Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Musings: Home Overruled

Now that Vandana Shiva and Center for Food Safety have declared 2015 the “year of home rule” — by which they mean blindly following the directives of folks based in India and Washington, D.C. — we're going to see that catch phrase popping up in all sorts of unlikely places.

Like water use. Or more specifically, calls to designate Lihue and the Keauhou area of the Big Island as ground water management areas.

Somehow, both actions are being hailed as “home rule,” when in reality, they're taking control of water resources out of county hands, and giving it to the state Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM).

Unfortunately, ill-informed activists don't have a clue what's going down, as evidenced by their fawning response to Hawaii Island Mayor Billy Kenoi's testimony at a Dec. 10 meeting of CWRM.

Billy was clearly speaking against a petition by the National Parks Serviceto designate the Keauhou Aquifer System Area in North Kona a Ground Water Management Area when he testified:

.And when we see this come, get this whiff of paternalism. We feel like the county being paternalistically patted on the head to say, you guys don't know what you're doing. We gotta come in and help you guys because you don't know what you're doing.

Show me the science, show me the law, show me the violation. Nobody need come in tell us we doing something wrong. I'd be the first one to hold the Department of Water Supply, the Water Commission accountable.

You look at the petition, get words like “threaten, degradation, imminent harm, diminishing of resources and you're like wow.... so I go through it one by one. No more the threaten, no more the harm. Oh, but it's in the future, they say.

Bring out the science. Show the facts. It's not about ideology or political leanings. It hurts, I'm offended, when people say us, them, you and not me.

I started getting small time hurt because you feel like you trying to smile, but you really saying we don't know what we doing, or we don't know how, or we don't care and that's not the case I think. So this petition should be looked at through the science, through the facts, through the law.

Yet misguided folks like Dustin Barca and his followers somehow came to believe that Billy was speaking in favor of the ground water management area, and that such a designation is a good thing, in terms of “home rule.” Nor did they seem to realize that Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. is on the same page as Billy on this issue.

As Dustin wrote on Facebook in posting a link to Billy's videotaped testimony:

Carvalho is having Lihue development celebrations as if Grove Farm's money is already in the bank, ignoring the native pleas to save our water ways and designate Lihu'e a water management area so that our ancient lo'i can survive. EVERYBODY wake up there is a silent battle going on in Lihu'e at this very moment!

It was followed by a string of comments:

Joanna Wheeler CastrodelaMata Time for another march?








Kevan Kraushaar

 Now, that's a leader who deserves his position. Who understands the permanence of kuleana over the impermanence of money. I voted for you because I believed that you could do the same for Kauai








D.j. Halligan

 I have to say after watching this entire video, the mayor is probably the most honest politician I've ever seen, speaking from. The heart, very few in this world today!










‪Patnitz Nakaula Loved every speech by Mayor Kenoi. And that's true what he stated, being caregivers to the land as elected officials and government employees is temporary, but what they leave behind is permanent. The island of Kauai really needs someone of high integrity like Mayor Kenoi.














Tomasso Gambino I think working outside of politics and democracy is what is needed now.








‪Polli C. Oliver So inspiring. Thanks for sharing. One could only hope & pray for that kind of enlightened leadership


James Chuck Ridings Been out of touch a bit....What's Billy's speech on turning the biotech companies around or out of Hawaii permanently....???? Move to Ban All Gmos and the unnecessary use of herbicides and man-made toxic chemicals...yesterday.....!!!!!









‪Nathan Ubando "BILLY" 4 "GOVERNOR""" "OUTSTANDING" "SPEAKER""""" One "SMART HAWAIIAN" HEeeeeee Pono,,,,,,,,,,,










‪Fabienne Christe MARCH!MARCH!MARCH! Impeach the Mayor! Is he not sitting illegal on his throne?










‪Thomas K. Bogar He is the poison that affects the land








Marleen Brown Planning commission is where you have to be on..and now..no excuse..be there





Kanai Durant via Migz Graham
Everybody should watch this!!! Blew my mind! Amazing man! Carvalho should take notes!









‪Jon Barretto Ask um to come Kauai!
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OMG! Can people really be this ignorant, this misinformed?

Sadly, the answer is yes. Which is why they're so easily manipulated, just as they were with the GMO/pesticide issue.

Supporters of both the Lihue and West Hawaii petitions claim the goal is not to stop development, only to make sure water is “used responsibly.”

But in the case of Lihue, the aim is clearly to stop Grove Farm from any further development, as Dustin's call to action makes plain.

A water management designation wouldn't stop Grove Farm from selling vast swaths of land to billionaires, as happened at Kipu Kai, or developing ag land into upscale gentleman's estates.

However, it could stymie plans to build low-to-middle income housing in the area between Hanamaulu and Lihue.

And once again, like in the GMO fight, we see this curious alliance between environmentalists and the tourism industry. According to the West Hawaii petition (emphasis added):

Waters that support fisheries, tourism, subsistence, and cultural heritage are at risk.”

WTF? Since when have tourism, subsistence, and cultural heritage been compatible? And why is tourism a top priority for water use, right up there with subsistence and cultural heritage?

Ground water management areas can be useful tools for protecting water. But as Billy Kenoi points out, they should be based on science and facts, not ideology and politics.

Unfortunately, with sheeple like Barca and Kauai County Councilman Gary Hooser pushing the petition, facts and science are once again being overlooked in favor of political ideology, hysteria, misinformation and meaningless slogans.

