Can You Believe These Guys Represent the "Majority" in Hawaii??
After Giving Wrist Slaps to Violent Teen Rapists and Murderers by Killing the Bill Known as Karen's Law, Then Promoting Gay Weddings in Hawaii with Bill 444, and Increasing the Cost of Living through Higher Taxes to Pay Off Gov't Union Executives and Bosses, Marcus and Blake Oshiro are Still Calling the Shots at the State House; Could You Ask for Anything More?

Published: May 3, 2009

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HGEA Steps Up Campaign of Intimidation of Elected Officials
Legislative Offices at State Capitol Report Relentless Campaign to Hike Taxes: "The phone calls, the e-mails, the faxes and the visits to our offices just won't stop. These government workers want raises and job security while the rest of the state is falling apart," report staffers exhausted and intimidated by greedy union members; HGEA's Randy Perreira confirms that the union is STILL lobbying for a GET tax hike

Published: May 1, 2009

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Government Employee Union for State AND City Jobholders Fight Back
New HGEA Ad Campaign Launched on Heels of Successful Tea Parties in Hawaii; The Emotionally Detached Union Bosses Show Zero Empathy (or even Aloha) for Residents of the Aloha State during Current Recession

Published: April 27, 2009

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SRN's Gambit Against Ikaika Anderson Comes Up Empty . . .
Wannabe Kingmaker Cliff Slater's Magic Touch Now Seriously In Doubt; Former Jewelry Salesman is Now ZERO for Three (Stop Rail Now campaign, Panos for Mayor campaign, Steve Holmes for Council campaign) in his Political Involvements; Hawaii Reporter Privately Considers Revoking Slater's Recently Bestowed "Superhero" Status Due to Shabby Results from Slater 'Leadership'; Stop Rail Now Brand Considered Nearly Worthless by Wall Street and Main Street; Hawaii's Conservatives Re-Examine If Slater Brings Anything of Value to the Equation...

Published: April 24, 2009

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Welcome to the 'No Speech Zone' . . .
Duke Aiona and Linda Lingle Put Their Political Values on Display By Promoting Famed 'Microphone Blocker' and Big Government Supporter for County Chair; "Gotta Keep the Party Under Our Control"

Published: March 19, 2009

LAST SPRING:
Quoting from a story by HawaiiReporter.com, written 5/19/2008 while covering the Republican Party of Hawaii Convention:  "Party leaders  allowed no room for free thought and quickly cut off debate or discussion. Malia Gray, office manager for House Minority Leader Lynn Finnegan, and others employed in the Republican administration, physically blocked delegates with differing views from getting to the microphones."

THIS WEEK:
This past Saturday, the Honolulu County Republican Party announced  that it had elected Malia Gray as its new chairwoman through 2011. Last year, she was office manager to Lynn Finnegan and 10 months later she's the new Oahu Republican Party Chair.

G.O.P. COUNTY CONVENTION SPEECH EXCERPTS . . .

LINDA LINGLE: "Attention State employees. I am the governor and your boss. I am so relieved to see so many of the beneficiaries of my patronage system here today. Good, you got my memo. Listen, you know why I called you here today and you know exactly what to do . . . if you know what’s good for your job and your future, that is. Let me be clear: If even one of you votes for Dan Douglass, you may as well pack up your belongings and send your resumes to Bob Awana's Far East Escort Service. With that said, if you need to vote early and leave early, even before nominations are pau or delegates have even been certified, well that's okay by me. Outgoing county chair Tercia has been instructed to ignore all complaints about procedure and rules violations. Now, as for Malia, Jonah and the sanctified Our Ohana team, please carry on the great work you do for us in stifling debate and keeping the party silent on major issues of the day. And please accept our blessings to use the same tactics to pursue our administration's agenda . . . which is, of course, to divert all party resources to Duke’s race. Like I said at the Lincoln Day dinner a few weeks ago, Duke’s campaign to succeed me as governor is ALL that matters. You want to keep your state jobs, then listen good. Forget crazy ideas like taking back the legislature and forget about promoting conservative values. Yuck! It's so much better having sovereignty activists and Aiona/Finnegan campaign workers like Malia and Jonah taking over our party than wasting valuable time and energy pushing for tax cuts and streamlining of government. Malia's commitment to pursuing my unholy agenda at all costs is the reason why I describe her in my endorsement as a 'unifier' who believes in 'teamwork'."

