August 7, 2009 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Friday, August 7, 2009

August 7, 2009 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 10:43 AM :: 9087 Views

Obama backs Native Hawaiian self-governance bill

The full-throated endorsement came from Sam Hirsch, deputy associate attorney general, to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. (A former Inouye staffer)

Eventually, it could give ~~Native Hawaiians~~ the OHA gang greater control over their highly valuable ancestral lands. (Whose lands? OHA's??? OHA's ancestry goes back to 1978.)

At stake — in addition to the political future of the Native Hawaiian people (as subjects of the Akaka Tribe) — ultimately is control (by the OHA gang) over some 1.8 million acres of land that many Native Hawaiians believe was taken from them illegally in the annexation of Hawai'i in 1898.

Passage of the Akaka bill would provide for negotiations on the disposition of Native Hawaiian land, natural resources and other assets. (Translation: A bonanza for trustees.)

(Key question: Do you want to live subject to rule by the OHA gang?)

SB: Akaka Bill supporters make case at hearing

Hawaii state workers' union demands delay in layoffs

The Hawai'i Government Employees Association demanded yesterday that the Lingle administration stop its layoff of 1,100 state workers until there is meaningful consultation with the union over layoff guidelines.

The Lingle administration, meanwhile, chided the union for telling workers not to fill out layoff forms until the consultation is complete.

Laderta said workers who ignore the deadline "do so at their peril." The layoff forms help the state determine whether workers have the seniority eligible for department- and jurisdiction-wide job searches.

Lingle, traveling to the Mainland yesterday, issued her own statement last night. "I hope our employees adhere to the deadline we have set, because the possible consequences to them of ignoring the deadline could be the loss of any ability to bump into a different position," she said.

(This is the same game the unions played when Cayetano tried to lay off workers.)

Abercrombie Accuses Hannemann Of Attacking his Integrity

(Problem: How can Mufi attack something that does not exist?)

Abercrombie said he is upset that Hannemann's campaign committee filed a petition with the state Campaign Spending Commission.

The complaint asks the commission to block a transfer of $900,000 in campaign funds from Abercrombie's congressional race to the governor's race.

(Neil wants a personal one-time-only exemption from the 30% limit on out-of-state donations.)

The commission is expected to issue a ruling next week.

If it goes against Abercrombie, it would give Hannemann an $800,000 advantage in campaign funds.

(Poor Neil, his pay-4-play from the military industrial complex is mostly out-of-state. Without it he will fall behind Mufi's Rail-based pay-4-play money.)

TOTALLY RELATED:

Submitted votes lag as Council special election nears end

As voting comes to an end in the special election to fill the vacancy for City Council District 5, participation is running slightly below that of a similar mail-in vote held in April, an official said.

The deadline for District 5 voters to get ballots back to the City Clerk's Office is 6 p.m. today. A tally with roughly 98 percent of the votes counted is expected soon after that, said City Clerk Bernice Mau.

As of yesterday about 18,300 -- or 39 percent -- of the roughly 47,000 ballots had been returned, Mau said.

(This is a blow to the claim that Vote-by-Mail boosts turnout.)

Ann Kobayashi, who held the seat for six years before giving it up to run for mayor last year, has been endorsed by the Hawaii Women's Political Caucus, International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 5, the Sierra Club and the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers. (Abercrombie)

First-time candidate Nathaniel Kinney has spent the most in the race, $105,910, and has won backing from several local unions, including the state's largest, the Hawaii Government Employees Association, and the Hawaii Carpenters Union, where he works as an attorney. (Hannemann)

(Preview of Abercrombie vs Hannemann.)

Iolani palace angered by Akahi verdict

(After a jury failed to convict lifelong criminal James Akahi of burglary for breaking into Iolani Palace, Kippen de Alba Chu speaks up publicly about the next trial.)

Question: Do you think Akahi's punishment was severe enough to deter future break-ins?
Answer: No, that was not a deterrent at all.
Q: So the palace staff was disappointed in the outcome?
A: Very much so. We were hoping for the full conviction and maximum penalty.
Q: What is your hope for the upcoming trial?
A: My hope is that we do get the solid conviction on the assault ... We definitely need to get the message across that the staff are not open for assault ... I think that really crosses the line when you injure someone else.

(Key question: After 40 years of non-stop Gramscian assault on the foundations of the State of Hawaii, can 12 people be found who are smart enough to look solely at the facts of the case and not color their verdict by the fatuous claim that a gang of lifelong criminals have "sincere motives" just because one of the criminals decides to start claiming he is King of Hawaii?)

Historic preservation: Federal review merits fast track

Chinen was replaced last year by Puaalaokalani Aiu, who holds a doctorate in communications, had been an analyst in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and had been involved in Hawaiian preservation efforts and burial issues. Named at the same time as head of archaeology and historic preservation was Nancy McMahon, an archaeologist for the agency for 20 years. McMahon says the division remains understaffed.

However, U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie said in a letter to the National Park Service that "many problems persist," expressing concern "that our cultural and historical resources are not being adequately protected." He wrote that the agency has been unable to perform its "functions in a timely manner," causing "a wide variety of federal projects" from going forward.

Hawaii state, county workers must fill prescriptions by mail

Hawai'i's state and county workers who regularly order the same prescription drug are being required to get their refills from a Florida pharmacy, prompting complaints from workers and some of the pharmacies they previously used.

