Sunday, January 17, 2010

Musings: Get Smart

A thick layer of clouds and the deep quiet of a Sunday morning on a three-day weekend made it easy to sleep in a bit today, so the sun was already bleeding red into a narrow patch of clear sky above the Giant by the time Koko and I set out walking.

We quickly ran into my neighbor Andy on this 117th anniversary of the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian nation, and I told him I’d talked to my sister last night. She lives in St. Louis, and had listened to last Thursday's radio show, which touched on Hawaiian sovereignty, over the Internet.

“I don’t think that issue is really on hardly anyone’s mind on the mainland,” she said. “The only thing most people know about sovereignty is that group Todd Palin belongs to, and I don’t think that’s the kind of association the Hawaiians want.

“I don’t think most people on the mainland have any idea that Hawaii was an independent nation with a Queen,” she continued. “They just look at it as another state. They don’t think about its history. But when you go there, it feels like another country. First, it takes so long to get there, and it has that tropical climate. All the foliage is so different, and Hawaiian words are part of the daily vocabulary. It just feels very, very different.”

“Ah, so the Hawaiian culture does live on,” Andy said.

“Yes,” I replied. “Hawaii is different. You can even find saimin on the menu at McDonald’s.”

Ah, so much educating needs to be done…..

But hey, at least Mayor Bernard Carvalho got smart and has agreed to move the bike path, which was sold to the feds as an alternative transportation route, off Wailua Beach and into the right-of-way of the main transportation route: Kuhio Highway. It makes sense, especially since the path is going to run along the highway at the golf course, anyway.

According to the county’s press release, the path will run makai of the rock wall, which will be removed and replaced with a concrete barrier. Since the path will be made of concrete, there’s no need to auger down into the sand and risk an encounter with burials. Still, it’s pretty hard to tell from the schematics on the county’s website if the path will still be on the dunes, as the state DOT reportedly told the Sierra Club’s Judy Dalton, according to The Garden Island.

And then there’s that lawsuit over the cultural impacts of the Wailua Bridge widening project, of which the path is a part, to be resolved. I heard DOT’s Tammy Mori on the radio the other talking about how crews will drill down 90 feet to install the new cane haul bridge, and thought, uh oh. A hearing for a preliminary injunction is scheduled for Feb. 8, but the state filed a motion to change the venue to Kauai, which might bump that hearing until later. Meanwhile, the work proceeds.

Anyway, the mayor’s decision to move the path just goes to show that even when some folks think a matter is over, settled, pau, and nothing can be done to change it, a loud enough public outcry can make a difference. So gotta keep on standing up for what you believe — even when the naysayers try to convince you it's futile.

Heck, most people thought attempts to reform KPD were futile, but then I read that Chief Darryl Perry actually fired two bad cops and one slack civilian employee last year. Another four officers were suspended for “poor performance, falsification of records, conduct and conduct toward the public.” That’s good news, and I don’t recall any previous chiefs submitting their annual disciplinary reports to the newspaper — perhaps because there weren't any.

Now we've just got to work on reforming the marijuana laws. It was rather discouraging to read the article about the Kekaha man who got 90 days for growing 77 marijuana plants, for several reasons.

First, you have the stupidity and waste — it costs $88,000 a year to incarcerate someone — of sending someone to jail for growing.

Second, you have the robed tyrant making asinine comments like:

Kanahele’s “defiance,” including possession and use of marijuana and the influence it creates, and how it contributed to his problems, should be proof that marijuana is a dangerous drug, Valenciano said.

Third, you have the "knock 'em back till late in the bars" county prosecutor making hypocritical (and inarticulate) statements like:

“His problems has [sic] to do with drugs,” and he continues to smoke marijuana, Iseri-Carvalho said.

Fourth, you’ve got the county prosecutor actually arguing a small kine case like this herself, which offers grim evidence of just how badly that department has deteriorated under her administration.

But interestingly, most of the comments left on the story supported the concept of "free up the weed." It’s time for Kauai to follow in the footsteps of the Big Island and California, where an Assembly committee just passed a measure to legalize and tax the plant“It is estimated that the bill would generate $1.3 billion a year in taxes and marijuana cultivation fees.” — and adopt a new, more akamai approach to this issue.

Ah, so much educating needs to be done….

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

"The only thing most people know about sovereignty is that group Todd Palin belongs to, and I don’t think that’s the kind of association the Hawaiians want."

-- boy if that aint true


"Chief Darryl Perry actually fired two bad cops and one slack civilian employee last year"

-- not to mention the "retirements" occurring per his arrival (so people could save face)


dwps

Anonymous said...

what? saimin ain't hawaiian!

Joan Conrow said...

Some people have absolutely no sense of humor....

Anonymous said...

don't laugh at this one!

