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by Jacob Shafer

April 23, 2009

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15

I love a good protest. I love the signs, the shouting, the honking, all of it. Even if I disagree with the cause, I appreciate the spectacle and the fact that people cared enough to slide out of their recliners and take to the streets. It’s healthy. So I’m not here to chastise the Mauians who joined thousands of others across the country today in tax day, “Tea Party” protests against profligate government spending. However: I don’t remember these things being nearly so prominent—and certainly not sponsored by FOX News—during the Bush years, when the deficit ballooned to historical proportions. (The fact that anyone can still refer to Bush and his advisors as “conservatives” with a straight face is truly mind-boggling.) It’s also worth noting that the new president hasn’t raised anyone’s taxes yet, which makes labeling him a “socialist” a bit problematic, or at least premature. Thus far, the Obama Administration seems content to follow the tried-and-true American formula that got us where we are: spend money you don’t have, and spend it fast. I understand people’s outrage; when I hear about bank executives giving themselves big, fat taxpayer-funded bonuses, my blood boils. The only advice I’d give the Tea Partiers is to be wary of misdirected anger and manipulation at the hands of entities that are pushing a specific, narrow political agenda and don’t have your best interests at heart. Beyond that, protest away. As the bumper sticker says: if you aren’t angry, you aren’t paying attention. 

THURSDAY, APRIL 16

Got a heads-up yesterday from attorney Lance Collins, who’s representing a group of Kihei residents that’s suing the county over sewage disposal methods. Specifically, the plaintiffs—who include a Baldwin High teacher, a Navy vet, a surfer, a dive master and a Native Hawaiian advocate—are trying to get the county to stop using injection wells, which they say violate state water quality standards and allow wastewater to seep into the ocean. At present, there are 15 injection wells on Maui: three in Kihei, four in Lahaina and eight in Kahului. It’s always amazed me how little attention most people pay to what’s done with their waste; the desire to flush it and forget it is understandable at a basic level, but the stuff doesn’t just go “away.” Kudos to these alert Mauians for being willing to stir up the…well, you know.  

FRIDAY, APRIL 17

Here’s a candidate for least reassuring statement of the year, from a story in today’s Maui News about a meeting of the county council’s budget committee. Take it away, Mayor Tavares: “If we go down in flames, we are going to go down in the same flame.” Don’t know about you, but I feel better.

SATURDAY, APRIL 18

Good news for Native Hawaiian advocates and the anti-GMO crowd: A bill that places a five-year ban on the development of genetically modified taro passed the Senate this week by a veto-proof majority. (Gov. Lingle hasn’t indicated she’d veto the bill, but it was opposed by the state Department of Agriculture, according to an AP report.) The lone dissenting votes were cast by token Republicans Fred Hemmings and Sam Slom of Oahu. You know who those guys remind me of? The Washington Generals. You know, the team that always had to lose spectacularly to the Harlem Globetrotters? (Of course, Senate Democrats aren’t nearly as cool as the Globetrotters, though I hear Mele Carroll has a mean sky-hook.) 

SUNDAY, APRIL 19

Even more disturbing than the contents of the recently released CIA torture memos (excuse me, CIA enhanced interrogation memos) has been the reaction. Overwhelmingly, cable news’s cadre of blathering heads has condemned the Obama Administration for “making us less safe.” How, exactly, remains a bit unclear. Here’s what I think is going on: the American people (not all of us, but most) are living under a warm comfy Snuggie™ of self-delusion. If we don’t know about something, it doesn’t exist and we don’t have to stop watching Rock of Love Bus reruns to worry about it. For those who do care, a little light reading: http://documents.nytimes.com/justice-department-memos-on-interrogation-techniques#p=1

MONDAY, APRIL 20

Perhaps fittingly, there was action today on SB1058. The bill—which passed its third reading April 14 with amendments and today was re-referred to committee—would create a state medical marijuana task force to analyze the successes and failures of Hawaii’s medical pot program and make recommendations. Seems like a solid idea, but not everyone thinks so.  Last year Gov. Lingle vetoed a similar bill, HB2675, citing federal prohibition. We’ll see if this one plays out in similar fashion—stay tuned… In addition to that other, more lighthearted, munchies-inducing occasion, today marks the 10 year anniversary of the Columbine massacre. Because the only thing news organizations love more than a nice round number is rehashing shocking occurrences to boost ratings, we’ve been fed a slew of tributes and remembrances. What’s depressing is that, even after a decade, coverage still mostly lingers on tawdry surface details, treating the shooting like a movie or video game rather than a layered, complex human tragedy. That’s the irony: what truly warrants examination and scrutiny isn’t the event itself, but the media’s handling of it.

TUESDAY, APRIL 21

It has not been a good month for Hawaii residents who like to pump small quantities of toxic smoke into the air. First, federal and state tax hikes raised the cost of a pack of cigarettes by $1. Next up: fireworks. According to a report in today’s Honolulu Advertiser, two pieces of legislation are still alive on Oahu that would increase fees for retailers and importers of those fun little home-based explosives, a cost that would surely be passed on to consumers. I defended the smokers, but I don’t know about this one. Given the serious fire hazard involved (I know, cigarettes cause fires too), we might be better off if fireworks were made less available. Plus: the smoke! As I said in this space in January after the New Year’s festivities, going outside on that particular night is a lot like standing next to a heap of burning tires and asbestos shingles, only slightly worse. MTW