Disappeared News

by Larry Geller

Hawaii generates 20% of its electricity from coal. Yes, coal. We contribute to global warming. When our Leaf and Volt electric cars are plugged in, each of them will contribute to global warming. Juan Cole points out that continued carbon emissions amount to mass murder:

Oxfam has just issued a warning that food staples will likely double in price by 2030, in part because of climate change. A billion people in the world go hungry already, and spend 80% of their income on food. If the world envisaged by Oxfam materializes, obviously there is the potential of widespread starvation.

The Big Oil and Big Coal executives attempting to stop efforts to reduce emissions are thus in effect mass murderers of a future generation.

[Informed Comment, Carbon Emissions Record, Food to Double in Price, 5/21/2011]

Cole also points out that the FBI is busy raiding environmentalist organizations, but the real criminals are the energy barons contributing to global warming.

Permalink posted by Larry @ 5/31/2011 10:57:00 AM   1 comments - add your comment links to this post

"Americans know that their government will sometimes conduct secret operations, but they don’t believe the government ought to be writing secret law. And the reason why we have felt so strongly about this issue of secret law is that it violates the trust that Americans place in their government, and it undermines public confidence in government institutions and agencies, making it harder for them to operate effectively."--U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden

Hawaii’s Senator Daniel Inouye split with the rest of the Hawaii delegation and voted to renew the Patriot Act. See the headline report from Democracy Now below. The Patriot Act, perhaps more than any recent legislation, undermines American democracy, furthers the advance of the police state, and brings the government more firmly into opposition against its own citizens.

If you would like to question Sen. Inouye on his vote, I’m sure he would be glad to send you his form letter reply. The links from Congress.org below allow you to send him, or the others in Hawaii’s Congressional delegation, a message.

From Congress.org:

Patriot Act Extensions

http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=376&chamber=H&congress=1121

House: Vote Passed (250-153, 28 Not Voting)

The House gave final approval to this bill extending certain provisions of the Patriot
Act until June 1, 2015.  The bill, S. 990, originally reauthorized some small business
programs but with the Patriot Act provisions due to expire at the end of the day, the
Senate used it as the vehicle to pass the extension.  President Obama signed the bill
into law before the end of the day.

Rep. Mazie Hirono voted  NO
  send e-mail (http://www.congress.org/signon/congressorg/mail/?id=31644)

Rep. Colleen Hanabusa voted  NO
  send e-mail (http://capwiz.com/congressorg/mail/?id=1314

Senate: Vote Agreed to (72-23, 5 Not Voting)

The Senate passed this bill extending certain provisions of the Patriot Act until June 1,
2015.  The bill, S. 990, originally reauthorized some small business programs but with
the Patriot Act provisions due to expire at the end of the day, the Senate used it as the
vehicle to pass the extension.  The House passed the bill a few hours later and President
Obama signed it into law before the end of the day.

Sen. Daniel Inouye voted  YES
  send e-mail (http://capwiz.com/congressorg/mail/?id=201
 

Sen. Daniel Akaka voted  NO
  send e-mail (http://capwiz.com/congressorg/mail/?id=202

President Obama has signed a law renewing three expiring provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act shortly following the House’s passage of the measure in a 250-to-153 vote. The provisions empower law enforcement officials to obtain "roving wiretaps" on suspected foreign agents, track non-citizen "lone wolves" suspected of terrorism, and obtain certain business and even library records. The American Civil Liberties Union criticized lawmakers for passing the provisions without adding the proper privacy safeguards. The provisions were extended despite a warning from two Democratic senators that the U.S. Department of Justice has been secretly interpreting the PATRIOT Act in a way to enable domestic surveillance activities that many members of Congress do not even understand. Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, a member of the Intelligence Committee, accused the Obama administration of relying on a secret law to expand domestic surveillance.

Sen. Ron Wyden: "Americans know that their government will sometimes conduct secret operations, but they don’t believe the government ought to be writing secret law. And the reason why we have felt so strongly about this issue of secret law is that it violates the trust that Americans place in their government, and it undermines public confidence in government institutions and agencies, making it harder for them to operate effectively."

The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Permalink posted by Larry @ 5/31/2011 10:29:00 AM   15 comments - add your comment links to this post

by Larry Geller

Have you commented on a blog? Do you think that police should be able to identify you if you choose to be anonymous or to use a screen name?

Maui police are extending a wide net to subpoena all commenters’ personal information on the MauiTime website over a 24-hour period. It doesn’t matter if the comment was “Hey, way to go!” or one of the usual nastygrams that pollute many newspaper and blog websites. The Maui police want all of them.

If you’ve recently left a comment on MauiTime’s Web site, your personal information could soon be in the hands of the Maui Police Department. Last week, MPD and the county prosecutor’s office issued a subpoena ordering the release of Internet Protocol, or IP, addresses for all comments left at mauitime.com during a specified 24-hour period.

The subpoena bars MauiTime from “notifying the account holders,” as that could “jeopardize [a] felony investigation.” But the comments—totaling more than two dozen—were posted in response to a story and video depicting an altercation between Publisher Tommy Russo and MPD Officer Nelson Johnson

[mauifeed.com, Maui Police Department Targets MauiTime’s Online Commenters, 5/25/2011]

According to the article, Maui police say they are looking for an anonymous comment they characterize as “terroristic threatening.”  However, the subpoena does not ask for that particular comment (which is easy to identify) but a whole day’s IP addresses. If it should succeed, it could have a chilling effect on anyone thinking of expressing an opinion on any article on that website. Note that the Maui police would be collecting IP addresses of commenters on any and all articles within that time period.

