groups on a national mathematics test, according to a statement from the Texas Education Agency.

On the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) math test for eighth-graders, Texas Hispanic students were outscored only by Hispanic students in Montana (where there are very few Spanish people.) Only black students in Hawaii (where there are very few black people) outscored black students in Texas.

(This is a sharp indictment of ‘community organizing’. No ‘community’ equals greater success in Hawaii and Montana. It is also an affirmation of school choice and accountability in which Texas leads the nation.)

NCPA 1998: Choice and Accountability: Texas Leads the Way

read … Black Students

SA: Early education can improve test scores

Two trends in Hawaii education are worth noting, both of them encouraging.

One is that fourth- and eighth-graders again have shown gains in reading and math scores in the National Assessment of Educational Progress results. The downside in the results released this week is that the students were still performing below those in most other states, except for the bright spot of fourth-grade math scores, which are on par nationally. But the upward trend shows that the increased rigor being implemented in public schools seems to be having the desired effect, and that is certainly worth lauding.

Second, there is a growing recognition in Hawaii public policy of the importance of early education in long-term academic achievement. As part of the federally funded Race to the Top initiative, about 800 more Hawaii students will be subsidized to attend preschool. This is part of the initiative's focus on improving opportunities in low-income areas dubbed "zones of school innovation," including the Nanakuli-Waianae communities and the Kau, Keeau and Pahoa areas of Hawaii island.

Beyond that, the state Department of Education has submitted a proposal for a $50 million grant to improve the early-education system. The plan's components include instituting a system for rating the quality of child-care providers who, for many working families, are among the key players in a child's early education. That is due to be piloted this spring. The other elements are more complex: a system for tracking educational outcomes for children — a work already in progress — and the creation of a state Department of Early Childhood in 2015.

In the next few years the Abercrombie administration will have to demonstrate that the entirely valid goal of boosting early education merits the creation of a separate government bureaucracy, with all the costs that will bring.

read … Early Education

HPD Officer Flees to Morocco After Rape Conviction?

Law enforcement sources told KITV 4 News they are concerned a former Honolulu police officer who failed to show up for sentencing in a sexual assault case last week may have fled to his native Morocco, while his lawyer fears his client may be dead.

In June, Michael Tarmoun, 38, was convicted of sexually assaulting a Waikiki prostitute after prosecutors said he threatened her with arrest.

A circuit court judge revoked his $50,000 bail and issued a $75,000 bench warrant for Tarmoun after he failed to show up for his sentencing Oct. 26. He faced up to ten years in prison.

Federal authorities have joined in on an international search for Tarmoun, an effort that includes U.S. Marshals and the Hawaii Fugitive Task Force.

Tarmoun (pronounced tar-MOON) was born in Morocco, and besides an ex-wife in Hawaii, his attorney William Harrison said all of his client’s family lives in Morocco.

Read … Morocco

Activists Demand School be Closed to Open Kulani Prison

For how long have liberals chanted “Education, not incarceration,” and now?

read … Incarceration, Not Education!

Rail Shifted From Airport, But Strip Club Stays

Aviation safety rules prohibit the construction of new buildings near the runway at Honolulu International Airport, but existing structures are grandfathered in. So even though the city was forced to realign its rail line, businesses in the area are still standing even after the city and state were made aware of the expanded runway protection zone (RPZ) that disallows new development.

Among those businesses are a bar with exotic dancers, a Chinese restaurant and a small liquor store, all at the Ewa-mauka corner of Lagoon Drive and Aolele Street. A rail station was once planned for the Ewa-makai corner, in what is today an airport employee parking lot….

"There is no requirement for the airport to clear nonconforming buildings in the extended RPZ area," Gregor told Civil Beat in an email. The FAA's land use rules have "recommendation status" for any portion of the RPZ not controlled by the airport….

A property tax search shows that the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation Airports Division is among three listed owners for the parcel at 494 Lagoon Drive. The others are Norman M. Kronick, Trustee and Aloha Petroleum, which operates a gas station on the portion of the lot fronting Ualena Street….

They said the landlord lives in Texas, and that the lease expires within the next year or two but that it's being renegotiated.

read … Rail Shifted From Airport, But Strip Club Stays

Safeway Apologizes, Drops Shoplifting Charges Against Couple, But Sting Still Lingers

When Zofia was escorted down the stairs and out of the store by a child welfare representative, Nicole says she "lost it."

