Hawaii County

Originally published July, 2007, this article outlines the effect of government-controlled health care on Hawaii.  Since Hawaii's system has been pointed to as a model for socialized health care, other Americans may be interested to learn the fate which awaits them.

In the wake of a heated fight over construction of a privately funded hospital on Maui, the Hawaii Health Services Corporation (HHSC) is moving to improve its facilities by agreeing to provide Hawaii patients with equipment available in some African hospitals....

Suddenly the Sunshine law has teeth. Ruling late Thursday, Judge Ronald Ibarra has effectively outlawed the Hawaii County Council’s controversial June 16 reorganization. Judge Ibarra, who oversaw the Hokulia case, further ruled that the council is temporarily enjoined “from taking any further action except to conduct further reorganization.”

According to the plaintiff’s attorney, this is the first time that a court in Hawaii has enjoined a legislative body from functioning.

To ensure the Kulani facility will be used productively for the benefit of the state and the Big Island community, the Department of Public Safety is currently working with the Hawai‘i Department of Defense (DOD) on a Memorandum of Agreement for the land to be utilized for the DOD’s Hawai‘i National Guard Youth Challenge program.

The Hawai‘i National Guard’s Youth Challenge Academy program provides at-risk students who otherwise would not obtain a high school diploma with an opportunity to attend a 22-week curriculum designed to turn their lives around. Since 1995, over 2,500 students who have participated in the Youth Challenge Academy have earned their High School diplomas.

(SB Headline is "GOTCHA!".  After OHA's rent-seeking lawsuits begin, it will become more clear what that means.  For now everybody is celebrating ....) 

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle today praised the decision by the board of directors of the TMT Observatory Corporation to select Mauna Kea as the preferred site for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT)....

 "Having the most advanced telescope in the world on the slopes of Mauna Kea will enhance Hawai‘i’s high-technology sector, while providing our students with education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields." 

I inquired by email to Councilman Greenwell asking if the now infamous article on Guantanamo detainees was true.  In that email, I indicated that I would circulate his response to the same people.  Well here it is.

Mr. Greenwell opted to reply by phone on July 2.  My initial reaction to the call was “wow" “pleasant surprise”, “approval” and those kinds of feelings. But the pleasure was short lived. After but a few seconds, it changed to disappointment and dismay.

It wasn’t more than two or three sentences into the conversation that he became rude, arrogant, combative and boorish!

Here’s how it went…

Here are the last two days of public commentary on Robert 'Kelly' Greenwell's invitation to resettle Guantanamo detainees on the Big Island.  At top a letter from Hawaii County GOP Chair Daryl Smith.  

Bermuda and Palau may not be the only beautiful tropical islands to host illegal Islamist combatants being released from US custody at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station. If a Hawaii County Councilman and a Kauai County activist get their way, some would get a new home—and complete freedom--on two of Hawaii’s most beautiful islands.

Links to Memorial Day commemorations across the state...

When the Star-Bulletin and Advertiser write about "ethical lapses" of public officials without actually describing the lapses it is a sure sign that a good story is lurking below the surface.  Of course that is the case with MRC Greenwood, one of the two finalists selected from 600 applicants for the job of UH system President. 

This hidden story involves money-grubbing lesbians, a $30,000 dog run paid for by the UC system, former Communist Party vice-presidential candidate Angela Davis, and one suicide.  Questions Hawaii reporters should be asking Greenwood include:  "If hired, will UH be expected to also hire Ms Goff and/or your son?"  and "Will you speak up in favor of  administrators arranging cushy high-paying jobs for their lovers at UH--or was that just a UC thing?"

For those who feel they're paying too much and have a yen to vent, there's an event tomorrow just for you (assuming that you're not one of those last-minute procrastinators and have the time to attend). The "Tax Day Tea Party" will be held 4-7 p.m. at the state Capitol.

