Common Cause is back!

Six years after the Hawaii chapter of the national public interest group was decertified, Common Cause is quietly reestablishing itself in the islands.

Nikki Love’s testimony yesterday before the House Judiciary Committee in opposition to HB 2455 was the first public action on behalf of the group, which once had as many as 2,000 members in Hawaii. Despite opposition from Common Cause and a number of other groups, the bill was passed out of committee. All testimony on the bill can be viewed here.

A new Common Cause Hawaii web site displays this announcement and invites people to indicate their interest in receiving more information or getting involved:

A group of local citizens is rebuilding a Hawaii chapter of Common Cause. Common Cause is a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1970 as a vehicle for citizens to make their voices heard in the political process and to hold their elected leaders accountable to the public interest.

Join us and help rebuild a citizens’ lobby in Hawaii!

Our Mission

The mission of Common Cause is to strengthen public participation and faith in our institutions of self-government; to ensure that government and political processes serve the general interest, rather than special interests; to curb the excessive influence of money on government decisions and elections; to promote fair elections and high ethical standards for government officials; and to protect the civil rights and
civil liberties of all Americans.

I’m an interested party of sorts, having served as state director back in the heyday of Common Cause/Hawaii. To get some idea of the group’s history here, check out the first batch of clippings dating back to 1983-84, which I started scanning last year.

If you were an early visitor here yesterday, you may have missed my correction to the item about the Barf-o-Meter. I incorrectly described it as predicting conditions on the Superferry, when it is actually predictive of conditions on any similar “large capacity ferry vessel”, an I’m told a revised version may forecast conditions on any vessel.

Minutes of the first meeting of the Superferry oversight task force are available. Now I’ll have to check on future meetings.

Former neighbor Bob sent along new year greetings.

KUNG HEE FAT CHOY

MEMORABLE QUOTES FROM 2007

“In Iran we don’t have homosexuals like in your
country.”
– – – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s

“I don’t recall.”
– – – U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’

“(I have) a wide stance when going to the bathroom.”
– – – Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig

“I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation
around the world,
this administration has been the worst in history.”
– – – Former President Jimmy Carter

“If we don’t change our ways, we’re going to be in the
funeral parlors
… because we’re going to be all fat and dead.”
– – – Rep. Steve Holland, Mississippi

“. . . Paul Bremer comes back from Iraq, $8 billion is
missing, and
he just simply says it was a war, we’re not always
accountable.”
– – – Brigadier General Janis Karpinski

“Back in the ’92 race,
Clinton pollsters devised strategies to humanize
Hillary
and make her seem more warm and maternal.
Fifteen years later,
Hillary’s campaign is devising strategies
to humanize her and make her seem more warm and
maternal.”