Disappeared News reported on the original incident, including an enhanced photo which could clearly identify the police officer involved, in MauiTime publisher Tommy Russo videorecords his alleged assault by “Dog” Chapman security guard and Maui police (4/15/2011). That article gathered nine comments, a rather large number for a Neighbor Island article not related to the Superferry. But then, it certainly had celebrity interest because of the involvement of “Dog the Bounty Hunter.”

Clearly, the incident itself was a matter of some public interest, and one way the public expresses itself these days is by posting comments to Internet web sites.

A subpoena this broad, made by a government agency, is a clear infringement of free speech rights. The Maui police may or may not have an issue with one commenter, but not with any others.

If the report of the original incident is accurate, Maui police are badly in need of an education. Generally, police may not prevent a citizen, whether a reporter, blogger, or ordinary shmo, from photographing them from a public vantage point as they go about their business (this is one of he issues in the MauiTime article which attracted the comment in question). They also may not gather IP addresses, which can be used to identify persons who access a website, on a whim. In our society, unfortunately, police are seldom held accountable when they themselves break the law.

There seem to be a few things Maui police need to learn about the first amendment at least. As a blogger I was glad to learn that MauiTime publisher Tommy Russo will fight the subpoena.

Permalink posted by Larry @ 5/26/2011 09:02:00 PM   8 comments - add your comment links to this post

by Larry Geller

Free Speech Radio News taps local reporters around the world to report on the news around them. Who better to say what’s happening than a person right there on the ground?

They’ve already posted their Memorial Day program. It’s about Hawaii.

Radio and web listeners around the country and around the world (114 stations plus shortwave) will learn the difference between "Hawaii" and "Hawaiian" as well as a history of Hawaii that they won’t learn about from tourist literature.

Since FSRN allows reproduction of their content with attribution, instead of a snip, here’s their entire article. You can click here to go to their web page instead.

Newscast for Monday, May 30, 2011

Listen here:

Download

Length: 29:06 minutes (26.64 MB)
Format: MP3 Mono 44kHz 128Kbps (CBR)

This Memorial Day FSRN re-visits "In Memorium" a documentary on the history of Hawai'i that is little-known by most people in the United States.

Located 25-hundred miles west of the California coast, Hawai'i became known as the 50th state in 1959. Hawai'i is also home to the largest US military command center and to massive tourism and real estate development industries. But native Hawaiians are largely excluded from the material benefits enjoyed by the industries that have taken over huge swathes of the island chain.

It's a situation that didn't happen overnight...but it's a history that isn't often taught in American classrooms.

Join us today as FSRN's Anne Keala Kelly brings us "In Memorium" and walks us through the history of Hawai'i and what the act of remembering means for many Hawaiians.

FSRN by PRAC/FSRN is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Free Speech Radio News features a daily (weekday) news program you may enjoy listening to on your MP3 player. Click here for their website. They also need our support to continue their fine work.

Permalink posted by Larry @ 5/26/2011 12:56:00 PM   2 comments - add your comment links to this post

Hot off the email:

The American Association for Palestinian Equal Rights (AAPER) is America's Free Palestine Lobby.  AAPER's mission is to (a) educate Americans about Palestine and (b) help shape an equitable U.S. policy toward Palestine that advances equal rights in Israel and Palestine, peace in the Middle East, and sustainable security for the United States.

AAPER’s website is http://www.americansforpalestine.org

Please join AAPER as we host our First Annual Palestine Film Festival in Honolulu starting TONIGHT, May 26!

This FREE event will showcase films that highlight the situation in Palestine, the experiences of the Palestinian people and American responses to the situation in Palestine.

LOCATION Chaminade University of Honolulu
Henry Hall, Room 109

FILM SCHEDULE THURSDAY, MAY 26 7:00 - 9:00 PM
The Jenin Freedom Theater
This Palestinian Life
Occupation Has No Future
------------------------------
FRIDAY, MAY 27
7:00 - 9:00 pm

To Shoot an Elephant

   ------------------------------
SATURDAY, MAY 28
9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Salt of This Sea
With God on Our Side
2:00 - 5:00 PM
Occupation 101
The Easiest Targets
Off the Charts
Excommunicated: Enclosure Landscapes in Palestine
6:30 - 9:00 PM
Private
Something to Prove
One Family in Gaza

Permalink posted by Larry @ 5/26/2011 10:14:00 AM   1 comments - add your comment links to this post

by Larry Geller

Ian Lind is a great detective. Investigative reporter, detective, same thing. He discovered last week that Senator Clayton Hee’s financial disclosures didn’t jibe with reality—as revealed in a disclosure filed by the senator’s wife.

Ian posted his findings in an article on May 21, 2011:  Politically powerful state senator files false ethics reports.

Here’s where Clark Kent morphs into Dick Tracy. Filing false reports is a serious matter.

Indeed, the disclosure form itself, immediately above the signature block, states “I further understand that there are statutory penalties for noncompliance.” Additionally, filing accurate financial disclosures is required by Article XIV of the Hawaii State Constitution. That Article begins, by the way:

The people of Hawaii believe that public officers and employees must exhibit the highest standards of ethical conduct and that these standards come from the personal integrity of each individual in government.