During that time, and as the situation kept escalating, two police, two security guards and the manager just stood there and looked at her saying nothing, Nicole said. She wondered how far it would go. They found out soon enough.

Nicole and Marcin were arrested, spent about an hour in jail, and were released around midnight on $50 bail. They had signed a 2-page form that Safeway gave them promising not to return to any Safeway for a year, so they could not pick up their groceries without a police escort.

Once they made it home on the bus, they spent the night awake in shock. Nicole said that they called Child Protective Service's (CPS) abuse hotline continuously starting at 6 a.m. until about noon to get their daughter back.

Frustrated with the lack of response, they called a family attorney and learned troubling news: the state could keep their daughter for up to three business days and even over the weekend, and they would not know where she was, how to contact her or what she was being told. In addition, CPS workers were backlogged and hadn't returned their calls.

Horrified that they might not see their daughter for several days, they headed down to Child Protective Service's office in Kalihi where they planned to camp out until they got their daughter returned. On the way, they passed Hawaii News Now, a local television news station, and told reporter Jim Mendoza their story. He went with them to CPS to get some answers.

The little girl, who has never been separated from her parents over night before, had already spent 18 hours away from her parents, her home, her books, and her favorite stuffed animals (a stuffed duck and a Clifford dog). Her parents were very worried about how the toddler would react.

Nicole said it was only because of the news camera in the office that they were able to speak to a case worker. She helped them get their daughter back soon after. The little girl held tightly on to her mother's neck after her parents picked her up at the designated McDonalds restaurant. She is normally a "great sleeper", her mother said, sleeping through the night since she was 6 weeks old, but the little girl has woken up every night since asking her mother to hug her and not let go.

read … Safeway

Obama to Hold Fundraiser in Honolulu After APEC

The Obama Victory Fund 2012 is encouraging potential donors to save Monday, Nov. 14, for brunch with the president at Disney's Aulani resort at Ko Olina. It's an early "brunch" — 9 a.m.

The minimum to attend is $1,000 per person, or $2,000 per couple. For $5,000 a single attendee ($7,500 per couple) also gets to go to a photo reception with the president.

For $17,900 ($35,800 per couple), attendees will also be able to participate in a "pre-reception greet" with the president.

Roadmap: Frontline: The Fixers

read … Criminals to Gather

UH Astronomers: The Sun Causes Climate Change

The amount of energy the sun puts out varies, and when it does climate change happened before and will happen again.

Scientists at the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy are working to understand these solar variations with hopes of one day predicting them and the climate change they bring.

"We know that in the past, the sun influenced climate in a big way," said Jeff Kuhn an astronomer with the UH Institute for Astronomy.

Playing a big role -- the amount of sunspots, or dark spots, on the sun.

Scientists know an increase in sunspots brings an increase in global temperature, and vice versa.

You would think it would be the other way around. But, areas surrounding these dark spots are brighter, therefore, hotter than the sun's average.

The number of sunspots dropped dramatically, in the 1,600s, causing temperatures on Earth to drop a little more than a degree.

Read … The Truth for a Change

Homosexuals Outline Word Games Designed to Trick you into Changing Marriage

In New Jersey, which currently allows same-sex couples to enter civil unions, 52 percent of adults surveyed said they support legalizing "gay marriage," versus 36 percent oppose, three percent who support civil unions instead, and nine percent who say they don't know, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released Oct. 28.

But when people were asked if they support "marriage equality," 61 percent of adults said yes, versus 25 percent opposed, two percent supporting civil unions instead, three percent unfamiliar with the term, and nine percent who did not know.

The wording change was particularly strong in certain groups. When the term "marriage equality" was used instead of "gay marriage," support among those who never attended college climbed 25 points to 66 percent, among men it rose 16 points to 63 percent, and among Catholics it rose 14 points to 63 percent. Among people 65 and over, the change caused results to flip, from 53 percent opposed and 32 percent in favor to 33 percent opposed and 49 percent in favor….

Across the country in Hawaii, which passed a civil union law earlier this year, 49 percent of voters want same-sex couples to be able to marry, compared to 40 percent who don't, according to a Public Policy Polling survey released October 21.

read … Language Games

Poll finds gas costs cut holiday budgets

Nearly three-quarters of Hawaii consumers said high gasoline prices are having a significant effect on their household budget as they make holiday shopping lists this year.

