Posted on: Saturday, June 14, 2008
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VOLCANIC ASH
Disclosure hard to get, unless it's from Kona
By
David Shapiro
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flASHback — When Linda Lingle ran for governor in 2002, she pledged to end "decades of broken campaign promises" and promised "to share information openly with the public so the people of Hawai'i will know the true condition of state government." This week, she cited executive and attorney-client privilege to conceal information on her administration's mishandling of the Hawaii Superferry.
Do we classify this as a broken campaign promise or just a big fib? On with our weekly "flASHback" on other news that amused and confused:
Former Sen. Matt Matsunaga filed an eviction lawsuit against fellow former Sen. Cal Kawamoto, whose lawyer is the wannabe senator Rep. Alex Sonson. With this cast, you know the suit can't be a class action.
Lady Kona coffee growers posed for a nude calendar to lobby the Legislature to act against Kona-labeled beans grown elsewhere. Things will get less tasteful if this doesn't work and the men have to go to the Capitol to moon lawmakers.
University of Hawai'i brass finally figured out they had to disclose the names of employees and their families who got free Sugar Bowl trips. How many Ph.D.s does it take to read the writing on the wall?
Out-of-state operators are taking orders at some McDonalds drive-throughs in Hawai'i and say they have trouble understanding local customers. That would explain the prairie oysters in my Chicken McNuggets.
O'ahu auto thefts have dropped nearly 42 percent. The thieves don't want to have to go to the extra bother of stealing money to pay for gas.
The city will install electronic signs at busy bus and Handi-Van stops to warn riders of delays. Using the latest in high-technology, the signs will say, "Try wait."
Honolulu Hale is getting a new phone system with new numbers for everybody. Just call 1-800-POTHOLE. If you dial 1-800-POTHEAD by mistake, you get Hawai'i County.
Councilman Charles Djou says an unelected city transit authority would spend our money without consent, put us in debt and seize our land without accountability. And the difference between this and the actions of council members who are "elected" unopposed is ... ?
The quote of the week ... from HECO spokesman Peter Rosegg on the power needs of rail transit: "It would be wrong to see (the train) as some big gorilla coming down the road. It is one of the small monkeys and there are a number of small monkeys and they're going to get here at different times." Wait, is he talking about electrical power or the power struggle between the mayor and council?
His columns are archived at www.volcanicash.net. Read his daily blog at http://volcanicash.honadvblogs.com.
David Shapiro, a veteran Hawai'i journalist, can be reached by e-mail at dave@volcanicash.net. His columns are archived at www.volcanicash.net. Read his daily blog at blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com.