On May 23, two days after Ian’s article hit the Internet, Senator Hee faxed a new disclosure report to the Ethics Commission. It was posted on their website, replacing the original disclosure, with no indication that it is an amended or replacement filing. There’s no box on the form to indicate that, and the Ethics Commission dropped the original from their website.  Update: The Ethics Commission website today carries both forms, the second as “2011 Amendment.”

But Clark, er, Ian, followed up with another article on Wednesday morning,  Senator Hee amends latest financial disclosure, questions remain (5/25/2011).

As Ian has pointed out, other reports, from 2008 through 2010, may also have contained false information.

So what happens next? Anything? Should a “politically powerful state senator” get a walk on possibly filing years of false reports? If I’m caught jaywalking I get a ticket, I cannot just go back to the curb and try crossing the street again. The statutory and constitutional requirement to file “true, correct, and complete” disclosure is not erased by the subsequent filing of a new form only after the false disclosure has been uncovered.

This revelation puts the Senate itself on the spot. It can (and has) exempted itself from the Sunshine Law, for example, but it can’t exempt itself from the State Constitution. The trouble is, someone must file a complaint, and as Ian has noted, Senator Hee is a “politically powerful senator.” Which senator is going to do that?

Fortunately, Senate Rule 72 (misconduct) doesn’t require that a senator initiate a complaint. Here it is:

Rule 72 Misconduct; Procedure; Peer Review. No member of the Senate shall be subject to a charge for misconduct, disorderly behavior, or neglect of duty unless the person making the charge shall have first given notice of the charge to the President and to the member being charged.
   
    Upon receipt of the charge, the President shall attempt to resolve the matter in an administrative proceeding. If the matter cannot be resolved administratively, the President may appoint a Special Committee to be chaired by the Vice-President or such other member as the President may designate to investigate, hear and report upon the conduct of the member charged for misconduct, disorderly behavior or neglect of duty. Any member so charged shall be informed in writing of the specific charge or charges made against the member and have opportunity to present evidence and be heard in the member's own defense before the Special Committee. Following its investigation and hearing, the Special Committee shall file its report with the President setting forth its findings and recommendations.
   
    If the committee recommends dismissal of the charge or charges, the President may dismiss the charges without further hearing, or the President may present the report of the committee to the Senate for its consideration.

    The Senate, by a majority vote, may dismiss the charge or charges against the member without a hearing.
   
    If there is no dismissal of the charge or charges, or if the committee recommends censure, suspension or expulsion, the President shall present the report of the committee to the Senate for its consideration and decision. The member who is charged, shall be informed in writing of the presentation of the charge or charges of the committee report to the Senate and be given an opportunity to be heard in the member's own defense. The Senate, by a majority vote, may dismiss the charge or charges without a hearing, or with notice and an opportunity to be heard in the member's own defense, censure a member or, upon a two-thirds vote of all the members of the Senate, suspend or expel a member.
   
    At any stage of the charge against a member, the member shall have a right to be represented by a person or persons of the member's own choosing.

So long story short, Disappeared News hand-delivered a complaint to the Senate President’s office yesterday and emailed it to Senator Hee last night. Attached to the complaint were copies of Senator Hee’s original disclosure forms as filed for 2008 through the present, not the amended form. Also attached was the disclosure filed by his wife that contradicted his own representation.

Let’s see what they do with it. Rule 72 seems clear as to what action must be taken, but it’s open-ended as to whether the Senate will apply a wet noodle or some stronger penalty after concluding its investigation.

Let’s see whether justice applies to a “politically powerful senator” as it would to anyone else.

Let’s see whether the Hawaii State Constitution is taken seriously or if the Senate treats it as “just a piece of paper.”

Permalink posted by Larry @ 5/26/2011 06:02:00 AM   2 comments - add your comment links to this post

by Larry Geller

It most certainly wasn't intentional, but by replacing Senator Hee’s original and possibly fraudulent personal disclosure statement with a fresh copy on the Hawaii Ethics Commission website, the Ethics Commission has, in effect, perpetrated a cover-up. A visitor to the website would not know about and cannot view a copy of Hee’s original submission.

Fortunately, Ian Lind retained a copy of the original filing. View it here. The amended filing, which is not marked as such or indicated as such b y the Ethics Commission, I discovered yesterday. It appears to have been faxed to the Ethics Commission on May 23. See also Ian’s post this morning, Senator Hee amends latest financial disclosure, questions remain (5/25/2011).

The procedural cover-up should not impede the Ethics Commission from taking action on the entire set of reports.

But will they?

Ian’s original article raised the question of justice. See:  Politically powerful state senator files false ethics reports (5/21/2011).

If justice is to be meaningful, it should apply to every citizen equally, whether or not they are “politically powerful.”

Permalink posted by Larry @ 5/25/2011 07:27:00 AM   0 comments - add your comment links to this post

by Larry Geller

Mainstream news seldom tracks the hundreds of drone attacks carried out by the United States in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen. Of course, the citizens of those countries are well aware of who is killing so many of their fellow citizens.

Kathy Kelly, co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, noted in an interview on Between the Lines that 49 countries now possess the drone technology and there are over 250 companies manufacturing different variations of drones. She suggests that the key word is “proliferation.”

You can even build your own drone.

The US drone attacks are attractive to the military because they do not place soldiers at risk, meaning no objections from folks back home. As it happens, the US drones are controlled by the CIA, which is a civilian, not military, organization.  Of course, all of this should raise red lights, particularly the large number of civilian deaths caused by video game jocks located safely back in the USA. But in the absence of news coverage, any outrage is bound to be muted.

