Don’t miss Keith Rollman’s latest, a satirical swipe at City Councilman Tom Berg’s performance during APEC, on his Atomic Monkey blog.
Taking off from the HPD video of Berg confrontation with Secret Service agents and Honolulu police officers, Rollman takes it over the top. Funny stuff! The full documentary video is there as well, with the caption, “Besotted Berg Blow-up.”
Then there’s his not-totally-fantasy movie poster, “Rage in the Night.”
An explosive new film blows the lid off the Federal conspiracy to suppress opposition to the Honolulu rail project. The movie dramatizes the confrontation between Federal agents and Honolulu’s plucky City Councilman, Tom Berg. Drugged by no one less than the President of the United States himself, Berg has his cell phone, containing vital anti-rail strategic plans, stolen by the Feds. Hell bent on discovering the secret information on Berg’s phone, the government goons send in a sultry, temptress to thwart Berg’s quest to regain his phone and his dignity.
There’s more. Don’t miss it.
The title of his blog post: “A pathetic flea on American society.”
Rollman, in a Facebook entry, said: “This stuff just writes itself.”
Yup, like Berg’s comedic explanation for his incredible tirade, as quoted by KHON.
“This phone is the lifeline of my constituents…What you see is a very passionate person trying to reclaim their property so I could do my job.”
Great stuff.
![[text]](http://ilind.net/images_2011/phwomen.jpg)
Meanwhile, NBC News and MSNBC.com are trying to identify the women captured in this photograph during the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.
Do you know the identities of these female firefighters working at Pearl Harbor 70 years ago, on Dec. 7, 1941? This famous photo was posted today on msnbc.com’s PhotoBlog, causing readers to say they’d like to know whether any of the women are alive.
Do you know their story? If so, drop us a line…
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THe video was apparently taken by an HPD bicycle cop. The entire clip, running about 9 minutes, can be seen on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMP_CEG_ZnQ
There are moments when Berg seems drunk, but others where his judgement appears more distorted by anger than alcohol.
Tom was elected in a fluke election, yet he thinks he has a mandate from the voters to throw his weight around. In both this video and in the Waipahu NHB video, Tom demands the people be fired. The tiny dollop of power which fell into his lap has gone to his brain. The man cannot handle authority. He is the one “who should be fired.” And I am pretty confident that will happen at the first opportunity.
RE: Tom Berg.
I will bet if you or I used the same technique to retrieve a left-behind object we might be in federal lockup near Honolulu airport.
Berg being a drunken politician does not make him all that special. But he is reigning prime example of the tyranny of the minuscule minority and a prime example of the folly of special elections in which leaders with mathematical flimsy leads to take the seat automatically with exceptionally low voter participation because of mail-in only balloting.
I submit it would be better to leave seats vacant than allow episodes that produce misfits like former congressman Djou and this turkey to hold office with such tiny support.
By my calculation Berg, Hawaii’s only elected Tea Party candidate I know of, received less than five percent (0.42937) support from the registered voters in his district.
That is a mockery he seems to be embellishing by boorish behavior at neighborhood boards and now his blow up at an APEC event. No wonder fellow council members are outwardly fearful.
His only approval might come from Rod Tam since it diminishes his own poor decisions while on the council.
If Hawaii has become too poor to afford real elections, let us have the decency to skip them.
Aloha, Hugh,
Over the years, some of us have beaten the drum for Instant Run-off Voting. I have come to recognize there is a great deal of resistance to changing our election system and it comes not just from elected officials, but also from voters.
But in the case of a mail-in, special election, IRV would provide a cost-effective way of ensuring whomever gets elected would have a much broader range of support than the flukish results which led to Berg winning his seat.
In a recent editorial, the S-A also came around to seeing the wisdom of IRV for such elections. I think it is a better remedy than just leaving the seat empty, though I agree an empty seat may look more appealing than one occupied by an obnoxious buffoon.
While I don’t disagree with the gist of Mr. Clark’s comment. I think in fairness it should be noted that — Charles Djou is an honors graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School; USC law school; an adjunct professor at UH; and is currently on active duty in Afghanistan — and should not be lumped together (as a misfit) with Tom Berg.
