Musings: Chuckables

Out with the dogs in the time of way early, before stars-on-black turned to wisps-on-baby blue, before crickets gave way to bird song, walking down the road, following that big yellow moon.

I found it to be far more inspirational and joyful  than following politics, a pursuit that so often pushes spectators to that place of having to chuckle so as to avoid an up chuck.

Like when Council Chair Jay Furfaro — responding to a comment about JoAnn Yukimura and “three Caucasians” recessing the 2491 vote to bring in a new member to vote their way — pulled out a piece of paper and said, “this is a document that makes of my family...a petition to William McKinley to reinstate the Kingdom of Hawaii. We are Americans.” Oh. OK. Thanks, Jay, for making it clear you're not just another haole. For a heart-stopping minute there, I thought you were going to declare yourself a Hawaiian national. Shucks.

Or when new member Mason Chock, happy and eager as a puppy, spoke earnestly of “how deeply honored I am to be amongst mentors across the table who voted on my behalf.”

Yikes. The Council as mentors. That's a scary thought. And now for the next phase of Mason's education: how to swim with political sharks. Because really, what kind of people would intentionally create a situation that causes a decent guy like Mason to start his political career with a taint?

Which leads to how JoAnn said, at the meeting where Mason was voted in to override the mayor's veto, “We've seen so much leadership in the past few days on Bill 2491 and that's why we're a very exceptional island.”

Or when I got this mean flash of deja vu seeing the same trio — Jay, JoAnn and Tim Bynum — that gave us half-baked TVR laws opposed by the Administration following the same path with 2491. I can just see the tee-shirt slogans now:

Litigate the Law. Draft the Rules. Implement the Law. Enforce the Law. Please Enforce the Law. Pretty Please Enforce the Law. Five Years Down and Still Nevah Enforce the Law.

But then, how many of the pro crowd will actually tune in to the mundane details of making a law a reality? Especially when frequent flier Walter Ritte is exhorting them on Facebook to now direct all their energy toward.... no, not demanding health studies for people impacted by biotech; no, not better regulation of pesticide use; no, not occupy lo'i; no, not affordable farm lots; no, not protection of ag land, but GMO labeling.

Because, of course, Bill 2491 was, at heart, all about GMOs, despite Andrea Brower's flat out lie to the contrary on the PBS Insights show. That's why its sponsor, Gary Hooser, included the GMO moratorium and aligned himself with GMO-Free Kauai way back in January. And that's why a certain Waimea resident, despite being dusted for a decade by Pioneer's pesticides and rallying his neighbors, wasn't even consulted on the bill because he didn't oppose GMOs.

Thunk, bump, thunk, bump, bump, bump. That's the sound of westsiders being thrown under the bus.

Which brings us to this shot of the 2491 victory crowd. Wearing a white blouse, front and center, why, it's Realtor Mimsy Bouret, who sold out the North Shore to vacation rentals. Gee, do you suppose the real estate crowd is salivating over those sunny westside ag lands with their awesome views?  Never mind the poison. That didn't stop folks from snapping up the old pineapple fields. 

Look closely, folks. Because as the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Finally, a few readers have suggested I stop allowing anonymous comments. Though the section is often uglier and more inane than it might be if folks owned their words, I made the decision at the onset to allow anonymous comments because I know how little Kauai operates. Lots of folks are afraid to put their names on their thoughts, for whatever reason. Even more love to make kissy face while talking stink behind someone's back. Why shouldn't comments reflect that very real dynamic of our island? Because they're being left by your friends, ohana, neighbors and colleagues, after all. Think of it as the Kauai antithesis of Brand X, as in Uncivil Bleat.  If you don't like the comments, don't read them. Enter at your own risk.