One day fleets of drones may dominate the skies. But what out, it could be our skies--they could conceivably be launched from hidden airfields within the USA to attack US targets. Internationally, warfare may be a case of drone-against-drone, or more likely, drones against civilian populations on each side. For example, after a drone attack on Times Square that kills hundreds, we launch a drone attack killing civilians in some country of our choice in retaliation. And so on.

For information on drones, a good place to start is the drone awareness webpage of Voices for Creative Nonviolence. Google yields plenty of news and information.

Drone warfare, or robot warfare, seems to be just around the corner.

Duck!

Right at the top of Wednesday’s Star-Advertiser is a large picture of a Shadow 200 RQ-7B unmanned aerial vehicle deployed in Hawaii.

An unveiling ceremony was held Tuesday for the National Guard's four new Shadows, a UAV that has had widespread success in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The Shadow represents the future of aviation," Lt. Col. Neal Mitsuyoshi, commander of the 29th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, said at the ceremony.

Officials said National Guard brigades in 11 states are receiving Shadows this year, bringing the total to Guard units in 30 states.

[Star-Advertiser, Hawaii Guard gets flock of Shadow UAVs, 5/25/2011]

Speaking of proliferation. Why would National Guard units have drones if not to use them? Will they be deployed before and during APEC to detect peace demonstrations?

If success is measured by how many innocent men, women and children one has killed not to mention the thousands of new terrorist it has created, then yes the drone program has been a success.

Permalink posted by Larry @ 5/24/2011 10:23:00 PM   1 comments - add your comment links to this post

by Larry Geller

Well, where did you think the government was going to get funds to keep running after it hit the debt ceiling last week? Here’s where the money will come from:

Now that it has finally been made clear that in order to accommodate the debt ceiling by adding marketable debt, the Treasury has no choice but to literally plunder retirement accounts, we now know that in order to fit in the just announced $110 billion in new bond issuance over the next week, Tim Geithner will have to reduce US retirement funding (the bulk of which, the Social Security Trust Fund already lost $1.1 trillion in the past year) by at least $45 billion.

[Zero Hedge, Treasury Prepares To Plunder Another $45 Billion From Retirement Funds As It Issues $110 Billion More Debt Next Week, 5/19/2011]

So the Treasury has “no choice” but to plunder retirement accounts, which are the life contributions of workers expecting to retire on Social Security.

Conveniently, later Republicans can say that Social Security is failing.

Unfortunately, while they salivate at the chance to privatize Social Security to “fix” it, but what will they plunder next time if it’s privatized?

Will seniors, 59% of whom now vote Republican, keep returning these bandits to office?

Maybe a special election just concluded in upper New York State provides a straw on which to grasp—the Democrat won in what is described as an upset victory. Recognizing a spark of hope, President Obama himself grasped for it:

"I want to extend my congratulations to Congresswoman-elect Kathy Hochul for her victory," President Barack Obama said in a statement released by the White House.

"Kathy and I both believe that we need to create jobs, grow our economy, and reduce the deficit in order to outcompete other nations and win the future," the president added. "I look forward to working with her when she gets to Washington.

[AFP, Democrats score upset victory in NY election, 5/24/2011]

If seniors want to protect their Social Security and Medicare benefits, they might consider changing their loyalties in the 2012 election. It just doesn’t compute to elect representatives who turn on the voters who put them there.

Permalink posted by Larry @ 5/24/2011 08:57:00 PM   1 comments - add your comment links to this post

by Larry Geller

American beekeepers are struggling to remain in business even as the US government, with the assistance apparently of large retailer such as Costco, appear to be working against them.

Probably most people are familiar with “colony collapse disorder,” the not-yet-understood malady that is drastically reducing bee populations in many areas of North America.

Colony collapse disorder and other bee maladies are a clear threat to Hawaii honey production. But it’s not just honey. Bees are necessary to sustain agriculture. Without beekeepers and their armies of little pollinators, farmers would be missing the crops that depend on the bees. So it should be recognized that we need to keep both the local bees and their keepers in business.

“You can buy local honey. Local honey is available at stores only because there is a local beekeeper who went to the trouble of harvesting it, so the more beekeepers there are, the more honey there is. We [have], over the last twenty-five years, seen an alarming decline in the number of beekeepers. The interest is resurging, which is the best news for American bees, actually, more beekeepers!”

[VOANews.com, Scientist Working to Save Bees Is Winner of Environmental Prize, 5/25/2011]

The news would be really good in Hawaii if our local honey were not competing with illegally labeled, cheaper, and often adulterated honey. The “resurging” hasn’t started here, and it won’t if cheap imports can compete illegally.

Beekeeping is not a terribly lucrative business to begin with. When a big box store sells a cheap, illegally labeled import, it hurts domestic producers. American honey is supposed to be protected by Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) if sold in interstate trade. Like this honey you can buy cheaply at Costco:

On the left side of the label is a little USDA seal. Here’s a blowup of that:

Since the label carries a “USDA Organic” seal, the regs require that it also say, on the same label, "Product of" followed by the country, or countries, of origin.

Without the country of origin, the assumption is that the honey is made in the USA. But this honey is not. And because of that, we can’t even trust that it is “Pure” as it says, because honey can be cut with sugar syrup or other adulterants.

Here's the back label. Still no country of origin. It’s just the nutrition facts.

