Well, today is my birthday, which is always one of my favorite days, better than Christmas and all the other holidays, largely because when I was growing up, it was the only day I got things my way. When you’re one of seven kids, that’s a scenario that doesn’t occur unless it’s mandated by something as irrefutable as one’s day of birth.
We always got to choose what we wanted for dinner, and our favorite type of cake, which in my case was invariably chocolate, or occasionally my Mom surprised me with angel food with a pretty little doll — not a slutty one like Barbie — tucked into the hole in the middle of the cake, which was decorated to look like her dress.
And of course there were presents, although not a lot, because we didn’t have much money, but that was OK, because the best part of the whole affair was being singled out of the crowd of kids for attention, and my siblings were all much nicer to me than usual.
When I was 9, I made my own birthday cake — chocolate, and cut on the edge of my father’s bed, as he’d just been released from the hospital after suffering a massive heart attack. It’s the only childhood birthday that really stands out in my mind, and it started a tradition of making my own cake, which has continued, with few exceptions, up to the present and will most certainly be a part of today’s events. And it always includes candles and wishes.
On my birthday, I strive to do only things I enjoy, to a greater degree than usual, which is saying quite a lot, as I’ve endeavored all my life to avoid people, things and situations that don’t please me, with varying degrees of success. Life is not perfect, after all, even on one’s birthday, and like everything else, there have been bad and good ones over the years.
But today is already feeling like a good one, and I’m happy, like I generally am, fortunately, and tuned into the joy and beauty of life, and so not especially inclined to criticize any politicians or comment on human failings, although I was pleased to learn that Kauai cops don’t carry tasers, which is yet another reason to say lucky you live Kauai.
And I am lucky, and blessed, and I know it and I’m grateful. Mahalo ke Akua. Let the celebration of life continue!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Musings: In Defense of Wildness
The celestial star of the show this morning was not a star at all but Venus and the thumbnail moon, all snuggled up together. The air was scented with mock orange and the delicate fragrance of an angel’s trumpet tree heavily laden with large white blossoms.
Heavenly was the only word to describe it, and then along came farmer Jerry, admiring the same scene on his way to work, and we agreed that pre-dawn is the best part of the day — along with the part when our labors are over.
I told him about sitting with a friend in the afternoon sunshine yesterday on a North Shore bluff, watching whales spout at 9, 11 and 1 o’clock, with albatross, brown and white boobies, and iwa soaring overhead and turtles and manta rays feeding at the edge of the reef.
She and I delighted in the sheer abundance of wildlife — and absence of people — and Jerry told me that’s one reason why he never supported the bike path, because he didn’t think it would benefit wildlife to funnel hundreds of people into coastal areas where they now can’t easily go.
I have to agree. The section between the Kapaa boat ramp and Kealia isn’t so bad, because much of it is right along the highway already. But I shudder at the thought of it extending northward to Anahola, through the last wild beaches on the eastside.
What will happen to the ilima there and the other coastal natives when the ground is cleared and concrete poured and herbicides sprayed to keep everything all neat?
I’d been hoping Hawaiian Homes wouldn’t give it the go-ahead, but they already have, according to their communication director, Lloyd Yonenaka, who replied to my email:
With regard to the bike path, the county already has a license from DHHL for the bike path and the bike path is also listed as a priority project in our Anahola Regional Plan as determined by the community. We expect the project will proceed with input and involvement of the community with the county and their consultant, SSFM. DHHL will assist, at least initially, to ensure input and involvement of our beneficiary community with county's consultant.
I know some of the homesteaders getting lots along the coast there want the path so their kids can bicycle down to Kealia. But how will they feel about all the people it’s going to bring right past their homes, to the beaches of Anahola, the last bastion for Hawaiians on the windward side?
It’s almost heresy to be against The Path, as it’s now reverentially called, but do we really want concrete ringing the island, which will bring with it all the county rules and regulations in places where there are now no restrictions?
Of course, Andy Parx, on his blog, pretty much blew apart the county’s contention that The Path is a county park, and so dogs can be banned, an issue that caught the attention of Star-Bulletin cartoonist Corky.
And then there’s the issue of spending all that money to build something out of concrete in an area that is both in the tsunami zone and subject to rapid coastal erosion. As one bicyclist observed, what will happen when The Path starts to buckle, crack and break, as it will inevitably? Will the county shut it down as a liability?
Yes, I recognize that a lot of people would rather walk on a flat surface than the beach, and that it’s dangerous to ride bicycles along the highway.
But I also recognize that wildness is precious, and it’s an attribute that's rapidly vanishing from Kauai. Does The Path have to go everywhere? Can’t we just let some places be?
Heavenly was the only word to describe it, and then along came farmer Jerry, admiring the same scene on his way to work, and we agreed that pre-dawn is the best part of the day — along with the part when our labors are over.
I told him about sitting with a friend in the afternoon sunshine yesterday on a North Shore bluff, watching whales spout at 9, 11 and 1 o’clock, with albatross, brown and white boobies, and iwa soaring overhead and turtles and manta rays feeding at the edge of the reef.
She and I delighted in the sheer abundance of wildlife — and absence of people — and Jerry told me that’s one reason why he never supported the bike path, because he didn’t think it would benefit wildlife to funnel hundreds of people into coastal areas where they now can’t easily go.
I have to agree. The section between the Kapaa boat ramp and Kealia isn’t so bad, because much of it is right along the highway already. But I shudder at the thought of it extending northward to Anahola, through the last wild beaches on the eastside.
What will happen to the ilima there and the other coastal natives when the ground is cleared and concrete poured and herbicides sprayed to keep everything all neat?
I’d been hoping Hawaiian Homes wouldn’t give it the go-ahead, but they already have, according to their communication director, Lloyd Yonenaka, who replied to my email:
With regard to the bike path, the county already has a license from DHHL for the bike path and the bike path is also listed as a priority project in our Anahola Regional Plan as determined by the community. We expect the project will proceed with input and involvement of the community with the county and their consultant, SSFM. DHHL will assist, at least initially, to ensure input and involvement of our beneficiary community with county's consultant.
I know some of the homesteaders getting lots along the coast there want the path so their kids can bicycle down to Kealia. But how will they feel about all the people it’s going to bring right past their homes, to the beaches of Anahola, the last bastion for Hawaiians on the windward side?
It’s almost heresy to be against The Path, as it’s now reverentially called, but do we really want concrete ringing the island, which will bring with it all the county rules and regulations in places where there are now no restrictions?
Of course, Andy Parx, on his blog, pretty much blew apart the county’s contention that The Path is a county park, and so dogs can be banned, an issue that caught the attention of Star-Bulletin cartoonist Corky.
And then there’s the issue of spending all that money to build something out of concrete in an area that is both in the tsunami zone and subject to rapid coastal erosion. As one bicyclist observed, what will happen when The Path starts to buckle, crack and break, as it will inevitably? Will the county shut it down as a liability?
Yes, I recognize that a lot of people would rather walk on a flat surface than the beach, and that it’s dangerous to ride bicycles along the highway.
But I also recognize that wildness is precious, and it’s an attribute that's rapidly vanishing from Kauai. Does The Path have to go everywhere? Can’t we just let some places be?
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Musings: Wake Up
First I put rat #4 out of my misery under the glare of the back porch light.
Then I went out into a world of twittering birds and chirping crickets, where a crescent moon floated on apricot clouds above sparkly Venus, and the rising sun burned a crimson path through lavender clouds brooding over a placid ocean.
And always, in the background or foreground, was the sound of crowing roosters.
“Your rooster is late,” said a very amused 9 a.m. caller from Oahu yesterday as a wild rooster crowed, repeatedly and loudly, right outside my window.
“No, I said, “they go all day and half the night. They have no sense of time.”
In fact, the five or six hours from sunset ‘til round about midnight are probably the only times you’re unlikely to hear a rooster crowing on Kauai. It’s more pronounced if you live near a fighting chicken farm, as I do, times two.
The other day I stopped by a friend’s house in Kapahi and was stunned by how many fighting roosters had moved in right next door — maybe a hundred, each tethered to its own little A-frame.
It takes a lot of time to keep up that many birds. You’ve got to feed, water, exercise and train them. Of course, it’s a felony now to fight them, but hey, if you want to raise game birds in the ag district, that’s your right.
I didn’t ask if he got any sleep.
Besides, it’s all about awakening, anyway — isn’t it?
Which is why I tuned in to Oprah.com yesterday evening to see and hear spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle lead the world’s largest class on the topic of personal awakening. (You can watch it on that site.)
Being a lone wolf, I usually avoid crowds, but there I was among some 500,000 people from 139 countries around the world who had tuned in at the same time to a live Web event to hear Tolle — author of “The Power of Now” and “A New Earth” — talk about expanding human consciousness.
“This is the most exciting thing I’ve ever done,” Oprah bubbled. “I don’t think there’s anything more important than awakening and also knowing what your purpose is.”
I tend to agree. Much as I am immersed in environmentalism and politics, I don’t see either changing the world as much as it needs to be changed, or healing all the many ills that ail us. It’s gotta start with a shift in human consciousness.
I’ve read both of Tolle’s books and they, along with Anthony DeMello’s “Awareness,” profoundly affected me. In short, they reminded me that we humans can transcend our ego-based state of unconsciousness and move beyond the dysfunctional patterns that trap us.
The challenge is not recognizing that value — although some still aren’t ready or willing to “get it” — but remaining awake amid the barrage of busyness, pop culture, old patterns, negative thoughts and socio-economic forces that continually conspire to put us back to sleep.
Maybe the wild roosters have a better sense of time than I give them credit for. Maybe they know we humans need to be exhorted at every moment of every day to “wake up, wake up, wake up.”
Or as the marvelous poet Rumi wrote:
The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you;
Don't go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want;
Don't go back to sleep.”
Then I went out into a world of twittering birds and chirping crickets, where a crescent moon floated on apricot clouds above sparkly Venus, and the rising sun burned a crimson path through lavender clouds brooding over a placid ocean.
And always, in the background or foreground, was the sound of crowing roosters.
“Your rooster is late,” said a very amused 9 a.m. caller from Oahu yesterday as a wild rooster crowed, repeatedly and loudly, right outside my window.
“No, I said, “they go all day and half the night. They have no sense of time.”
In fact, the five or six hours from sunset ‘til round about midnight are probably the only times you’re unlikely to hear a rooster crowing on Kauai. It’s more pronounced if you live near a fighting chicken farm, as I do, times two.
The other day I stopped by a friend’s house in Kapahi and was stunned by how many fighting roosters had moved in right next door — maybe a hundred, each tethered to its own little A-frame.
It takes a lot of time to keep up that many birds. You’ve got to feed, water, exercise and train them. Of course, it’s a felony now to fight them, but hey, if you want to raise game birds in the ag district, that’s your right.
I didn’t ask if he got any sleep.
Besides, it’s all about awakening, anyway — isn’t it?
Which is why I tuned in to Oprah.com yesterday evening to see and hear spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle lead the world’s largest class on the topic of personal awakening. (You can watch it on that site.)
Being a lone wolf, I usually avoid crowds, but there I was among some 500,000 people from 139 countries around the world who had tuned in at the same time to a live Web event to hear Tolle — author of “The Power of Now” and “A New Earth” — talk about expanding human consciousness.
“This is the most exciting thing I’ve ever done,” Oprah bubbled. “I don’t think there’s anything more important than awakening and also knowing what your purpose is.”
I tend to agree. Much as I am immersed in environmentalism and politics, I don’t see either changing the world as much as it needs to be changed, or healing all the many ills that ail us. It’s gotta start with a shift in human consciousness.
I’ve read both of Tolle’s books and they, along with Anthony DeMello’s “Awareness,” profoundly affected me. In short, they reminded me that we humans can transcend our ego-based state of unconsciousness and move beyond the dysfunctional patterns that trap us.
The challenge is not recognizing that value — although some still aren’t ready or willing to “get it” — but remaining awake amid the barrage of busyness, pop culture, old patterns, negative thoughts and socio-economic forces that continually conspire to put us back to sleep.
Maybe the wild roosters have a better sense of time than I give them credit for. Maybe they know we humans need to be exhorted at every moment of every day to “wake up, wake up, wake up.”
Or as the marvelous poet Rumi wrote:
The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you;
Don't go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want;
Don't go back to sleep.”
Monday, March 3, 2008
Musings: Never Give Up
The moon, its darker whole illuminated by a bright sliver, was cozying up to Jupiter and Venus had just poked her head up over the Giant when Koko and I hit the road this morning.
Light came fast, draining all color from the sky and turning everything flat and gray, and then the sun rose and turned life rosy again.
