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Tuesday, August 7, 2012
August 7, 2012 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 7:37 PM :: 6174 Views

Early Voting Ends August 9--Find Your Polling Place

Featured on Glen Beck: Wallbuilders’ David Barton to speak at Maui, Oahu events

This Day in History: Truman Announces Hiroshima Bombing

Eliminate Bus Fares to Solve Traffic Woes?

Hawaii Congressional Delegation: How They Voted August 6, 2012

Poll: Cayetano at 51%--Flood of Obamabots Could Defeat him in November

CB: With many early ballots already cast and some voters still undecided, Cayetano's support last week sat at 51 percent, according to The Civil Beat Poll. The survey of 1,098 likely primary voters was conducted between July 31 and Aug. 2.1 The poll's margin of error is +/- 3.0 percent. Cayetano is so close to 50 percent we might not know if he's hit his mark until late Saturday night.…

The Civil Beat Poll shows former acting mayor Kirk Caldwell has opened a narrow lead over incumbent Mayor Peter Carlisle, 24 percent to 19 percent. The edge is slightly narrower among the 29 percent of likely voters who said they'd already voted than among the 70 percent who said they definitely plan to vote….

The Civil Beat Poll asked supporters of each of the three candidates to identify their second choice.

  • Of Carlisle's supporters, 70 percent said they'd pick Caldwell versus only 7 percent who chose Cayetano. Nineteen percent said they wouldn't vote for either.
  • Of Caldwell's supporters, 66 percent said their second choice would be Carlisle versus only 12 percent who would pick Cayetano in that matchup. Fifteen percent said they wouldn't vote.
  • Cayetano's supporters were split evenly between Carlisle and Caldwell, 24 percent and 23 percent. Forty-seven percent said they'd sit out an election between those two.

The nearly three-month gap between the primary and general election — in 2010, it was only six weeks — gives either Caldwell or Carlisle even more time to consolidate support.

Adding to Cayetano's runoff hurdles is that Hawaii-born President Barack Obama will be at the top of the ballot, drawing Democrats to the polls. Though Cayetano was a two-term governor as a Democrat, a wave of Obama supporters is bad news for him, particularly if he's facing Caldwell, the poll suggests.

Of those who approve of Obama's job performance as president, 42 percent back Cayetano versus 32 percent for Caldwell and 21 percent for Carlisle. Of those who disapprove of Obama, 70 percent back Cayetano versus 17 percent for Carlisle and 9 percent for Caldwell.

read … Obamabot Invasion Could Save Rail in November

After Denouncing US Constitution, Pollack Sworn in as Hawaii Supreme Court Justice

SA: Pollack, a former circuit judge who previously served as the state Public Defender, is Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s second appointment to the high court.

Pollack, 62, was named to the $151,118-a-year position for a 10-year term, but he would have to retire in 2020 when he turns 70 under the mandatory retirement provision of the state constitution.

The state Senate unanimously approved the appointment in June….

Abercrombie last year appointed Sabrina McKenna to the high court.

Pollack: Compared with the Hawaii state Constitution, the U.S. Constitution can appear to be an "antiquated" document.

SA: Supreme Court justice first to have been public defender

read … An Antiquated Justice Appointed by an Antiquated Governor

Cayetano Hospitalized for Ulcer

PBN: The former two-term governor was admitted to the hospital Sunday afternoon on the advice of his doctor after experiencing symptoms, his wife, Vicky Cayetano, told PBN. He will remain there until at least Tuesday or Wednesday, she said.

“They suspect he has a bleeding ulcer, something he had in 1997,” she said….

His gastroenterologist, Cory Miyamoto, performed an endoscopy Monday afternoon to confirm the diagnosis and determine the course of treatment, Vicky Cayetano said.

Vicky Cayetano said the stress of the three-way campaign for Honolulu mayor against Kirk Caldwell and Peter Carlisle was unlikely to have brought on the ulcer, since ulcers are generally caused by the Heliobacter pylori bacterium. Treatment generally includes a course of antibiotics.

However, the emergency room doctor did say the candidate’s workload could be a contributing factor, she said.

“Neither the negative campaigning that’s being waged against him nor the bleeding ulcer is going to stop my husband from giving it his all,” she said, noting that he was working on his iPad from his hospital bed Monday afternoon when she left the hospital. “He’s fine, but we need to address his bleeding ulcer.”

read … Ulcer

PRP Pulls Ads after Cayetano Hospitalized

CB: For the most part, PRP ignored calls to stop the negative campaign. That was until Cayetano was hospitalized this week, and PRP Executive Director John White issued a statement saying the commercials would be suspended. As of Monday evening, some were still airing.