The customer has no way of knowing where this honey comes from.

A slightly indented stamp elsewhere on the bottle says “Made in Brazil.” It’s exactly the color of the rest of the bottle. If the manufacturer tried to hide this information, they could not have done better. In fact, it’s not clear whether just the bottle is made in Brazil or the honey as well.

What to do? Dr. Michael M. Kliks,  President of the, Hawaii Beekeepers' Association, is very concerned. He suggests that Hawaii should have its own Country of Origin Legislation, as several other states do (and thanks to Dr. Kliks for the two label pics)..

Until the next legislative session, though, if you are interested in supporting both beekeepers and sustainable agriculture in Hawaii, how about writing to the USDA to ask them to enforce their regulations, which they could easily do on a phone call to Costco.  Or write to Costco yourself and ask them to pull this illegal honey off their shelves.

For the USDA, here’s a contact, including phone number:

Julie Lewis, Acting Chief
Country of Origin Labeling Branch
Room 2607-S, Stop 0254
1400 Independence Ave. SW
Washington, DC  20250-0254
(202)205-9356

For Costco, here’s their corporate address and phone. Tell them that selling this illegal honey hurts all American beekeepers, including ours in Hawaii. Who to ask for? I usually start at the top. Hey, this is a violation of federal law, you’d think their CEO would be concerned.

Costco Corporate Office
999 Lake Dr. Issaquah, WA 98027
(425)313-8100

Permalink posted by Larry @ 5/24/2011 07:52:00 PM   0 comments - add your comment links to this post

America the Beautiful

by Johan Galtung, 23 May 2011 - TRANSCEND Media Service

Reality is ambiguous, yin-yang. There are dark sides and bright sides. Take the United States of America, for instance: the majority view in the world seems to be that the US Empire is dark and the US Republic bright; a place to visit, to live. But, there is yin-yang in the yin and in the yang, daoism informs us; brighter sides to the empire and darker sides to the republic. And, in the yin and the yang there is also yin and yang, and so on, ad infinitum. One measure of maturity is how many such levels of analysis one masters. To call critique of the US Empire “anti-americanism” reveals level 0: USA is just good and that is it; anti-americanism being a mental disorder.

And yet it is both possible and meaningful to be anti-hitlerism without being anti-German, anti-stalinism without being anti-Russian, anti-US fundamentalism and imperialism without being anti-American, anti-expansionist zionism without being anti-semitic, anti-Jewish or anti-Israel, anti-quislingism without being anti-Norwegian, anti-Japanese militarism without being anti-Japanese; knowing well that roots of pathologies can be found in the deep culture of the normal, good, positive.

Elementary distinctions, but easily sacrificed at the altar of polarization. USA is all good or USA is all bad, tertium non datur; no third, fourth, or etc., possibility. Aristotle sends his best regards; he has had much success in that little peninsula on the Asian continent called “Europe” (“darkness” in Assyrian).

But that begs the question: what is so bright, good, positive about the USA; trying to avoid “America” for one country, an insult to Latin Americans. It is as unsatisfactory to be only positive about the US Republic as it is to be critical only of the US Empire. There have to be reasons, the bright and the dark have to be spelt out; the latter in a constructive way, the former to make it even shinier.

So, what is so extremely attractive about the USA to so many? We all have our answers. Nature is one: there is extreme beauty in many places; maybe more along the coasts and the mountain ranges than in the flatlands, but they also have a charm. And fences are low or absent, making the beauty of gardens and farmlands available to the traveling eyes. But all of this can also be found elsewhere.

The economy, the land of economic opportunity, of the American Dream? Today? Hmm… The military, the land of strength, force? Today? Hmm… The politics, the land of uncorrupted democracy? Hmm… Culture, in the sense of exceptionalism? Hmm… Let us leave all of that aside.

But we are getting closer. Culture in the sense of an incredible creativity: indeed yes. In classical, modern, postmodern arts; in pop of all kinds. Borders broken down, fences lowered. Culture in the sense of science likewise. Innovative technology. And let us add a very important factor: the public is in it, culture plays up and down to the public, sharing with them, not enclosing arts and science as separate niches in society as markers of class territory. In doing so the USA has not only created new culture that has caught on all over the world, but made culture for mass, not upper class, its consumption a world pattern, like they once did for cars and the other conveniences of the 20th century. Elsewhere, mainly for elite consumption.

And yet these patterns are now found all over, largely thanks to the USA. What is USA specific, what is unique, what is that IT?

It is the people, stupid! The Americans–apologizing to Latin America–Americans, the beautiful. How? What? Why? Let us try.

Starting with a basic: nobody in the world is so easy, not stuffy to talk with as an American. Open, first name basis, fences down, body language and verbal language charming, direct eye contact. After 14 minutes personal matters are out in the open that would have been kept secret 14 years in other cultures–no names–or forever.

Americans make you feel at home, as one of them. Universalist, generous. But there is more to it. There is a two-way conversation, not only outsiders asking about the USA but also Americans interested in where one comes from and “what’s cooking”. And about you, as a person, in a positive way, what do you have to offer, “What’s inside you”. For a possible New Beginning in the USA, a rebirth–very attractive, leaving the past and the old country behind, like in heavy immigration times. Something may work out, and often does, in fact.