Got home and checked the rat cage, which thankfully was empty, and then my inboxes, which were not. Among them was yet another missive from Sen. Barack Obama, He’s been emailing me daily. Sometimes twice a day.
Funny thing is, I’ve never emailed him. Not once. Nor have I responded to even one of the emails he’s sent me. Yet he keeps on writing. So often, in fact, that he’s beginning to feel like a pest.
Even though each one is addressed to me personally, somehow I just don’t believe Obama knows I exist. Nor do I believe that he’s composing all those lengthy emails himself, even though his name appears at the bottom of each one.
I have a pretty good idea how this correspondence started. His campaign must get a Google alert that advises them when anyone uses the phrase Obama supporter, as I once did on this blog, then they check it out, find the email address, put me in an address book and suddenly we’re pals.
That’s likely how it got started. The bigger question is, when will it stop? Do I have to wait for the election? Because even though he interests me, I’m definitely not an Obama girl. And I don’t want or need to hear from him every day.
If you're not into the masochism of following politics, here’s a Superferry video instead. This is the long version of the big boat’s wild ride off Molokai — before it got all buss up and went into dry dock, where it got buss up again — as filmed by George Peabody. Yee haw!
On the local front, Tom Finegan writes in today’s Star-Bulletin, about the Navy’s concern over the condition of a Japanese cemetery near the runway, and efforts to find relatives of the deceased buried there.
That’s great, but it leaves me wondering why the Navy isn’t similarly concerned and respectful of the Hawaiian burials in the dunes at Nohili. Instead, they continue to launch their rockets there and gave Hawaiians flack for erecting an altar in the dunes.
Tom also has a story in today’s paper — wow, this is amazing, a Honolulu paper with two Kauai features in one day! — about the ban on dogs along the new coastal path.
Nearly every day I drive on Kawaihau Road where dogs — some leashed and some not — baby strollers, bikes, dirt bikes, horses, walkers and joggers all manage to co-exist on the narrow little path along the road there. Certainly that’s possible along the fancy new concrete path, too.
Speaking of paths, kudos to Tracy Murakami and the others, including Andy Parx, who pushed so hard to get the pedestrian bridge between the Foodland and Safeway shopping centers built. As you may recall, it was a condition of the latter’s development permit, but the county dragged its feet in enforcing it.
It’s telling that Tracy began this struggle after finding it impossible to push a stroller between the two centers, and now her daughter is 10 years old. Still, she wouldn't give up.
As Shaggy would sing: “Don’t ever give up. No, never give up.”
Hmmm. Maybe that's what's driving all those Obama emails.
Light came fast, draining all color from the sky and turning everything flat and gray, and then the sun rose and turned life rosy again.
Got home and checked the rat cage, which thankfully was empty, and then my inboxes, which were not. Among them was yet another missive from Sen. Barack Obama, He’s been emailing me daily. Sometimes twice a day.
Funny thing is, I’ve never emailed him. Not once. Nor have I responded to even one of the emails he’s sent me. Yet he keeps on writing. So often, in fact, that he’s beginning to feel like a pest.
Even though each one is addressed to me personally, somehow I just don’t believe Obama knows I exist. Nor do I believe that he’s composing all those lengthy emails himself, even though his name appears at the bottom of each one.
I have a pretty good idea how this correspondence started. His campaign must get a Google alert that advises them when anyone uses the phrase Obama supporter, as I once did on this blog, then they check it out, find the email address, put me in an address book and suddenly we’re pals.
That’s likely how it got started. The bigger question is, when will it stop? Do I have to wait for the election? Because even though he interests me, I’m definitely not an Obama girl. And I don’t want or need to hear from him every day.
If you're not into the masochism of following politics, here’s a Superferry video instead. This is the long version of the big boat’s wild ride off Molokai — before it got all buss up and went into dry dock, where it got buss up again — as filmed by George Peabody. Yee haw!
On the local front, Tom Finegan writes in today’s Star-Bulletin, about the Navy’s concern over the condition of a Japanese cemetery near the runway, and efforts to find relatives of the deceased buried there.
That’s great, but it leaves me wondering why the Navy isn’t similarly concerned and respectful of the Hawaiian burials in the dunes at Nohili. Instead, they continue to launch their rockets there and gave Hawaiians flack for erecting an altar in the dunes.
Tom also has a story in today’s paper — wow, this is amazing, a Honolulu paper with two Kauai features in one day! — about the ban on dogs along the new coastal path.
Nearly every day I drive on Kawaihau Road where dogs — some leashed and some not — baby strollers, bikes, dirt bikes, horses, walkers and joggers all manage to co-exist on the narrow little path along the road there. Certainly that’s possible along the fancy new concrete path, too.
Speaking of paths, kudos to Tracy Murakami and the others, including Andy Parx, who pushed so hard to get the pedestrian bridge between the Foodland and Safeway shopping centers built. As you may recall, it was a condition of the latter’s development permit, but the county dragged its feet in enforcing it.
It’s telling that Tracy began this struggle after finding it impossible to push a stroller between the two centers, and now her daughter is 10 years old. Still, she wouldn't give up.
As Shaggy would sing: “Don’t ever give up. No, never give up.”
Hmmm. Maybe that's what's driving all those Obama emails.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Musings: All Maxed Out
Went up to Hanalei early for a meeting this morning, and going North Shore always gets me thinking about tourism and gentrification and other such things that don’t leave me with a very happy feeling.
Today was no exception, especially since I was meeting with Hawaiians who are struggling to ensure that they can continue to live in Ha`ena amid the influx of tourism and vacation rentals.
Before I headed north, Koko and I took our usual walk and ran into my neighbor, Andy, whom I hadn’t seen in a while. We got to talking about the big house — if you can call a 32,000-square-foot structure a house – that a guy who made a fortune in the cleaning business wants to build near the river mouth at Kahili (Rock Quarry).
It’s sparked a contested case hearing before the planning commission, which last week wisely decided to make a site visit before taking action. It really helps to actually see a place before you let something like that go through.
This is yet another example of someone who comes here with a pile of money and thinks that gives them the right to do whatever they please. You know, private property rights. But what about the rest of us? Don’t we have any rights to a few beaches where we can go and enjoy nature without a palace in the landscape, all lit up at night and ruining the ambience?
It’s a question that’s rallied the Kilauea Neighborhood Assn., which is fighting the project, and one I’ve often pondered. Why should everything be set up to benefit one individual at the expense of the greater community and the environment?
Along those same lines, last week I was talking to attorney Harold Bronstein, He’s representing Cathy Ham Young in her lawsuit against actor Piece Brosnan and his wife, who are hogging so much water for their landscape ponds in Wainiha that the Ham Youngs, who have lived there for untold generations, don’t have enough fresh, cold water to properly farm taro.
Guess the suit prompted a story in one of the tabloids, with the headline “Life’s a Ditch,” and a photo that showed an aerial view of Brosnan’s Wainiha estate.
Apparently the Brosnans and now the guy who wants to build the mansion at Kahili don’t really give a rip about their neighbors. It’s all about them. And that’s the kind of attitude that is slowly destroying the cooperative social fabric that is at the heart of Hawaiian culture, the local lifestyle and rural communities in general.
Yet the state and county continue on with business as usual, drumming up an ever growing number of tourists and catering to the whims of the idle rich who come here and, as a friend observed, “take up space, use up resources and move on.”
It’s not like the state doesn’t know how people feel about this topic, according to an article on a survey conducted by the Hawaii Tourism Authority that ran in yesterday’s Advertiser.
Kauai came in solidly with a “nuff already” attitude. Some 65 percent of Kauai’s residents believe the state is run more for tourists than locals, 79 percent don’t want any more hotels and just 31 percent believe the island needs more tourism jobs.
It seems that "all maxed out" message is getting press elsewhere, too. Katy Rose sent me an email that contained an excerpt from a one paragraph blurb about Kauai that appeared in the travel section of The Week magazine:
"Yet locals are worried that tourism has brought too much change to the island, and that the rise of mega-resorts and increased ferry traffic will dampen its 'laid-back, rural vibe.'"
Katy commented: “So the discontent has been noted! I suppose that's good…”
Still, as Andy observed when we discussed the Advertiser article on our walk, the state and others may have noted the discontent, but that doesn’t mean they’re planning to stop the unrelenting push for more tourism or deal with its impacts.
Instead, as Andy astutely noted, the article quotes HTA head Rex Johnson as saying the agency needs to keep trying to improve its reputation in the community.
You know, the old snow job approach. And it apparently seems to be working. The most telling comment came at the end of the article:
Johnson noted that residents were more likely to blame developers, speculators and government for problems.
I recognize the role that tourism plays in Hawaii's economy, and I’m not saying we have to totally tank the industry. But can't we set some limits? Because tourism feeds speculation and and development. There's no pretending they aren't all related.
Finally, I got this response from Maui resident Dick Mayer when I asked for a copy of the briefs filed in the appeal of the judge’s decision to let the Superferry run without an EIS:
Attorney Isaac Hall filed merely a NOTICE of an Appeal. The full actual briefs will be filed at a future date when it is time to argue them in court (perhaps even after the HSF has gone away!!)
His NOTICE claimed that the Special Session Act 2 was unconstitutional, but it did not go into details at this time.
Mahalo for clarifying, Dick.
Today was no exception, especially since I was meeting with Hawaiians who are struggling to ensure that they can continue to live in Ha`ena amid the influx of tourism and vacation rentals.
Before I headed north, Koko and I took our usual walk and ran into my neighbor, Andy, whom I hadn’t seen in a while. We got to talking about the big house — if you can call a 32,000-square-foot structure a house – that a guy who made a fortune in the cleaning business wants to build near the river mouth at Kahili (Rock Quarry).
It’s sparked a contested case hearing before the planning commission, which last week wisely decided to make a site visit before taking action. It really helps to actually see a place before you let something like that go through.
This is yet another example of someone who comes here with a pile of money and thinks that gives them the right to do whatever they please. You know, private property rights. But what about the rest of us? Don’t we have any rights to a few beaches where we can go and enjoy nature without a palace in the landscape, all lit up at night and ruining the ambience?
It’s a question that’s rallied the Kilauea Neighborhood Assn., which is fighting the project, and one I’ve often pondered. Why should everything be set up to benefit one individual at the expense of the greater community and the environment?
Along those same lines, last week I was talking to attorney Harold Bronstein, He’s representing Cathy Ham Young in her lawsuit against actor Piece Brosnan and his wife, who are hogging so much water for their landscape ponds in Wainiha that the Ham Youngs, who have lived there for untold generations, don’t have enough fresh, cold water to properly farm taro.
Guess the suit prompted a story in one of the tabloids, with the headline “Life’s a Ditch,” and a photo that showed an aerial view of Brosnan’s Wainiha estate.
Apparently the Brosnans and now the guy who wants to build the mansion at Kahili don’t really give a rip about their neighbors. It’s all about them. And that’s the kind of attitude that is slowly destroying the cooperative social fabric that is at the heart of Hawaiian culture, the local lifestyle and rural communities in general.
Yet the state and county continue on with business as usual, drumming up an ever growing number of tourists and catering to the whims of the idle rich who come here and, as a friend observed, “take up space, use up resources and move on.”
It’s not like the state doesn’t know how people feel about this topic, according to an article on a survey conducted by the Hawaii Tourism Authority that ran in yesterday’s Advertiser.
Kauai came in solidly with a “nuff already” attitude. Some 65 percent of Kauai’s residents believe the state is run more for tourists than locals, 79 percent don’t want any more hotels and just 31 percent believe the island needs more tourism jobs.
It seems that "all maxed out" message is getting press elsewhere, too. Katy Rose sent me an email that contained an excerpt from a one paragraph blurb about Kauai that appeared in the travel section of The Week magazine:
"Yet locals are worried that tourism has brought too much change to the island, and that the rise of mega-resorts and increased ferry traffic will dampen its 'laid-back, rural vibe.'"
Katy commented: “So the discontent has been noted! I suppose that's good…”
Still, as Andy observed when we discussed the Advertiser article on our walk, the state and others may have noted the discontent, but that doesn’t mean they’re planning to stop the unrelenting push for more tourism or deal with its impacts.
Instead, as Andy astutely noted, the article quotes HTA head Rex Johnson as saying the agency needs to keep trying to improve its reputation in the community.
You know, the old snow job approach. And it apparently seems to be working. The most telling comment came at the end of the article:
Johnson noted that residents were more likely to blame developers, speculators and government for problems.
