Hawaii Based NSA Worker Exposes Obama Spying, Flees to Hong Kong
Bottled Water Battle: A Decade of OHA Harassment Continues
A&B Purchase of Grace Means Roads Will Now be Fixed
SA Former Big Five company Alexander & Baldwin Inc. probably had many reasons for buying locally owned construction company Grace Pacific Corp. for $277 million, but surely one of them must be that it is bullish on road paving.
Yes, Grace Pacific, which has 550 employees, is the state's largest paving contractor, and its acquisition comes at a time when just about everyone on Oahu has been complaining about the poor condition of so many of our roads....
(Translation: GracePacific just didn't buy enough influence, but A&B does.)
Related: How A&B Wins Big From Environmental Litigation
read ... Bad roads can be good for business
Star-Adv: HART Should Prepare to Dump Ansaldo
SA: An Italian train manufacturer continues to stagger with problems but maintains confidence that it will perform adequately in its major role to construct and operate Honolulu's rail system. For now, it must hear the strong message from here to deliver promptly and adequately, but Honolulu transit leaders should be keeping all options open in preparing for a substitute.
AnsaldoBreda's contract to provide high-speed trains for operations between Amsterdam and Belgium has been canceled because of problems running in cold weather. Reuters news service reported that the European operators complained of doors coming loose, with parts falling off ....
Ansaldo's role in the Honolulu system is immense, under a $1.4 billion contract in the $5.36 billion project. Ansaldo STS builds train control and operating systems and made a $98 million profit last year. AnsaldoBreda, which makes the cars, has lost money for years, including $912 million in 2011, and had problems delivering trains to Los Angeles on time and according to specifications. An Italian defense conglomerate that owns both Ansaldo companies has endured heavy losses, credit downgrades and legal problems in recent years. (And their CEO is in prison, but hey....)
Continued vigilance indeed will be vital, but positive expectations seem well-founded, especially since HART will be allowed to have an inspector in Ansaldo's factory once construction of the Honolulu trains begin next year. (As did all the previous failed customers.)
Related: After Deadly Train Wreck, DC Metro Dumps Honolulu Rail Contractor Ansaldo
read ... Experience shows Ansaldo requires close supervision
Neighborhood Board Voting Dropped Sharply When Paper Ballots Were Abandoned
SA: The percentage of Oahu voters casting ballots in the biennial Neighborhood Board elections increased slightly this year, the third such election conducted entirely online and by phone.
In the election last month, 15,318 residents voted. That was 8.61 percent of registered voters, up from 8.47 percent in 2011 (when 13,264 people voted) and 6.5 percent in 2009.
However, those percentages represent a sharp decrease after a switch to a paperless system in 2009.
Twenty-eight percent of eligible voters voted in the 2007 election. The "distinct drop-off" shows a resistance in elderly residents toward online voting and a "general apathy" among registered voters, said Nicole Velasco, executive secretary of the Neighborhood Commission.
The issue has prompted many letters to the Neighborhood Commission, Velasco said, including privacy fears about entering the last four digits of Social Security numbers via Internet and phone keypads.
n 2007 the commission offered voters the option of voting with a paper ballot or online, she said. The change was due to costs, such as the price of postage.
The commission has saved more than $100,000 each election year.
read ... Turnout for board vote ticks up slightly
Clayton Hee, Myopic Media Baiter
CB: Hawaii’s shield law is in its final days thanks to the intransigence of state Sen. Clayton Hee with an assist from the Attorney General in their desire to emasculate a robust law that is about protecting the public’s right to know and maintaining a healthy democracy. The irony of the situation is that debate is just beginning on enacting a federal shield law following revelations about the Justice Department’s subpoena of telephone records from The Associated Press and federal warrants for emails of a Fox News reporter.
Hawaii’s law is a model for a federal law and we have no doubt that it is among the best of the 39 states and the District of Columbia that have statutes protecting journalists, confidential sources and unpublished information. Hawaii’s law is the first in the post Internet era to address protections for digital media and non-traditional journalists. And it will become the first state shield law ever repealed.
The fact that it sunsets on June 30 is a sad commentary on the myopia of media baiters such as Hee, who seems to have lost all sense of perspective in dealing with journalism, journalists and a free press. In a reckless desire, it seems, to punish the press, he conveniently ignored the fact that the primary purpose of a shield law is to advance First Amendment values by encouraging sources to disclose information of public concern.
This got lost in the debate at the Legislature, highlighted as it was by Hee distributing pictures of the 1948 headline of “Dewey Defeats Truman” as an example of media lies and his clear lack of concern for the role of journalism in a democracy. The Attorney General added to this by using fears of “bloggers” and an irresponsible press to back Hee’s efforts.
read ... A Chilly Wind Blows for Hawaii Press and Public
WHT Runs 3 More Articles on GMOs
OHA Invests in Trask's Geothermal Scam
SA: After two years of "talk story" sessions, we know one thing for sure: Anyone developing geothermal ignores the community at their peril. The community remembers being wronged, having their places of worship and traditional practices disrupted, and being made to feel like trespassers on their own land. They remember precious native plants and cultural places being endangered. None of this would have happened if there had been a genuine effort to work with the community to share benefits, respect culture and the environment and support food security and agriculture. (Translation: We were protesting for money. Now pay us.)
Hu'ena Power sees malama aina (care for the land) as an integral part of the permitting process. The international team of experts it has assembled from Japan, Iceland, New Zealand and the U.S. will use leading edge, clean and safe technology and bring pioneering best practices here to ensure public safety. People cannot be forced to trust. Trust starts with seeing that promises are fulfilled and good practices are implemented....
Are we capable of thinking this big? The recent decision by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to invest in Hu'ena Power is one promising indication that we are. Having risen above our differences, we are poised to do what is right and beneficial for all of us — and those who will come after us. This is no time to stop.
read ... Damned Sellout
Without Inouye, Alaska and Hawaii can only Tinker With Board
CB: (After an Alaska - Hawaii summit) Hawaii's congressional delegation has 1) introduced legislation to build a rail transit system (nope) 2) pushed the Akaka Bill out of committee (nope) 3) proposed changes to the composition of the state's advisory council on Native Hawaiian educational issues (yep).
Under changes proposed Thursday, the Native Hawaiian Education Council would have to include elected officials, and all members would be required to have at least five years of experience in Native Hawaiian education.
The proposal is aimed at strengthening the 1988 Native Hawaiian Education Act by increasing accountability and transparency, according to a joint statement by U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono and U.S. Reps. Colleen Hanabusa and Tulsi Gabbard....
The bill was included in a larger education proposal introduced in the Senate last week. Original co-sponsors included Alaska U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich and their colleague U.S. Rep. Don Young.
The proposal followed Tuesday's inaugural round-table meeting hosted by the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and the Alaska Federation of Natives, which convened lawmakers and advocates to reaffirm the states' continuing collaboration on behalf of indigenous peoples.
read ... Small beer
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