Of course there is class; with huge differences in economic power, killing power (often highly illegal) and decision power. But less so in daily behavior. Americans differ in housing, from mansions to trailer parks, and in their cars; but often dress the same, eat the same and share tastes and life styles, like church and washing cars on Sundays. Basketball. Coaching children. Love of nature, wild animals, national parks. McDonald’s, KFC. Coke. Coke. Cocaine. Talking English more or less the same way. Even African Americans– slaves, lynched, segregated–today; not so even a short while ago.

In all these senses a remarkably class-less society of successful refugees from that stiff upper lip North Sea island whence they came.

And used to receiving, welcoming, probing foreigners; millions and millions of them, from all corners of the world. Accommodating class, accommodating nations. With exceptions, fearing those they treated worst lest they might one day treat them, the WASPs, the same way: First Nations, African Americans, Hispanics–meaning Mexicans.

A place to breathe. Easy to live. Always something happening, with everybody feeling they are in the center of events. A country of enthusiasm for a long list of (often dubious) “only in America”s. Not strange they rally to its defense when they perceive it as threatened. And yet, in doing so they may eliminate their greatest asset through secrecy, suspicion and police state measures. Pray it will not happen.

This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 United States License.

Permalink posted by Larry @ 5/24/2011 05:02:00 PM   0 comments - add your comment links to this post

by Larry Geller

Cameras have been installed, one per lane, on the H-1 freeway. The system to which they are connected is capable of reading, recognizing, and storing the license plates of cars passing by.

According to this newspaper article, we are not supposed to be concerned about this surveillance:

“Rear license plate images will be taken, truncated, encrypted, and travel times between the camera locations will be calculated,” the spokesman said.

For those concerned about privacy or “Big Brother watching,” he said the cameras will detect only license plates, and the images will be deleted once calculations are completed: “No data will be stored, and the system will not be used to issue speeding citations.”

[Star-Advertiser, Cameras trained on freeways will measure the flow of traffic, 5/17/2011]

The system is supposed to help motorists plan their commutes. I wonder how many motorists requested that their license plates be snapped for that purpose? Or what rules permit the state to gather and record this data?

Allowing these cameras to operate normalizes and legitimizes the unwarranted surveillance of ordinary citizens. There is nothing saying that the state cannot or will not, at some point, use the license plate data for some purpose other than helping us commute.

Did Homeland Security have anything to do with this? Are there administrative rules permitting this kind of surveillance?

Inquiring minds want to know. Stay tuned.

Permalink posted by Larry @ 5/22/2011 09:40:00 PM   4 comments - add your comment links to this post

by Larry Geller

Ian Lind reported Saturday that it appears that Senator Clayton Hee has fled false representations on required disclosures to the state Ethics Commission—see: Politically powerful state senator files false ethics reports (ilind.net, 5/21/2011).

This raises several important issues, assuming that the Ethics Commission is supposed to do more than just receive documents from public officials. Among the issues might be:

1) Does anyone read the documents, and what level of fact checking are they subjected to?

2) Does the Ethics Commission have a sufficient budget to do its job?

3) Are available penalties appropriate, or should the legislature put more teeth into the statutory reporting requirements (fat chance, since they themselves would be subject to those penalties)?

Aside from the issues related to the Ethics Commission, Ian speculates on whether Hee will be prosecuted. I would like to add a question of whether the Senate will take action against apparent lawbreaking by one of its members.

Disappeared News highlighted other oversight issues earlier this year. It seems that organizations holding expensive events for legislators at (for example) the Pacific Club reported their lobbying expenses, but the lobbyist reports fail to show the corresponding expenditures. Also, the lobbyist reports are not made public on the Ethics Commission website as are the organization reports. Basically, you’d have to go down to the Ethics Commission offices to view the reports.

Despite the revelations, the problem has not been solved, nor is it known what actions the Ethics Commission might have taken once the discrepancies were called to its attention.

A more general question: Is the Ethics Commission functioning at all?

The Ethics Commission has not issued an opinion since 2006 (the one before that was in 2004). In fact, that last opinion was on an issue raised by Disappeared News, on the subject of “embedded lobbyists.” that is, corporate executives working as “interns” right inside legislative offices. The “intern” at issue was the Executive Administrator of HMSA Foundation, working elbow to elbow with Rep. Bob Herkes, right there in the representative’s office--but the Legislature was also infested with others, from HECO, for example.

I submitted a request to the Ethics Commission but it was ignored. Then Rep. Bev Harbin submitted a similar request and the Ethics Commission could not ignore that.

Rules were changed the following session and the rats were exterminated from the offices of the Legislature.

Will Ian’s investigation bring about badly needed changes at the Ethics Commission? Will there be any official investigation of Sen. Hee’s representations? Only if more of us raise a fuss.

Permalink posted by Larry @ 5/22/2011 09:24:00 PM   0 comments - add your comment links to this post

by Larry Geller

I thought this meeting of Kokua Council would be of interest to Disappeared News readers. Disclosure: I’m president of Kokua Council.

If you don’t want lunch, it’s free.

“PLEASE JOIN US FOR LUNCH”

Monday, May 23 2011

11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Miyama Main Hall, Harris United Methodist Church

Nuuanu Ave. and South Vineyard Blvd.
Ample parking - driveway off Nuuanu Ave.

Agenda:

11:30   Luncheon: Various Sub Sandwiches, Salad, and Dessert by Marilyn—$5.00 Donation

11:55   Welcome, Introductions and Remarks, Larry Geller, President

12:00   Program: “THE WAR ON WOMEN” Ann Freed, Independent Government Relations Professional, Co-Chair Hawaii Women’s Coalition, past legal aide, Hawaii State Legislature, and Debbie Shimizu, Governor’s Legislative Liaison.