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100117/BREAKING01/100117025/Maui+lawmaker+looks+to+reform+marijuana+laws

go kalani go!

Anonymous said...

If we wanted to pledge allegiance to the Hawaiian Kingdom, which entity has legitimacy?

Anonymous said...

What a scam. This is the best snow job on the press.

Go to Wailua,. What is on the makai side of the rock wall? The beach? Sure it is a "right of way" which is legal terms for " we don't own it but we bought the right to use it". But calling it a "right of way" does not make a beach burial ground a good place to pave. So they are doing another Brescia, paving over, with 18" of concrete, all of the iwi in the 10' wide swath makai of the highway, i.e. on the beach. Didn't anyone at the meeting remember that the beach goes right up to the rock wall? Didn't anyone look at the plans and say, wait that is STILL BEACH? They are going to take down the wall, put up ugly guard railing in its place, then pave makai. Need to get someone to stake out the proposed 10' concrete path on the beach, and then let the mayor say this is not sacred grounds, "IT IS A RIGHT OF WAY"! The arrogance.

Anonymous said...

"will still be on the dunes"
Dune begins just below the high water matk and continues onto Coco Palms Property.

Anonymous said...

"Need to get someone to stake out the proposed 10' concrete path on the beach"
The new yorkers were doing that on Sunday. Scurrying around with their tape measures in the their new age uniforms...
ugh
remember foud deep trenches have been dug along the right a way without finding any iwi.
The iwi are on coco palms property.

Anonymous said...

If we wanted to pledge allegiance to the Hawaiian Kingdom, which entity has legitimacy?
if you want to pledge allegience to the US, which entity has legitimacy.? Why is it, healthy democracies world wide have multiple parties, but the Hawaiian people are always chastised for having several entities? that's healthy democracy

and to the person who asked didn't anyone say that the path was still on the beach, yes Judy Dalton did.

shows much sense and leadership the Mayor moved it, but still wondering why he didn't move it all the way off the beach, the canal path is already paved?is it coco palms interest?.Wailua is a mess, all these projects were segmented, really piss poor planning, they should have all had an EIS, as they all are in the same area of effect. Notice how quick they are working the bridge now, working saturdays and sundays to get it done quick. No monitor on site, no archaeology was required, showing the county really has no respect for the culture and the Kupuna

Anonymous said...

"Why is it, healthy democracies world wide have multiple parties, but the Hawaiian people are always chastised for having several entities? that's healthy democracy"

-- pretty good point. theyd be smart to adopt it as a response


dwps

Anonymous said...

" No monitor on site, no archaeology was required:
What does a monitor look like?
Dressed differently then the workers?
With the "no Shoot archaeologist t-shirt on?
By the way that phase of the project is in the fill red dirt imported fill that ramps up to the bridge. look at the excavated material as you slowly drive by.

Anonymous said...

Maybe because the Hawaiians we're talking about want to again become a monarchy, not a democracy.

No "multiple party system" or elections in a monarchy.

Anonymous said...

No, most Hawaiians are not talking about becoming a monarchy again.

Educate yourself.

Anonymous said...

"If we wanted to pledge allegiance to the Hawaiian Kingdom, which entity has legitimacy?
if you want to pledge allegience to the US, which entity has legitimacy.? Why is it, healthy democracies world wide have multiple parties, but the Hawaiian people are always chastised for having several entities? that's healthy democracy"

There's difference between political parties and sovereign governments. There are several entities that claim that they are the legitimate Hawaiian Kingdom. They do not function within the same political framework and they do not recognize the authority of the others.

Dawson said...

"Why is it, healthy democracies world wide have multiple parties, but the Hawaiian people are always chastised for having several entities?"

For centuries, Native Americans have been chastised for not being "unified." It's one of the many sneers about them you hear in reservation border towns today.

The basis of it is the "Primitive Indictment," the formula for which is "_________ (fill in the names of native nations or tribes) are always at each others' throats."

Anonymous said...

It still leaves the question unanswered. If the Hawaiian Kingdom is reinstated, who governs? It's nice to have competing points of view but at the end of the day, someone has to make the call.

Dawson said...

"It still leaves the question unanswered. If the Hawaiian Kingdom is reinstated, who governs? It's nice to have competing points of view but at the end of the day, someone has to make the call."

This is not to mock your post, but to note that the British monarchy used the same argument, and the anxiety it invoked, against those of its citizens who supported the American bid for independence. The conceit was that the British were competent to rule themselves but Americans were not.

A hundred years later, the United States government used the same argument against those of its citizens who supported Native American self-government. The conceit was that Americans were competent to rule themselves but Native Americans were not.

Then and now, the question of what form of self-government native peoples may adopt is specious: by definition of their colonial conquerors, native peoples are never intelligent enough, educated enough and unified enough to govern themselves.