I recognize the role that tourism plays in Hawaii's economy, and I’m not saying we have to totally tank the industry. But can't we set some limits? Because tourism feeds speculation and and development. There's no pretending they aren't all related.
Finally, I got this response from Maui resident Dick Mayer when I asked for a copy of the briefs filed in the appeal of the judge’s decision to let the Superferry run without an EIS:
Attorney Isaac Hall filed merely a NOTICE of an Appeal. The full actual briefs will be filed at a future date when it is time to argue them in court (perhaps even after the HSF has gone away!!)
His NOTICE claimed that the Special Session Act 2 was unconstitutional, but it did not go into details at this time.
Mahalo for clarifying, Dick.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Musings: Super Saturday
Venus, Jupiter and the moon were all that were left of the night when Koko and I took our walk this morning. The sky brightened with first pinks, then golds, before the sun came up in earnest, washing Waialeale in purplish light.
It was looking like a good day to dry clothes on the line, so I headed over to the Laundromat before it got busy. As my clothes washed, I took a swim in water that was warmer than the chill air.
My all accounts it was shaping up to be a Super Saturday, and that theme continued when I opened my MacBook and learned that the Superferry did indeed get banged up pretty bad (or good, depending on your perspective) both going into drydock and by the blocks that are supposed to support it while it’s being repaired. Aw shucks. tee hee.
The damage report was first made this past Thursday on the Save Kahului Harbor blog, but I was hesitant to repeat it without confirmation, which came last night on KGMB News.
Apparently TV camera crews actually went over to the drydock — perhaps tipped by the blog account — and reported that they could see work being done on the big boat. The station confirmed that the ship’s hull had been damaged on both sides by the blocks it’s supposed to rest on. The Save Kahului Harbor blog has more details on how that reportedly happened.
Additionally, the TV station reported that the ferry was damaged when it was being towed in. It seems the tugboat lost power, and the ship drifted into the pier. Despite reports that are circulating, the extent of the damage has not been confirmed.
Despite all this — and the rudder problems that prompted it to go into drydock early, Hawaii Superferry is still saying the ferry will be back in service on March 25. I wonder.
I also wonder why the Advertiser stay sleeping on this story. We know they read the blogs, so how come they never checked it out like KGMB TV did?
The TV station led with the comment: “The streak of bad luck for the Superferry continues,” while the Save Kahului Harbor blog was more blunt — and probably more accurate — with its headline: “Superferry No Match for Hawaiian Kahuna.” Those of us who believe in such things had a feeling that justice would be served, one way or another.
Meanwhile, the quest for justice continues in the courts. The Star-Bulletin reports today that Maui Tomorrow, the Sierra Club and the Kahului Harbor Coalition are appealing the decision by Maui Circuit Court Judge Cardoza’s that allowed the Hawaii Superferry to operate without first completing an EIS.
The paper reports:
Maui Tomorrow Executive Director Irene Bowie said that the appeal filed yesterday with the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals challenges the constitutionality of Act 2, which exempted "large-capacity ferry vessels."
"We have been heartened and encouraged to go forward with this appeal by so many people throughout the state contacting us and offering both moral and financial support," Bowie said.
I wonder if the HSF folks thought all their troubles were over when they walked out of Cardoza’s courtroom, triumphant. If so, they were super wrong.
It was looking like a good day to dry clothes on the line, so I headed over to the Laundromat before it got busy. As my clothes washed, I took a swim in water that was warmer than the chill air.
My all accounts it was shaping up to be a Super Saturday, and that theme continued when I opened my MacBook and learned that the Superferry did indeed get banged up pretty bad (or good, depending on your perspective) both going into drydock and by the blocks that are supposed to support it while it’s being repaired. Aw shucks. tee hee.
The damage report was first made this past Thursday on the Save Kahului Harbor blog, but I was hesitant to repeat it without confirmation, which came last night on KGMB News.
Apparently TV camera crews actually went over to the drydock — perhaps tipped by the blog account — and reported that they could see work being done on the big boat. The station confirmed that the ship’s hull had been damaged on both sides by the blocks it’s supposed to rest on. The Save Kahului Harbor blog has more details on how that reportedly happened.
Additionally, the TV station reported that the ferry was damaged when it was being towed in. It seems the tugboat lost power, and the ship drifted into the pier. Despite reports that are circulating, the extent of the damage has not been confirmed.
Despite all this — and the rudder problems that prompted it to go into drydock early, Hawaii Superferry is still saying the ferry will be back in service on March 25. I wonder.
I also wonder why the Advertiser stay sleeping on this story. We know they read the blogs, so how come they never checked it out like KGMB TV did?
The TV station led with the comment: “The streak of bad luck for the Superferry continues,” while the Save Kahului Harbor blog was more blunt — and probably more accurate — with its headline: “Superferry No Match for Hawaiian Kahuna.” Those of us who believe in such things had a feeling that justice would be served, one way or another.
Meanwhile, the quest for justice continues in the courts. The Star-Bulletin reports today that Maui Tomorrow, the Sierra Club and the Kahului Harbor Coalition are appealing the decision by Maui Circuit Court Judge Cardoza’s that allowed the Hawaii Superferry to operate without first completing an EIS.
The paper reports:
Maui Tomorrow Executive Director Irene Bowie said that the appeal filed yesterday with the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals challenges the constitutionality of Act 2, which exempted "large-capacity ferry vessels."
"We have been heartened and encouraged to go forward with this appeal by so many people throughout the state contacting us and offering both moral and financial support," Bowie said.
I wonder if the HSF folks thought all their troubles were over when they walked out of Cardoza’s courtroom, triumphant. If so, they were super wrong.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Musings: Bring on the Clowns
Koko and I were blanketed by a celestial patchwork of stars, white clouds and waning moon when we went walking, then dawn stirred and the quilt was reversed to a pattern of gray clouds and blue sky.
Ran into farmer Jerry along the road, who told me, when I asked why the Upper Kapahi Reservoir is so low, that the East Kauai Water Users Cooperative is draining it for repairs. It’s just one of many reservoirs on the island that need fixing, and fortunately some state monies came through to help the Coop — which actually provides water for farming — with the cost.
I asked him about Councilman Ron Kouchi’s comment, in killing the ag subdivision moratorium bill, that we don’t even know how much ag land is needed to feed the island.
“Every bit of it,” was Jerry’s reply.
However, Grove Farm apparently thinks it can be done with 1,000 acres it’s putting into orchards and taro. I had to wonder, if they think they can feed the island with that amount of land, does that mean they’ll be seeking the go-ahead to develop the rest of the 40,000 acres — much of it ag land — they own on Kauai?
It seems Rodney Haraguchi, the largest taro grower on Kauai, will be cultivating the Grove Farm taro lands. He already depleted the land he leases in Hanalei Valley land through intensive cultivation. Now he dumps chemical fertilizer on his fields five times over the 14-month growing period — with the excess flowing into the Hanalei River — and imports Micronesians to do the field work.
You know, just the kind of farming model we want to perpetuate elsewhere on the island.
Why can’t we get small farmers back on the land with long-term leases or better yet, affordable farm lots where they can also build a home?
A friend called yesterday to say she was disappointed to see Councilmembers JoAnn Yukimura and Tim Bynum getting praise for supporting the ag subdivision moratorium, when they were such obstructionists in the vacation rental bill, especially as it related to vacation rentals on ag land.
It’s true. Those two were a total washout on the vacation rental bill, while Councilmembers Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho and Mel Rapozo, performed well on that issue, then helped kill the ag subdivision moratorium.
What do these guys actually stand for?
What bothered me most about Shaylene’s and Mel’s stance on the moratorium is they thought it was an important issue, but didn’t like what the mayor had introduced. But rather than try and fix it, they killed it entirely.
"Maybe we could challenge them to come up with a really good bill,” suggested my friend, ever hopeful, even after decades in the land use political trenches.
Maybe. But earlier, I’d run into another friend who had what is perhaps a better solution.
“Let’s get rid of all seven of those clowns,” he said. “We need a new circus.”
Ran into farmer Jerry along the road, who told me, when I asked why the Upper Kapahi Reservoir is so low, that the East Kauai Water Users Cooperative is draining it for repairs. It’s just one of many reservoirs on the island that need fixing, and fortunately some state monies came through to help the Coop — which actually provides water for farming — with the cost.
I asked him about Councilman Ron Kouchi’s comment, in killing the ag subdivision moratorium bill, that we don’t even know how much ag land is needed to feed the island.
“Every bit of it,” was Jerry’s reply.
However, Grove Farm apparently thinks it can be done with 1,000 acres it’s putting into orchards and taro. I had to wonder, if they think they can feed the island with that amount of land, does that mean they’ll be seeking the go-ahead to develop the rest of the 40,000 acres — much of it ag land — they own on Kauai?
It seems Rodney Haraguchi, the largest taro grower on Kauai, will be cultivating the Grove Farm taro lands. He already depleted the land he leases in Hanalei Valley land through intensive cultivation. Now he dumps chemical fertilizer on his fields five times over the 14-month growing period — with the excess flowing into the Hanalei River — and imports Micronesians to do the field work.
You know, just the kind of farming model we want to perpetuate elsewhere on the island.
Why can’t we get small farmers back on the land with long-term leases or better yet, affordable farm lots where they can also build a home?
A friend called yesterday to say she was disappointed to see Councilmembers JoAnn Yukimura and Tim Bynum getting praise for supporting the ag subdivision moratorium, when they were such obstructionists in the vacation rental bill, especially as it related to vacation rentals on ag land.
It’s true. Those two were a total washout on the vacation rental bill, while Councilmembers Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho and Mel Rapozo, performed well on that issue, then helped kill the ag subdivision moratorium.
What do these guys actually stand for?
What bothered me most about Shaylene’s and Mel’s stance on the moratorium is they thought it was an important issue, but didn’t like what the mayor had introduced. But rather than try and fix it, they killed it entirely.
"Maybe we could challenge them to come up with a really good bill,” suggested my friend, ever hopeful, even after decades in the land use political trenches.
Maybe. But earlier, I’d run into another friend who had what is perhaps a better solution.
“Let’s get rid of all seven of those clowns,” he said. “We need a new circus.”
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Musings: Dysfunctional Politics
As we all know on Kauai, somebody is always watching what you do. As a reader noted in an email last night:
“At today's county council meeting where the ag subdivision moratorium was being re-examined, one of those salivating was Falko Partners’ director Shawn Smith. He was salivating probably because Falko has some nice ag property to subdivide, and it didn't look like supporters of the bill could sway the opponents on the council.
“He said it was better than the cage match he watched last night. I wonder if it was rigged like wrestling. I love it when developers reveal themselves true to their ruthless stereotype.
“Shawn is so close to councilman Ron Kouchi that he felt he could send him text messages DURING THE MEETING. For example, after Ron made a point against the bill, Shawn sent him the message "Kick ass! [I love it] when you get rolling." In the address book is almost as good as in the pocket.
“I just wonder what he's planning with Mike Tressler over at Grove Farm.
“To another lucky text recipient, possibly Larry Bowman, he spilled the beans: "Here's my secret - I wrote that letter blasting Bynum." Sure enough, today's TGI has a criticism of Bynum attributed to one Brian Flournoy of Kapa'a. Previous letters by that alias have the same vitriol against ADU sunseting and ferry protestors.
"Never trust a developer, but do read over their shoulders,” the reader/eavesdropper concludes.
Nor, it seems, are emails private. Anna Chavez circulated her response from Councilman Mel Rapozo:
“The problem with the ag moratorium is that it would not prohibit the large landowners from creating CPRs, which would legally bypass the public input process during the division of land. In fact, if the moratorium passes, CPRs would likely increase. Lands would be divided without any opportunity for the public to comment. Is this what we want? I don't think so. Currently, when a landowner wants to subdivide a parcel, it has to go through the Planning Commission. This allows for public testimony. I don't want to see CPRs popping up all over the island. This is a complex issue, and a moratorium is not the answer in my opinion. Thank you for your valuable input. Take care.”
Mel declines to note that CPRs already are popping up all over the island. Nor does he mention that the county has the legal authority to regulate or even stop CPRs on ag land.
But to expect the Council to do anything that would go up against the powerful real estate and development industry is obviously unrealistic.
All it took was a threatening letter from the Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii to make Councilman Kouchi babble their party line.
As the Garden Island reports today: “The bill lacks statutory authority, a legal nexus and amounts to an illegal taking, Kouchi said, reading from the foundation’s letter.”
Now aren’t you glad you didn’t elect him Mayor when he was running against Bryan Baptiste and our choice, as one friend observed, was “between the sly f*** and the dumb f***”?