12:20   Questions and Answers

1:00    Adjourn  

Permalink posted by Larry @ 5/22/2011 01:20:00 PM   0 comments - add your comment links to this post

by Larry Geller

An order filed in a US Department of Labor case in Loa Angeles against Global Horizons, a company that is also involved in what has been described as the largest human trafficking case in US history, also mentions the involvement of Hawaii’s Aloun Farms and Del Monte Farms. While Aloun Farms was not a party to this case, the facts described may suggest the course of a separate Department of Justice case scheduled to go to trial this year against the owners of Aloun Farms.

The Associated Press reported this afternoon that:

An administrative law judge has ordered a Los Angeles-based farm labor contractor to pay more than $340,000 for failing to properly treat and pay Thai farmworkers in Hawaii, the latest blow to a company that has faced federal government scrutiny for alleged human trafficking violations.

The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday announced the May 6 ruling against Global Horizons Inc., whose president and other officials are facing criminal prosecution in Hawaii on accusations of exploiting Thai workers in what the FBI has called the country’s largest human trafficking case.

[Washington Post (AP), US labor judge orders back-wages for Thai workers in Hawaii, fine for California company, 5/19/2011]

A copy of the decision is attached below.

The company will appeal the decision, so it may be some time before the Thai workers see any of that money. And that is assuming that Global Horizons, after covering all of its expenses and attorneys fees in the cases against it, still has any money left for the payments..

In a 146-page decision, Administrative Law Judge William Dorsey ordered Global Horizons to pay about $152,000 in back wages to 88 temporary farmworkers and $194,000 in fines.

The decision frequently mentions both Aloun Farms and Del Monte Farms. For example (please refer to the complete document for the context of these snips, do not rely on this extract):

Respondents [Global Horizons, Mordechai Orian] failed to pay 4 workers any wages for their work at Aloun Farms for 12 days in February 2003. The August Sanctions order found that: ―Respondents have never paid four of these 11 H-2A workers for their February 2003 work in Hawaii Respondents employed these 4 workers for 12 days at Aloun Farms in February 2003. The Administrator determined that Respondents owed these four workers $1,649.08 in back wages for this violation … Respondents admitted that Aloun Farms served as the supervisor of the H-2A workers that Respondents employed at Aloun Farms: ―With respect to the supervision of the Aloun workers, the owners of Aloun Farms and/or their staff conducted most of the day-to-day supervision of those workers.Alec Sou of Aloun Farms confirmed during his deposition that Aloun Farms supervised the work of the H-2A workers that Respondents employed at Aloun Farms.

Elsewhere, the names of the Thai workers and the period of time they were not paid appears. Also (again, read the decision for the context):

Furthermore, the H-2A workers that Respondents employed at Aloun Farms frequently complained to Alec Sou about not being paid.

So while this case is not against Aloun Farms, it seems reasonable to study it to learn what the Sou brothers are likely to face when / (if?) their case goes to trial.