I think Djou has succumbed to political dynamics within the Republican Party which have caused him to “dumb down” his politics to a point where they are not that different from Berg’s, even if he is personally MUCH less obnoxious.
I think he lost in 2010 in large part because Hawaii’s people, in general, are put off by the madness which has taken over the national GOP. Lingle has made it clear she recognizes the need to “run to the center” if she wants to be elected. Djou is likely to follow the same strategy this time.
If Hawaii residents vote based upon their view of the candidate INDIVIDUALLY, both Lingle and Djou have a chance. But if voters see the election in terms of voting FOR the national Republican Party to dominate in Washington, they will lose badly.
I suspect folks here will combine the two approaches, which makes the final results more difficult to predict.
My take is if Tom Berg was not so vocal about rail and questioning so much during city council hearings, he will not get this much attention. Status Quo is the name of the political game around here. Very very sad.
This is stupid. Everybody is jumping into the bandwagon, including Civil Beat whom I expected not to play mud as much.
This is a diversion from much more serious issues at hand.
Geez, you guys- why the witch hunt? Mr. Berg screwed up, he admitted it & he apologized. Why isn’t that good enough? Seems other politicians have done much worse & somehow they get let off with a lot less apologizing than Berg’s done.
Obviously political ‘elements’ want him out of the way, otherwise why keep harping on his screw-up? CB, all the news outlets, etc…
You’d think he’s been shamed enough already. I’m sure it’s made him rethink his behavior. And from what I heard (I am not in his district), he was just fine in the Kapolei NB meeting soon after he was called out for his behavior.
Like @Taxpayers says – “This is a diversion from much more serious issues at hand.”
Aikea,
If Tom Berg were to ACTUALLY apologize, it might provide a way out of his situation. But I have read closely his two most recent apologies:the so-called apology he gave to the Waipahu NHB and the one he just uttered for his conflict with the SS at the APEC dinner.
And neither can truly be called a sincere apology, In neither case did he admit he made any sort of mistake, continues to blame the others for the conflict and has shown absolutely no sign of contrition.
It would have been better if Tom had not insulted us further with his phony, insincere “apologies.” They simply reinforce a perception of his insincerity and arrogance.
I agree there are more serious issues at hand which deserve out attention. And I hope we can find a way to modify the overly expensive, overbuilt Train proposal. But it is TOM, with his arrogant, abusive personal style who is insisting upon being the center of attention (perhaps even the “center of the universe”) and diverting us from the other important matters.
Tom’s ego and immaturity are sabotaging the movement he insists on leading.
Kolea,
Did you see this article? http://tiny.cc/kut0j
I’ve ‘tiny’d it for you – but if it doesn’t work after you paste it in your browser, it was on KITV’s site via MSNBC. (I searched for Tom Berg apology KITV) His apology seems sincere enough – but yes, actions speak louder than words. So if he goes back to his boorish behavior, I can understand the backlash.
Before this KITV article, I cautioned him in an email after these incidents happened the other week. He didn’t reply, but basically I encouraged him to take a hard look at how he was going about doing things & how it looked to the public he is supposed to represent.
Maybe if people wrote or talked to him & encouraged him to get a grip & act within reason instead of badmouthing him, he might ‘get it’ and do us (and his constituents) some good re: the overpriced, overbuilt Train.
Thanks for the link, Aikea, but maybe my standards for what constitutes an “apology” are stricter than yours. Look at this construction:
“he councilman admitted he reacted just like a regular resident who is not allowed to be heard by government officials.”
Er, NO! That is not an apology. He is saying he did nothing a “regular person” would not have done under similar circumstances.
And again:
“I learned a heck of lesson, that I am a councilmember and eyes are upon me and my level of conduct has to be more reserved,” said Berg.
That statement says people hold him to a higher standard than “regular folks” because he holds political office. So EVEN IF his behavior might be justified if he were a “regular person,” he has to change if he wants to avoid being criticized as a public personality.