Unfortunately, in this case Bryan has shown himself to be neither bright nor politically savvy, which is why his legislation went down in flames although the testimony received was 100-1 in favor of the moratorium.
According to the Garden Island, even the Kauai Farm Bureau backed the bill:
“Roy Oyama, co-chair of the Farm Bureau, said he supported the moratorium despite its potential to harm farmers by temporarily stopping them from subdividing their land for legitimate reasons. “Let’s stop the squabbling and get to work,” he told the council.”
Of course, the Council could have fixed some of the flaws — JoAnn Yukimura, an attorney, had amendments ready to do that — but it was easier to blame the Mayor and skirt the issue entirely.
In the end, only Bynum, JoAnn Yukimura and Kaipo Asing voted to keep the bill alive, while Mel, Ron, Jay Furfaro and Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho (she’s running for prosecutor next, just so you know) killed it.
So much for caring about what the people want. We’re only the citizens and voters after all, not the rich and powerful ones who can advance their careers.
According to the Garden Island: “To make big decisions you have to take risks,” he [Baptiste] said after the meeting. “I don’t see why the administration has to do it all. This is a legislative body ... they can do legislation just as well as I can.”
Problem is, neither arm of government is doing it well, which is why it continues to be business as usual on Kauai, with the developers and realtors still firmly in control.
As one reader observed in a comment left on yesterday's post: "There is so much dysfunctional politics at play makes you want to disengage from the process and advocate for anarchy."
“At today's county council meeting where the ag subdivision moratorium was being re-examined, one of those salivating was Falko Partners’ director Shawn Smith. He was salivating probably because Falko has some nice ag property to subdivide, and it didn't look like supporters of the bill could sway the opponents on the council.
“He said it was better than the cage match he watched last night. I wonder if it was rigged like wrestling. I love it when developers reveal themselves true to their ruthless stereotype.
“Shawn is so close to councilman Ron Kouchi that he felt he could send him text messages DURING THE MEETING. For example, after Ron made a point against the bill, Shawn sent him the message "Kick ass! [I love it] when you get rolling." In the address book is almost as good as in the pocket.
“I just wonder what he's planning with Mike Tressler over at Grove Farm.
“To another lucky text recipient, possibly Larry Bowman, he spilled the beans: "Here's my secret - I wrote that letter blasting Bynum." Sure enough, today's TGI has a criticism of Bynum attributed to one Brian Flournoy of Kapa'a. Previous letters by that alias have the same vitriol against ADU sunseting and ferry protestors.
"Never trust a developer, but do read over their shoulders,” the reader/eavesdropper concludes.
Nor, it seems, are emails private. Anna Chavez circulated her response from Councilman Mel Rapozo:
“The problem with the ag moratorium is that it would not prohibit the large landowners from creating CPRs, which would legally bypass the public input process during the division of land. In fact, if the moratorium passes, CPRs would likely increase. Lands would be divided without any opportunity for the public to comment. Is this what we want? I don't think so. Currently, when a landowner wants to subdivide a parcel, it has to go through the Planning Commission. This allows for public testimony. I don't want to see CPRs popping up all over the island. This is a complex issue, and a moratorium is not the answer in my opinion. Thank you for your valuable input. Take care.”
Mel declines to note that CPRs already are popping up all over the island. Nor does he mention that the county has the legal authority to regulate or even stop CPRs on ag land.
But to expect the Council to do anything that would go up against the powerful real estate and development industry is obviously unrealistic.
All it took was a threatening letter from the Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii to make Councilman Kouchi babble their party line.
As the Garden Island reports today: “The bill lacks statutory authority, a legal nexus and amounts to an illegal taking, Kouchi said, reading from the foundation’s letter.”
Now aren’t you glad you didn’t elect him Mayor when he was running against Bryan Baptiste and our choice, as one friend observed, was “between the sly f*** and the dumb f***”?
Unfortunately, in this case Bryan has shown himself to be neither bright nor politically savvy, which is why his legislation went down in flames although the testimony received was 100-1 in favor of the moratorium.
According to the Garden Island, even the Kauai Farm Bureau backed the bill:
“Roy Oyama, co-chair of the Farm Bureau, said he supported the moratorium despite its potential to harm farmers by temporarily stopping them from subdividing their land for legitimate reasons. “Let’s stop the squabbling and get to work,” he told the council.”
Of course, the Council could have fixed some of the flaws — JoAnn Yukimura, an attorney, had amendments ready to do that — but it was easier to blame the Mayor and skirt the issue entirely.
In the end, only Bynum, JoAnn Yukimura and Kaipo Asing voted to keep the bill alive, while Mel, Ron, Jay Furfaro and Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho (she’s running for prosecutor next, just so you know) killed it.
So much for caring about what the people want. We’re only the citizens and voters after all, not the rich and powerful ones who can advance their careers.
According to the Garden Island: “To make big decisions you have to take risks,” he [Baptiste] said after the meeting. “I don’t see why the administration has to do it all. This is a legislative body ... they can do legislation just as well as I can.”
Problem is, neither arm of government is doing it well, which is why it continues to be business as usual on Kauai, with the developers and realtors still firmly in control.
As one reader observed in a comment left on yesterday's post: "There is so much dysfunctional politics at play makes you want to disengage from the process and advocate for anarchy."
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Musings: Passing the Buck
The moon was just over half full and lined up, roughly, with Venus and Jupiter in a mostly clear sky when Koko and I went walking on a morning so chilly I wore sweatpants instead of shorts.
Waialeale and all the other mountains appeared as mere hulks in the pre-dawn landscape, then came sharply into view as the rising sun rimmed the eastern sky in gold. It’s so enchanting, that scene of night giving way to day, as roosters beat their wings and crow and all the birds start singing.
Still, Spring is on her way, despite the nip in the air, with a friend this morning delivering a bag of heavenly gardenias. The water has dropped a few degrees, too, as I’ve noticed recently on my afternoon swims. It’s hard at first to plunge in, just as it’s hard sometimes to leave a snug bed in the morning, but I’m invariably glad I do.
While driving to the beach yesterday I heard a man on the radio talking about GMOs, saying what’s the big deal; people have been altering and cross-breeding plants and animals forever, and that’s why we have so many different types of fruit and other crops.
His is a common misconception among those ignorant of the technology.
Genetic engineering is not akin to either the processes of hybridization or natural selection. Instead, it involves taking a gene from another organism — typically an entirely different species — and forcing it into an unreceptive cell. That’s done through use of a virus that invades the cell, or electronic bombardment that weakens the cell so the alien gene can slip through.
In this way, it crosses a barrier that Nature herself created precisely to prevent this type of transgenic propagation. But as usual, humans think they know best and have figured out ways to get around this ancient safeguard.
There ain’t nothin’ natural about genetic engineering, and it’s never been done at any time in the known history of the world. It’s a giant experiment, with the ecosystem — including us — as guinea pigs.
And here in Hawaii — the world capital of GMO open field testing — we’re not even allowed to know what the biotech companies are growing, or where. Anyway, if you want to learn more, I did a piece a while back on the technology and controversy for Honolulu Magazine.
I see it as one of the key issues of our time, because it has the ability to affect life as we know it on the planet. As Dr. Lorin Pang, Maui’s state health officer, has often noted (although not in his official position, as his views aren’t shared by the pro-biotech state administration): Once these organisms get out into the environment, as they do daily, wherever they’re grown, there’s no calling them back.
Got a couple of emails regarding the proposed ag subdivision moratorium. The moratorium is temporary, until the inventory of important ag lands is completed. This could take 10 years, and according to an email from Councilman Mel Rapozo, who was questioned by Jimmy Torio: “This is definitely beyond the legal parameters of a moratorium.”
However, Mel goes on to state that the bill came to the Council without a legal overview, so I’m not sure where he came up with the idea that a moratorium can’t last for 10 years.
He also thinks there needs to be “scientific data” to justify the moratorium, and “the crisis has not been adequately defined and supported.”
I guess Mel is not alarmed by our own planning director’s observation that 80 percent of our ag lands are not owned by farmers.
What will constitute a sufficient crisis to protect ag lands, Mel? We already import nearly all of our food and three-acre ag lots in Kealia are selling for $500,000.
Meanwhile, the big land owners and speculators are salivating at the prospect of turning yet more of our ag land into lucrative estate housing for part-time residents.
Mel continues with this bit of buck passing: “Finally, the Mayor once told me that his job was to send over a vision to the Council. It was the Council's job to work out the details. This is totally irresponsible in my opinion. He has access to all the legal advisors, the department heads, the statistics, and the historical data required to properly draft a bill. To expect the Council to do all of the legwork for his vision is simply not acceptable. “
Yes, Mel, it would be nice if Mayor Baptiste did a better job of drafting the bill. But to even get a vision out of the guy is pretty darn good. You on the Council also have access to legal advisors (who give you opinions you don’t share with the public) and all the other county resources.
If the mayor isn’t showing leadership, can’t the Council? Or do we just keep losing ground — literally and figuratively — until somebody is willing to stop passing the buck?
Waialeale and all the other mountains appeared as mere hulks in the pre-dawn landscape, then came sharply into view as the rising sun rimmed the eastern sky in gold. It’s so enchanting, that scene of night giving way to day, as roosters beat their wings and crow and all the birds start singing.
Still, Spring is on her way, despite the nip in the air, with a friend this morning delivering a bag of heavenly gardenias. The water has dropped a few degrees, too, as I’ve noticed recently on my afternoon swims. It’s hard at first to plunge in, just as it’s hard sometimes to leave a snug bed in the morning, but I’m invariably glad I do.
While driving to the beach yesterday I heard a man on the radio talking about GMOs, saying what’s the big deal; people have been altering and cross-breeding plants and animals forever, and that’s why we have so many different types of fruit and other crops.
His is a common misconception among those ignorant of the technology.
Genetic engineering is not akin to either the processes of hybridization or natural selection. Instead, it involves taking a gene from another organism — typically an entirely different species — and forcing it into an unreceptive cell. That’s done through use of a virus that invades the cell, or electronic bombardment that weakens the cell so the alien gene can slip through.
In this way, it crosses a barrier that Nature herself created precisely to prevent this type of transgenic propagation. But as usual, humans think they know best and have figured out ways to get around this ancient safeguard.
There ain’t nothin’ natural about genetic engineering, and it’s never been done at any time in the known history of the world. It’s a giant experiment, with the ecosystem — including us — as guinea pigs.
And here in Hawaii — the world capital of GMO open field testing — we’re not even allowed to know what the biotech companies are growing, or where. Anyway, if you want to learn more, I did a piece a while back on the technology and controversy for Honolulu Magazine.
I see it as one of the key issues of our time, because it has the ability to affect life as we know it on the planet. As Dr. Lorin Pang, Maui’s state health officer, has often noted (although not in his official position, as his views aren’t shared by the pro-biotech state administration): Once these organisms get out into the environment, as they do daily, wherever they’re grown, there’s no calling them back.
Got a couple of emails regarding the proposed ag subdivision moratorium. The moratorium is temporary, until the inventory of important ag lands is completed. This could take 10 years, and according to an email from Councilman Mel Rapozo, who was questioned by Jimmy Torio: “This is definitely beyond the legal parameters of a moratorium.”
However, Mel goes on to state that the bill came to the Council without a legal overview, so I’m not sure where he came up with the idea that a moratorium can’t last for 10 years.
He also thinks there needs to be “scientific data” to justify the moratorium, and “the crisis has not been adequately defined and supported.”
I guess Mel is not alarmed by our own planning director’s observation that 80 percent of our ag lands are not owned by farmers.
What will constitute a sufficient crisis to protect ag lands, Mel? We already import nearly all of our food and three-acre ag lots in Kealia are selling for $500,000.
Meanwhile, the big land owners and speculators are salivating at the prospect of turning yet more of our ag land into lucrative estate housing for part-time residents.
Mel continues with this bit of buck passing: “Finally, the Mayor once told me that his job was to send over a vision to the Council. It was the Council's job to work out the details. This is totally irresponsible in my opinion. He has access to all the legal advisors, the department heads, the statistics, and the historical data required to properly draft a bill. To expect the Council to do all of the legwork for his vision is simply not acceptable. “
Yes, Mel, it would be nice if Mayor Baptiste did a better job of drafting the bill. But to even get a vision out of the guy is pretty darn good. You on the Council also have access to legal advisors (who give you opinions you don’t share with the public) and all the other county resources.
If the mayor isn’t showing leadership, can’t the Council? Or do we just keep losing ground — literally and figuratively — until somebody is willing to stop passing the buck?
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Musings: Fuel-Sucking Tourists
Brrrr is the operative word this morning, which is feeling delightfully wintry, despite the sunshine.
