Monthly Archives: September 2011

Columnist takes cheap shot at Gov. Abercrombie

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You may not get to read Lee Cataluna’s column today, since it’s tucked safely behind the newspaper’s paywall, although there’s a chance this link will work (“Governor shows no aloha for island tourism industry“).

Basically, it’s a nasty jab at Gov. Neil Abercrombie and his wife, Nancie, for winging off to Paris to celebrate their 30th anniversary.

Cataluna writes:

In general, it isn’t anybody’s business where a couple goes on vacation. But when you’re governor, everything you do is heavy with symbolism. The governor of Hawaii flying off to a romantic vacation in Paris is like the governor of Michigan driving a Hyundai.

Cataluna follows with a somewhat gratuitous reference to the always-campaigning Mufi Hannemann, Governor Abercrombie’s long time personal rival, now once again a candidate (is anyone surprised?).

If Hannemann had become governor, you can bet he wouldn’t have blown town to take Gail on a romantic European vacation. Hannemann would more likely island-hop from Koele Lodge to Hyatt Poipu to Disney Aulani and tweet about the great service and aloha spirit he encountered at every stop, posing for pictures with Unite Here! members and joining the lobby pianist for a medley of Don Ho tunes.

That’s the problem. For the relentlessly ambitious Hannemann, absolutely every occasion is a campaign stop, even, if Cataluna is correct, his anniversary. Cataluna seems to think that’s a positive. I don’t share that view. Insisting on making everything political isn’t a virtue, it’s an affliction.

For the governor, there is no privacy in Hawaii, whether it’s in a high priced resort or walking through downtown Kahului. Cataluna recognizes this, noting that when you’re the state’s chief executive, “people take note of everything.” But apparently she’s unable to empathize, or perhaps just unwilling to empathize with the governor.

Call me old fashioned, but to celebrate a deeply personal occasion–and I think a couple’s 30th anniversary makes the cut–a modicum of privacy isn’t unreasonable, even for the governor and his wife. If that’s not possible to find in Hawaii, and I doubt it is, then take that romantic trip to Paris. Shouldn’t we also celebrating that there’s still romance to share in Nancy & Neil’s relationship?

So to Neil and Nancie, congratulations! Enjoy your trip. Get out of the political bubble for a couple of weeks, and come back ready to roll.

Another Sunday morning in Kaaawa

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Just another Sunday morning in Kaaawa.

You would think that after walking the beach in Kaaawa at least 5,000 mornings over nearly 16 years, it would become tired, old, and more than a little boring. Wrong. It’s still a feast for the senses, each day a little different, maybe a lot different, than the day before. It never gets boring. On the other hand, I wish I could say the same for the commute into town.

In any case, here’s are a few photos taken earlier today. Just click on any photo for a larger version.

Swanzy dawn

Looking south

Looking north

On declaring emergencies

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Remember my recent advice about checking the footnotes?

Well, I followed that advice yesterday after receiving an email blast from Gov. Abercrombie’s office concerning his recent emergency proclaimations, which have rightly become controversial. The result? Now I’m even more skeptical of the governor’s actions.

Here’s the beginning of the gov’s email.

This week there was discussion in the media concerning the Governor’s use of emergency powers. Governor Abercrombie believes that when the health and safety of the people of Hawaii is at stake, the right thing to do is act as swiftly as possible.

Under the Hawaii Revised Statutes section 127-10 and chapter 128, the Governor has emergency powers to deal with natural and man-made disasters or emergencies; to maintain the strength, resources, and economic life of the community; and to protect the public health, safety and welfare.

Heeding my own advice, I immediately clicked on the provided links to check out the authority under which the governor has now declared a series of emergencies.

Section 127-10 provides that the governor can use the emergency powers intended to be used when we’re faced with enemy attack, and wield them to address other kinds of disasters. What are those other kinds of disasters?

As used in this section, “other disaster relief” means the preparation for and the carrying out of all functions, other than functions for which military forces are primarily responsible, to minimize and repair injury and damage resulting from disasters caused by fire, flood, tidal wave, volcanic eruption, earthquake, or other natural causes and major disasters caused by acts of man including massive oil spills, nuclear accidents, airplane crashes, and civil disturbances.

So where do a necessary highway repair on Kauai and the need to move nene geese from the vicinity of Lihue airport fall on the scale of tidal waves, earthquakes, massive oil spills and nuclear accidents? Pretty far down the seriousness scale. Are routine emergency provisions built in to most statutes so inadquate that sweeping exemptions from a wide swath of laws are really necessary to carry out remediation projects?

Take those nene on Kauai which, undoubtedly, should to be moved from the airport area.

The governor’s emergency proclaimation for movement of the nene suspends the following laws:

• county organization and administration
• historic preservation
• Kahoolawe island reserve
• collective bargaining in public employment
• contracts with the state or counties; tax clearances
• procurement code
• wages and hours of employees on public works
• animals, brands, and fences
• plant and non-domestic animal quarantine and microorganism import
• public lands, managemetn and dispostion
• forest reserves, water development, zoning
• conservation district
• wildlife
• state parks and recreation areas
• natural areas reserves system
• conservation of aquatic life, wildlife, and land plants
• general provisions relating to aquatic resources and wildlife

…and the list goes on. The others are equally broad.

The nene is an endangered species, so extreme measures taken at some other airports can’t be implemented here. But suspension of this long list of laws seems, well, overkill. In some cases, an emergency declaration is needed to access funding. That’s not unreasonable. But shouldn’t the governor explain why it is necessary to suspend collective bargaining laws, for example, in order to relocate 400 or so nene?

And somehow we’ve managed for more than 60 years to deal with the occasional discovery of unexploded military ordnance without declaring an emergency and suspending laws. Why does it suddenly require a 5-year suspension of state laws?

I worry that the precedent here is that the state is simply suspending applicable laws rather than effectively managing complex projects.

Or perhaps I just got out of bed grumpy this morning.

Oh, by the way…should we expect the governor to quietly declare an emergeny and suspend a list of laws to make it easier to manage the APEC Summit? I think the bad press would offset any advantages, although maybe it could just be announced a few months late?

Feline Friday: Mr. Duke’s moment of bliss

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Happy Cat!It certainly looks like a moment of pure bliss for Mr. Duke, doesn’t it?

Duke and I have been in a real battle of wits, and he’s been winning. I feed in separately in order to manage his food intake and give him the twice daily insulin shots. But when I open the door, he wanders out, looks innocent, and as soon as I’m not looking goes to the food dish of the nearest cat and tries to finish any leftovers. Then, repeat. Cat meal times become a complex dance, as I try to monitor the eight cats and what they’ve eaten or haven’t eaten. Duke and Silverman eat too much and have to be monitored. Wally needs to be encouraged to eat more, which often entails standing between her and Silverman until she’s done. Harriet is usually outside, a little spooked by the other cats, and hoping to finish a meal before she’s displaced at the trough by one of the others. Romeo loudly protests if his appetite isn’t satiated. And so on.

But here, Duke looks so happy, without a care in the world, at least in that moment. A treasure!