Monday, October 8, 2012

Musings: Very Odd

It's been eerily dry, like living on the leeward side, with crisped grass and parched mountains, a hot wind blowing offshore. Clouds pile up, promising rain, but they deliver nothing before dissipating into a blue-gray haze.

It's all very odd, like reports I've gotten from two reputable sources of mysterious lights and rockets in the sky the past two nights.

The first report came from a friend in Kalaheo, who said he saw something about midnight Saturday night, but found no reports in any media on Sunday. “So what was it? Oh, definitely was a rocket because it leave one vapor trail. It looks like it was coming from PMRF, and it was right over the mountain, so low, I mean, wow, and so fast. It went flying over the whole island.”

The second report came from a friend who saw red lights on the Wainiha pali at about 7 p.m. Sunday, along with several triangular-shaped formations of light in the sky that flew off at different times, followed by a rocket “that looked like a meteor, except it was going the wrong way,” as in shooting up, not falling down, and traveling extremely fast.

Hmmm. Wonder what the Navy is up to?

I had to wonder what KPD's finest were up to, other than twiddling their thumbs, as they sat in a line of parked patrol cars along Umi Street for a couple of hours this afternoon while the rally to repeal Act 55 (the Public Land Development Corp.) was underway.

Aside from the fact that the crowd was entirely peaceful, with numerous elected officials in attendance, it seems so odd to park patrol cars there for the duration when the station is just a few blocks away. Unless it's intended as a show of force....

It was a very mellow event, well-planned by Felicia Alongi Cowden, with a rolling crowd that maybe numbered 200 over the course of the afternoon, and 75 to 100 at any one time. Councilmen Mel Rapozo and KipuKai Kualii both spoke, along with Council candidate Gary Hooser, a union rep, and OHA candidate and longtime activist Walter Ritte, among others.

I didn't really hear any of the speeches, because events like that are as much a chance to network and see old friends as make a political statement, so I took advantage of the opportunity catch up with some folks and pick up a few juicy bits of info. Still, as a political statement it wasn't shabby. It's not easy to get people to show up on a holiday afternoon for a rally to repeal a bad land use law, and more came than I had expected.

I also saw Councilmen Tim Bynum and Dickie Chang, as well as Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura. Rep. Derek Kawakami was there, but didn't speak. I didn't see any of our other state legislators, which is unfortunate, because they're the ones who will have to do the repealing. And it's definitely going to be an uphill battle, considering the bill had near unanimous support in the Lege.

It was really good to see quite a few kanaka maoli in the crowd, because the law has some serious ramifications for the so-called “ceded lands,” and the kanaka I talked to are justifiably suspicious about how it may all play out. Because let's not forget the 1.8 million acres of Hawaiian Kingdom public lands comprise an estimated 40 percent of the total land mass in the Islands, and 95 percent of all acreage under state control. Much of it is currently undeveloped, especially on the Neighbor Islands. And with the PLDC, any or all of it could be locked up in long-term sweetheart leases, or even sold, if two-thirds of the Legislators agree.

Which brings to mind an article a friend sent around, with the message: “I think this is the big picture. PLDC is one of the specks.”

The article, from nationofchange.org, discussed Oxfam’s call for a moratorium on World Bank Group investments in land intensive large-scale agricultural enterprises, which the Bank itself has termed a “land rush:”

Over the past year, aid agencies, local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and development watchdogs have warned international investors are increasingly engaging in massive and sometimes predatory land deals in the developing world, particularly in Africa.

It seems the World Bank investments are aimed not at helping local communities feed themselves, but at turning subsistence farmers into export farmers.

As the article noted:

According to Oxfam, however, two-thirds of the investments made between 2000 and 2010 were exclusively for export-oriented crops, while other lands are being used to meet the increasing international demand for biofuels.
Is that what lies ahead for Hawaii? More yummy land deals for the multinational seed companies and biofuel contracts for the military?

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes. Last week, i saw what i thought was a falling star but quickly realized it was too close to the tree tops to be a star Blue and orange hue around thebright shooting light with a tail. About 1 am in the Nawiliwili area.....

Anonymous said...

Must be Aliens invading Kauai! Certainly PMRF would not be doing secret launches....

Anonymous said...

Island Breath has good articles on PLDC, The World Bank land grab, and the bombing of Kaula Island.

Anonymous said...

Kawakami voted FOR Act 55! Gee, thanks Derek.

Anonymous said...

Today in front of Gaylordʻs at Kilohana there will be a protest.
Sen. Akaka will be having his retirement party there at 4:30.
Please bring signs:

NO to AKAKA BILL
SOVEREIGNTY isnʻt decided by you
AKAKA BILL=Land Theft
AKAKA- Betrayed Hawaiians

Anonymous said...

