• Repeal Act 55 • Is this what democracy looks like? • We should use Albizia for fuel • Understanding Obama through ‘2016’ • Conservatives should vote against Lingle and Crowley Repeal Act 55 On 21 Oct., Susan Oakley asked
• Repeal Act 55 • Is this what democracy looks like? • We should use Albizia for fuel • Understanding Obama through ‘2016’ • Conservatives should vote against Lingle and Crowley
Repeal Act 55
On 21 Oct., Susan Oakley asked us all to contact our state representatives demanding the repeal of the PLDC (Public Lands Development Corporation).
To support Susan, I created a petition on signon.org where those who agree with Susan can easily “sign on.” I forwarded the petition to my Rep. Dee Morikawa.
After two days, only 57 people have signed on. Perhaps that explains Ms. Morikawa’s response that the governor would veto any attempt at repeal. In other words, she patted me on the head (nicely) and told me to go away.
When the state builds a new resort on your favorite beach, you’ll have to explain why you couldn’t take 10 seconds to speak out. If you are really interested in closing the PLDC, you have to stand up NOW and make your name publicly known — otherwise, quit complaining.
Next year, it won’t matter. Speak now or shut up.
http://signon.org/sign/repeal-hawaii-act-55
John Zwiebel
Kalaheo
Is this what democracy looks like?
Because of its transparent and democratic conduct of the presidential debates, the League of Women Voters was given the boot by the combined Democratic and Republican parties from sponsoring future debates. Instituted in its place and now presenting the debates is a corporation, the Commission on Presidential Debates, with former Democratic National Party and Republican National Party chairmen and other party luminaries on the board of directors.
To discourage third party candidates, the CPD created the “15 percent barrier.” To be allowed on the debate stage, a third party candidate must have earned 15 percent favorability in five national polls. In a post Citizens United world, this is a nearly insurmountable bar for candidates without corporate backing.
Under the Federal Election Campaign Act, a political party that receives 5 percent of the popular vote qualifies for federal matching funds. So under the CPD rule, taxpayers can finance a candidate’s campaign and yet not see or hear them in the nationally televised debates.
The major parties didn’t like the League of Women Voters’ impromptu and unfettered Town Hall Presidential Debates, either, where citizens were called upon at random to pose a question relating to their personal concerns. Now, audience members write down their questions, which are vetted by the CPD to eliminate questions about issues the candidates would rather avoid, like corporate and wealthy donor corruption of the election process.
On Tuesday, Oct. 16, Green Party candidate Jill Stein was arrested as she entered the site of the second presidential debate at Hofstra University in New York. She had debated Mr. Romney in the 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, after which the Boston Globe declared her “the only adult in the room.” She was handcuffed and held in a nearby warehouse for eight hours. Her name will appear on 80 percent of ballots nationally.
Every concerned citizen must reconcile what democracy looks like, but this can’t be it.
Kip Goodwin
Kapa‘a
We should use Albizia for fuel
In response to a letter on Oct. 19, 2012 by Jo Steciuk: If you do not want to cut down Albizia trees for fuel, then you should stop using electricity. Since the world’s oil and coal supplies are dwindling daily, people have started to turn to renewable energy sources. Albizia is a great energy resource for Kaua‘i.
These trees are very fast growing. They can grow 12 inches in diameter and 60 feet high in just four years! The trees are able to grow at this rate because of the nitrogen nodules on their roots. The nitrogen is a natural fertilizer for the tree. In fact, many other trees require petroleum-based fertilizers to get the benefit that Albizia has naturally. So, not only are Albizias fast growing, but it is cheaper to grow than trees that need external fertilizer. The Albizia trees that are cut grow back even faster than the trees that grow from seed, because the root system is already in place for the growing plant.
Another thing that makes Albizia a good choice for fuel is the fact that the wood dries out very easily. This makes making electricity from Albizias easier and cheaper. The preferred method of making electricity using Albizia is called gasification. In gasification, extremely high temperatures are used to turn the wood into a gas. If the wood was wet, it would take extra fuel and more time to burn off the moisture before the gasification process could begin.
The last reason that it’s good to cut Albizia down to create electricity is the fact that the trees are a menace to neighborhoods.
The branches of Albizia are very brittle. This is because the Albizia branches store a lot of water in their core.
Therefore, the Albizia trees are prone to falling and causing damage to property especially when it is windy outside. In fact, a couple of years back, an Albizia branch fell on my neighbor’s guest cottage.
The falling tree ripped the stairs off the house and damaged the roof.
Falling Albizia damages power lines and block roadways. Cutting down Albizia would help prevent these accidents.
Sure, Albizia is a beautiful tree to look at. But, it’s far more useful (and safer) to cut it down and create electricity that we are all addicted to.
Emily Sullivan
Age 11
Kalaheo
Understanding Obama through ‘2016’
I found the movie “2016” to be profoundly factual and interesting. Amazingly, I felt no emotion for or against Obama after leaving the movie. I see him as less of a “bad” guy because I now understand him much better. Before the movie, and for the past four years, it’s bothered me that a person is my president and none of us even know who he really is!
There is no way to change, or factually misrepresent, where Obama was traveling, who he was meeting with, who his family really is, and other “facts” that are obviously correct with regards to those issues.
Interviews with his grandmother, his brother, weaving in exact quotes from Obama’s book “Dreams From My Father,” while becoming informed about his real father’s Communist membership, and his father’s influential Communist friends who helped mold Obama, allows us to better understand what Obama is, in good faith, trying to do to America.
The interviews with noted authors who have spent thousands of hours researching Obama and his friends, and authors who have written the most definitive books available about Obama concerning his history was fascinating! Obama’s vision, and what he really meant by “Change” in 2008 now makes perfect sense!
His actions have spoken loud and clear and certainly verify the movie content is accurate!
Unfortunately, Obama’s America is not the America any of us really want; not even the liberal left who, for some reason, can’t project what they’re in for with four more years of this.
The three most dangerous dictators in the world, Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro and Russia’s Putin have now all endorsed Obama. They know for a fact what the movie is trying to help the rest of us see.
Gordon Oswald
Kapa‘a
Conservatives should vote against Lingle and Crowley
The Akaka Bill threatens to rip apart our people and lands along racial lines. It is the most dangerous federal legislation that ever affected the State of Hawai‘i.
The Akaka Bill would be so devastating for Hawai‘i that it outweighs national issues like the budget deficit, unemployment and foreign policy as we Hawai‘i conservatives consider how to vote. Remember Bosnia, Rwanda and Sri Lanka? Racial separatism and civil war were far more important than economic problems.
The only reason the Akaka Bill never passed in 12 years is because Senate Republicans blocked it. Gov. Lingle spent eight years pushing the Akaka Bill as her top federal priority. Lingle would work inside her Republican Senate caucus to get them to stop blocking it. But Republicans will ignore Democrat Hirono. Conservatives should hold their noses and vote for Hirono to stop Lingle from going to the Senate.
Kawika Crowley embraces conservative views on economics and foreign policy. But he favors both the Akaka Bill and secession. That’s outrageous. Democrat Gabbard favors the Akaka Bill too, but Republicans will ignore her. Gabbard will win easily, so conservatives who don’t like Gabbard’s liberalism do not need to vote for her to ensure Crowley’s defeat — we can afford a principled “blank” to show we dislike them both.
Republican national and state platforms both strongly oppose the Akaka Bill. Lingle and Crowley have abandoned Republican principles. Conservative Republicans can abandon those candidates without guilt.
Ken Conklin
Kaneohe