LINK: Form 990 PRP

read … Mission Accomplished?

Imua Rail Canvassers Told to Make Deceptive Statements About Their Employer, Their Background and the Rail Project

HR: Jesse Franklin-Murdock was on the elite team of four students at ‘Iolani School that won the 2010 National Economics Challenge Championship conducted by the Council for Economic Education. The Iolani team beat out 1,200 teams across the country and was honored by former Gov. Linda Lingle at the capitol.

This summer, Franklin-Murdock, who graduated from Iolani in 2010, took a job as a canvasser for Imua Rail, the well-funded pro-rail campaign organized by Pacific Resource Partnership.

Franklin-Murdock said he was one of about 35 canvassers. He said about 15 of the 35 canvassers were unemployed carpenters who were paid $20, while the others were not carpenters and instead were hired through Remedy Intelligent Staffing and were paid $12 per hour.

But all of the canvassers were told to say they were unemployed carpenters, even if they were not.

read … Deception

Lingle Raises Triple Hirono’s Haul

CB: Over the past two weeks, she has pulled in more than $61,000 in campaign contributions, many from mainland donors. That's more than three times the amount Hirono has raised during that same period, which totals $19,500; Case has raised just an additional $3,000.

The new amounts come in so-called 48-hour filings with the Federal Election Commission.

Lingle's pre-primary report shows total contributions of $4.4 million since the election cycle began. She has about $2 million cash on hand.

read … Triple

No absentee ballot drop off in Kona

BIVN: The only Kona elections office staffer – a temporary hire identified as Odetta Shimozu – is no longer working in that position.

A second Elections Division temporary hire, Leinaala Lee, also appears to have been removed from the office in Hilo.

Kawauchi declined to comment on personnel issues, as is standard practice, and referred questions to Altes staffing agency, which contracts with the county to provide 10-12 temporary workers during election season. However, Kawauchi called Monday’s press conference for 5 p.m., after regular business hours….

Kawauchi denied there was election equipment left unattended in the Kona elections office. The material consists of signage, she said.

She also denied reports that ballots sat unsecured and unattended in the County Building mail room in Hilo. She said county staff have been helping process the ballots, which generally means sorting incoming ballots according to district and precinct.

Ballots are locked up in a secure location, she said, until they are counted on Saturday after polls close.

Although she confirmed 101,728 residents are registered voters on the Big Island, Kawauchi again could not say this how many are in each district. Members of the media have been asking for those figures for at least two weeks.…

read … More Grist for the Retaliation Mill

300 more volunteers needed for Election Day; $85 stipend

HNN: The Primary Election is this Saturday, and the State Office of Elections still needs about three hundred more volunteers to work at the polls.

Even though you're a volunteer, you'll still get paid a small stipend of $85. And you'll be working about thirteen hours or so.

They're called "precinct officials" -- volunteers who help voters with Election Day questions.

They also operate the poll book, ballot issuing box, and ballot box stations at the polling places….

Here are the minimum qualifications: you need to be at least 16 years old on or before June 30, 2012, a registered voter in Hawaii (Hawaii laws allow US citizens to pre-register at age 16), you must be able to read and write English, and lift 25-30 pounds.

Also, you need to attend a training session and pass a certification exam.

The next and final training session before the Primary Election is set for Wednesday (August 8) at 6:30pm at Aiea High School.

"They can just show up to the training," said Nago.

And the session lasts about two hours.

As for Saturday, Election Day...

"...it's a long day, 5:30(am) till after polls close, polls close at 6(pm). But you know they still have to break down and things, so it's a long day," said Nago.

read … Volunteers Needed

DLNR Dep Director Joins Windfarm Scammers

CB: Guy Kaulukukui, deputy director of the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, is joining Bio-Logical Capital to lead the company’s Hawaii operations.

Bio-Logical Capital and Pattern Energy formed a joint venture to develop the Molokai portion of the Big Wind project last year, after First Wind missed a critical deadline to secure land for the project.

Bio-Logical Capital, which is also interested in sustainable ag projects, is also seeking to buy Maui’s Hana Ranch.

read … Molokai Windmill Hunting Club 

 

 

Inouye confident rail will get built no matter the outcome of election 

KHON: the construction could come to a halt if mayoral candidate Ben Cayetano gets the 50 percent plus one vote on Saturday's primary election and wins the seat outright.

"If he does that the people have spoken. It saddens me but the people have spoken,” said Sen. Inouye.

The senator admits he is concerned if Cayetano wins the election, but he says the project has gone too far for anyone to stop it.