The World Bank Groupsʻ coverage usually always puts in that little addition: "Mostly in Africa"

It throws people off as if they donʻt have to worry.
Not the case, though.

Very disturbing, infuriating PMRF is doing launches.
Who knows, they could be rattling China or Iran.

America-the birthplace of terrorism.

The definition is quite simple and all telling:

TERRORISM: the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims.

Anonymous said...

Repeal, Neal, Repeal Neal!

Anonymous said...

Vote Walter Ritte for OHA!!!!

Anonymous said...

Frigging Hawaiians! Land Theft, Sovereignty, Betrayed Hawaiians....Give me a break! Where the hell would you be with out the Navy! I'll tell you, NOWHERE! I would have LOVED to see you all survive after Iniki without our help. Say what you want. The Military is GREAT when it is saving your asses, but heaven forbid we TRAIN our sailors to save your asses! Bunch of PRUDES!

Dawson said...

>Where the hell would you be with out the Navy! I'll tell you, NOWHERE! I would have LOVED to see you all survive after Iniki without our help. Say what you want. The Military is GREAT when it is saving your asses, but heaven forbid we TRAIN our sailors to save your asses!<

Please! Spare us the self-serving sanctimony! Some of us just ate dinner and would rather not spew it all over our keyboards.

Anonymous said...

Give me a break.

PMRF and secret launches...you've got to be kidding me.

Fair to say some are not paying attention to what is happening around C.N. China, in the China Sea and surrounding maritime regions.

You really think thousands of US military personnel have been ordered to Oahu rather instantly because, why, it's a nice vacation spot?

Take off your rose colored glasses and get with reality.


PMRF and secret launches? Probably PMRF and saving your ridiculous rear-ends.

Anonymous said...

KPD cops in a "show of force"...but, "twiddling their thumbs?" Huh??

Is this what you wrote, Joan? Kinda the jumbo-shimp thing, sorta contradiction.

So, were KPD cops twiddling their thumbs--watching the clouds go by, or, as you then write, was this thumb twiddling posturing a show of police force?

Oh, forget it. Not worth the trouble.

Anonymous said...

TO: 6:39 PM

We need our asses saved FROM the U.S. military.

Hey and weʻre taking the beach back, jackass.

Anonymous said...

Good one, Dawson.
My compliments.

Anonymous said...

Vote Walter Ritte for OHA At-Large seat!!!!

Vote Leland Yadao, ʻRadarʻ for Kauai seat!!!!!

Vote Keʻeaumoku Kapu for Maui seat!!!!!


Anonymous said...

Mel Rapozo is really clueless. I just watched the council meeting and he openly said he doesnt agree with the 40 mph speed zone on blood alley. The last time I checked a whole bunch of fatalities have decreased because of this. Clueless. And yet he speaks of being fiscally responsible bit is willing to give free bus service to college kids. What about everyday working class people struggling to get by. That's what happens when we elect dummies with big mouths

Anonymous said...

Hot and dry on the windward side.

Anonymous said...

HAVE FUN WALKING DOWN THE BEACH AND STAYING BY THE WATER LINE. YOU WILL NEVER HAVE THE ACCESS THAT THE MILITARY HAS....I MIGHT JUST GO PARK A CHAIR ON THE BEACH TODAY AND WATCH THE WONDERFUL WAVES...UUMM, DO YOU HAVE A NICE PLACE TO SIT AND DO THAT! MAYBE IF YOU WERE A LITTLE NICER, LESS RACIST AND LESS DEMANDING YOU WOULD BE GIVEN ACCESS...UNTIL THEN, HAVE FUN WATCHING THOSE THAT DO!

Anonymous said...

It's no problem to park your car sit on beach and watch the waves, enjoy! It's a problem if you're run over by the fucking idiots that drive on the damn beach! ( A police officers wife was, and no spectacle was made of it, next one could be you or someone close to you, who knows) As far as the access that the military has, soon it won't be yours and mine, not if DLNR has anything to say about it! Racist? I no see you doing anything to help any of our people. When the moving and shaking goes on, then you complain. Be part of the process instead of the critique that is always making assumptions, you know nothing about. You have a question, ask. You have a concern state it. You want to benefit from it, come. Don't be like the OPA, on the outside looking in, you're invited! If you choose not to, it's your lost! Are you a supporter of the new proposed keiki pohaku program that they are implementing as a diversion program, it's the same thing. Only thing is natives are taking the lead on this one. If you are referencing what I think you are, you should have joined forces with us when we cleaned the whole area up and picked up all the drug paraphanelia, removed the abandoned vehicles, picked up, and continue to pick up the millions of broken glass bottles that were broken by abusers of that hidden treasure, you should have been there when we found tons of bags with ID's and credit cards left in them, stolen by individuals, and thrown in that area that we are trying to rehabilitate. You talk about enjoying the beach? What is your take on the cars that traverse that beach, your as well as mines, like Kuhio Highway, you think that's right? How can you make a difference, or will you. And please don't tell me trucks should be able to drive on the beach because of customary and traditional practices, you talking to someone whose family practiced that and continues to practice the rights of gathering, we never used cars to excercise our rights, we had trails we accessed to go to the shorelines, when our tutu would lay net they would carry the nets, when they would distribute their catch the families would come to shore to gather with their pakini, none of this bullshit about driving to your destination. Today they act like it's the norm. Norm shit!