After working all weekend, I have a bit of a respite, so Koko and I headed over to a trail where she can run free and chase chickens and I can walk far enough to escape all sounds of humanity.
I was watching worms move across the trail in that way they have of curling up into a ball and then flinging themselves forward, which I guess is faster than creeping, and all around me were uluhe ferns and birdsong and even a few ohia trees were blooming.
And then along came a helicopter, on the sunrise flight over Waialeale. It got me wondering, as the state moves forward with its 2050 sustainability plan — touted on its website as the “people’s plan” — about how much fuel is used in this state to entertain the tourists.
Just think of all the fuel being sucked down in the helicopter flights, boat rides and movie site tours. And that doesn’t include the AC and hot water in the hotel rooms, the gas in the rental cars. Tourism is the giant gaping puka in the state’s sustainability plan.
Surely Russell Kokubun, the smart, well-intentioned Senator from the Big Island who chairs the 2050 Task Force, recognizes that it’s inherently unsustainable to have 7 million people jet over to these islands every year to consume, consume, consume.
Yet somehow we think we can continue to have tourism and militarism — two of the most wasteful industries on the planet — as our economic mainstays and achieve some modicum of sustainability.
If we were really serious about sustainability, we’d be saving every speck of ag land and creating incentives for people to farm. We’d also be doing everything we can to support taro — the one food crop that we know can support a large population in the Islands.
The county’s ag moratorium is a start, but some on the Council — Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho, Mel Rapozo and Jay Furfaro — are trying to kill the measure without any public discussion.
Councilman Tim Bynum yesterday sent me a copy of his views on the issue, which is running today as a guest commentary in the Garden Island.
The issue is coming before the Council again tomorrow, on what is already a packed agenda, with a presentation on the 2050 sustainability plan, a bill requesting money to FINALLY begin development impact fee studies (a system that many other states adopted some 25 years ago) and a resolution supporting SB 958, which imposes a 10-year moratorium on developing, testing, propagating, cultivating, growing and raising genetically modified taro in Hawaii.
Koohan “Camera” Paik, the woman who made the Discover Kauai video, sent me a link to her latest youtube video, which addresses the push to stop GMO taro research.
In the video, Kauai Rep. Mina Morita, who lives in Hanalei Valley, the center of taro production in the state, notes that kalo “is the symbol of sustainability.”
Camera’s video prominently features Chris Kobayashi, a Hanalei taro farmer who overcame her shyness and reluctance to speak out and became a major force in this issue. Way to go, Chris. Nobody can address the topic better than somebody who spends time in the loi.
While all GMO crops are controversial, the modification of taro is especially contentious because it has such tremendous cultural significance. Hawaiians believe they are descended from Haloa, a taro plant conceived by the gods.
“Without Haloa, we’re pau,” Mina said.
Yet the University of Hawaii has been pushing forward with its GMO research even though taro farmers have not requested it. If the state wants to help taro farmers, it should move to address the apple snail problem, water diversion issues and long-term taro land leases, and quit fiddling around with genetic engineering.
Finally, a couple of readers sent me a link to a story that reports Washington state didn’t get even one bid on the MV Chinook, a high-speed passenger ferry it’s trying to sell.
Maybe the Hawaii Superferry folks would be interested. It doesn’t carry cars, but presumably it is operational, which is more than can be said for the dry-docked, rudder-damaged Alakai.
After working all weekend, I have a bit of a respite, so Koko and I headed over to a trail where she can run free and chase chickens and I can walk far enough to escape all sounds of humanity.
I was watching worms move across the trail in that way they have of curling up into a ball and then flinging themselves forward, which I guess is faster than creeping, and all around me were uluhe ferns and birdsong and even a few ohia trees were blooming.
And then along came a helicopter, on the sunrise flight over Waialeale. It got me wondering, as the state moves forward with its 2050 sustainability plan — touted on its website as the “people’s plan” — about how much fuel is used in this state to entertain the tourists.
Just think of all the fuel being sucked down in the helicopter flights, boat rides and movie site tours. And that doesn’t include the AC and hot water in the hotel rooms, the gas in the rental cars. Tourism is the giant gaping puka in the state’s sustainability plan.
Surely Russell Kokubun, the smart, well-intentioned Senator from the Big Island who chairs the 2050 Task Force, recognizes that it’s inherently unsustainable to have 7 million people jet over to these islands every year to consume, consume, consume.
Yet somehow we think we can continue to have tourism and militarism — two of the most wasteful industries on the planet — as our economic mainstays and achieve some modicum of sustainability.
If we were really serious about sustainability, we’d be saving every speck of ag land and creating incentives for people to farm. We’d also be doing everything we can to support taro — the one food crop that we know can support a large population in the Islands.
The county’s ag moratorium is a start, but some on the Council — Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho, Mel Rapozo and Jay Furfaro — are trying to kill the measure without any public discussion.
Councilman Tim Bynum yesterday sent me a copy of his views on the issue, which is running today as a guest commentary in the Garden Island.
The issue is coming before the Council again tomorrow, on what is already a packed agenda, with a presentation on the 2050 sustainability plan, a bill requesting money to FINALLY begin development impact fee studies (a system that many other states adopted some 25 years ago) and a resolution supporting SB 958, which imposes a 10-year moratorium on developing, testing, propagating, cultivating, growing and raising genetically modified taro in Hawaii.
Koohan “Camera” Paik, the woman who made the Discover Kauai video, sent me a link to her latest youtube video, which addresses the push to stop GMO taro research.
In the video, Kauai Rep. Mina Morita, who lives in Hanalei Valley, the center of taro production in the state, notes that kalo “is the symbol of sustainability.”
Camera’s video prominently features Chris Kobayashi, a Hanalei taro farmer who overcame her shyness and reluctance to speak out and became a major force in this issue. Way to go, Chris. Nobody can address the topic better than somebody who spends time in the loi.
While all GMO crops are controversial, the modification of taro is especially contentious because it has such tremendous cultural significance. Hawaiians believe they are descended from Haloa, a taro plant conceived by the gods.
“Without Haloa, we’re pau,” Mina said.
Yet the University of Hawaii has been pushing forward with its GMO research even though taro farmers have not requested it. If the state wants to help taro farmers, it should move to address the apple snail problem, water diversion issues and long-term taro land leases, and quit fiddling around with genetic engineering.
Finally, a couple of readers sent me a link to a story that reports Washington state didn’t get even one bid on the MV Chinook, a high-speed passenger ferry it’s trying to sell.
Maybe the Hawaii Superferry folks would be interested. It doesn’t carry cars, but presumably it is operational, which is more than can be said for the dry-docked, rudder-damaged Alakai.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Musings: Playing Charades
The moon, shrinking fast, was still bright enough to illuminate clouds playing ring around Wailalale when Koko and I went walking this chilly morning. But they disappeared before the sun began to rise, sending out broad bands of pink that framed shiny Venus.
It’s shaping up to be another beautiful day.
Ran into farmer Jerry, whom I hadn’t seen for too long, and as the sky slowly brightened we caught up on things, at least those that pertain to agriculture. You can’t cover everything in five minutes along the road.
Both he and I were quoted in a Star-Bulletin article yesterday on the Kealanani subdivision at Kealia. The friend who passed it along noted I could add “shibai expert” to my list of credentials.
I find it extremely ironic that the project’s façade as the state’s “first legal ag subdivision” — the developer’s self-proclaimed reference to a farming requirement in the homeowner association’s bylaws — not only got it approved, but has attracted widespread publicity.
Clever, dem.
Of course, when you’re developing a multi-million-dollar project masquerading as something else, you need to hire a good PR team. Just ask Hawaii Superferry.
And just as HSF hyped itself as being something it’s obviously not — a viable form of alternative transportation in the Islands — so too is Kealanani, with its hiking trails and ocean views and hefty price tags, pretending to be a farming community.
As has been the case in other articles that have appeared about this project, the story quotes buyers who— surprise! — have no actual farming experience, but just can’t wait to get their hands dirty. In this instance, it’s a Lake Tahoe, Calif. family that is planning to make the plausible shift from Poipu timeshare owner to hobby farmer.
They say they do not expect to make a living from farming the land, and instead see it more as a lifestyle. Of course, and it’s the same lifestyle that so many other gentleman farmers seek — one with plenty of manicured lawn around your spacious hale, a few fruit trees (or in this case, cacao) and maybe a horse to complete the pastoral scene.
When the reporter observed that the high land costs might deter real farmers from living there, co-developer Paul Kyno, a real estate agent, blithely replied that perhaps some of them could move into the affordable housing that is planned and work for the landowners.
Yes, the landowners will quickly grow tired of their hot, hard and dirty hobby, thus providing yet another opportunity for locals and earnest back-to the-land hippies to slave for rich haoles. It’s the new plantation model — with none of the worker benefits.
And anyway, Kyno fails to mention the affordable housing, if it happens at all — there is no requirement for the developer to build it — is a good 15 to 20 years off into the future.
Meanwhile, the land use charade continues in another guise. Jerry told me the newest ploy for developing mini hotels on ag land and elsewhere — while also getting around the ban on new vacation rentals and timeshares outside of visitor destination areas — is a scheme known as interval ownership.
Under it, a number of unrelated people join together to buy a property and build a gigantic house, which is broken up into separate living units once the county inspection is pau.
When it comes to making big money, you’ve got the big lawyers working overtime to dream up new ways around the law, while the county either looks the other way or fumbles through a belated response.
In the meantime, the council on Wednesday will again take up Mayor Baptiste’s call for a temporary moratorium on new ag subdivisions. Councilman Tim Bynum has supported the measure, saying there’s a need for an ag planning prcess, but apparently the initiative is meeting strong resistance from Councilman Jay Furfaro.
Hmmm. Do you ‘spose that could that have anything to do with Jay working for big landowner Princeville Corp.?
Baptiste first proposed such a moratorium eight years ago, while on the Council. Although he was unsuccessful then, he’s more confident it will fly this time. An article in The Garden Island quotes him as saying: ““I took a licking. But times are different.”
Are they? It seems like the same old vested interests — the developers, the realtors, the engineering companies, the big landowners — wield just as much power as ever.
What’s the solution? Jerry and I both agreed the county has to aggressively enforce the farm dwelling agreement, which is a provision of state law. Under it, you can own all the ag land you want. But you’d better make sure you’re actually living in the house fulltime and working the land.
So why doesn’t the county do it? It just might have something to do with these same old vested interests noted above.
It’s shaping up to be another beautiful day.
Ran into farmer Jerry, whom I hadn’t seen for too long, and as the sky slowly brightened we caught up on things, at least those that pertain to agriculture. You can’t cover everything in five minutes along the road.
Both he and I were quoted in a Star-Bulletin article yesterday on the Kealanani subdivision at Kealia. The friend who passed it along noted I could add “shibai expert” to my list of credentials.
I find it extremely ironic that the project’s façade as the state’s “first legal ag subdivision” — the developer’s self-proclaimed reference to a farming requirement in the homeowner association’s bylaws — not only got it approved, but has attracted widespread publicity.
Clever, dem.
Of course, when you’re developing a multi-million-dollar project masquerading as something else, you need to hire a good PR team. Just ask Hawaii Superferry.
And just as HSF hyped itself as being something it’s obviously not — a viable form of alternative transportation in the Islands — so too is Kealanani, with its hiking trails and ocean views and hefty price tags, pretending to be a farming community.
As has been the case in other articles that have appeared about this project, the story quotes buyers who— surprise! — have no actual farming experience, but just can’t wait to get their hands dirty. In this instance, it’s a Lake Tahoe, Calif. family that is planning to make the plausible shift from Poipu timeshare owner to hobby farmer.
They say they do not expect to make a living from farming the land, and instead see it more as a lifestyle. Of course, and it’s the same lifestyle that so many other gentleman farmers seek — one with plenty of manicured lawn around your spacious hale, a few fruit trees (or in this case, cacao) and maybe a horse to complete the pastoral scene.
When the reporter observed that the high land costs might deter real farmers from living there, co-developer Paul Kyno, a real estate agent, blithely replied that perhaps some of them could move into the affordable housing that is planned and work for the landowners.
Yes, the landowners will quickly grow tired of their hot, hard and dirty hobby, thus providing yet another opportunity for locals and earnest back-to the-land hippies to slave for rich haoles. It’s the new plantation model — with none of the worker benefits.
And anyway, Kyno fails to mention the affordable housing, if it happens at all — there is no requirement for the developer to build it — is a good 15 to 20 years off into the future.