DUKE AIONA: "In my unconditional and enthusiastic endorsement of Malia Gray, I have ironically described her as "inclusive" because of her strongarm tactics for excluding Republicans from discussions about our party's platform. And in our party's deeply held spirit of Ainokea, I wish to offer a special mahalo to our leader of the ever-shrinking minority caucus, Lynn Finnegan, for diverting all those weeks of time and effort at her state legislative office away from fighting the Democrats, to promoting the Our Party Our Ohana campaign instead. I promised her that she could be my running mate for Lieutenant Governor if she passed her audition by doing the dirty work of putting my young and loyal cronies in charge of the party. However, I'm a little nervous about the race for governor, since after all the campaigning by Lynn's Ohana group, Malia barely won enough votes to beat that anti-tax, anti-big government Ron Paul guy. With results like that, Abercrombie is going to clean my clock. I'll be lucky to survive a primary challenge. Plus, today’s vote wasn’t much of a mandate, especially with all the thousands of manhours Lynn, Malia, Jonah and their running mates spent working on this campaign from Lynn Finnegan’s State office. Only 140 votes, c’mon. I only hope that Jonah's use of our party to organize outreach to church groups and sovereignty activists on my behalf helps people forget about the sorry, anti-family, anti-business record of the Aiona/Lingle administration."

LYNN FINNEGAN: "As the driving force behind Our Party Our Ohana, it's my job to help folks understand that the means we've been using in our party takeover are justified, no matter how dirty the tricks we use or how unsavory and questionable our alliances are. You see, my dead-end job at the legislature -- watching our numbers of Republican legislators shrinking away to nothing -- makes me realize that if I don't make the jump for Lieutenant Governor this year, then I'll be just another stain on the political road like Mark Moses or Guy Ontai. The tricky part is pretending that our Ohana candidates for party office aren't really to blame for the way the party has been mismanaged for years. Remember the 'Victory 2006 Campaign'? We lost so many Republicans that year. But, hey, once you can fake sincerity in politics, you've got it made. By taking Malia and Jonah under my wing, here's what I'm teaching them: If people find out that you're part of the problem, just say, 'No, I'm part of the solution.' Memories are short these days. That's why the facts don't mattter. We need to take advantage of that."

GARRET HASHIMOTO: "Take it from me, the leader of Hawaii's Christian Coalition and a high-powered campaign worker for Our Party Our Ohana. If you don't believe that God is on our side, then just how do you explain the appearance of miracles thus far in our camapaign to take over the Republican Party of Hawaii?? Miracle #1: Even though I didn't attend the precinct and district caucuses earlier this year, my name mysteriously showed up on the list of convention delegates just days before the county convention. Was I appointed by the district chairman where I live? No, he didn't. God put me on that list. Sure, you might think that someone at party headquarters tried to sneak my name on that list. But no, it WAS God himself using the computers at party HQ and it was God who ensured that my name appeared on the printout. That's because God has annointed Malia and Jonah with snake oil and is guiding them on their journey. Miracle #2: more votes were cast at the county convention than there were delegates in attendance. Only God would be able to stuff those cardboard ballot boxes. Sure, skeptics and nonbelievers might think that the absence of poll watchers opened up the possibility of cheating, especially since party insiders have a stake in the outcome of the election for county officers. But that's just atheistic talk. Finally, here are miracles #3 and #4 and #5: Voting took place before nominations were even made, delegates and alternates weren't even certified yet before casting ballots, and the approved agenda was massively altered in serious ways without approval of convention goers. Now if this wasn't divine intervention, I don't know what is. Praise be to the enlightented and honorable campaign of Malia and Jonah. They answer to no one except the Almighty. Plus, I'm so desperate to have any political influence in this town, I'll embrace any gang of hypocrites if they get me a seat at the big table."