Anonymous said...

Dawson, I'm with you. The Military is GREAT!

Just for giggles and lauughs,lets ask the Navy and PMRF to move completely off Kauai, so people can dance in the sand instead.

Like the rest of the perimeter beaches of the island of Kauai just isn't enough room for these people to romp on.

Lets see how long the indulgent, free range romping lasts.

Why is it some people just want what they think they can't have, and will go to any length to demand they are given what they want? And "NOW!"

This is what happens when childern are weaned too young, or worse not allowed to suckle the mother's breast, and later become adults. I want it now! Why? Because, you said I couldn't have it, that's why.

Now, give me that military beach tit to suck on...I said now!

Anonymous said...

It's not a "military beach." It's a public beach that the navy stole.

Anonymous said...

6:04 PM Thanks. Thatʻs right.

5:36 PM I donʻt get you. Are you being fasicious?

Anonymous said...

Today, I witnessed evil.

Yukimura and Nakamura, after having a big show of some Japanese cultural ceremony, oozing more praise than it was worth, the two of them turn around and basically tell the local kids to go ____ themselves.

Yukimura reveals that her father was a probation officer and her mother worked in mental health.
Lo and behold, I think we got to a major root of problems in Hawaii especially how this crap has been wielded against local kids in schools, courts and all of it.
They forget they are the arriving and also occupying culture of Japanese field workers and the host and original culture remains Hawaiian. That fact has not changed nor will it ever.

Anonymous said...

They say basically ______ local kids? Take a good look at Ross Kagawa, he says the same thing. It'll be for all the world to see shortly, believe me, if it's the last thing I do. I will move heaven and earth to make him feel equal misery, I want him to feel what my nephew felt with regards to the belittlement, harrassment and threats that he wielded my nephew when he attended Kapa'a High School. NFK!

Anonymous said...

Whatʻs NFK?

Anonymous said...

8:23 PM
You could be right. More of the same.
How come that council canʻt get more Hawaiians?
Look how hard it was for Kipukai to get in.

Anonymous said...

8:23 PM
If thatʻs true, make it known.
You sound like it is.

Anonymous said...

Kapa'a High is required to reinvestigate our nephews case. The school called a family member recently and said,"we need to get a hold of our nephew, because unfortunately, they can't find the paperwork of the original complaint of last year." Justice for my nephew, that's why we need to do this through a court of law. It's to assure us and other current and future students, that shit like this don't ever happen again. We filled a police report with the Kapa'a Police Department substation because the school didn't want to get the school officer involved, she wanted (Mrs. Ayres VP) to handle it internally, their services weren't provided to our family, even upon multiple requests. We wanted to be assured that there was police documentation to follow our nephew in the event that the threat Ross Kagawa made to our nephew was realized. (no wonder they didn't want police involved, they knew he was gonna run for office) A year later, when we asked for an update to our nephews case in person with Mrs. Ayres, and revisited the whole event with her per vivid memory, she claims, "she cannot remember ever advising us that the on campus officers service was not available to us," she said, "maybe she said it because he wasn't available, "at the time". That was one of the many screw ups of the School's Administration. (Again it'll go public come watch in court to find out) Ross threw an article at my nephew, which missed him and hit a box directly in the back of him, while my nephew was sitting at his desk. Attempted assault, um yeah. We digging, it gets even worse, why did he leave Chiefess Kamakahelei? Abusing special education students? It's a fucking patterm. The shit that flips us out is that he got "transferred" out of a school, because of the union bullshit. The idiot should not even be near children for his prior actions. Another good one, being "dismissed," is that the politically correct term to use, with regards to being removed from the manaagement position at the convention hall for failing his drug tests, more than once mind you. And please don't say THAT'S a rumor, because everyone know's it ain't. Also, just go around the ball park and watch this drunk in action, you'll find him hanging around the fields. If he and Dickie gets on the council, they can be the best supporters for each other, they both have that look of cluelessness and you gotta laugh out loud as to their non-verbals. Dickie stares into the crowd like a "hard thinker" I'm processing everything you're saying kinda guy, Ross takes his notebook, and starts doodling on it, pretending to take notes, probably writing, fucking shit, they're here at the forum again, making me twist in my chair because I wouldn't know when and if they will 'weild" me remarks as to the injustice I did to their family member! Uneasy, you need to deal with it for the rest of your political life Mr. Kagawa, the same way you made my nephew feel uneasy, up until the day he graduated. Weren't you right there staring him down, the same way you did in school, and told him often when you passed him, "what you fucking crybaby, you still crying, and another remark you always said to him, "you not going "fucking" graduate." A teachers POSITIVE words to a student, until the day he graduated from Kapa'a High- the mistake you all made, was to think that this was just going to go away when my nephew graduated. WRONG!

