Entries for August 2009

With no known hate groups and a much-trumpeted spirit of aloha or tolerance, few people outside Hawaii realize the state has a racism issue. One reason: The tourism-dependent state barely acknowledges hate crimes.  Hawaii has collected hate crimes data since 2002 (most states began doing so a decade earlier). In the first six years, the state reported only 12 hate crimes, and half of those were in 2006. (All other things being equal, the state would be expected to have more than 800 such crimes annually, given the size of its population, according to a federal government study of hate crimes.)

Why did the city choose Makana O Kea Kua as the non-profit in charge of taking donations for the City’s Sunset on the Plains.  Makana O Kea Kua has a clean and sober home for convicts on 91-031 HAILIPO Street.  Residents complain that it housed sexual offenders.  Why was a political campaign allowed to be a sponsor and promoted through sunset on the plain using city taxpayer money?

The Kennedys are largely responsible for making African Americans dependent on an alliance with liberal Democrats. The result--highly unstable in a democratic society -- 90% of black voters regularly pull the Democrat lever. 

The 90% solid black vote tips the balance in favor of Democrats in Missouri, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, and Maryland. Without these votes, Democrats would simply cease to function as a national party.  Without the Kennedys around to check anti-black electoral dynamics within the Democrats' ranks, it is an open question as to how much longer this arrangement can continue. The end of the dynasty could mark the beginning of the liberation of black voters from dependency on government.

But we now know that many of the senators who protected Fannie and Freddie, including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Christopher Dodd, have received mind-boggling levels of financial support from them over the years.

Throughout his political career, Obama has gotten more than $125,000 in campaign contributions from employees and political action committees of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, second only to Dodd, the Senate Banking Committee chairman, who received more than $165,000.

“In light of the additional $98 million revenue shortfall projected by the Council on Revenues yesterday and the unacceptable and unrealistic position taken by the Hawai‘i Government Employees Association on our Administration’s latest offer, we must take the difficult step of identifying additional spending cuts, including a possible further reduction in force,” said Governor Lingle. 

Akamai readers will spot the name of Frances A Boyle in paragraph 11 of this August 27 report from the Investigative Project on Terrorism.

Multiple sources within the Hawaii Republican Party report Honolulu County Prosecutor Peter Carlisle has resigned his Party membership.  The sources report that Carlisle sent a short letter to Hawaii GOP HQ with his resignation late last week. 

“The Council on Revenues’ lower revenue projection is in line with what our Administration has been anticipating.  That is why we have been taking steps to reduce government expenses and streamline operations.  The fact that the Council on Revenues has lowered its revenue projection for the seventh time since March 2008 is another reminder that we simply cannot afford to operate state government at the current level of spending...."

Can the confused State of Hawaii regain its bearings by talking with those who caused the confusion? That is the question posed by the final session of Hawaii’s 50th Anniversary Statehood conference.

And now for the real kicker: none of these numbers include the costs of Obamacare which would create another $1.5 trillion health care entitlement on top of our existing unsustainable entitlement obligations. The OMB’s Mid-Session Review should serve as a wake up call to the American people. President Obama’s policies are leading us down a path of unsustainable spending and borrowing.

“I’m pleased with the over 200 people that turned out for the townhall discussion on healthcare reform this evening.  I think this forum offered a balanced presentation, educated all attendees, and showed the real concern the people of Hawaii have regarding the future of American healthcare,” stated Djou.

LA Times: Glenn Beck goes after Color of Change co-founder Van Jones  (FOX Video)

Chicago Tribune: 'Color of Change' boycott leader says FOX host Beck "trying to change subject''

That glaring problems have continued for so long is a serious indictment of leadership. Someone should be held accountable … but that’s not possible.  In Hawaii’s one-of-its-kind governance system, the buck stops nowhere.

Congressman blasts Holder probe: "It's disgraceful... you wonder which side they're on"

The economic stimulus funds build upon the five-point recovery plan my Administration launched last year and position Hawaii to re-establish the conditions for growth.  Our state Congressional delegation has supported this effort and their role is appreciated.

Finally, we believe key competitive grant opportunities will lay the foundation for a new economic base in the decades ahead.  That economic base will be built on swift, accurate communications of voice and data; clean, renewable energy that is domestically produced; harbors and transportation systems that are state-of-the-art; and a skilled, well-educated workforce that is ready to compete nationally and internationally.

Last week NBC News released a poll showing that while 36% of Americans believed President Barack Obama’s health care plan was a “good idea,” 42% of Americans believed it was a “bad idea.” NBC’s explanation for this inconvenient truth? “[M]isperceptions about the president’s plans for reform … that nonpartisan fact-checkers say are untrue.” Specifically NBC found that 55% of Americans believed Obamacare “will give health insurance coverage to illegal immigrants,” 54% believed it “will lead to a government takeover of the health care system,” 50% believed it “will use taxpayer dollars to pay for women to have abortions,” and 45% believed it “will allow the government to make decisions about when to stop providing medical care to the elderly.”