JONAH KAAUWAI: "Please bow your heads. We turned to prayer to hear from God and he gave me a holy quest. Malia the Microphone Blocker, Lori the Target Girl, our running mates and I are asking for your prayers, help and participation to bring righteousness back into politics, and we will conduct ourselves with love, hope, selflessness and righteousness; when we're not suppressing contrary ideas, propping up the corrupt party regime, promoting OHA's insidious agenda, or skipping work at the legislature to go shopping at Target, that is. God imparted that my ministry is politics and my followers and I will storm the kingdom of the Republican Party. If anyone chooses to speak out against my holy mission on behalf of God, then you will be made to feel unwelcome and Malia will keep your voice from being heard. I simply must be elected as state chair and I will use this political party to dutifully share God's values with the world. From a very young age God designed my heart to care for the aina and its people. The greatest priority is the aina. God is guiding my steps. Do not resist me or my holy band of halo-wearing running mates or you will be considered to be resisting God's will and you will feel the ruthless wrath of Miriam Hellreich and me, Elmer Gantry. I cannot stand by and allow the world to impose its values on me. Join me, or the streets will flow with the blood of the nonbelievers. God personally asked me to ask you to help me assist Duke, Linda and the Democrats in passing the Akaka Bill as well as the newly-proposed Aiona/Lingle tax increases. Aloha Ke Akua." ** speech partially excerpted from Jonah's letter to delegates

MIRIAM HELLREICH: "As you probably know, the Republican Party of Hawaii is my personal cash machine and country club . . . and it has been for some time. That's why I cannot afford to relinquish any control, even if I have to buddy up to these fanatical followers of Jonah. Malia Gray, we can think of no better way to reward you for blocking the microphones on the convention floor in order to suppress delegates from discussing the party platform at last year’s state convention than to enthusiatically support you for chair of the Honolulu county GOP. It's not that I'm thrilled about you, but I cannot abide having real Republicans running the long-neglected county party. That would really cramp my style and make it harder to raise money for Duke from Democrats who like the status quo here in Hawaii. As Duke might say, your methods to stifle dissent and free speech embody the very spirit of the Lingle/Aiona 'mana'. We are so grateful for your efforts to keep our party on record in favor of liberal issues such as the Democrat-sponsored Akaka Bill and looking the other way while Linda raises everyone's taxes and cuts expensive deals with government labor unions. Malia, by your having helped to organize a takeover of the platform committee and ensure that the radical sovereignty agenda is enshrined in the local GOP platform, we will be sure to keep the party in sync with OHA and the Democrat Party, just as Linda promised it would be back in 2002. I know that you will help us keep our word to OHA so they can divide Hawaii’s people and teriritory by race. May Jonah's lack of political experience and Malia's willingness to do anything I say lead the new party leaders to continue doing my bidding for decades to come. No matter what, please pretty please, let me stay on as national committeewoman. It's my entire identity."

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THIS JUST IN . . .
Priorities Are Priorities; Winning a Place in Line at Target Trumps Winning at the Ballot Box; Boss Defends Lack of Seriousness During Partisan Legislative War and Demands Public Apology for Reporting Which is 100% Accurate

Published: March 12, 2009
UPDATED: March 13, 2009 (Friday the 13th)
UPDATED AGAIN: March 14, 2009 (live from the GOP County Convention)