Even so, more than half of those polled — 60 percent — said they plan to spend about the same amount on holiday gifts as last year and 10 percent plan to spend more, according to AAA Hawaii's third annual Holiday Shopping Poll. (in other words, not really)

SA: Tesoro's quarterly net income soars to $345 million

read … AAA Poll

Revised fire hydrant rules lets building resume

Oahu residents whose building permits were held up because their homes were determined to be too far from the nearest fire hydrant are applauding a decision by the Board of Water Supply to relax the policy after consulting with the Honolulu Fire Department.

As many as 50 building permits had been delayed after the Board of Water Supply in April began enforcing a 34-year-old agency rule covering the spacing and flow rate of fire hydrants.

read … Hosed

HAMAKUA: Yagong objects to redistricting Plan A

“What Plan A would do is cut the Hāmākua District in half, sending all residents north and west of Pa‘auhau road near Honoka‘a into Council District 9 with Waimea, Kohala, and the Puako/Kawaihae areas. This would result in the communities of Honoka‘a, Kukuihaele, Waipio Valley, and Āhualoa all being lumped into this new District 9.

The remainder of Hāmākua from Pa‘auhau traveling east towards Hilo would form a new Council District 1 that would begin in downtown Hilo. This would include but not be limited to the communities of Pa‘auhau, Pa‘auilo, O‘okala, Laupāhoehoe, Ninole, Hakalau, Honomu, Umauma, Pepe‘ekeō, Pāpa‘ikou, Paukaa, and Wainaku.

By splitting the Hāmākua district, and placing the split near Honoka‘a, the Hāmākua Coast would effectively be rendered inconsequential. Taking into account populations and registered voters in the new districts it is likely that the new Council District 1 would be represented by someone from the Hilo side. Likewise, Honoka‘a in the new Council District 9 would likely end up being represented by someone that comes from Waimea.”

read … Redistricting

Hawaii County Residents Push Back Against building Code Changes

In almost six hours of testimony, more than 60 residents pleaded with the Hawaii County Council not to make them install expensive retrofits to their currently unpermitted homes or face up to $1,000 in fines and/or 30 days in jail for each day of violation….

Some testifiers, such as Pahoa resident Eric Guttormsen, a former industrial mechanic and engineer battling cystic fibrosis, came forward with touching personal stories about how unpermitted houses are better than no home at all. Guttormsen said he depleted his assets battling his disease, and found East Hawaii's moist air the only climate that doesn't cause his weakened lungs to "crack and bleed."

"This interferes with an individual's right not to be homeless," he said.

Others pointed out that closing up houses and installing drywall is unsustainable because it raises energy costs and encourages mold, fungus and insects.

Still others voiced a growing suspicion of government and accused the council of falling in line with banks and big corporations. Evidencing a dissatisfaction and distrust of government that's apparently spreading across the United States, several testifiers spoke harshly to councilors as three police officers stood guard at the back of the council chamber.

Bob Petricci of Puna said the new code would "manufacture criminals."

"We are tired of being told we are criminals," said Petricci. "The real criminals are on Wall Street and in government."

Jon Biloon of Kona echoed that sentiment.

"We're slowly seeing an incremental destruction of our rights to live as a sovereign people on this earth," Biloon said. "The reality is, it's a war on nonconforming people billed as a way to get rid of nonconforming houses."

read … Testifiers not happy with building code changes

Researchers Dump red blocks in Hawaii waters

When they do it, it’s called research. Anything else in the water is called pollution and demands a plastic bag ban.

read … Call the Green Police!

Landfill getting full as Kauai county studies new site

It may be recycled trash talk, but Kaua‘i still needs a new landfill — and soon.

With the Kekaha Landfill set to close permanently by December 2020 and without a fully functional recycling network or processing plant, the county is still struggling to site a new landfill.

In the latest public discussions among county lawmakers and officials, the mayor’s pick last year — the third proposal in 10 years — was seemingly downplayed to more of a potential site than an official selection.

Read …. Kauai County Landfill

New Book on Hawaiian Missionaries

Kassel says his new book is the result of five years of research. The project started when Kassel read an intriguing story of the Grinnell Hawaiian Missionary postage stamps. Those stamps were seized by the US Secret Service when they became the subject of a Superior Court case. Kassel discovered new information that indicates that those stamps are in fact a genuine first printing. In the book Kassel investigates a story that has been circulating for years in philatelic journals. As the story goes a wealthy stamp collector was murdered in Paris. The motive of the murderer was a desire to possess a two cent Hawaiian Missionary postage stamp.

read … Postage Stamps