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March 12, 2009 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4
So this is almost a month old, but I can't resist. While sorting through some faxes, I came across one from the D.C.-based Ronald Reagan Legacy Project titled "Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle Fails to Issue Reagan Day Proclamation." Seems February 6 would have been Reagan's 98th birthday, and the folks over at the Legacy Project were hoping the nation's governors would see fit to declare a day in his honor. Reaganites have previously tried to get the 40th president's head on Mount Rushmore, a piece of currency and a postage stamp (which, comedian Bill Maher cuttingly observed at the time, was "just so they could lick his ass"), so it's no surprise they want a holiday named after him, too. But here's the part of the release I found rather galling: "It is essential that Americans recognize President Reagan's legacy of economic growth and freedom from tyranny." Let's set aside the undeservedly large share of credit Ronnie cheerleaders (and that's pretty much the whole Republican Party) are always giving him for single-handedly defeating the Red Menace, and just focus on that other bit about "economic growth." Seriously? That statement would be dubious any time, but at a moment when our country is sinking into a seemingly bottomless pit of economic malaise brought on in no small part by the deregulation and unwavering faith in the "market" that Reagan helped usher in, it's particularly ill-timed. One good thing did come of this, though: it gives me a rare chance to praise Gov. Lingle.
THURSDAY, MARCH 5
One more from Bill Maher, when the GOP was pushing to name an airport after the Gipper: "They just want to be able to say, 'I'm coming into Ronald Reagan.'"
FRIDAY, MARCH 6
In a disappointing-but-not-surprising twist, lawmakers on Oahu, who once seemed resolute in their intention to pass HB444, are getting cold feet about the same-sex civil union bill. According to a Honolulu Advertiser report, Senate President Colleen Hanabusa said some senators are having second thoughts about pulling the bill onto the floor for a full vote because of "the importance of…the committee process." How noble of them, respecting the process like that. I'm sure the sudden indecisiveness has nothing to do with fear of political backlash. We made our stance clear last week, so I'll reiterate only briefly: this is a historical moment. How our elected officials choose to vote—or if they choose to take the coward's way out and not vote at all—will be remembered… In other news: Just got word from Rep. Neil Abercrombie's camp that he's coming to Maui on Sunday to make a "big announcement!" (Their exclamation point, not mine.) His intention to run for governor in 2010 has been an open secret for a while now, so it's a safe bet he's not hopping the pond just to hand out free candy. More on this to come, obviously.
SATURDAY, MARCH 7
Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire: Jumping from one beleaguered, cash-strapped arena to another, Mike McCartney is stepping down as director of the state Teacher's Association to take the reins of the Hawaii Tourism Authority. McCartney served as chair of HTA's board for two years beginning in 2002 (another rough period for the visitor industry) before being ousted by Gov. Lingle. He replaces Rex Johnson, who you may recall became a political punching bag after he was caught forwarding racist and sexist e-mails on the company computer. An interesting footnote on the Johnson saga, reported in today's Maui News, is that he was given a $290,000 "resignation payment." Also known as: shut-up-and-go-away money… In other news: It's official. A second release from Abercrombie's people that landed in my inbox moments ago flatly admits he's announcing his gubernatorial run. Nice to see them ditch the faux secrecy; it was a tad silly to assume people would only show up if it was billed as a "surprise." (Though I was holding out hope for free candy.)
SUNDAY, MARCH 8
Stumping in Kahului as advertised, Abercrombie told supporters that when they consider who's in their corner they should "think alphabetically." [Insert sound of crickets chirping.] We like Abercrombie, and though the field has yet to fully take shape there's a good chance he'll be our guy. But Neil: ditch that line, if for no other reason than to avoid luring Aaron A. Aaronson into the race.
MONDAY, MARCH 9
What if I told you there was a minority group in the United States that comprised 15 percent of the population but had only one representative in either house of Congress and had never fielded a viable presidential candidate? Time for some serious outrage, right? Well, that scenario is a reality according to the widely reported results of a new study by Trinity College of Connecticut's Program on Public Values. The study found that the number of people who say they not only imagine no religion but live it has risen almost 1 percent since 2001, and nearly 7 percent since 1990. By comparison, Mormons, who nudged one of their own frighteningly close to the Republican nomination last year, make up a mere 1.7 percent of the population. So, fellow atheists and agnostics: we may be underrepresented, but we've got numbers on our side. (By the way, that lone congressional non-believer is Pete Stark of California, who has served in the House of Representatives since 1973 but didn't come out of the secular closet until 2007.)… In other news: Took a Pacific Whale Foundation cruise yesterday and, in addition to marveling at the majesty of our annual aquatic visitors, I was struck again by the sheer number of humpbacks currently courting, copulating, birthing and parenting in our (or really more accurately their) waters. I know it's not a revelation, but they're everywhere. Good thing we don't have a large, high-speed ferry churning through without the recommended collision-avoidance equipment.
TUESDAY, MARCH 10
Obama has gotten a lot of mileage out of reversing bad decisions made during the Bush years. We've had the bold (shuttering Guantanamo), the symbolic (allowing soldiers' coffins to be photographed by the press) and the obvious (not giving gobs of funding to failed abstinence-only programs overseas). The latest example came this week, when the president signed an executive order that will free up money for stem cell research. Before his obligatory pen-in-hand photo-op, Obama offered one of those tasty rhetorical nuggets that (almost) make you temporarily forget what a huge mess we're in: "[This] is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda, and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology." Imagine that. MTW
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