Meanwhile, the land use charade continues in another guise. Jerry told me the newest ploy for developing mini hotels on ag land and elsewhere — while also getting around the ban on new vacation rentals and timeshares outside of visitor destination areas — is a scheme known as interval ownership.
Under it, a number of unrelated people join together to buy a property and build a gigantic house, which is broken up into separate living units once the county inspection is pau.
When it comes to making big money, you’ve got the big lawyers working overtime to dream up new ways around the law, while the county either looks the other way or fumbles through a belated response.
In the meantime, the council on Wednesday will again take up Mayor Baptiste’s call for a temporary moratorium on new ag subdivisions. Councilman Tim Bynum has supported the measure, saying there’s a need for an ag planning prcess, but apparently the initiative is meeting strong resistance from Councilman Jay Furfaro.
Hmmm. Do you ‘spose that could that have anything to do with Jay working for big landowner Princeville Corp.?
Baptiste first proposed such a moratorium eight years ago, while on the Council. Although he was unsuccessful then, he’s more confident it will fly this time. An article in The Garden Island quotes him as saying: ““I took a licking. But times are different.”
Are they? It seems like the same old vested interests — the developers, the realtors, the engineering companies, the big landowners — wield just as much power as ever.
What’s the solution? Jerry and I both agreed the county has to aggressively enforce the farm dwelling agreement, which is a provision of state law. Under it, you can own all the ag land you want. But you’d better make sure you’re actually living in the house fulltime and working the land.
So why doesn’t the county do it? It just might have something to do with these same old vested interests noted above.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Musings: Wrong Call
The wind shifted late yesterday afternoon and started blowing hard out of the southwest while I was washing my very grimy car. The rain arrived in the night, and I welcomed it. Already some of the brush on the eastside had started to go brown after this recent spell of dry, sunny weather.
Awoke to cloudy skies, imminent rain and bird song, most notably the intricate melodies of a shama thrush. I was reading the other day that some people keep them precisely for their beautiful music, although I’ve never been fond of seeing birds in cages.
Rats are another story, and while I can’t say I was exactly pleased to see numbah tree in the cage today — despite what I’ve heard, killing doesn’t get easier, at least not for me — it’s one less rodent in my roof. Guess he figured he’d get out of the rain, went to grab a midnight snack on his way to the penthouse suite and oops, wrong call. He's now with his buddies under the camphor tree.
Speaking of trees, noticed in The Garden Island this morning that Ted Erum has filed a motion for a preliminary injunction against the Eric A. Knudsen Trust and its trustee, shopping center developer Stacey Wong, in an attempt to save the Koloa monkeypod trees. Meanwhile, weekly vigils for the trees continue.
Also noticed my neighbor Andy has added a Stokes 4 KIUC bumper sticker to his truck. I ran into my buddy Ken Stokes at the Laundromat the other day, where he gave an enthusiastic account of his new electric assist bike, which helps him get up the hills. He’s even outfitted it with a little trailer so he can transport his laundry, although he had his car the day I saw him.
Ken, who founded the Kauaian Institute and authors the SusHi sustainability in Hawaii blog is certainly well qualified for the KIUC board and akamai about ways to wean us from imported oil.
The “energy adjustment” charge — which allows KIUC to pass on the rising cost of oil — was actually higher than the kilowatt hour charge — the actual amount of electricity I used — on my last bill. It’s pretty nuts for a single person with a small hot water heater, no washer, dryer or TV and conservative electrical use to pay $140 per month. Especially when a friend staying with a friend near San Francisco reported he was grumbling whenever she left a light on because his monthly electric bill was a whopping $35.
Yes, I know the oil has to be transported over thousands of miles and we don’t have the same economy of scale as big American utilities, but come on! Maybe they could start cutting expenses by eliminating their “Currents” magazine, which costs them tens of thousands of dollars to produce and mail. It's an awful lotta hype for a little utility.
Finally, got a nice email from Jonathan Scheuer of OHA who told me he didn’t think there were any federal agents at the "ceded lands" meeting held on Kauai Wednesday night. Two people in the crowd told me there were, but since I didn’t verify it myself, I shouldn’t have printed it.
Still, it didn’t seem necessary to have state DOCARE officers there. I’m not sure whose call it was, but in my opinion, it was the wrong one, because it set a negative tone of fear and mistrust. And that's not a message you want to send to people who are supposed to be your beneficiaries.
Awoke to cloudy skies, imminent rain and bird song, most notably the intricate melodies of a shama thrush. I was reading the other day that some people keep them precisely for their beautiful music, although I’ve never been fond of seeing birds in cages.
Rats are another story, and while I can’t say I was exactly pleased to see numbah tree in the cage today — despite what I’ve heard, killing doesn’t get easier, at least not for me — it’s one less rodent in my roof. Guess he figured he’d get out of the rain, went to grab a midnight snack on his way to the penthouse suite and oops, wrong call. He's now with his buddies under the camphor tree.
Speaking of trees, noticed in The Garden Island this morning that Ted Erum has filed a motion for a preliminary injunction against the Eric A. Knudsen Trust and its trustee, shopping center developer Stacey Wong, in an attempt to save the Koloa monkeypod trees. Meanwhile, weekly vigils for the trees continue.
Also noticed my neighbor Andy has added a Stokes 4 KIUC bumper sticker to his truck. I ran into my buddy Ken Stokes at the Laundromat the other day, where he gave an enthusiastic account of his new electric assist bike, which helps him get up the hills. He’s even outfitted it with a little trailer so he can transport his laundry, although he had his car the day I saw him.
Ken, who founded the Kauaian Institute and authors the SusHi sustainability in Hawaii blog is certainly well qualified for the KIUC board and akamai about ways to wean us from imported oil.
The “energy adjustment” charge — which allows KIUC to pass on the rising cost of oil — was actually higher than the kilowatt hour charge — the actual amount of electricity I used — on my last bill. It’s pretty nuts for a single person with a small hot water heater, no washer, dryer or TV and conservative electrical use to pay $140 per month. Especially when a friend staying with a friend near San Francisco reported he was grumbling whenever she left a light on because his monthly electric bill was a whopping $35.
Yes, I know the oil has to be transported over thousands of miles and we don’t have the same economy of scale as big American utilities, but come on! Maybe they could start cutting expenses by eliminating their “Currents” magazine, which costs them tens of thousands of dollars to produce and mail. It's an awful lotta hype for a little utility.
Finally, got a nice email from Jonathan Scheuer of OHA who told me he didn’t think there were any federal agents at the "ceded lands" meeting held on Kauai Wednesday night. Two people in the crowd told me there were, but since I didn’t verify it myself, I shouldn’t have printed it.
Still, it didn’t seem necessary to have state DOCARE officers there. I’m not sure whose call it was, but in my opinion, it was the wrong one, because it set a negative tone of fear and mistrust. And that's not a message you want to send to people who are supposed to be your beneficiaries.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Musings: Snookerferry, Homeless and Settlements
Exquisite is the only word to describe this morning on Kauai.
The sun was rising when Koko and I went walking, and Wailaleale — so clear that every crack and crevice was revealed — was tinted a rosy pink and crowned by a still-bright moon just slightly less than full. Ahhhh.
Ran into my neighbor Andy, whom I hadn’t seen for a while, and Koko was ecstatic to see his dog Momi. During the short time our walks converged, we managed to cover the Kauai caucus — he said Sen. Gary Hooser helped save the day at the Lihue precinct by making suggestions for processing voters more quickly — and early sentiment toward Annexation and Statehood, before moving on to the Superferry, which he has now nicknamed Snookerferry.
Since I posted two pieces yesterday, he (and perhaps others) missed the one about the ferry’s extended stay in dry dock, and Brad’s comments with additional links, which can also be viewed here.
In another post on his own blog on the repairs, Brad notes: “BTW, I don't believe Kauila Clark's blessing worked on the Alakai. If they try to operate again commercially here in Hawaii, I might recommend they seek another blessing.”
As Andy pointed out, the ferry has only been operational a fraction of the time since it began service.
“Why is it still here?” he asked. Good question. How much longer will this charade of it providing the Islands with an alternative source of transportation continue?
Apparently some homeless are still at Hanamaulu Beach Park even though the county has prohibited camping there for a month during a major clean up. In her story, Garden Island reporter Amanda Gregg leads with the observation that those who remained “didn’t typify what some envision when thinking of the homeless.”
It’s good to see the message getting out that with Kauai’s high housing costs and outrageous rents, the homeless no longer fit the stereotype of drunken, drugged derelicts. Instead, they’re regular people who can’t scrape up the big money for security deposits and ongoing rent.
Got an email with a link to the House’s proposed bill (HB 266) on the OHA “ceded lands” revenue settlement issue. It still gives OHA $13 million cash and land, but instead of $15 million per year, it proposes a method for doing a yearly assessment of the revenues collected from ceded lands income, and giving OHA a share of that.
There’s a hearing on the bill on Saturday by the committees on Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs, Judicary, and Finance.
And now it’s time to get to work so I can go outside and play on this absolutely gorgeous day. ☺
The sun was rising when Koko and I went walking, and Wailaleale — so clear that every crack and crevice was revealed — was tinted a rosy pink and crowned by a still-bright moon just slightly less than full. Ahhhh.
Ran into my neighbor Andy, whom I hadn’t seen for a while, and Koko was ecstatic to see his dog Momi. During the short time our walks converged, we managed to cover the Kauai caucus — he said Sen. Gary Hooser helped save the day at the Lihue precinct by making suggestions for processing voters more quickly — and early sentiment toward Annexation and Statehood, before moving on to the Superferry, which he has now nicknamed Snookerferry.
Since I posted two pieces yesterday, he (and perhaps others) missed the one about the ferry’s extended stay in dry dock, and Brad’s comments with additional links, which can also be viewed here.
In another post on his own blog on the repairs, Brad notes: “BTW, I don't believe Kauila Clark's blessing worked on the Alakai. If they try to operate again commercially here in Hawaii, I might recommend they seek another blessing.”
As Andy pointed out, the ferry has only been operational a fraction of the time since it began service.
“Why is it still here?” he asked. Good question. How much longer will this charade of it providing the Islands with an alternative source of transportation continue?
Apparently some homeless are still at Hanamaulu Beach Park even though the county has prohibited camping there for a month during a major clean up. In her story, Garden Island reporter Amanda Gregg leads with the observation that those who remained “didn’t typify what some envision when thinking of the homeless.”
It’s good to see the message getting out that with Kauai’s high housing costs and outrageous rents, the homeless no longer fit the stereotype of drunken, drugged derelicts. Instead, they’re regular people who can’t scrape up the big money for security deposits and ongoing rent.
Got an email with a link to the House’s proposed bill (HB 266) on the OHA “ceded lands” revenue settlement issue. It still gives OHA $13 million cash and land, but instead of $15 million per year, it proposes a method for doing a yearly assessment of the revenues collected from ceded lands income, and giving OHA a share of that.
There’s a hearing on the bill on Saturday by the committees on Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs, Judicary, and Finance.
And now it’s time to get to work so I can go outside and play on this absolutely gorgeous day. ☺
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Musings: Promoting a Fraud
The charge of working both sides of the street came up numerous times during last night’s Kauai hearing on the Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ proposed settlement with the state over money it’s been screwed out of for the past 30 years.
The two sentiments voiced most frequently were that OHA, a state agency, cannot be trusted to fully represent kanaka maoli in negotiations with the state, and that such negotiations represent a tacit acceptance that the state has jurisdiction over the 1.4 million lands in question. (Another 400,000 acres are held by the fed.)
“You’re promoting a fraud,” said one man.
“You’re asking us to be collaborators with the enemy,” said another.
About 100 kanaka maoli attended, and a few non-kanaka, with at least two DOCARE officers and some federal agents keeping an eye on the crowd.
State Attorney General Mark Bennett was not there, reportedly because a sinus infection prevented him from flying, although I think Elaine Yadao’s comment that he was “too chicken” to face the group was probably more likely. Charlene Aina, a sweet, mild-mannered deputy AG of Hawaiian descent, was sent in his place.
I’m only assuming she was native with a capital N, as opposed to small n, which denotes those of at least 50 percent Hawaiian blood. As many asked at the meeting last night, when is the state going to stop that archaic system of delineation and begin referring to all indigenous people as kanaka maoli?
Another interesting tidbit that surfaced is the state Capitol is made from “stolen sands” from the so-called ceded lands. In others words, it was yet another commodity taken from lands that once belonged to the Hawaiian monarchy for which the kanana were never compensated.