"Is it too late to really stop this at this point even if Cayetano wins, what do you make of that?” asked KHON2 reporter Manolo Morales.

"I would think that you hit it right on the head,” answered Sen. Inouye.

"It's moving forward no matter what?” asked Morales.

"Oh yes,” said Sen. Inouye….

"I've been working on this for most of my political life and I want to be able to get on that little trolley car,” said Sen. Inouye. (Voice of a dinosaur.)

HNN: City starts work blesses site of home of rail's brains and trains

read … Inouye confident rail will get built no matter the outcome of election

Imua Rail Enormous Conflict of Interest

HR: The organization is spending upwards of $1 million trying to sink Ben Cayetano's mayoral campaign because Cayetano is opposed to the rail project.

It is extremely troubling to me that an organization, whose purpose is to funnel money to large contractors, has positioned itself as one of the major voices in a debate that ideally should be about transportation and what is best for Hawaii--not about lucrative contracts and windfall revenues.

I resigned from I Mua Rail because I believe they are using their deep pockets to steer the debate about rail away from discussing what is best for Hawaii and toward what is best for their organization.

I thus urge you to consider this enormous conflict of interest the next time you see an I Mua Rail advertisement.

read … Enormous Conflict

U.S. Rep. Hirono Absent Again During Congressional Votes

HR: Congresswoman Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, last week continued to miss voting on key measures so she can fundraise and campaign for the seat left open by the retirement of U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii.

According to Congress.org, a vote tracking system that issues regular reports on the nation's political leaders, Hirono missed three votes last week and was present for five other votes.

She was absent for a total of 18 votes in the last few weeks.

read … Lazy Mazie

Ad Revenue Threatened, SA’s Stunning Display of Investigative Journalism Continues into Day 2

SA: Hundreds of Hawaii residents should have received higher prices for their properties sold through nonjudicial foreclosure auctions during the past four years, according to lawsuits recently filed on behalf of borrowers who allege unfair and deceptive practices by four major banks.

A fifth lawsuit alleges that a Washington law firm, Routh Crabtree Olsen (RCO), and others that assisted in the auctions committed multiple violations of the state nonjudicial foreclosure laws during those years and interfered with the residents getting the highest price for their properties….

The suit alleges RCO and the others violated the state non-judicial foreclosure law when they:

Did not publicly announce postponements of auctions.

Did not use licensed attorneys to conduct the auctions.

Filed false affidavits about the transactions.

Delivered the limited warranty deeds in violation of the notices that the sale would be for the properties "as is."

The companies' actions, the suit said, were "immoral, unethical, oppressive, unscrupulous or substantially injurious to consumers, (many) of whom were divested of record title to real property as a consequence of defendants' conduct."

(Somebody should tell the SA editors how much their business is losing due to HCEI-driven electric rate hikes. I bet it’s more than the amount of Legal Ad revenues.)

read … On line Legal Advertising

City road division employees under probe in bizarre incident involving a dead pig

HNN: Honolulu police were called to the city's Halawa corporation yard last week in a bizarre incident involving a dead pig and two workers from the city roads division. That's the same division that has several supervisors already under investigation in separate, unrelated cases….

Last Tuesday evening after work, sources said, two road division employees, a storm drain cleaning crew leader and a heavy truck driver, went pig hunting in the mountains near their Halawa workplace.

They returned to the corporation yard where they drank alcoholic beverages and around 8:30 p.m. decided they needed to bury a pig they had killed because it had spoiled, sources said.

One of the workers climbed aboard a piece of city heavy machinery which he used to bury the pig carcass in the yard where gravel and rock are stored at the city yard, a source said.

At that point, sources said, a private security guard on patrol confronted the city workers.

The guard later called police to the scene about 11 p.m.

The guard told responding police officers that he asked the employees to leave the facilities, but they said they had permission to be there, according to an HPD spokeswoman, even though it was the middle of the night and the city facilities were all closed.

Sources said the men threatened the security guard, but the guard did not report the threat to HPD, so no criminal threatening case was made. The men were not arrested, a city spokeswoman said.

Employees said there's a "Wild, Wild West" atmosphere at the city's division of road maintenance, where some employees and supervisors are allowed to routinely misbehave without consequences.

Just ignore this: Taxpayers pay UPW Members $50K to Attend Campaign Rallies for Hirono, Hannemann, Kenoi

read … Dead Pig

Sister of Hawaii Five-O Teamster Killed During Arrest Sues City

CB: Early one February morning, Aaron Torres was confronted by three police officers on his family's Nanakuli property. The Honolulu Police Department has said the officers were responding to a 911 call. Torres was high on cocaine at the time. But after handcuffing him, the officers sat on him. Torres suffocated to death.

