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Issue 9.36: Cunning Lingle
What Governor Linda Lingle said in her Jan. 23, 2006 State of the State Address on crime:
March 02, 2006
"I am again calling on legislators to recognize that tougher penalties for repeat drug offenders and the manufacture of ice are essential if we ever hope to make a dent in this community crisis."
What she didn't say:
It would be nice if the state could get a handle on arrest warrants, before toughening any penalties. There are more than 61,000 warrants backlogged on Oahu alone, according to a recent Honolulu Advertiser series. In addition, nearly 4,000 warrants are totally useless, because they were never properly signed. When the Advertiser asked Lingle's office for a comment on all this, she passed the buck to Attorney General Mark Bennett. Why should she address bad news in an election year?
-Anthony Pignataro