NEWS FLASH: Zero Shibai just received a disturbing phone call (781-9931) from a local public official about the "Target" editorial artwork below. Philosophically-challenged and loyal Linglist Republican State Representative Gene Ward of Hawaii Kai called to demand a "public apology" from Zero Shibai for bringing his office manager's shopping penchant and missed work to light. Acknowledging that the piece about Lori Wingard was 100% completely accurate and right on target, Ward nonetheless took time out of his busy day -- such as pushing for a law to mandate that the overwhelming majority of homeowners in Hawaii be forced to pay to install a solar water-heating system and supporting the tax and spend policies of the Democrat majority and those of Gov. Lingle -- to argue that only a person with "no conscience in the matter" would refuse to apologize for making "a great future elected official" such as Ms. Wingard look like a "laughingstock". Usually Mr. Ward is busy making life difficut for coqui frogs, shouting at them at the middle of the night and telling them to stop making coqui frog-like noises. Now, he debases himself even further by calling on people to apologize for telling the truth. Next, he'll get angry at people who keep promises and those sickos who have the nerve to say "please" and "thank you". Then, he'll probably vote for faux Republican Governor Lingle's proposed 2009 tax increases and then shout from the roof of the State Capitol, "That's right, Republicans. Let's shove Linda'a tax hike down the throats of those Democrats!! We'll show them bigger government than they've ever seen." Seriously, Republicans are in a battle for their lives in the Aloha State. Ward apparently hasn't noticed that his party (which doesn't even advertise or promote its policies and which has been in serious decline) only has the four month long sessions at the part-time legislature to strut their stuff for the public. 'All hands on deck' is the right attitude, not 'let's go shopping instead'. Democrats are likely grateful for yet another example of the local GOP's lack of seriousness about winning, and Target is grateful for the extra publicity. Zero Shibai and our readers are grateful for the laughs, though sad for the fate of a two-party system in Hawaii Nei.

We also received a disturbing e-mail from a staffer at a Democrat Councilmember's office. Apparently, Democrats are worried about this issue (and others) hurting Ms. Wingard's chances of successfully taking over the Republican Party along with a group of pro-Akaka Bill RINO's. Apparently, staff members of liberal Republicans and staff members of Democrat politicians have something important in common: a preference for keeping un-serious, un-questioning leadership at the helm of the local GOP. They may get their wish . . .

UPDATE: Despite a rousing nominating speech and endorsement by Rep. Gene Ward (RINO-Hawaii Kai) for his absentee, shopaholic office manager, the Target Girl lost in her bid today for vice-chairperson of the Honolulu County GOP. Ms. Wingard will now have more time to shop at her favorite store, where coincidentally there is a red tag sale on first aid kits . . . useful in cases of backstabbing her fellow candidates.

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LIFE IMITATES ART
Despite Media Inflation of Widespread Pent Up Local Demand for 'Civil Right' of Homosexuals to Marry, Only a Few Bother to Even Show Up for Gay Rally; Apparently Attitudes Have Not "Changed" Since 1998's 70% to 30% Vote AGAINST Gay Weddings

Published: February 23, 2009

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DUMBING DOWN THE "SUPERHERO"
Celebrating Hawaii's 'Very Best' Unsuccessful Conservative Political Warriors Thru Re-Definition; The Mystery of Peer Group Self-Esteem and the Magic Power of Awards

Published: February 19, 2009

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GUEST CONTRIBUTOR TAKES AIM AT
Did Our Wacky Public Servants Blow Into Our Lives Riding a Tornado from Hell?!?

Published: January 14, 2009

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A 'CRAPPIER' SITUATION THAN IMPEACHMENT
The Environmental Protection Agency Forces Mufi to Start Thinking About the Best Use of Tax Dollars with His Brain Instead of His Okole

Published: January 9, 2009

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WORLD EXCLUSIVE
Passengers Stranded on Mufi's HECO-Powered Elevated Rail System; Rescue Crews and TheBus Overwhelmed; Strandees Escape On Foot and Walk Home

Published: December 29, 2008

ZeroShibai.com's reporters were on the scene of several evacuations of rail transit passengers during last Friday's power outage. As you can see from these exclusive photos, the elevated nature of the entire rail system made rescue efforts particularly challenging. Tens of thousands of evening rush hour rail riders ran out of patience waiting for overtaxed rescue personnel to escort strandees one by one down fire rescue ladders and in rescue cranes. As a result, many riders chose to walk a half-mile along the emergency walkways to the nearest train station and made their way down the emergency exit stairways.