Here's the call to action from the organizer's Web site, www.overtaxedhawaii.com:

"Many of our elected state legislators in Hawaii are planning to enact massive tax increases in the weeks ahead when the legislative session ends on May 7th. YOU CAN HELP STOP THEM.

SEVEN "Tax Day Tea Party" events are scheduled for Hawaii April 15  Here is a news release for the Hilo event as well as contact information and details for each of the seven events.

The bogus bonds are not sold through an investment firm or brokerage house, as legitimate bonds are. They also purport to represent ownership in a fictitious Hawaiian nation named Ko Hawaii Pae Aina, sponsored by the Hawaiiloa Foundation.

The companies pushing the bogus bonds, several claiming to be affiliated with Native Hawaiian sovereignty movements, are targeting Native Hawaiian homeowners and others who are facing foreclosure.

The Hawai`i Island Chamber of Commerce, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Hawaii, and Kanoelehua Industrial Area Association unite to support the passage of the Office of Mauna Kea Management’s (OMKM) Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP).   We need the vocal majority to show that we support the plan! 

At the same time we have been working to close the budget gap, we have also been focused on ensuring that funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are used as effectively as possible in order to create jobs for Hawai‘i residents and boost our economy.

The White House has created a system of accountability for the distribution of federal stimulus funds to states. President Obama and his Administration decided the best way to ensure that stimulus funds are put to the best possible use, and for the intended purpose of stimulating the economy and creating jobs, was to use the nation’s governors as conduits for the funds and to hold them accountable for how these funds are used.

Rallies planned for Honolulu, Kahului, Hilo Wednesday April 15.

More than 1,000 high school students from Mexico, Philippines and four states, including Hawai‘i, will compete in the tournament that challenges teams of young people to solve a common engineering problem, using a standard kit of parts that includes motors, batteries and a control system – but no instructions.

Of the 34 teams in the tournament, 24 represent the state. The winning teams will advance to the FIRST Championships – called the “Super Bowl of Smarts” in Atlanta, Georgia, April 15-18. Honoka‘a High School was one of six teams to represent Hawai‘i last year in Atlanta.

“After reading the alarming tract, I wanted to know whether Albertini -- who went to prison for a year (many years ago) for trying to block a Navy vessel in Hilo Harbor -- will be putting his life and/or freedom on the line along with the novice activists he is counseling.

“The answer? No. Not only is Albertini not going to protest the Superferry, he claims he didn’t even know his “non-violent” call to arms was even published."

Earthquake location: Along Hamakua coast, about 10 miles NNE of Laupahoehoe.

In an effort to make Hawai‘i’s state government as efficient and effective as possible, I have asked each state department to develop new and innovative ways of delivering critical services and upholding their responsibility to the people of Hawai‘i. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) has responded with a comprehensive plan that reinvents how it cares for Hawai‘i’s land and ocean recreational spaces.

We are looking to draw on the popularity of our recreational areas to help reverse years of decline and rehabilitate these cultural attractions for outdoor enthusiasts, who enjoy everything from fishing and hunting, to boating and camping, to hiking and swimming.

EM: Someone got to win governor that we know, huh? My best friend is an emcee at, he on tonight, he’s on the mic…(unintelligible) ….Hawaiian braddah.

Informant: Yeah, yeah, you gotta be pushing that.

EM: David, they grooming him to be Governor. That’s my best friend, bah. They sign the work tomorrow. He could be governor in 20 years from now. Not tomorrow, you know.

“No anti-Semitism here” insist OHA's admittedly pro-Palestinian protesters January 3 lining Kanoelehua St.

Some may have thought this problem was settled when activists were given plum jobs at Hilo’s shiny new Imiloa Astronomy center, but shakedown is the foundation of Hawai`i’s so-called economy and when Dan Inouye plops a $1.2 billion money bag on the top of Mauna Kea, the grasping begins.

According to Big Island Weekly editor Kristine Kubat's  September 3 column, “If you think the U.S. government was behind the 9-11 attack, you are not alone.”  Kubat then proceeds to promote “9-11 Truth Awareness” by inviting them to a 9-11 denier demonstration ...

