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October 01, 2009 HYPER LOCAL
For those wondering if Halloween in Lahaina is happening this year, the answer is: yes and no. Yes, in the sense that there will be a keiki parade, during which the street will be closed to traffic, and after that an unknown number of costumed revelers will congregate on Front Street. No, in the sense that nobody pulled a permit, and the county isn't stepping in to fill the void. That means cars will be driving through and there won't be any unified organization to handle things like portable toilets, crowd control, etc. I spoke to Mahina Martin, the county's public information officer, who said there will be a police presence, but that no special efforts have been or will be made to "publicize a non-event." She called the 2008 incarnation—when the Cultural Resources Commission made a fuss and the event was scaled back (see contributor Jessica Armstrong's September 2008 feature "Halloween Haters" www.mauitime.com/Articles-i-2008-09-18-184900.112113_Halloween_Haters.html )—a "transitional year," and acknowledged that this year will likely be more of the same. Asked about the potential loss of visitors who came for what was once billed as the "Mardi Gras of the Pacific," Martin said "any event that brings in thousands of [people] warrants our attention," and added that if in the future an organization wants to take the reins, the county is willing to help. But, she added, it'll mean balancing "economic needs with historical preservation." So: no permit was issued, the economy is in the tank, some people have raised concerns about cultural insensitivity (aka lots of half-naked chicks). The county, clearly, has plenty of excuses. But this fence-straddling isn't a solution. There used to be a big, popular event; now, the organizational backbone of that event has eroded for various reasons. But people will still show up, and merchants still count on the revenue. This is a moment when leadership is needed, and, as is too often the case with the Tavares Administration, when leadership is lacking…
LOCAL
It's hard to know what to make of Gov. Lingle's abrupt decision to pull the plug on a proposed $235 million Maui jail, er, Regional Public Safety Complex. The plan had been to build the thing on a 39-acre site in Puunene, with the goal to "alleviate overcrowding" at the Maui Community Correctional Center, according to a September report from the state Department of Public Safety (DPS). As reported by multiple sources, Lingle nixed the project after reading critical comments made by Sen. Shan Tsutsui in The Maui News. The dysfunctional relationship between the Governor and the legislature is well documented, but this is a new low. Tsutsui wasn't the only one criticizing the prison—numerous other officials and community members have expressed concern about size, cost and location—but really, that's not the point. For the Governor to read a couple quotes in the local daily and do a complete about-face after spending millions of dollars on planning (the exact figure is unclear; multiple calls to the DPS went unreturned) is borderline hysterical (and not in the "ha ha" sense)… Whether, and when, a soldier has the right to disobey orders is a loaded question. It was raised in 2006 when Oahu-born First Lt. Ehren Watada refused to fight in Iraq, arguing he'd be participating in war crimes. Later, defending his actions, Watada made critical statements about President Bush that were considered "conduct unbecoming an officer." The Army tried to court-martial him, but after that fizzled in a mistrial they granted Watada's discharge request earlier this week "for the good of the service," according to a military spokesman quoted in the Los Angeles Times. Predictably, Watada is being branded a hero by some and a traitor by others. Partisan platitudes aside, as our Middle Eastern military engagements drag on—and as we continue to ask young men and women to risk their lives in an open-ended global struggle against an abstract noun (but very real guns and bombs)—it'll be interesting to see what if any effect Watada's case has on the decisions of other service members… This week brought the inevitable news that Gay & Robinson will end sugar cane processing operations on Kauai at the end of the month, leaving Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar's Puunene Mill as the last of a dying breed in Hawaii. Gay & Robinson has turned a portion of its land over to Dow AgroSciences, a move Gov. Lingle gushed "will help create job opportunities for Kauai residents and help create a more secure future for the island and our entire state." It's true that some jettisoned Gay & Robinson employees have found work at Dow. It's also true that Dow is among the worst corporate polluters in the world and the company that gave us, among other chemical marvels, Agent Orange. So, you know, one of those trade-offs… Heads-up tobacco users: On September 30, the state tax on tobacco products other than cigarettes and cigars was raised from 40 to 70 percent of the wholesale price, while the tax on cigars jumped to 50 percent. The bill in question—HB895—also categorizes "little cigars" (any cigar with a diameter smaller than .467 inches) as cigarettes and taxes them accordingly. As justification, the introductory section lays out all the nasty chemicals contained in "smokeless" tobacco (though the definition also applies to loose tobacco that can be rolled up and smoked) and all the deaths those chemicals cause. No argument there, but really—they keep hiking taxes on these addictive substances, and somehow people keep finding the money to buy them. A less paternalistic—and less disingenuous—approach would be to admit the goal is to pour cash into the general fund, and that luxury items are (rightly) the first target…
NOT LOCAL
Hey, why don't we end on an incredibly depressing note? Recently, Vanity Fair and 60 Minutes teamed up to ask Americans what company they think best symbolizes the United States. The overwhelming answer: Wal-Mart. (Google was a distant second.) If you needed further proof that we have completed the transition from a manufacturing to a service economy, that cheap, disposable products (mostly produced in other countries) are the thing that defines us, that we are an empire teetering on the brink of self-destruction, well, here ya go. Sweet dreams. Maui Time Weekly, Jacob Shafer
Tags: Maui Politics
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