I didn’t get to watch the sunrise from the beach this morning, as we have done almost every morning for the past 15 years. Instead, just after 7 a.m., I was pulling into the parking lot of VCA Animal Hospital in Kaneohe, delivering Duke and Silverman for a day of glucose testing. These are our two diabetic cats. Silverman, a reformed stray, is at least 12 years old and has been living with us since late 1999. Duke was born in my office in 2002. Both were diagnosed this year. Getting them stabilized is proving to be a long process of trial and error.
Yesterday’s post on the new company which says it is planning an attempted takeover of Hawaiian Electric Industries brought several comments, including one pointed reply. The latter says, in part:
Reading ill-informed, envy-based stuff like this, it’s clear why Hawaii is where it is on matters such as this.
Do I recall you work in a State Reps office as technical support? Not a lawyer? Your cites on ethics are not controlling, Ian. You’re grasping at straws with regard to Peck.
As for Marth, your research skills need brushing up. There’s more info out there.
Hmmmm. I’ll just step past the personal jabs.
“Your cites on ethics are not controlling….” Well, I tried to set the statute there for readers to examine for themselves. I try, as much as possible, to link to the relevant information, in this case the state ethics code.
From the conflict of interest provisions:
No employee shall acquire financial interests in any business or other undertaking which he has reason to believe may be directly involved in official action to be taken by him.
In addition, I cited post-employment restrictions that are part of the state ethics law, and questioned how these might apply in this instance.
Perhaps the commenter thinks that these are not legitimate questions to be asking. I obviously don’t agree. Whether the ethics law “is controlling” in these circumstances is beyond what can be determined at this point. I only argued that there are clearly questions that need to be addressed.
Perhaps this commentator will be able to take a few minutes to better inform us on these issues with a more direct explanation of why, in his/her view, the state ethics law doesn’t apply, and what additional information there might be floating around about Mr. Marth’s position as a venture capitalist with experience in this type of deal. A more substantive comment would certainly be appreciated.
Here’s a recommended site for the day: The Crime Report, a project of Criminal Justice Journalists and the Center on Media, Crime and Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
HOW TO USE THE SITE
The Crime Report is divided into three parts: Crime and Justice News (CJN); a comprehensive database and Resource Directory; and Inside Criminal Justice, an innovative news and research-gathering operation.
“Criminal Justice News,” produced by the Criminal Justice Journalists (CJJ) group, is a daily news digest of the best criminal justice reporting from around the country. The major stories of the day are summarized and updated regularly, with links to the media outlets where they appear. The stories form part of an expanding Resource Directory of criminal justice stories, research, contacts, tips and statistics.
“Inside Criminal Justice” goes beyond the headlines to bring you features, commentary, analysis, new research, and multimedia explorations of criminal justice issues and trends. It includes specially commissioned essays and reporting unavailable elsewhere. Read our Blogs for the most trenchant analysis from CJ professionals and experts.
Our Resource Guide and Quick Links provide a portal to the best criminal justice information available. Sorted into 13 major topic issues and numerous subtopics, it brings together a vast amount of research and resources under a single research and information-oriented umbrella. The regularly updated Directory topics, lists of experts and organizations represent a vital library of information for criminal justice media and scholars. You will also find reports on the latest and most interesting criminal justice research and books in New and Notable, a calendar of key upcoming events and conferences in Events, and the latest job postings available in Career Center.
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The comment about “your cites” [sic] seems like it “mite” be a bit “lite” in the grammar department. How about “citations” for goodness sakes? Cite is a verb. But I’m open to ‘dialogue’ about it….NOT.
Ian,
I don’t know Mr. Peck. I have heard some good things about him, but I think you have no need to apologize over the questions you are raising.
When government officials behave in ways which raise ethical questions, those questions SHOULD be asked. To be heard by those in authority, they must be raised publicly.
And members of the public have to be able to consider such questions carefully, so the mere questioning of a potential ethical problem is not automatically equated with proof.
Not every appearance of unethical behavior is an instance of impropiety. But if the questions are suppressed, a lot of actual unethical behavior will pass unnoticed and unchallenged.
I think you adopted exactly the right tone. And by providing your own “cites,” enabled your readers to arrive at their own (hopefully tentative) impressions, as well as a deeper appreciation of the law. Thanks!
And to Mark:
“Cite” as a noun is quite common, particularly among lawyers, those involved with legislation and in academic circles. Language evolves. You can try to resist its evolution, but I think you are shoveling against the tide in this case. I think “cites” is here to stay. Even if the word “citations” is, for now, easier for most people to understand.
Richard Ha on the takeover:
http://damontucker.com/2011/01/08/richard-ha-on-the-buy-out-of-hawaiian-electric-industries-inc/
I was extremely skeptical of this until I learned Richard Ha was involved. He provides credibility, IMHO.