Download Global H-2A - 5-6-11 Decision

Google แปล : สั่งยื่นในสหรัฐอเมริกากรมกรณีแรงงานใน Loa Angeles กับ Global Horizo​​ns ซึ่งเป็น บริษัท ที่มีส่วนเกี่ยวข้องด้วยในสิ่งที่ได้รับการอธิบายเป็นกรณีการค้ามนุษย์ที่ใหญ่ที่สุดของมนุษย์ในประวัติศาสตร์ของสหรัฐอเมริกายังกล่าวถึงการมีส่วนร่วมของฮาวายของฟาร์ม Aloun และ Del Monte ฟาร์ม ในขณะที่ไม่ได้ Aloun ฟาร์มอื่นเพื่อกรณีนี้ข้อเท็จจริงที่อธิบายไว้อาจแนะนำหลักสูตรของกระทรวงยุติธรรมกรณีแยกตามกำหนดการที่จะไปสู่​​การพิจารณาคดีในปีนี้กับเจ้าของฟาร์ม Aloun
สำนักข่าวรายงานว่าช่วงบ่ายนี้
ผู้พิพากษากฎหมายปกครองได้มีคำสั่งฟาร์มผู้รับเหมา Los Angeles - based แรงงานจะต้องจ่ายเกินกว่า $ 340,000 สำหรับล้มเหลวในการรักษาอย่างถูกต้องและชำระเงิน farmworkers ไทยในฮาวาย, ระเบิดล่า​​สุดที่ บริษัท ที่มีประสบการพิจารณาของรัฐบาลกลางในการถูกกล่าวหาว่าละเมิดการค้ามนุษย์
กระทรวงแรงงานสหรัฐในวันพฤหัสบดีที่ประกาศ 6 พฤษภาคมปกครองกับ Global Horizo​​ns อิงค์ซึ่งประธานและเจ้าหน้าที่อื่น ๆ จะหันหน้าดำเนินคดีทางอาญาในฮาวายในข้อกล่าวหาของการใช้ประโยชน์จากแรงงานไทยในสิ่งที่เอฟบีไอได้เรียกร้องกรณีการค้ามนุษย์ของประเทศที่ใหญ่ที่สุดของมนุษย์
[Washington Post (AP), สหรัฐอเมริกาตัดสินคำสั่งซื้อกลับค่าจ้างแรงงานสำหรับแรงงานไทยในฮาวายดีสำหรับ บริษัท แคลิฟอร์เนีย, 2011/05/19]
สำเนาของการตัดสินใจจะแนบด้านล่าง
บริษัท จะอุทธรณ์คำตัดสินเพื่อที่ 9 วงจรศาลอุทธรณ์ดังนั้นจึงอาจเป็นบางเวลาก่อนที่คนงานไทยเห็นเงินใด ๆ ที่ และนั่นเป็นสมมติว่า Global Horizo​​ns, หลังจากที่ครอบคลุมทั้งหมดของค่าทนายในกรณีต่อมันยังคงมีเงินเหลือสำหรับการชำระเงินใด ๆ ..
ในการตัดสินใจ 146 หน้า, Administrative Law Judge William Dorsey Global Horizo​​ns สั่งจ่ายเกี่ยวกับ $ 152,000 ในค่าจ้างกลับไปที่ 88 farmworkers ชั่วคราวและ $ 194,000 ในค่าปรับ
กล่าวถึงการตัดสินใจบ่อย Aloun ทั้งฟาร์มและฟาร์ม Del Monte ตัวอย่างเช่น (โปรดดูที่เอกสารที่สมบูรณ์เพื่อบริบทของ snips เหล่านี้ไม่ต้องพึ่งพาสารสกัดนี้) :
ผู้ตอบ [Global Horizo​​ns, Mordechai Orian] ล้มเหลวในการจ่ายค่าจ้างใด ๆ 4 คนงานสำหรับการทำงานของพวกเขาที่ Aloun
ฟาร์ม 12 วันในเดือนกุมภาพันธ์ 2003 สั่งลงโทษสิงหาคมพบว่ามีผู้ตอบ -
ไม่เคยจ่ายสี่ของเหล่านี้ 11 คน H - 2A สำหรับกุมภาพันธ์ 2003 ของพวกเขาทำงานในฮาวายลูกจ้างเหล่านี้ผู้ตอบ 4 คนงาน 12 วันที่ Aloun ฟาร์มในเดือนกุมภาพันธ์ 2003 ผู้ดูแลระบบกำหนดว่าผู้ตอบแบบสอบถามหนี้ที่ค้างชำระทั้งสี่คน $ 1,649.08 ในค่าจ้างกลับสำหรับการละเมิดนี้ ... ผู้ตอบแบบสำรวจยอมรับว่า Aloun ฟาร์มทำหน้าที่เป็นผู้บังคับบัญชาของแรงงาน H - 2A ว่าผู้ตอบแบบสอบถามงานที่ Aloun ฟาร์ม : - ส่วนที่เกี่ยวข้องกับการกำกับดูแลของแรงงาน Aloun, เจ้าของฟาร์ม Aloun และ / หรือพนักงานของตนดำเนินการมากที่สุดของการดูแลแบบวันต่อวันของผู้ที่ workers.Alec Sou ของ Aloun ฟาร์มยืนยันในระหว่างการสะสมของเขาที่ Aloun ฟาร์มภายใต้การดูแลการทำงานของแรงงาน H - 2A ว่าผู้ตอบแบบสอบถามงานที่ Aloun พื้นที่การเกษตร
อื่น ๆ , ชื่อของแรงงานไทยและระยะเวลาที่พวกเขาไม่ได้ชำระเงินจะปรากฏขึ้น นอกจากนี้ :
นอกจากนี้แรงงาน H - 2A ว่าผู้ตอบแบบสอบถามงานที่ Aloun ฟาร์มบ่อยบ่นไป Alec Sou เกี่ยวกับไม่ได้รับการชำระเงิน
ดังนั้นขณะที่กรณีนี้ไม่ผิด Aloun ฟาร์มดูเหมือนว่าสมควรในการศึกษาเพื่อเรียนรู้สิ่งที่พี่น้อง Sou มีแนวโน้มที่จะเผชิญเมื่อ / (ถ้ามี?) กรณีของพวกเขาไปสู่​​การพิจารณาคดี

Permalink posted by Larry @ 5/19/2011 04:58:00 PM   0 comments - add your comment links to this post

by Larry Geller

Kolea suggested in a comment to my followup article on undergrounding the utility wires near Waikiki that there are other ugly spots. I have seen a few, and it’s really easy these days to get at least a passable picture by snipping from Google Earth. Heck, I’ve taken a few through the windshield in the past, but snipping from Google Earth is even easier than going through my photo collection.

Here are just a few of my “favorite” spots. I’m sure there are better.  Click the photos for larger.

This is one of my favorites. The Google pic doesn’t do this tree justice. It’s been maimed by the utility wires, and now looms over them looking like it wants to bite back.

Here’s a snap along Dillingham Boulevard near Honolulu Community College.Note the extreme damage to trees on the left side. This is very typical of how the utility wires have ruined the natural beauty that should be ours..

Another view, from the other direction. Oh, those poor trees…

Proceeding along Dillingham, just a minute or two past this spot, we have this scene:

There’s no use even thinking of trees here. But more interesting, this was along one of the originally proposed routes for Mufi’s Train. Can you imagine the cost of undergrounding all the high- and low- tension wires and telephone lines in this picture?

Don’t worry, though. APEC delegates won’t venture this far out of Waikiki. Unless, of course, they’d like to do some shopping at Costco. Hope they don’t follow their shopping trip with a visit to Chinatown for some lunch…

Permalink posted by Larry @ 5/19/2011 01:51:00 PM   0 comments - add your comment links to this post