Musings: Reprieves

The sky was full of clouds, aside from a few puka where stars shone through, and in the east, Venus and Jupiter — drawing apart — gleamed briefly before they, too, were lost behind the same fleecy force that had claimed the interior mountains.

As I'm busy looking, I often wonder about the world as experienced by Koko, whose nose is so often buried in the grass or captivated by some intriguing scent along the way. And then her small body insists upon stopping — always where the pigs cross the road and yards inhabited by other dogs — until I exert my greater will and we continue.

She collects information through the realm of smell, while I rely upon other sources, such as the court house wireless, which yesterday revealed — and The Garden Island this morning confirmed — that charged were dismissed against Randy Wolfshagen, one of the surfers arrested in the Superferry protests last August.

The article notes that Randy and his attorney were ready for trial on March 25, but charged the case was defective, and the prosecutor agreed.

What it didn’t say is the case was defective because the Coast Guard allegedly picked up Randy in the water and then brought him to shore and told the cops to arrest him, which they dutifully did. Problem is, the cops had no idea what he’d done, so they couldn’t write up a report, and the Coast Guard never wrote one, either.

“So much for the ‘Unified Command,’” chortled the source who gave me the news.

“Yep, the wheels of justice fell off the cart and bounced in my favor,” said Randy, who is planning a party for himself and the “other convicts.”

Still haven’t heard if all the surfers have gotten their boards back or what happened to the four kids who were also busted protesting what has turned out to be a failed endeavor.

Meanwhile, the Advertiser is reporting that Hawaii kids are seriously down. It quotes Marya Grambs, executive director of Mental Health America of Hawaii, as saying:

"We have among the highest rates in the nation of teenagers who are planning suicide, attempting suicide or are thinking seriously about suicide. Girls are the highest," she said. "

Do you spose that’s because of all the rapid changes they’re seeing in the Islands, the losses that occur daily, the grief and stress they see in their own parents who are struggling to survive amid the glitz that is the new Hawaii style while also mourning what was?

Grambs seems to think so.

The high cost of living in Hawai'i also could be a factor, Grambs said.

"We have an awful lot of two-parent families that are working more than one job," she said. "They're less available to their children."

Young people who see their parents working so hard could also be depressed over their limited options to prosper in the Islands, Grambs added.

"That," she said, "is definitely a possibility."

In reviewing the comments posted on the story, I liked the one left by “Bailey,” from Oahu:

Great success for the "system"! Like they say, "It takes a pillage". What a system it is.

And then you’ve got denial, as expressed by “Ohaiboy:”

why would a child living in hawaii be depressed? for $1 a child can ride the bus to anywhere on the island and hang out at the beach. or the mall. or a friends house. as i taught soldiers in the army: suck it up and drive on!

Yes, drive on. Unless you’re stuck in traffic.

Anyway, while we were busy worrying about developers, Superferries, time shares and invasive species, it seems that a far more serious threat was lurking, according to “Jayne and Morgan’s newsletter,” as distributed by Richard’s Diamond always informative “Museletter”:

Many of you knew... some of you guessed... and others will not be surprised that... according to my Trusted & Valued Sources... our Precious Islands had been “scheduled” (of their own accord) to return to the sea for Purification much like Atlantis & Lemuria.

I am pleased beyond measure to report that in recent months, due to the great outpouring of LOVE from those who live here, as well as those who where brought in for their specific energetic contributions...there has been a complete reversal of this
outcome.

OK, so like Randy, we've been given a reprieve. But everybody better quit screwing up or we’re sunk. Literally.

Finally, mahalo to all those who sent me wishes for a Happy Birthday. That must be why I had such a lovely day.