Slipped out for a quick walk between showers, just Koko and me. The dog I found is still with us, but she’s not great on a leash. I discovered she does have an owner — a hunter who uses the initials SC, which I found tattooed in her ear — so I’m calling around to hunter friends, KONG and the Humane Society hoping to reconnect them.
Been hearing talk that the Superferry won’t be coming back to Kauai, and that just might be true. Company officials dodge the issue when questioned by the media and there’s been no outreach of any sort.
So Kauai folks are getting proactive and coming together to plan the next steps: what to do if it does come back, and how to put all this energy to good use working on other pressing issues. There’s a public [thanks, Mom, for catching that typo!] meeting at 6:30 tonight at Kapaa Neighborhood Center to discuss just that, so come share your manao if you’re so inclined.
Also got word that 1000 Friends of Kauai is accepting donations for the lawsuit to fight Superferry. This time, the legal issue is whether the bail out bill was unconstitutional because it specifically benefits Superferry, even though the legislation was worded for a “large capacity ferry.”
You can send donations to PO Box 223177, Princeville, 96722. The lawsuit is supported by Kaua’i Group of the Hawai’i Chapter Sierra Club, People for the Preservation of Kaua’I, Malama Kaua'I, Surfrider Foundation – Kaua’I, Hui-R and Save Our Seas.
Meanwhile, Brad Parsons on Maui is continuing to post photos and track Superferry passenger counts and reports: “at these numbers, not including fixed costs, subtracting fuel only, the company lost at least $4,400 on the trip to Maui and lost at least $10,500 on the [Monday] trip to Oahu. Annualized losses including fixed costs could be $30.8 million at these load levels. BTW, there was almost no security today, Monday, at the harbor. It "looks" like the security zone has been lifted.”
I have to get to an interview now, so need to close, but have a few more bits I'll try to post later.
I just want to point out that one "tactic" used by corporations to get around protests has been to publicly announce they're not moving in, and then do it anyways. That's what happened with Costco, one day they said in the newspaper that construction costs were too high, and within weeks they broke ground.
ReplyDeleteIt's less applicable to the ferry if their intent is to sell tickets to the public, but still worth remembering.
I think that tactic is less about avoiding protest than about squeezing local governments for favors and breaks. That's what I've always thought about it anyway. But maybe it's both!
ReplyDeleteKaty