The change to a mail-order pharmacy for so-called maintenance drugs came last month as the Hawai'i Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund searched for ways to avoid a nearly 30 percent increase in health care premiums for the workers.

By switching to a mandatory mail-order program and making other changes, the EUTF trustees were able to cut the premium increase to 23.7 percent.

State Sen. Josh Green, D-3rd (Kohala, Kona, Ka'u), a Big Island emergency room physician, said he understands that the EUTF had the best intentions for its members but that the program may have unintended consequences.

He said that was proven last weekend when a patient with a history of strokes came into a Kohala emergency room asking for high blood pressure medicine. A mail-order prescription hadn't arrived on time and the local pharmacy was closed on a Saturday afternoon.

So Green gave the man three days of the drug to tide him over. Green said the mail-order prescription probably saved a few dollars, but the cost of an ER visit probably was around $500.

Hawaii County Council reshuffle put on hold

The Hawaii County Council will keep its original slate of officers and committee chairmen at least into next month, thanks to a parliamentary move that sets a Sept. 14 public hearing on the issue.

Maui: Pulelehua, Olowalu projects get attention

Two developments that have stirred debate throughout the planning process, a proposed new town at Olowalu and Maui Land & Pineapple's worker-housing project, Pulelehua, were lightning rods again at the Lahaina meeting.

The organization Maui Tomorrow ranked five projects proposed for inclusion in the general plan on criteria such as location, infrastructure and affordable housing, and gave Olowalu an "F."

"The Olowalu Town project was rated lowest, primarily because it is expected to have the minimum affordable housing required, and because its location is far from jobs in both West and Central Maui," said Executive Director Irene Bowie.

Mike Foley, a former county planning director, said Pulelehua was his "favorite project" in West Maui, while Olowalu was his "least favorite."

(When this type of (love one, hate the other) pattern emerges, the first thing to check is the ownership of the land under Oluwalu. The second to check is the financial relationship between ML&P and the protesters.)

Maui council panel advances bill that would ban shark tours

Council members said feeding sharks for entertainment was offensive to Native Hawaiians, (has this become the default argument for EVERYTHING?) and expressed concern the practice could change sharks' natural behavior. They said they planned to pass the ban before any shark tour businesses could open on Maui like some have on Oahu. (Nobody has presented any evidence of shark feeding off Oahu and there are no shark tours off Maui.)

Special Hawaiian word of the day for those who seek to impose their New Age Religion on the Hawaiian past: "Kamohoali'i"

Kauai: Council Rule 15(b) ignored

LIHU‘E — With the County Council ending its flirtation with addressing its rules through an ad hoc committee and a proposed amendment, it seemingly disregarded one of the other policies on its books Wednesday.
Rule 15(b) of the Council Rules states: “All communications to be placed on the agenda must be initialed by the council chair and received by the council or the Office of the County Clerk before 4:30 p.m. on the Friday two weeks preceding the day of the regular or committee meeting.”
For Wednesday’s meeting, that deadline would have been the afternoon of July 24, but three communications on this week’s agenda were dated after that cutoff.

Better count needed for Hawaiians

In the 2000 Census, Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders were undercounted by roughly 4.6 percent, according to bureau estimates. That's one of the worst results among the major groups. By contrast, Asians and whites were undercounted by less than 1 percent.

The most common reasons given for not participating in the census — an aversion to government agencies, a fear that questionnaire information can be used against them, or simple lack of interest — must be overcome.

(This count will become the basis for all kinds of $$$ to OHA hence the urgency.)

No state ethics charges over UH's Sugar Bowl travel expenses

At issue was UH's travel practices that involved nearly 600 people traveling to, attending or receiving accommodations for the Jan. 1, 2008, football game against Georgia in New Orleans. UH has said it paid nearly $2 million for the group that included football players, coaches, band members, staff members, officials, family members and some guests.

(MRC gonna be real comfortable at UH.)

Mollway said UH's actions were in line with what "peer institutions" were doing (Like the UC system??) as well as the requirements of the bowl which wanted UH to demonstrate a significant presence at the event. (Which is why UH sent back 1000s of Sugar Bowl tickets as fans lined up to buy them....)

The Advertiser filed a lawsuit in May in an effort to get the university to disclose a complete list of the people who traveled to the Sugar Bowl. The suit was dropped after UH issued an apology, promised improved openness and agreed to pay the newspaper's attorneys fees.

(And what journalistic aim was furthered by THAT?)

HEI Rakes it in, complains

HEI said yesterday that it earned $15.5 million, or 17 cents per share, during the three months ending June 30, compared with the year earlier's $5.1 million, or $0.06 per share, net profit.

But the comparison is skewed by a $35.6 million after-tax charge that the company recorded in second quarter 2008. Minus the charge, HEI's second-quarter 2008 net income would have been $40.7 million, or $0.48 per share.

"The performance of our companies continues to be impacted by difficult economic conditions and delayed regulatory action," said Constance Lau, HEI's chief executive officer. (And former KSBE trustee. HEI = KSBE)

Felicia Weakens to CAT 2

The storm, with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, was 1,280 miles east of Hilo at 5 a.m. today, according to the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane-force winds extend 40 miles from its center, while tropical storm-force winds extend 140 miles.

AP: Hawaii Hurricane response test reveals shortfalls

Hurricane Flossie: Hawaii Gets its Lucky Miss

Hurricane Shelters: Hawaii Still Counting on a Lucky Miss

As the Storm Fronts Line Up Off Shore, Residents are Asking if Oahu is Ready for a Hurricane