So long as Vandana Shiva and CFS are leading Hawaii "progressives" by the nose, it looks like 2015 is destined to be a rehash of 2014, in terms of community polarization, no meaningful political gains, bad legal precedents and the celebration of ignorance

Auwe!  

To borrow a line from Dustin:

EVERYBODY wake up

Especially you, Dustin.  Puhleeze.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love Billy Kenoi. Smart, funny. Extremely competent. Humble. His County Attorney staff is the best in the State. Of course he was a practicing attorney. Nothing slides by Billy.

Anonymous said...

I saw and heard Mayor Kenoi's talk about the water districts and agree that he was AGAINST taking the control away from the County. Too bad there are so many ignorant people on Kauai so ready to follow a few. Listen up Kauai, Home Rule means keeping the control on island, not giving it up to a state agency.

I, too have a lot of respect for Mayor Kenoi. I wish Mayor Carvalho had some of his leadership abilities, especially not being afraid to replace poor managers.

Anonymous said...

Interesting in that Kenoi speaks of science and facts. If that really were the case and is the case now, why did he pass the ideology based Bill 113 and didn't take a stand like Carvalho did?

Anonymous said...

Kenoi is a gifted orator but he completely caved in to the anti-GMO crowd. There's a difference between talk and action. A big one.

Anonymous said...

Mayor Kenoi is an intelligent lawyer endowed with ample street smarts; he had a good idea that Judge Kurren would be consistent and invalidate Ms. Wille's Luddite magnus opus. He had little to gain by vetoing something with such a high probability of going down in federal court. Of course we all know that the federal courts are the creatures of the "ChemCo's" in the fevered imaginations of the North Shore arrivistes and their know-little lickspittles, so it makes manini difference to them, and they will take to Rice Street once again for a self pleasing but otherwise unattended march- just like the first one a la the commenter with the 11 syllable name. I'm sure the demagogue wing of the Liberal Luddites in the Legislature will go all swoony over the return of the Swami of Swindles, Vandana Shiva; but what the hell, it's $40,000 of shell game entertainment on CFS or some other murky non profit's dime.

Anonymous said...

i am a huge supporter of home rule. For most of us, who understand home rule, that is keeping Kauai as home rule. That is why I consistently oppose the state trying to take everything over. That is EXACTLY why I supported the right to say what is developed here. That is the reason I was a 2491 supporter.

For me, it was absolutely an issue of home rule, versus everyone else saying, "Oh no, Kauai you are too ignorant to do this on your own. We can't allow that. leave this to the big boys!". *With a pat on the head*.

So now, people are all for home rule? Billy Kenoi is an excellent Mayor, and speaks from the heart.

As to Dustin and the rest, as I feel independently about such things, I do not want the water to be under the State, but under the Counties. State water conservation, and state waterways, state ditches and state lands cannot keep up with all of the issues regarding them on outer islands.

That is why I am for home rule. Home control of our water, land, and natural resources, and how we develop our lands. Its time for the free for all to end.

We need low and extreme low income housing. That needs to come from State and Fed support unfortunately our county housing agency is ridiculously lacking.

Just my two cents worth.

Anonymous said...

Way back when, at Statehood, Land Zoning and Water were kept at the State level because they knew that a nutjob County Council could do stupid stuff. At the State level at least there is a process that slows everything down.Imagine if you had a Council of Yukimura, Hooser, Bynum and Mason in charge of Land and Water....sheesh, only their friends and family would benefit.
Water should be allocated to Resorts and housing....for jobs and homes.
As far as local housing goes, forget it. JoAnn Yukimura has insinuated so many laws, rules, ideals and attitudes on Housng that a basic lot's infrastructure is at a price point, few could afford.
JoAnn is now living her dream/nirvana. Just think, If land was given for free to the people, after her mandated sidewalks, bikelanes, affordable housing and park fees coupled with septic, water meter and permits....the basic cost to the "lucky people who got the free land" would be about 120K per lot.
Housing is the most pressing issue on Kauai. And as long as Joann, da Hoos, wishy washy Mason have any power there will be NO local housing, small units for elderly, studios for the single dudes and dudettes and forget about nursing homes etc.....For good housing the Council should speak with honesty to the big land owners and get a plan going.....otherwise it will be 4 generations per Hanamaulu, Puhi, Kapaa house....today it is just 3 generations...What a bunch of greedy, shortsighted, misguided folks we have around us. Ooops, I guess I will just go to work, pay my taxes and shut up.
OMG 'Home Rule'? imagine if Barca was Mayor.....some real intellect and balance in dat there guy.
Or havin' da Hoos and Jackpot Bynum in charge of water....Gag me with da Hoos' trembling jowls Batman, we are on the cusp of a housing disaster and we only get hallucinogenic smirks and petty Robert's Rules games out of the Council.

Anonymous said...

Joan. I know this is off topic but are u planning any articles on the meth ( ice ) problem on Kauai?

Anonymous said...

And Bernard sings a few mele at another party.

Anonymous said...

4:35 is absolutely correct. Joanne has followed the usual course of hard core liberalism: in her zeal to make housing affordable, she has done the opposite. Priced local people right out of the market with regulations and fees. She has destroyed the rental market, added tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of a lot, finds a new tax idea every month, it seems.

Anonymous said...

Our unusual former prosecutor Jacob Delaplane has really stepped in it this time. Same MO. How can this continue?

Anonymous said...

Who in their right mind brings children into the world when they are still living at home ?

Anonymous said...

Someone who can't afford Kauai rents?

Anonymous said...

You're a true fuckin moron aren't you.