Just Google “Tom Berg” and “apologize” and you will come up with multiple articles which show he saw the need to go through the motions of “making and apology”–enough for each article to say he DID. But in every instance, he proceeds to undermine his “apology” by claiming he did nothing wrong and the other guys were to blame.
To further illustrate my point, here are the key sentences from his “apology” for his behavior at the Waipahu Neighborhood Board meeting:
“In my attempt to honor the Neighborhood Board Plan and provide comment, your board action was to censure and deny any and all input from the audience on this agenda item.”
“Please accept my apology for the engagement that transpired at your November 17, 2011 meeting that pitted my intentions with your agenda items when you did not like the content of my statements, nor wanted me to engage on agenda items. ”
If you watch video clips from the news of his “apology” for the APEC disruption, you will see the same pattern. The man thinks he has done nothing wrong and is being persecuted for speaking “the Truth” on behalf of “regular folks.”
And why the heck is he going around demanding people be fired for offending him? What a self-important, pompous jerk.
We need to keep Tommy if only for the entertainment value.
Entertainment is one thing but diversion from much more serious issues is another.
The GMO Bill 338 Legislative Package to Hawaii State Legislature was a lobbyists coup that nobody noticed.
This vote to shut down discussion at State level was certainly not due to GMO Monasanto and other bio-techs lobbyists or was it?
Other Hawaii counties passed a similar bill to consider labelling GMO products. Honolulu county was needed to push this discussion to the State Legislature.
Tulsi Gabbard took the GMO label passage out on November 15, 2011 in her committee. Stanley Chang supported her and so did the rest of the city council. All except Tom Berg tried to work with the people.
What’s wrong with this scenario? Why did the Honolulu City Council became the obstacle in asking the state leg to this bill? Do you want to know what you are buying? GMO or non-GMO?
Re: the firefighters: I’m pretty sure Burl knows who at least one or two of those women are. I remember him showing me the photo a few years ago. He’s coming by later — I’ll ask him about it.
It’s a great shot, isn’t it?
@GMO Coup: This is what you’re referring to, yes? Ironic that Tulsi Gabbard removed the GMO labeling clause, especially since her father Sen. Mike Gabbard introduced a GMO labeling bill: “The key state senator who will be introducing the “Consumer’s Right to Know” GMO labeling bill this coming legislative session is Mike Gabbard (D-19th, Waikele, Kapolei).”
http://www.mikegabbard.com/in_the_news/126_90.htm
(From a post on http://www.facebook.com/OCCUPYHonoluluHale:
REINSTATE GMO LABELING BACK INTO BILL 11-339
EMAIL: tberg@honolulu.gov,emartin@honolulu.gov,ianderson@honolulu.gov,ccldistrict4@honolulu.gov,akobayashi@honolulu.gov,tgabbard@honolulu.gov,rcachola@honolulu.gov,rcachola@honolulu.gov,bharimoto@honolulu.gov,ngarcia@honolulu.gov vchung@honolulu.gov, Ktakahashi@honolulu.gov,
1. We want the city council to reinstate the GMO labeling clause back into …the Hawaii State Association of Counties (HSAC) package of recommended bills for the State Legislature in January 2012 for consideration. The package is known as BILL 11-339
2. Consumers in Hawaii must have the right to know what’s in our food. What’s so hard for the city council to do this? Politicis aside. People first!
3. Tell them to either support Tom Berg’s new Floor Draft that added the GMO labeling Clause
OR
Reinstate the GMO labelling clause in Stanley Chang’s Floor Draft. Chang’s Floor Draft has no GMO Labeling CLAUSE. (GMO label Clause was removed on November 15th by Safety, Economic Development and Government Affairs Committee -Tulsi Gabbard, Chair).
EMAIL today. Come testify on December 7 hearing at Honolulu Hale. Other important issues same day. Listen, quick-study, and testify.
Ian,
I came across this story regarding the women firefighting photo:
“photograph of three women reportedly fighting fires in the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor has been debunked. Katherine Lowe, 96, who is the woman standing second from the right in the picture, says that while the photo is real, it wasn’t actually taken on December 7, 1941.”
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/famous-photo-female-pearl-harbor-firefighters-debunked-204920757.html