• On county’s conspiracy theory • Violation ignored • Enough, I say • Bike path a legacy? On county’s conspiracy theory I suggest both Fred von Wiegen (The Garden Island, Letters, June 26) and the County Council cease ad hominem
• On county’s conspiracy theory
• Violation ignored
• Enough, I say
• Bike path a legacy?
On county’s conspiracy theory
I suggest both Fred von Wiegen (The Garden Island, Letters, June 26) and the County Council cease ad hominem attacks and innuendo and set aside foregone conclusions. Read what I said more carefully regarding Chief Lum’s contract cancellation. I said a possible fax mis-feed is the “simple and most likely explanation” and “it looks like that’s what happened.” This is an observation, not a conclusion. Looks can be misleading, but an inquiring mind can be quite corrective given additional information.
Here is the chronology of events as I understand them:
• May 30 — K.C. Lum’s attorney received a Cancellation of Contract document from county outside hired attorney.
• June 2 — Lum combines cancellation of contract document and his retirement letter dated June 3 and sends the document to Mayor Bryan Baptiste, Adminstrator Gary Heu and the Police Commission (and others).
• June 5, 5:44 p.m. — Heu sends e-mail to Lum noting the contract cancellation document had a mistake.
• June 5, 7:17 p.m. — Lum resends correct three-page document to Mayor Bryan Baptiste, Adminstrator Gary Heu and the Police Commission. He apologizes for the error.
• June 13 — Lum notices County Council has put the termination of K. C. Lum’s employment contract item on the agenda and sends County Clerk Peter Nakamura the corrected three-page document with explanation for distribution to all council members.
• June 15 — At council meeting members proceed to discuss agenda item; council infers conspiracy, possible criminal intent and requests county attorney investigate.
What in this chronology leads the county council to suspect, and Fred von Wiegen to conclude, “a criminal act” rather than an error that was corrected (twice) before the June 15 council meeting? The council proceeded to launch their paranoid conspiracy theory that “they” were out to get them.
Excerpts from the June 15 council meeting included the following comments:
“Lies, mis-statements, and erroneous facts;” “The motive was to have the public believe the county was trying to screw K.C Lum;” “I hope people see this on TV,” stated Mel Rapozo.
“Fraud, deception and lies;” “I believe there is a conspiracy;” “By having this public forum on Ho‘ike people will be informed correctly,” said Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho.
“We could have an apology that could be in the local print and on Ho‘ike,” suggested Jay Furfaro.
“It is wrong, misleading, half-truths. It borders on lies,” said Kaipo Asing.
“False allegations and information going out there and it’s going to happen again because this is an election year,” summarized Daryl Kaneshiro
As an infrequent council meeting attendee, I thought I had walked into a meeting on June 15 of The Paranoid Conspiracy Club posturing for the TV cameras.
I saw the council spin a web of conspiracy out of whole cloth, and asked the county attorney to investigate. Could hiring outside attorneys with our money be far behind, or will they wrap this investigation up quickly and report back their findings in a timely manner? Will the public be told or will this all occur in executive session? The public deserves to be given the full report before the primary election.
Using von Wiegen’s and the council’s logic, how many people think the county notice which mispelled Nuhou Road was intentional and designed to mislead the public in an attempt to push a road through a neighborhood park?
My criticism of the Kaua‘i County Council and von Wiegen is that both presume conspiratorial criminal intent, instead of the presumption of innocence.
Now, because I suggested an alternative theory based on error, von Weigen asks if am “covering up an illegal act?” Am I being investigated for suggesting a simple error has been blown out of proportion into a conspiracy theory by the County Council?
Sometimes an error is just an error.
Violation ignored
In Brian Schoen’s letter to The Garden Island (Vacation rentals/pre-emptive strike, June 26) he states: “The county will not take any action unless offical complaints are made.”
But the sad truth is that even if the county Planning Department files a Zoning Compliance Notice and/or a Notice of Violation they do not enforce them.
At least that is my experience.
They say: “If no corrective action is taken within the specified time frame this matter shall be referred to both the county and prosecuting attorney’s office to start civil and criminal action.”
The Notice of Violation I am referring to is dated May 3, 2006, and as of this date no corrective action has been taken. It has been over one and a half years that I have been trying to get the Planning Department to take action on a violation.
Enough, I say
Thanks to Mr. Tucker of Albuquerque for his outrage that Byron Say is still cruising Kaua‘i’s roads. I was in Judge Trudy Senda’s courtroom when the prosecutor requested Mr. Say be required drug testing as a condition of bail, as the results were in of the toxicology report the day he ran over Lisa Wilson. Judge Senda denied the request and instructed Mr. Say not to do any illegal drugs. The next day The Garden Island published the toxicology results: Byron Say had amphetamine, methamphetamine and morphine in his blood that day, not to mention the heroin found in his pack.
Mr. Say was arrested recently for erratic driving and fled the scene again. Among other drugs, he was in possession of 40 morphine pills and Judge Watanabe turned him loose.
I ask our esteemed judges to please do their job by protecting our community from this known drug offender who should not be driving Kaua‘i roads.
Bike path a legacy?
I would like to shake the hand of the individual who first linked the word “legacy” to this bike path. It is such a warm-fuzzy feel-good word … especially here in Hawai‘i.
Many of us hear the word “legacy” and we think of Bernice Pauahi Bishop, Queen Lili‘uokalani, King David Kalakaua, etc. The thing is, Bernice Pauahi Bishop’s legacy is The Kamehameha Schools where it’s actually cool to be a smart Hawaiian. Queen Lili‘uokalani’s legacy is her grace and dignity in the face of greed and deception. King David Kalakaua’s legacy is the resurrection of our hula and our pride in our culture and history.
Mayor Baptiste, Doug Haige, JoAnn Yukimura and supporters of the bike path: Have you seen what your bike path has done to the coastline just North of Kealia Bay? Make an effort and go see for yourself. Maybe even you will see just how ugly your legacy has become.
Once again, please stop the destruction.
- Lokelani Ka‘auwai
Anahola Hawaiian Homes