Of course, this was just the beginning of their journey home, as many were forced to walk the remaining distance to their homes, due to the inability of TheBus to provide enough bus service in a time of crisis; particularly since funding had long been shifted from TheBus to TheTrain (not to mention diverting funding from TheFreeways, TheHighways, and TheRoads). Many passengers were overheard complaining that before TheTrain, a single bus ride could take them from work to home, and they wouldn't have been stranded on this night if their bus route hadn't been changed; forcing them to ride a bus to get to a train station, ride the train, and then transfer to yet another bus.

HECO officials brushed aside reporters' suggestions that better management of HECO might lead to fewer outages, citing the monopoly company's proud record of routinely co-opting Perry and Price into persistently urging their listeners into accepting power outages as being a unique part of Hawaii's local, homegrown style which helps differentiate us from the well-lit mainland, and to embrace power outages as an opportunity for communities to "come together" while their food spoils.

HECO officials would not comment about how, two years later, they have yet to issue reimbursement checks to Oahu residents for loss claims stemming from the last 12-19 hour island-wide power blackout, reportedly caused by an earthquake on another island, citing privacy concerns of their customers. But they did confirm HECO’s policy that if people are one day late on their electric bill payments, they can rest assured that someone will come to their residence to cut off the electricity.

ZeroShibai began investigating why politicians throughout state and county government and the public utilities commission have sat idly by while HECO gets away with such poor service while routinely raising rates and becoming less customer-friendly. However, upon examination of HEI’s campaign contributions to virtually every elected official in town, it became clear why hopes for accountability and/or improvements to service are just a pipe dream while those who look out for the voters are in bed with Hawaiian Electric.

CLICK TO SEE HOW HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC SPREADS $$ AROUND TOWN

Rather than paying fines or facing any consequences whatsoever, HECO the monopoly utility is expected to exploit the most recent outages by requesting a rate hike for "investments" to their infrastructure (meaning executive bonuses). Forget the fact that fuel prices have dropped substantially, the people of Hawaii are ripe for the picking. Even the news media have gotten into the act by agreeing to NOT make the claim form for spoiled food, damaged appliances and other losses easily available on websites. Indeed, most reporters in Hawaii are angling for higher paying publicist jobs at companies like HECO, so don’t expect serious questions or follow-up questions by the fourth estate.

When asked for comment about the impact of HECO's frequent power outages combined with problems stemming from expectedly poor government maintenance of TheTrain, Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann was busy delivering a generator to Barack Obama's Kailua rental home where he hoped to get the president-elect's endorsement for either congress or governor. Bill Brennan, also unavailable for comment, was last seen driving home from a long afternoon of drinking at Hooter's. Keith Rollman and Elise Yadao reportedly said they were too busy updating the Fire Panos website and would have to get back to the press later. They did suggest that Mayor Hannemann expects to call for yet another property tax increase and for even more money from the State in order to ensure that the 1% of people who ride TheTrain each day are sufficiently subsidized by the 99% of people who don't.

Interestingly, an intensive survey of those rescued from TheTrain revealed that the composition of passengers was entirely made up of those who were previously riders of TheBus. In fact, our reporters could not find one single rescued passenger who said that he or she stopped commuting in a private vehicle in order to become a rider of TheTrain. Moveover, no politicians, no administration officials, no HGEA members, no HSTA members, nor any leaders of pro-rail groups were among those rescued from stranded trains. Either they all left their government jobs really early on a Friday (which can certainly be expected) or they never intended to be among the poor, huddled masses that ride public transportation. Perhaps riding to and from work in luxury cars on roads congested at rush hour wasn't as much of a crisis as we thought during the mad rush to approve and build TheTrain . . . especially if they never really intended to give up their cars, already knowing from their own studies that TheTrain wouldn't help congestion one little bit?