The President has since copied NBC’s diagnosis, devoting his Saturday Weekly Address to debunking these “phony claims.” The problem for NBC News, and the White House, is that every one of these concerns has rock solid foundation in fact.

The meeting will be in the cafeteria of McKinley High School on Tuesday, August 25th.  It will begin at 5:30pm and end at 7:00pm.

Governor Lingle speech--full text.  Zogby poll describes Hawaii at 50, Native Hawaiians: The next 50 Years, Shinseki speech, VIDEOS, more . . .

The left in Congress is now considering abandoning moderates and independents to pass their narrow partisan ideal of health reform. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spokesman Jim Manley promised yesterday that Democrats will pass Obamacare “by any legislative means necessary.”

In the lead up to the 50th Anniversary Statehood Conference, Broken Trust co-author Randall Roth dissects the DoE and the historical roots of its boiling dysfunction....

Gramscian ideas are far advanced in America. You see them in "hate crimes" laws, in gender equity legislation, in forced corporate "sensitivity" training, in the menace of coerced "right thinking" in the universities. You feel the nuances of it in casual conversation. It's an attitude at a cocktail party.

For years, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) has expended every resource to create a Hawaiian Indian tribe. Now, with its goal finally in sight, disputes over how much of Hawaii the Akaka Tribe should grab and how quickly to grab it threaten to torpedo the entire project.

Yesterday was the six month anniversary of President Barack Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package. Since the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act” became law, the United States economy has shed nearly 2.8 million net jobs. When Obama signed the stimulus the nation’s unemployment rate stood at 7.6%. Today it is 9.4%. Nationwide, a total of fifteen states are now suffering from 10% unemployment. No wonder 57% of Americans recently told Gallup that the stimulus package is either having no impact on the economy or making it worse.

A Web search shows Hawai'i is the only state that hasn't had the public town hall forums this month.... there have been none of the outbursts because there have been no town hall meetings in recent weeks as the health reform issue heated up.

While Hawaii is ninth in a Gallup's list of top liberal states, Aloha State conservatives have a 5% edge--29% to 24%--over liberals.  Hawaii is tied with Rhode Island as the top state for self-identified moderates at 43%.

Six videos presented on the Sean Hannity program.  See them for yourself:

The headlines are encouraging: The AP reports, “White House appears ready to drop ‘public option’.” Politico reads, “White House backs away from public health care option.” And the front page of USA Today says, “Obama may drop public option in health care.” These headers all stem from Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ comment on CNN Sunday Morning that the public option “is not the essential element” of President Barack Obama’s health care plan. But by Sunday night the White House was already walking back Sebelius’ statement.

In an August, 2008 interview with Maui’s Akaku Public Access TV, Roggasch claims there was no assault.  He also explains his belief that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States and is therefore ineligible to be President.  Like many “birthers” the Akahi group are “9-11 truthers” as well.  An entire page of their www.FreeHawaii.org website is dedicated to arguing the 9-11 attacks were "a time of reckoning" and "our fault".

Yesterday President Obama responded to my statement that Democratic health care proposals would lead to rationed care; that the sick, the elderly, and the disabled would suffer the most under such rationing; and that under such a system these “unproductive” members of society could face the prospect of government bureaucrats determining whether they deserve health care.

"(The Department of Defense) is concerned about this -- we have enough on our plate," she said. "This could derail the buildup. That's how costly it's going to be. ... It's not going to sail."

“Statehood was a major turning point for our state, and 50 years later, we are proud of everything we have accomplished. I hope the residents of Hawai‘i will show their pride in our island home by attending local commemorations and learning more about our state’s history,” said Kippen de Alba Chu, chair of the 50th Anniversary of Statehood Commission.

Rhetoric: "Today, he opposes single payer health care, and attacks Sen. Clinton for proposing a plan that covers everyone"

Reality: Obama Has Consistently Said That If We Were Starting From Scratch, He Would Support A Single Payer System, But Now We Need To Build On The System We Have If Obama Were Starting From Scratch, He Would Support A Single Payer System.

Gallup found that more Americans believe the townhall protesters are motivated by their internal beliefs and not stirred up by “political activists” crating “organized opposition.”

There were 247 contributions from individuals and PACs. Of these 247 only 12 were for less than $1,000. 235 individuals and PACs donated more than $1,000 each. There were 33 contributions that were at the maximum of $6,000. There were numerous contributors who are in the same family that maxed out their contributions at $6,000 apiece.

State Government  cannot afford to look or be the same.  We need to find new ways to do the tasks that were once performed.  We want to explore with the Agriculture industry options such as third-party certification, self certification, and random sampling.

SB: "Most of the cuts would come from revision of reimbursements for doctors, discounts for prescription drugs and elimination of co-payments for preventive services — changes that would affect providers, not beneficiaries."

So with Hawaii already suffering an MD shortage caused in large part by low medicare reimbursements, Obama is going to cut them even more. And that won't affect beneficiaries, just providers???  It will when the MDs leave Hawaii.  And this isn't a "cut"?

Julia's mother was an early Obama supporter in Massachusetts during the presidential election, so she had previously met First Lady Michelle Obama, the Obama daughters Sasha and Malia, and Vice President Joe Biden.