There was a fair amount of anger expressed, although in a non-threatening way, especially after attorney Bill Meheula, who helped OHA negotiate the settlement, acknowledged — in response to a question as to whether the settlement is a “done deal” — that nothing he’d heard so far would cause him to change his recommendation that the Trustees accept the package.
Hale Mawae asked if some of the money awarded in the settlement would be used to support Kau Inoa, the registry of Native Hawaiians that many see as being tied into the Akaka Bill, which would effectively end all hopes of independence.
When OHA staff member Jonathan Scheur said some of it likely would, Hale said that was a good enough reason to oppose it.
In short, most of those present seemed to resent the idea that the land was illegally taken from the Kingdom during the overthrow “and now the Hawaiians are begging and suing day in and day out” to get some scraps of compensation for the theft.
As the media and bloggers debate whether Tuesday’s Democratic caucus was conducted inappropriately and possibly resulted in a fraudulent vote, they’re missing the bigger picture. The entire State of Hawaii is a fraud.
The two sentiments voiced most frequently were that OHA, a state agency, cannot be trusted to fully represent kanaka maoli in negotiations with the state, and that such negotiations represent a tacit acceptance that the state has jurisdiction over the 1.4 million lands in question. (Another 400,000 acres are held by the fed.)
“You’re promoting a fraud,” said one man.
“You’re asking us to be collaborators with the enemy,” said another.
About 100 kanaka maoli attended, and a few non-kanaka, with at least two DOCARE officers and some federal agents keeping an eye on the crowd.
State Attorney General Mark Bennett was not there, reportedly because a sinus infection prevented him from flying, although I think Elaine Yadao’s comment that he was “too chicken” to face the group was probably more likely. Charlene Aina, a sweet, mild-mannered deputy AG of Hawaiian descent, was sent in his place.
I’m only assuming she was native with a capital N, as opposed to small n, which denotes those of at least 50 percent Hawaiian blood. As many asked at the meeting last night, when is the state going to stop that archaic system of delineation and begin referring to all indigenous people as kanaka maoli?
Another interesting tidbit that surfaced is the state Capitol is made from “stolen sands” from the so-called ceded lands. In others words, it was yet another commodity taken from lands that once belonged to the Hawaiian monarchy for which the kanana were never compensated.
There was a fair amount of anger expressed, although in a non-threatening way, especially after attorney Bill Meheula, who helped OHA negotiate the settlement, acknowledged — in response to a question as to whether the settlement is a “done deal” — that nothing he’d heard so far would cause him to change his recommendation that the Trustees accept the package.
Hale Mawae asked if some of the money awarded in the settlement would be used to support Kau Inoa, the registry of Native Hawaiians that many see as being tied into the Akaka Bill, which would effectively end all hopes of independence.
When OHA staff member Jonathan Scheur said some of it likely would, Hale said that was a good enough reason to oppose it.
In short, most of those present seemed to resent the idea that the land was illegally taken from the Kingdom during the overthrow “and now the Hawaiians are begging and suing day in and day out” to get some scraps of compensation for the theft.
As the media and bloggers debate whether Tuesday’s Democratic caucus was conducted inappropriately and possibly resulted in a fraudulent vote, they’re missing the bigger picture. The entire State of Hawaii is a fraud.
Musings: Big Boat Breakdown
The clouds shrank before the setting moon this morning, huddling over Waialeale as Koko and I went walking. I missed the little bit of eclipse that was visible in Hawaii, but a friend said he saw the moon rising while paddling in at Hanalei last night, and it looked like the Cookie Monster had bit a piece out of the top.
Meanwhile, rat number two bit the bait and got caught in the trap, and was dispatched before the sun rose, then laid to rest under the camphor tree.
The Pacific Business News reported yesterday that Hawaii Superferry will be laid up for three weeks longer than expected.
It was taken out of service Feb. 13 and set to return March 3, but that date had been extended to March 25 "due to damage to Alakai's hull that occurred during the drydocking process and additional maintenance that was identified while the vessel has been in drydock."
The Advertiser expanded on the story this morning, quoting Hawaii Superferry president and CEO John Garibaldi as saying “the rudder problem is the result of a design flaw, and that staff from shipbuilder Austal USA came to Honolulu to assist with repairs, which involve strengthening the metal around the housing.
Apparently a a similar vessel built by Austal recently experienced the same rudder trouble. But no worries. The big boat is still under warranty, and these repairs are covered.
Speaking of boats, Brad Parsons of Maui has been diligently researching China’s foray into high speed catamarans for military purposes.
As you may recall from earlier posts in this blog, the U.S. military is pushing to develop similar small, versatile craft known as Joint High Speed Vessels (JHSV) and Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) precisely because of perceived threats from China. But that program has been dogged by the usual delays and cost overruns.
Now it seems that China has apparently beat America to the punch with a missile-armed catamaran designed by an Australian company, AMD. Meanwhile, another Australian company, Austal, is also building an LCS for the American Navy and has bid on a JHSV design contract, for which Hawaii Superferry could be a prototype.
Interesting how the Aussies are working both sides of the street. Of course, they’re not alone in that approach. What’s the old saying? All is fair in love and war — including, it seems, the means for making both.
Meanwhile, rat number two bit the bait and got caught in the trap, and was dispatched before the sun rose, then laid to rest under the camphor tree.
The Pacific Business News reported yesterday that Hawaii Superferry will be laid up for three weeks longer than expected.
It was taken out of service Feb. 13 and set to return March 3, but that date had been extended to March 25 "due to damage to Alakai's hull that occurred during the drydocking process and additional maintenance that was identified while the vessel has been in drydock."
The Advertiser expanded on the story this morning, quoting Hawaii Superferry president and CEO John Garibaldi as saying “the rudder problem is the result of a design flaw, and that staff from shipbuilder Austal USA came to Honolulu to assist with repairs, which involve strengthening the metal around the housing.
Apparently a a similar vessel built by Austal recently experienced the same rudder trouble. But no worries. The big boat is still under warranty, and these repairs are covered.
Speaking of boats, Brad Parsons of Maui has been diligently researching China’s foray into high speed catamarans for military purposes.
As you may recall from earlier posts in this blog, the U.S. military is pushing to develop similar small, versatile craft known as Joint High Speed Vessels (JHSV) and Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) precisely because of perceived threats from China. But that program has been dogged by the usual delays and cost overruns.
Now it seems that China has apparently beat America to the punch with a missile-armed catamaran designed by an Australian company, AMD. Meanwhile, another Australian company, Austal, is also building an LCS for the American Navy and has bid on a JHSV design contract, for which Hawaii Superferry could be a prototype.
Interesting how the Aussies are working both sides of the street. Of course, they’re not alone in that approach. What’s the old saying? All is fair in love and war — including, it seems, the means for making both.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
"Don't Be Afraid to Speak Up"
Democracy Now! has a great interview today with Yuri Kochiyami, whose family was among the more than 100,000 Japanese — many of them American citizens — locked up in U.S. internment camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The experience prompted her to become a lifelong civil rights activist, and she witnessed the assassination of Malcolm X.
Kochiyama is the author of “Passing It On,” a memoir, and said years after her internment: “In order for things like this to never happen, we have to protest… so don’t be afraid to speak up.”
You can read the transcript or listen to the interview here.
Kochiyama is the author of “Passing It On,” a memoir, and said years after her internment: “In order for things like this to never happen, we have to protest… so don’t be afraid to speak up.”
You can read the transcript or listen to the interview here.
Musings: Moonlight and Mist
Hawaii might have thought it was all about Obama and Clinton last night — Obama won in a landslide — but for me, it was all about the moon.
Saw it rising at Ka`aka`aniu Beach yesterday evening after swimming in crystal clear turquoise water and watching albatrosses flying overhead, landing on a grassy bluff and giggling madly to one another.
A friend and I shared a couple of hours of laughter, conversation and joy, before I headed south and she went north, the moon rising higher as I drove and creating a shining path on calm waters at Kealia.
All night, it was out and super bright as Democrats rallied around their “native son” candidate, helping to build his national lead over Sen. Clinton.
It was calling to me well before the crack of dawn, so Koko and I got up and went out to revel in its glow, moon shadows tagging along behind. Mist was thick in the pastures, where the cattle were lying down, but still watchful, dark hulks in the silvery light.
The moon slipped lower and lower, changing from white to dark yellow, until finally I paused and watched it disappear behind the southern end of Waialale.
I turned to head home, the eastern sky growing brighter behind Venus and Jupiter, the mist leaving the pasture and spreading out over the road, enveloping us in its cool dampness.
As the first streaks of pink lit up the sky, heralding the sun, a shama thrush burst into glorious, warbling, melodic song. Another day begins.
Saw it rising at Ka`aka`aniu Beach yesterday evening after swimming in crystal clear turquoise water and watching albatrosses flying overhead, landing on a grassy bluff and giggling madly to one another.
A friend and I shared a couple of hours of laughter, conversation and joy, before I headed south and she went north, the moon rising higher as I drove and creating a shining path on calm waters at Kealia.
All night, it was out and super bright as Democrats rallied around their “native son” candidate, helping to build his national lead over Sen. Clinton.
It was calling to me well before the crack of dawn, so Koko and I got up and went out to revel in its glow, moon shadows tagging along behind. Mist was thick in the pastures, where the cattle were lying down, but still watchful, dark hulks in the silvery light.
The moon slipped lower and lower, changing from white to dark yellow, until finally I paused and watched it disappear behind the southern end of Waialale.
I turned to head home, the eastern sky growing brighter behind Venus and Jupiter, the mist leaving the pasture and spreading out over the road, enveloping us in its cool dampness.
As the first streaks of pink lit up the sky, heralding the sun, a shama thrush burst into glorious, warbling, melodic song. Another day begins.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Musings: Raising a Stink
It was chilly when Koko and I headed out this morning, so we walked fast to warm up in the pre-dawn chill. The moon — full and eclipsing on Wednesday — had already set, but both Jupiter and Venus were still shining bright, and fairly close together, in the southeast sky.
All the mountains, both mauka and makai, were clear, and the only clouds I spotted were a fluffy pile in the east that the rising sun transformed into a crimson fireball.
When I got home and looked at the star charts to determine if that bright orb above Venus was, indeed, Jupiter, I was surprised to learn that another name for the morning-rising Venus is Lucifer. I wonder how the planet of love picked up that moniker?
Speaking of picking stuff up, was reading an article in the very mainstream The Week magazine about how a new study has shown that babies pick up phthalates — hormone-altering chemicals that can effect a baby’s developing reproductive system — from all the scented lotions, powders, shampoos and other products smeared on them.
It seems that phthalates are used to hold in fragrance and color, but are one of many things — like genetically-engineered ingredients — that are not required on labels.
They’re also found in laundry detergents and fabric softeners. Every time my neighbors on either side do laundry, I’m inundated with that fake perfume smell. Yuck. Not only does it stink, it’s harmful, too.
It’s not surprising that babies, and anyone else who uses products with added fragrances, are absorbing these chemicals. After all, the skin is the largest organ.
But we humans, of course, aren’t the only ones getting dosed. Some time ago, I wrote a piece for Sierra Magazine about how these and other chemicals in our personal and cleaning products, as well as pharmaceuticals, are showing up in ground and surface waters.
In some instances, these products are causing sex organ mutations and dysfunction in fish and other aquatic species.
As Don Wilkison, a U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist, told me: "We don’t make the connection between what we do on a day-to-day basis in our homes and the health of the nation’s rivers. Red flags should be going up."
The toxicological and biological effects of these compounds are not well understood, he said. "And when you think of aquatic organisms constantly being bathed in a pharmacopoeia of unknown and changing concentrations," he adds, "I think we should have some concerns."
In the previous issue of The Week, they reported on studies that showed bisphenol A (BPA) a chemical found in numerous household plastics, like baby and water bottles, is released much more quickly when exposed to boiling liquids. BPA also can mimic female hormones, and may heighten the risk of cancer.
So next time you’re tempted to put some plastic in the microwave or use perfumed products (other than the all-natural kind), you might just want to stop and think twice — for all our sakes.
All the mountains, both mauka and makai, were clear, and the only clouds I spotted were a fluffy pile in the east that the rising sun transformed into a crimson fireball.
When I got home and looked at the star charts to determine if that bright orb above Venus was, indeed, Jupiter, I was surprised to learn that another name for the morning-rising Venus is Lucifer. I wonder how the planet of love picked up that moniker?
Speaking of picking stuff up, was reading an article in the very mainstream The Week magazine about how a new study has shown that babies pick up phthalates — hormone-altering chemicals that can effect a baby’s developing reproductive system — from all the scented lotions, powders, shampoos and other products smeared on them.