All the newspapers have missed the connections between convicted Pali shooter Ethan Malu Motta, his codefendants, and the incident at Shooters Bar and Grill....

After years of thuggery and intimidation by Bob Jacobson’s Ka`u Preservation, Inc supporters, Council District 6 residents are fighting back....

Sheep eradication has failed at affecting Palila numbers—but it sure has killed a lot of sheep.

Puna is one of the very few places in Hawai`i where young local families can afford to buy their own home and begin life as a family.  But environmentalists are working hard to put a stop to the inflow of locals and replicate the success they have had in making Maui and Kaua`i into exclusive havens for rich mainland transplants.

Bananas are more radioactive than depleted uranium. Tobacco, marijuana, chocolate, cocaine, heroin, and the human body all emit higher levels of gamma and beta radiation—the most powerful types-- than depleted uranium. Rather than being a radiation source, depleted uranium is used as a radiation shield used to block emissions from nuclear reactors.

The Hawai`i Island Journal is closed.  Its last edition, published June 14, carried only a short notice of regret ...

Knife wielding goons demanded money from campers.  Public workers sleep through their shift.  Pavilions are filthy and littered with broken glass.

Leading Hawai‘i County “clean elections” advocates are caught up in a web of campaign spending violations and campaign-related conflict-of-interest charges.

...“Sovereignty is already happening now. We are educating our children.  What we have in front of us doesn’t work.”....

Red hot lava threatening Puna’s Royal Gardens subdivision opens yet another chapter in a long-running saga. A hui of elected officials and state and county engineers in 1961 bought the 1,807 acre site from the Bishop Estate (Kamehameha Schools) for $200,000 after easily obtaining preliminary approval to subdivide from the Hawaii County Planning Commission.

Hurricane Flossie gave Hawaii emergency planners exactly what they needed—another lucky miss. Passing south of South Point, Flossie generated little more than high choppy surf and gusty winds for Kau. Hilo and Puna had very light winds and just over 2 inches of rain. County workers closed off beach access. Schools and state and county offices were closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

In Kau and coastal areas of Hilo and Puna, many businesses and residential windows were taped and a few were boarded up. The county opened up 10 emergency shelters mostly in buildings where windows had been replaced by wooden jalousies shielded by metal grilles to protect against flying debris.

“OK, if they ask you are you related to this person or that, just say yes, OK?”

With that instruction, non-Hawaiian sovereignty activist Shelly Stephens, who sometimes calls herself “Makaala Nakoa” sent three Hawaiians into the Hilo courtroom of Third Circuit Court Judge Greg Nakamura on February 1.

Plates and glasses smashed to the floor, books came flying off the shelves and TVs slid off tables across Kohala, Kona and Hamakua districts of the Big Island Sunday morning as a 6.7 temblor shook the Big Island.

...That was the biggest mistake I ever made in my life....

This contradiction goes to the root of the bizarre political coalition Kona-side. People who were likely conservatives when they lived on the mainland are electing left-wing extremists to the Council. One of their first acts was to install Sierra Club attorney David Frankel as County Legislative Auditor. Frankel had selected Jack Kelly (now PKO Vice-President) as the Sierra Club’s employee to target the Hokulia development. Kelly is one of the four plaintiffs who have demanded $4 million in personal “compensation” from Hokulia according to documents released by Hokulia developer Oceanside 1250.

“Nancy Aleck, the dynamic Exec. Director of the People's Fund, a progressive, grassroots, small-grants ($3,000 limit) organization, will be on the Big Island during Sept. 20-23 to present information and grant request forms ….”

The Hokulia case is becoming a bald-faced attempt....

After a tragic hit-and-run accident on Hilo’s East Kahaopea Street killed 22-year-old Dale K. Tim Sing, his family members are now being ordered by Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Trustee Linda Dela Cruz to remove the shrine they erected at the spot where he died.