Kathleen Manning Hall, Julia's mother, was shocked when her daughter said she wanted to ask a question. They wrote it down beforehand, and Julia didn't miss a beat when Obama called on her. 

The bill says that the government agents, "well-trained and competent staff," would "provide parents with knowledge of age-appropriate child development in cognitive, language, social, emotional, and motor domains ... modeling, consulting, and coaching on parenting practices," and "skills to interact with their child to enhance age-appropriate development."

(This applies to Indian Tribes as well, so if the Akaka Tribe is ever formed, Hawaiian families will find themselves inspected by US Government social workers with the power to remove children from the home.  "Sovereignty", eh?)

PHOTOS Left: Sun at peak of warming, 1998.  After 10 years of cooling, 2008.  NASA reports that the absence of sunspots continues today. 

More than 400 record low minimum temperatures and 1,300 record low maximum temperatures (lowest high temperature) across the nine-state area that make up the Central region.  Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania experienced their coolest July on record. Kentucky, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Michigan each had their second coolest July on record, while Minnesota and Tennessee had their third coolest July on record.

Reviewing the month’s polling data, Gallup’s Frank Newport sums it up: “The bottom line is a sense that, while Americans apparently favor some type of healthcare reform in the long term, they are in no hurry to see healthcare reform legislation passed in the short-term on a rushed schedule. … A Pew Research poll released this week shows that those who are worried about new health care legislation are most likely to say it is because it involves too much spending and would increase the deficit.”

Wrapped in their liberal Washington cocoon, however, the leadership in Congress simply do not want to hear this message. Instead, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) have chosen to pen an op-ed in today’s USA Today calling those who want Congress to hear their concerns about health care “simply un-American.”

(And who are we to pass up the opportunity???)

... if you want to know how state enterprises really feel about competition, take a look at Obama’s home state of Hawaii ....

“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,” Governor Lingle said.

“I am also very disappointed that the HGEA and UPW have failed to respond to the offer we presented on July 21, 2009. Unfortunately, the State’s deteriorating budget situation is getting worse, not better, and the amount the State can afford to pay in labor costs continues to decline. The unions’ failure to accept or recognize this is, in my opinion, not in their members’ best interests.”

You have only a few more days to enjoy the pause in the Gramscian War on the cultural and historic foundations of Hawaii Statehood.... So be sure to tune in tonight.

"Presidential" leadership:  In Tampa, Florida, protester Barry Osteen was pushed in the face by Democratic Club Treasurer Karen Miracle and union members allegedly assaulted another concerned citizen. Both of the events were organized by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Asked about the possibility of people concerned about Obama showing up at their event, in Tampa, SEIU spokeswoman Kim Diehl told the St. Petersburg Times: “We’re prepared. We have strategies to deal with it if it should come up.”

As this video plainly shows, one of those strategies is to lock out dissenters while letting in purple-shirted SEIU members. The desire to silence dissent on Obamacare goes all the to the top. At a Democratic rally in Virginia last night, the President told supporters: “I don’t want the folks who created the mess doing a lot of talking. I want them to just get out of the way so we can clean up the mess.”

 IMAGE: CAT 4 Hurricane Felicia takes aim at Hilo, but is projected to weaken before landfall.

(And here's what would happen if a CAT 4 hit Oahu....)

A powerful hurricane would shut down Hawaiian Electric's grid for 30 days. Streets as far inland as Beretania and the H-1 freeway would be flooded. Debris would block roads. And homes would be damaged across the island of Oahu, if a powerful hurricane struck Oahu, officials said.  The imagined scenario officials have been working with calls for a Category 4 hurricane -- meaning a storm with sustained winds over 130 mph -- to make landfall at Kapolei.

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle has appointed Kaulana Park to serve as the new director of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) and chairman of the Hawaiian Homes Commission.  Park, the department’s deputy director since February 2008, succeeds Micah Kāne, who will become a Trustee for Kamehameha Schools.  The transition will take effect on Aug. 12.

UH Manoa professor Farideh Farhi, an advisor to the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), a group that lobbies for better relations with the Islamic Republic, challenged me a couple weeks ago...for a column questioning Iranian sincerity in diplomacy.... Today Tabnak (website of accused Buenos Aires bomber) suggests why: In the course of discussing the controversy, it mentions that Farhi worked some years for the Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Indeed, her work at the Foreign Ministry coincided with Holocaust revisionist conferences.

The White House wants people to believe they are losing the health care debate because “scary … videos are starting to percolate on the internet” that are spreading “disinformation” about Obama’s health care plan.  The White House is even encouraging Obama supporters to help them identify people spreading this “disinformation.” The official White House blog now asks Americans: “If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.”

...issuing hijabs as part of uniforms in Great Britain is nothing new – the London police led the way in 2001, followed by other police forces, at least one fire brigade, and even the furniture chain Ikea. What sets the Avon and Somerset hijabs apart from these others is their being intended not just for pious Muslim female staff but also for non-Muslim staff....