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September 11, 2008
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
Turns out it wasn't an alien invasion. Wait, let me back up. Having recently retired for the evening, my wife stumbled bleary eyed from the bedroom and told me there was something strange outside the window. She's normally a pretty sensible person, even when sleepy, so I skipped the whole must have been a dream" bit and got up from my writing to have a look. What I saw was a vertical series of large flashing white lights that did indeed qualify as strange. Lacking an explanation, I assured her everything was fine while harboring in the pit of my stomach a small, gnawing fear of extraterrestrial invasion. Well, today I got the real scoop and it wasn't nearly as exciting as little green men. The lights, which are attached to a radio broadcast tower in Wailuku, are used as a warning system for helicopter pilots; they're mandatory under FAA regs, but those unsettling strobes are only supposed to be turned on during the day, with other, less flying saucer-esque lights turned on at night. The chief engineer for the station that owns the tower was very apologetic in The Maui News and assured everyone the issue would be resolved posthaste. Good news for my wife's REM cycle—and my E.T.-phobia.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
When Tim Russert died earlier this year there was a lot of speculation about who, if anyone, would fill his loafers. Not as host of Meet the Press but as the mainstream media's resident gadfly. Russert was the guy who took the time to review old tape and pore over back issues of magazines and newspapers, gathering questionable statements from political bigwigs so he could use their own words against them. Well, his heir apparent has emerged and perhaps it's fitting that he works for a "fake" news show (since all the real ones are so spineless). Even before Russert passed away, Jon Stewart was using The Daily Show—once a lighthearted, innocuous platform for celebrities to peddle their latest projects—to fire off scathing, spot-on political satire thinly disguised as "just comedy." The latest example: A wonderfully wicked video mash-up of contradictory declarations about the credentials of Sarah Palin from GOP heavyweights like Bill O'Reilly, Karl Rove and Plain herself. The fact that someone as media savvy as Rove (yes he's the anti-Christ dressed up as the Pillsbury Doughboy, but the guy knows how to spin an election) would make such blatantly self-negating comments on national TV within the span of just a few weeks indicates that he either: a) has lost his touch; or b) thinks the American people are too stupid to notice or care. I'm thinking "b." Prove him wrong and check out the video (or watch it again) at comedycentral.com, on YouTube and a bunch of other places. Ain't the Internet grand?
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
Speaking of the Internet, Michael Moore has announced that's where he'll be exclusively releasing his new doc, Slacker Uprising. The film, which follows the rotund populist as he traverses the country enlisting young voters during the 2004 election, will be available as a free download to North American residents starting September 23. Moore told the Associated Press he's giving the movie away as a thank you to his fans and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his first rabblerousing feature, Roger & Me. Love him or hate him, you've gotta admit—Mike sure can stage a self-promoting media event (and, in this case, ingeniously make it look like an act of altruism).
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
File this under "news that's sadly not news": The already tardy update to the Maui County General Plan is lagging further behind schedule. The committee tasked with the revamp, which was set to hit a major completion milestone next month, has asked for an extension into 2009. One bone of contention is an island-wide housing forecast—should Maui build units to meet projected population growth, or should the county construct housing in line with the population it wants to have? It's sort of a chicken-or-the-egg debate, with the chickens being new residents and the eggs their space- and resource-sucking domiciles. Not that it eases the frustration (in fact it might make it worse), but having covered the general plan update process in a few different parts of the country I can tell you: It's the same everywhere you go. There are always reasons—some valid, some not so much—why this takes way longer than it "should." Bottom line: It's a huge, important undertaking that's hindered by an inability to please all of the people all of the time. Hey, I think there's a famous quote about that…
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
We hope you've been enjoying—and gleaning useful tidbits—from our ongoing Maui Votes '08 coverage, but we're not afraid to help you expand your horizons beyond our pages and pod casts. More information is always better. To that end, check out Akaku's Meet the Candidates series, airing on the community access channel starting yesterday and going through September 19 (for those folks who truly like to make up their mind at the last possible minute). Call 871-5554 or visit akaku.org for air times and more info.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
Heads up: Walk-in absentee voting for the September 20 primary election began today. You can drop off your ballot at three locations: the County Clerk's office on the seventh floor of the Kalana O Maui Building in Wailuku; the Lahaina Civic Center; and the Mitchell Pauole Center in Kaunakakai (call 270-7749 or visit Hawaii.gov/elections for days, times and other info). Walk-in absentee voting ends September 18 and a photo ID is required. Mail-in ballots must be received by election day… In other election-related news: County figures place the number of registered Maui voters at 82,422, a 3.3 percent increase over the 2006 primary. No doubt some of that is due to the excitement swirling around the big November showdown, but whatever the reason it's nice to see people taking their rights and duties as citizens of a democracy (at least it still was last time I checked) seriously.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
So here's an unsigned, handwritten note somebody—a reader I presume, though I have a hard time imagining this person reading—dropped off for me at the office. I give it to in all its unedited glory: "Jhon Mcain is the man for the job as anyone with more than three brainsells can cee!!! Whom else knows how to kill the terrorists where they sleep??" Whom else, indeed. MTW