It seems that phthalates are used to hold in fragrance and color, but are one of many things — like genetically-engineered ingredients — that are not required on labels.
They’re also found in laundry detergents and fabric softeners. Every time my neighbors on either side do laundry, I’m inundated with that fake perfume smell. Yuck. Not only does it stink, it’s harmful, too.
It’s not surprising that babies, and anyone else who uses products with added fragrances, are absorbing these chemicals. After all, the skin is the largest organ.
But we humans, of course, aren’t the only ones getting dosed. Some time ago, I wrote a piece for Sierra Magazine about how these and other chemicals in our personal and cleaning products, as well as pharmaceuticals, are showing up in ground and surface waters.
In some instances, these products are causing sex organ mutations and dysfunction in fish and other aquatic species.
As Don Wilkison, a U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist, told me: "We don’t make the connection between what we do on a day-to-day basis in our homes and the health of the nation’s rivers. Red flags should be going up."
The toxicological and biological effects of these compounds are not well understood, he said. "And when you think of aquatic organisms constantly being bathed in a pharmacopoeia of unknown and changing concentrations," he adds, "I think we should have some concerns."
In the previous issue of The Week, they reported on studies that showed bisphenol A (BPA) a chemical found in numerous household plastics, like baby and water bottles, is released much more quickly when exposed to boiling liquids. BPA also can mimic female hormones, and may heighten the risk of cancer.
So next time you’re tempted to put some plastic in the microwave or use perfumed products (other than the all-natural kind), you might just want to stop and think twice — for all our sakes.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Musings: One Down, ? To Go
Rain was falling when I first awoke, so I lounged in bed for a while this quiet Sunday morning, then Koko and I went walking.
The sun, smothered by the clouds, released its white light in wide, subdued shafts on the lower slopes of Nounou, and a broken rainbow climbed the sky in front of hidden Wailaleale.
The sky was steely gray in the interior, the same color it was late yesterday afternoon, when it prompted a friend to remark that it felt good to see it like that, because you knew Mama Aina was getting replenished right where she needed it most.
And just as Koko and I turned around, a light rain, a tad heavier than mist, blew in from the southwest and followed us home — a home now shared by one less rat.
That’s right, we have victory. I grew tired of waiting for the poison to work and the young buck to return and assess the situation, so I baited a live trap with fat from a steak and placed it right by the entry way the rat was using.
Sure enough, a fat black rat with a very long tail was quickly caught and is presently in a watery holding tank, awaiting burial.
I’m hopeful it’s a more sweeping, and lasting, victory than the one Bush declared in Iraq, but since rats, like cockroaches and ants, tend to travel in groups, I’ll keep baiting that trap until I don’t hear any more scratching.
Moving on to scratchy, got an email announcing Andy Parx “throws up new daily ‘blog:’ Got Windmills?- The Daily Tilt.”
It’s good to have Andy in the blogsphere, as he'll cover stuff I can't get to, plus now I know mine will never be the most vitriolic blog on Kauai. :-)
I also wanted to direct folks to a very interesting article about the origin of the Hawaiian Islands that Jan TenBruggencate wrote for his Raising Islands blog, which is worth checking out regularly for his original reporting.
And don’t miss the very cool collection of photographs posted by another Kauai blogger, Juan Wilson, on Island Breath (scroll down to Feb. 8), which depicts what people all around the world eat in a week.
It’s an eye-opener, that’s for sure.
The sun, smothered by the clouds, released its white light in wide, subdued shafts on the lower slopes of Nounou, and a broken rainbow climbed the sky in front of hidden Wailaleale.
The sky was steely gray in the interior, the same color it was late yesterday afternoon, when it prompted a friend to remark that it felt good to see it like that, because you knew Mama Aina was getting replenished right where she needed it most.
And just as Koko and I turned around, a light rain, a tad heavier than mist, blew in from the southwest and followed us home — a home now shared by one less rat.
That’s right, we have victory. I grew tired of waiting for the poison to work and the young buck to return and assess the situation, so I baited a live trap with fat from a steak and placed it right by the entry way the rat was using.
Sure enough, a fat black rat with a very long tail was quickly caught and is presently in a watery holding tank, awaiting burial.
I’m hopeful it’s a more sweeping, and lasting, victory than the one Bush declared in Iraq, but since rats, like cockroaches and ants, tend to travel in groups, I’ll keep baiting that trap until I don’t hear any more scratching.
Moving on to scratchy, got an email announcing Andy Parx “throws up new daily ‘blog:’ Got Windmills?- The Daily Tilt.”
It’s good to have Andy in the blogsphere, as he'll cover stuff I can't get to, plus now I know mine will never be the most vitriolic blog on Kauai. :-)
I also wanted to direct folks to a very interesting article about the origin of the Hawaiian Islands that Jan TenBruggencate wrote for his Raising Islands blog, which is worth checking out regularly for his original reporting.
And don’t miss the very cool collection of photographs posted by another Kauai blogger, Juan Wilson, on Island Breath (scroll down to Feb. 8), which depicts what people all around the world eat in a week.
It’s an eye-opener, that’s for sure.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Musings: Rave On
It had been a long time since I walked beneath the stars, and I missed them. So I got up when I first awoke, because I could tell from the chill in the house that the skies were clear, and Koko and I set out under that silvery light.
We snuck past the two boxers chained in their front yard, so as not to set off any wild barking, and the only sounds were roosters crowing, crickets chirping, and in the ditch by the pasture, bullfrogs wheezing.
I saw two stars fall, one in the north, the other in the south, and Waialeale naked, with a crown of stars. Venus first watched my back, then guided my return, and Orion’s belt cinched the end of an S-shaped constellation.
And when I got home an hour later, with the sky just starting to lighten, it was all so exquisite that I drank a glass of water and went out and walked all over again.
This time, only Venus remained, although it quickly lost ground as dawn washed out the sky. The bullfrogs, roosters and crickets were joined by birds that always wake up singing, and Waialeale had donned a jaunty cloud beret.
Koko exchanged greetings with a truck full of hunting dogs, and they continued the conversation in their deep, baying voices for a little ways down the road, until I heard their owner, the driver, yell out “quiet!” and they were.
The rising sun turned its pathway coral pink, illuminating the Sleeping Giant, and when we turned into the yard, again, my heart was doubly full of glad, and my legs were cold and tired.
This is what I love about Kauai, although it’s not unique to here, any more than the red ohia lehua I found at the crest of the trail yesterday, or the four hinano blooming, muskily, on the ancient hala tree at the channel where I later went to swim, or the monk seal that was snoozing, lifting a flipper occasionally to brush away flies, on rough-grained sand at the end of the beach.
Nor do we have a monopoly on really nice people, like the big brudda with a diamond stud in his right ear and awesome tattoos on his left arm, who heard me pop the hood of my car outside Ace Hardware, and figured I might need help, so the next thing I know he’s lifting the hood and pouring in the motor oil I’d bought and a perfect stranger became Irv.
The good stuff is everywhere out there, if we just open our hearts, eyes, ears.
I have a friend in Portland who is an author and an editor, and he emailed me the contents of a piece of paper he found inside his pocket, remnants of a meeting with my favorite poet, Mary Oliver:
“I am learning to stand still and be astonished.”
“Attention without feeling is only a report.”
“I say to my heart, rave on. “
They started out as her words, and are now all of ours.
I have another friend here on Kauai, who is a good surfer, both of ocean waves and the net, and he sent me this link to WorkBoat.com with an excerpt from the piece — "There's some speculation that the ferries will be sold to the military for the new Joint High Speed Vessel project..." — and his own comment: “now where in the whirled did he get that?”
The author (not the surfer) apparently took a couple of rides on the Superferry, which he managed to sandwich in between the ferry’s down times, and noted: “On both trips, there were fewer than 50 vehicles and under 100 passengers. (At about 2,000 gallons of fuel per hour for three hours each way, our carbon footprints must have been huge.)”
He also mentioned that a judge had ordered the state and Hawaii Superferry to pay $100,000 in legal fees to Isaac Hall for that four-week court hearing last year, the results of which were overturned by the Lege. (My own note: Deputy Attorney General William Wynhoff is still whining that the award is unfair.)
The writer goes on to note that “Many Alaskans would like to tie up or sell their two fast vehicle ferries, too. Ever since their introduction a few years ago, these controversial boats have been plagued with problems and plans to add more have been dropped.”
And he recounts the troubles — outlined in this blog last year — by both the Rochester-Toronto service and BC Ferries. “Selling failed fast vehicle ferries isn't easy,” he says.
Nor, it seems, is running them at a profit, or even keeping them running at all.
Meanwhile, the EIS process creeps forward. The March meetings I mentioned in yesterday’s post are the first step in the state-financed review, and intended to apprise folks on what is planned for the process, including issues to be studied and a proposed schedule. I’ll keep you posted as the dates near.
Until then, as a much-appreciated comment on yesterday’s post noted: “Happiness, the brightest of lights, share it others.”
Yes, hearts, rave on.
We snuck past the two boxers chained in their front yard, so as not to set off any wild barking, and the only sounds were roosters crowing, crickets chirping, and in the ditch by the pasture, bullfrogs wheezing.
I saw two stars fall, one in the north, the other in the south, and Waialeale naked, with a crown of stars. Venus first watched my back, then guided my return, and Orion’s belt cinched the end of an S-shaped constellation.
And when I got home an hour later, with the sky just starting to lighten, it was all so exquisite that I drank a glass of water and went out and walked all over again.
This time, only Venus remained, although it quickly lost ground as dawn washed out the sky. The bullfrogs, roosters and crickets were joined by birds that always wake up singing, and Waialeale had donned a jaunty cloud beret.
Koko exchanged greetings with a truck full of hunting dogs, and they continued the conversation in their deep, baying voices for a little ways down the road, until I heard their owner, the driver, yell out “quiet!” and they were.
The rising sun turned its pathway coral pink, illuminating the Sleeping Giant, and when we turned into the yard, again, my heart was doubly full of glad, and my legs were cold and tired.
This is what I love about Kauai, although it’s not unique to here, any more than the red ohia lehua I found at the crest of the trail yesterday, or the four hinano blooming, muskily, on the ancient hala tree at the channel where I later went to swim, or the monk seal that was snoozing, lifting a flipper occasionally to brush away flies, on rough-grained sand at the end of the beach.
Nor do we have a monopoly on really nice people, like the big brudda with a diamond stud in his right ear and awesome tattoos on his left arm, who heard me pop the hood of my car outside Ace Hardware, and figured I might need help, so the next thing I know he’s lifting the hood and pouring in the motor oil I’d bought and a perfect stranger became Irv.
The good stuff is everywhere out there, if we just open our hearts, eyes, ears.
I have a friend in Portland who is an author and an editor, and he emailed me the contents of a piece of paper he found inside his pocket, remnants of a meeting with my favorite poet, Mary Oliver:
“I am learning to stand still and be astonished.”
“Attention without feeling is only a report.”
“I say to my heart, rave on. “
They started out as her words, and are now all of ours.
I have another friend here on Kauai, who is a good surfer, both of ocean waves and the net, and he sent me this link to WorkBoat.com with an excerpt from the piece — "There's some speculation that the ferries will be sold to the military for the new Joint High Speed Vessel project..." — and his own comment: “now where in the whirled did he get that?”
The author (not the surfer) apparently took a couple of rides on the Superferry, which he managed to sandwich in between the ferry’s down times, and noted: “On both trips, there were fewer than 50 vehicles and under 100 passengers. (At about 2,000 gallons of fuel per hour for three hours each way, our carbon footprints must have been huge.)”
He also mentioned that a judge had ordered the state and Hawaii Superferry to pay $100,000 in legal fees to Isaac Hall for that four-week court hearing last year, the results of which were overturned by the Lege. (My own note: Deputy Attorney General William Wynhoff is still whining that the award is unfair.)
The writer goes on to note that “Many Alaskans would like to tie up or sell their two fast vehicle ferries, too. Ever since their introduction a few years ago, these controversial boats have been plagued with problems and plans to add more have been dropped.”
And he recounts the troubles — outlined in this blog last year — by both the Rochester-Toronto service and BC Ferries. “Selling failed fast vehicle ferries isn't easy,” he says.
Nor, it seems, is running them at a profit, or even keeping them running at all.
Meanwhile, the EIS process creeps forward. The March meetings I mentioned in yesterday’s post are the first step in the state-financed review, and intended to apprise folks on what is planned for the process, including issues to be studied and a proposed schedule. I’ll keep you posted as the dates near.
Until then, as a much-appreciated comment on yesterday’s post noted: “Happiness, the brightest of lights, share it others.”
Yes, hearts, rave on.
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