The case got a lot of publicity at the time because Torres, 37, worked with the Hawaii Five-O film crew as a transportation captain. He was a Hawaii Teamsters union member.

Now, Torres' sister has filed suit in federal court against the city seeking damages for civil rights violations and emotional distress.

“The situation should have never happened,” said André Wooten, Tassa Torres’ attorney. “They didn’t follow procedures. After they handcuffed and shackled him, there was no reason for them to sit on him.”

2010: Teamsters Production Unit

read … Lawsuit

First Wind Desperately Seeking Excuses for Kahuku Fire

MM: First Wind spokesman John Lamontagne tells me the company is working with Xtreme Power, the battery manufacturer, to figure out what caused last week’s fire on Oahu’s north shore. No one was injured in the blaze, although the local news media quoted a number of people expressing concerns about the hazardous smoke and the possibility of similar incidents in the future.

Those concerns probably won’t have much of an impact here in New England, because First Wind has no plans to use that technology at its wind farms in this region. Only 5 percent of First Wind’s 980 megawatts of generating capacity, either in operation or under construction, rely on these Xtreme Power batteries, Lamontagne said. The other place the batteries are used is a portion of the Kaheawa wind farm on Maui….

First Wind has become a major player in Hawaii, with a number of wind farms completed or under way. But this high-profile incident could present a new political challenge for the company as it seeks to continue its expansion in the Aloha State.

As predicted: Xtreme Power: A Pig-in-a-poke For Hawaii Wind Farm

read … Boston-based wind farm developer faces new challenge

More ‘Tulsi-is-a-Hindu’ Stuff

IBN: With a massive lead of 20 points over her nearest rival, Tulsi Gabbard has brightened her prospects for being elected as the first Hindu American to the US House of Representatives…. (After 20 years, suddenly the Chris Butler Cut isn’t a cut anymore. They’re just Hindus and anybody who questions this is a bigot. From heaven, George Orwell looks down agape.)

Dalip Singh Saund, the first Indian American elected to the House of Representatives in 1950s was a Sikh, while Bobby Jindal the second Indian American to make it to the House of Representatives had converted to Christianity. (They forgot SC gov Nikki Haley.)

The real deal: Dalip Singh Saund

Post-Modern version: To Stop Mufi, Mrs Abercrombie Joins the Chris Butler Cult

read … India Broadcasting Network

HART Closes Lanes for Archaeology

NR: Work for the week of Sunday, August 5, through Saturday, August 11, will take place at the following locations between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.:

Kamehameha Highway between Salt Lake Boulevard and Aolele Street

Queen/Waimanu Street between Kamakee Street and Pensacola Street

Kona Street between Kamakee Street and Piikoi Street

The City is conducting the archaeological survey work along the urban Honolulu section of the Honolulu rail transit route to identify potential archaeological, historical, and cultural resources. The archaeological work will aid rail project staff in their design of the elevated rail guideway.

read … Archaeology

After Denouncing US Constitution, Richard Pollack sworn in to Hawaii Supreme Court

AP: Pollack, 62, was named to the $151,118-a-year position for a 10-year term, but he would have to retire in 2020 when he turns 70 under the mandatory retirement provision of the state constitution.

The state Senate unanimously approved the appointment in June.

Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald swore in the newest member of the high court during ceremonies at the Hawaii Supreme Court courtroom.

Abercrombie last year appointed Sabrina McKenna to the high court. (She held a gay marriage demonstration on the Senate floor.)

read … Another leftist nutball

Land and Power: Sierra Club opposes ‘flawed’ process

WHT: The rules, as written, don’t require hearings on the Big Island, for example, if the PLDC wants to do a project on the island, Harris said. Nor would the corporation’s governing board be required to get the county’s input on any proposal, he added….

The rules require, among other things, for counties to bear the cost of improvements in areas the corporation deems assessment areas, and for county water supply boards to bear the cost of water improvements. The rules would allow the corporation to require “abutting property owners at their expense to construct, maintain and repair sidewalks and curbs in front of the abutting property.”

If the PLDC requires utility lines to be moved, neighboring property owners must then pay for new connections to the lines.

The proposed rules changes are available at www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/pldc/rules. The public may request a written copy of the rules by writing to the PLDC at PO Box 2359, Honolulu, Hawaii 96804. People who cannot attend the public hearings may email comments to randal.y.ikeda@hawaii.gov or mail them to the above address. Comments must be submitted or postmarked by Sept. 14.

read … Purposefully Flawed

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