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August 28, 2008
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20
Voting machines have acquired a pretty bad reputation that's only partly deserved. On the one hand, yes, the potential for behind-the-scenes "tinkering" (read: cheating) is very real. On the other hand, the same could be said of more prosaic vote counting methods—are we really going to argue that humans are incorruptible? Election fraud is as old as elections. The key is to create a paper trail so there's something to go back and check if shenanigans are suspected. All that being said, scrutiny is clearly a must when dealing with something like the $43 million contract Hawaii entered into with electronic voting giant Hart InterCivic for use of the company's machines through 2016. That's the same Hart InterCivic that was the target of a lawsuit brought by a former technician-turned-whistleblower. The suit, filed in 2007 and unsealed earlier this year, accuses the company of lying about the reliability and security of its machines to get a piece of the $4 billion in government cheese freed up by the rather ironically dubbed Help America Vote Act of 2002. Even if Hart had a squeaky clean rep there would still be serious questions surrounding that giant contract. Such as: should it be re-bid? A state administrative hearings officer recently said yes, ruling the contract was "clearly unreasonable" given that a rival outfit, Election Systems & Software, reportedly entered an $18 million bid. Hart has predictably appealed.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 21
We've enjoyed a few raindrops fallin' on our heads of late so it's easy to go all short-term memory loss and pretend the water picture is rosy. It's not. The National Weather Service reports that Kahului has gotten just 26 percent of its average rainfall for the year. That lines up pretty closely with county- and statewide figures. And things aren't going to get better, or wetter, anytime soon—NWS's Climate Prediction Center has the odds tipped heavily toward Maui experiencing less-than-normal precipitation possibly all the way to Christmas. Officials are calling for you and me to embrace voluntary rationing. I'm in. But how about a couple golf courses and/or resorts step up to lead the charge by volunteering to reduce their gluttonous consumption? What was that? Oh sorry, I must have drifted off to dreamland…
FRIDAY, AUGUST 22
The County Council gave final approval today to a bill that will bar Maui stores and restaurants from using plastic bags. In an era when our crippling reliance on petroleum is basically the root of all evil and our landfills are choked with trash, this kind of mini-sacrifice seems like a no-brainer. But…no. Retailers have revolted (though none spoke at today's council meeting), claiming that non-mandatory measures encouraging people to use paper and reusable bags are already doing the job. OK, but the last time I went to Safeway in Kahului they tried to put my pineapple and bag of Maui onion potato chips in two separate plastic bags. The pineapple I guess is sorta heavy and awkward and poky, so I can almost understand the logic there. But the bag of chips, as the name would imply, already comes in bag form; no need to add a second layer of synthetic coating to the proceedings. Plastic lovers can take heart, however—the ban isn't set to take effect until 2011, giving opponents plenty of time to come up with creative ways to kill it.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 23
Joe Biden it is. A fine pick if an unadventurous and somewhat bland one. His smiling mug does add a dose of white-haired gravitas and blue collar Caucasian-ness to the campaign posters (sad that still matters, but…). And despite his vote to authorize the Mesopotamian quagmire, the senior Senator from Delaware's got a decent record. So no major complaints here. But did we really need the week of bobbing and weaving, the seventh grade-level "I know but I won't tell" cat and mouse games? Obama has certainly demonstrated that he understands political theater and knows how to whip the media into a frenzy. But when your opponent is (stupidly) comparing you to Paris Hilton, maybe telling the nation "I'll text you l8r" isn't the best way to unveil your number two. I like the youthfulness, I like the exuberance, I like the 21st century mindset—but sometimes it's not a bad idea to just play it old school. Which, I guess, is where Biden comes in.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 24
Checked my voicemail today—shortly after hosting a Maui Time photo shoot in my backyard—and got an "anonymous tip" that Obama had made his veep selection, sent like a full 36 hours after the story broke. Seriously, I'm not making that up. The dude also said he had "proof" that Obama was in fact born in Kenya and was later whisked away to Oahu with a falsified birth certificate (a debunked accusation that's even staler than that other "scoop"). I called back three times 'cause I wanted to find out how deep this rabbit hole went (and I was bored) but got a busy signal. Maybe the government cut his phone line… Also got word this evening from the County that the Wailea fire was 95 percent contained, thanks to the diligent work of emergency crews and a few Maui Meadows residents who offered up their swimming pools so helicopter water drops could continue throughout the night. No doubt self-interest was one major motivator there, but still—always nice when everybody pitches in.
MONDAY, AUGUST 25
Congrats to the band of preteen ballplayers from Waipio, Oahu that did Hawaii proud by bringing home a Little League World Series title, beating Matamoros, Mexico 12-3. That's the Aloha State's second Little League championship in the last four years; a club from Ewa Beach, Oahu won it all in 2005. As a former Little Leaguer turned over-the-hill couch surfer, I salute these lads with nostalgia and a tinge of misplaced envy.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 26
Political junkies who don't like to swim in the mainstream or who crave a counterbalance to the flashing graphics and blathering talking heads of the CNN/FOX/MSNBC set should tune to Akaku, Maui's community access station. They'll be airing coverage of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions courtesy of Democracy Now!, Amy Goodman's grassroots, slanted-but-level, truth-to-power program. Kudos to President Jay April and all the folks at Akaku for continuing to provide Maui with a solid, dynamic media alternative. Catch these airings on channel 54: DNC coverage, August 29, 5-7am, 5-7pm; RNC coverage, September 1-5, 5-7am, 5-7pm. MTW
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