The real issue is property and the power that derives from it -- who possessed it, who took it, and who will use every technique of diversion, disinformation and paranoia to keep it.

Anonymous said...

I am not doubting the ability of Native Hawaiians to self govern and if my question seems to imply that, I apologize. I'm just asking because I read Joan's article and I know that besides Henry Noa, there are others who claim to be the legitimate government. What if Hawaii declined in importance to the United States both militarily and economically to the point that sovereignty became more than theoretical? I can't see that happening in my lifetime or my children's lifetime, but who knows? Who do we follow if that happened and we wanted to stay here?

Joan Conrow said...

Dear Anon January 18, 2010 3:33 PM

That is the process that is now under way. The US govt is trying to direct it through the Akaka Bill, while the various independence groups are taking different approaches. Eventually an entity/model will emerge that has the strongest support — although unanimous support is unlikely — among both Hawaiians and the broader international community that will recognize it.

It seems most likely that entity will be in place before the US presence here wanes/is ousted, so it will be clear to anyone living here who to "follow."

That's why it's important for non-Hawaiians to also familiarize themselves with the various independence groups and models, because while this process should rightfully be directed by Hawaiians, non-Hawaiians will most definitely be a part of it.

Anonymous said...

So how many trees will have to be taken out to accomodate the path?

Wailua beach is beautiful as it is. Why do we have to pave over it?

Anonymous said...

"the broader international community that will recognize it"
Who cares about the international community.
It can only be effective if the broader local community accepts it. So we wait for a plebiscite for the residents of Hawaii to vote??
The world awaits that comedy of errors. R. Pa for Mayor!

Anonymous said...

Constantly producing the assumption that your opposition has to "educate themselves" is the height of intellectual arrogance. If you really are trying tp persuade others to join your point of view, why would you deliberately offend them.
Many among your opposition regarding this, and other issues, have graduate degrees in research based professions and have spent years reading different perspectives.
"Educating yourself" on an issue doesn't mean you attend to every meeting, film, speech, or radio broadcast that reinforces just one point of view.

Anonymous said...

Constantly producing the assumption that your opposition has to "educate themselves" is the height of intellectual arrogance.

The real conceit is thinking that if your opponents would just "educate themselves," then they would necessarily come around to your opinion. As if no other point of view could possibly have any validity.

Anonymous said...

How is saimin not Hawaiian?

Anonymous said...

OK, so first. Saimin is NOT Hawaiian!! But it is part of the integrated food cornucopia that the Native population has woven into their diets, much like beer, chips, and chocolate chip cookies, spam, vienna sausage, corn chowder and beef stew and chili and sticky white rice. It has become "local style food". Saimin, is of course, an Asian introduction, just like the other canned stuff was a mainland US introduction. Whatever the Hawaiian people have grown accustomed to eating rather than the traditional diet or in addition to,fish, meat, plantains, greens and certain root vegetables such as yams, and taro and poi and ulu as staples.
The people will be voting in a Premier type of individual, with more than likely a traditional Monarchial head, such as Quentin Kawananakoa who is the recognized and sanctioned heir apparent, and still holds the royal tittles. This makes Kauai the ruling family. The system, as I imagine it, would run similar to Englands system, with the symbolic Royal Household, the Prime Minister, the House of Nobles and the House of Commons. Much different than the Native American system of Confederation Governments and complicated treaties within clans.

Anonymous said...

Saimin was invented in Hawaii. It is Hawaiian.

Anonymous said...

"The people will be voting in a Premier type of individual, with more than likely a traditional Monarchial head, such as Quentin Kawananakoa who is the recognized and sanctioned heir apparent, and still holds the royal tittles."
What he wants to keep things status quo. As the ruler would he have that right?

Anonymous said...

Why not go back to pre-contact ways where the king wins by venture and conquest and war and overthrow.

Anonymous said...

"Constantly producing the assumption that your opposition has to "educate themselves" is the height of intellectual arrogance."

"Saimin was invented in Hawaii. It is Hawaiian."

Dawson said...

"Why not go back to pre-contact ways where the king wins by venture and conquest and war and overthrow."

For the same reason Whites wouldn't want to go back to pre-industrial society.

Anonymous said...

Saimin is Asian in creation, as is the name, "saimin.". It is not a Hawaiian invention, although other things are, like the modern catamaran, which is a polynesian invention. Sorry to say, on that one, my friend you are sadly incorrect. Saimin noodles were created in asia years ago. Now, local style saimin, such as the deliscious saimin at Hamuras is a speciality, yes, but Saimin, the actual noodles were not created here. Some types of saimin however are manufactured here. Just like we have local portuguese sausage, the Portuguese actually invented the sausage. It is something we just integrated into our eating culture. But nice try. The only things that are Hawaiian, is the original diet which consisted of canoe plants and animals only and fish.