Anonymous said...

Oh Ross, what ever happened to the other cover up with regards to another special education student named JOSHUA? Everyone take a good look, he cannot say today that he is a "Special Eductaion Teacher." Why, because he continues to "BULLY" and "ABUSE". Even when he became a "TEACHERS AID" not a math teacher, he's an AID, for math teacher Ryan Harper, he screwed up, he victimized that Cummings Yokotake kid that the above story is referencing. I hope that kid has justice, in fact justice to all the students that he failed! Get out of the system! Brandon Fujita, you too, you failed Kaimana McDermot, the 17 year old student you shot in the face with a water hose and continued to shoot him until he had a seizure and went into convulsions. He got ambulanced to Wilcox and remained in the hospital for 1 week. Today he is on medications for the rest of his life. That other joker is still there! The cover up of the school is just empowering these so called teachers to continue to act in this unacceptable fashion. HRS Chapter 19 needs to have strong language supporting the rights of students from teachers, currently there is nothing to support our keiki from this type of behavior!

Anonymous said...

Ah, conspiracy theorists, you gotta love 'em. Strange lights in the sky? Must be that ultra-secretive Navy doing supersecret launches in the middle of the night to terrorize the Chinese and the Iranians! Yeah, that ultra-secret Navy with the majority of its workforce Kauai-born and bred. That enigmatic (and tiny) military occupation force that cooperates completely with state and federal regs and HAS to work with the FAA, the Coast Guard, local fishermen and tour-boat operators and pilots for every single launch event. Terrorizing those Iranians and Chinese even though the biggest rockets that could be fired from here could never approach those countries' territorial waters, and even if they could, what would be the benefit of a "secret" launch? Last I saw, Navy wasn't too shy about putting out press releases when they had a shot go off, good or bad. I not sayin' them Navy boys ain't done no launches last week. I no there. Just saying conspiracies make you all look like a bunch of desperate post-sixties radicals looing for a protest to validate yourselves (you know, rather than helping in the community to fix something actually wrong).

Anonymous said...

not conspiracy, they are doing military testing on Kauai this week. get over yourself Dude

Anonymous said...

You asked what is NFK? NOT FOR KAGAWA, you want a bumper sticker?

Anonymous said...

A coalition with everyone bringing out their stories will be for all of Kaua'i to see. When you listen to these families you'd be embarrassed to say that you're a supporter. Many of these special education students do not have the capability to create a reason to be abused. Popularity and being a baseball "star" will get you nowhere. You might win the election, but your ass is on the line for all to see. We'd love to pick your brain. We'lll have a field day out of you. You cannot even handle the school atmosphere with students, how the hell will you handle the pressures of the political arena. It's gonna eat you up and spit you out! Why do you think some of his supporters of his campaign left. And it created animosity with the Koga and Nagano family, two sisters. He couldn't even mihi with the family. If he only did, nothing of this would come about. But you want to act arrogant, that's what you get. Shame on you!

Anonymous said...

Oh, noooes!! Military testing? Why, it's almost like they're fulfilling their mandate over the petty protests of some people who don't understand either physics, local economics, or geopolitics. Shocking! Hey, "Dude", if you go back and do a leetle readin' comprehension, you might realize I never said they weren't doing testing. I'm commenting upon Joan's laughably dread-laden insinuations and all the people implying the Navy was doing some sort of seekrit squirrel shenanigans.

If they were doing testing, or weather rocket launches, or chem-trail laying (to throw another wingnut conspiracy in there) they should be applauded. Tax dollars doing actual work, advancing the tech that someday may save American lives. What a horrible, horrible concept.

Anonymous said...

The DOE is a dirty as the Prosecutor's Office.

Think Daniel Hamada

Anonymous said...

That's why they all need to be exposed! DOE included...