YOU’VE ONLY GOT 30 DAYS TO FILE A
LOSS CLAIM WITH HECO, FOLKS . . . GET MOVING

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Just a few months ago, they wanted to purchase Turtle Bay Resort
These Ambitious Screwballs Sure Give Republicans a Bad Name; Hawaii Democrats Are Back on the Rise after 2008 Elections, Outnumbering the GOP 23 to 2 in the State Senate and 45 to 6 in the State House

Published: December 4, 2008

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I Know . . . Let's Blame the Economy, Not the Leadership
Did Hawaii's 'Brain Drain' Leave Us Stuck With the Caliber of People Running the Local Phone Company?

Published: December 1, 2008

FUN QUOTES FROM HAWAIIAN TEL PRESS RELEASES
ABOUT THESE ACTIVE SUPPORTERS OF DEMOCRAT
CANDIDATES AND THE DEMOCRAT PARTY
(Beware: You might stop believing publicists after reading these quotes.)

"We are delighted to welcome Eric to Hawaiian Telcom. Eric's local knowledge and proven leadership and management skills will be great assets to the company as we continue to focus on customer service and operations."

"I look forward to increasing my level of involvement at Hawaiian Telcom," said Walter Dods, "and welcome the opportunity to work with Eric to grow the business so that Hawaiian Telcom remains the state's premier telecommunications company."

Political Contributions by Walter Dods

Political Contributions by Eric K. Yeaman

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ELECTION AFTERMATH, continued
If the Star-Bulletin's Corky Trinidad Sees Why the Hawaii GOP is Hopeless, Will Party Leaders Keep Hanging On To Power?

Published: November 12, 2008

FROM TODAY'S EDITORIAL PAGE

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ELECTION AFTERMATH
Shooting Elephants for Fun: Lingle and Aiona Oversee the Death of the Hawaii GOP

Published: November 11, 2008

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When Headline Writers Run Amok
With Just Days Before the Rail Vote, Editors of the Honolulu Advertiser Abandon Pursuit of Truth and Simply Invent the News . . .

Published: October 31, 2008

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Conning Local Folks into "Penny Wise, Pound Foolish" Outlook on Con-Con
New Group Vows to Silence Voice of Hawaii Citizens Crying Out for Government Reform

Published: October 29, 2008

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ZERO SHIBAI EXCLUSIVE
Stop Rail Now Co-Chair Dennis Callan Alleges Physical Assault by Go Rail Go's Joe Magaldi, Who Made Callan Feel "Very Threatened"; 98-Pound Weakling Considers Filing Charges Against Short Pro-Rail Bully

Published: October 22, 2008

Apparently, Dennis Callan was so shaken after an alleged assault at last night's City presentation on Mufi's rail plan, during which he was victimized by Joe Magaldi, it didn't occur to him to report the matter to police or call 911 right away. This morning, however, Callan has turned for advice to the brain trust of SRN; asking them in an internal e-mail if he should press charges. Here is the actual verbatim text of Callan's message:

I'm considering filing an assault charge with the Prosecutor's office and would like your feedback, and need witness statements from those who saw what happened last night, which I describe as follows: Berserk at Blaisdell

Last night I was physically grabbed and shoved by Joe Magaldi, in public in front of 30 witnesses while I was speaking at a city-sponsored meeting on transit planning at the Blasdell Exhibit Center. Mr. Magaldi acted as a tough bully, trying to force me to stop speaking, and physically shoved me away from the audience by grabbing my shoulders with both of his hands and pulling me away. I kept my arms to my side and did not resist or fight back in any way, but instead turned to the audience and asked them if they could believe what was happening in front of their eyes. Feeling very threatened by this incident, I quickly concluded my remarks and stopped talking.

Because of this physical attack I want to file assault charges against Mr. Magaldi (Editor: seen here with SRN's Dale Evans). There can be no question that the incident did take place, and I have at least five named witnesses who will confirm these details. There were also two police officers standing nearby who should have also seen the whole incident.

It is most disturbing that at the time of this unprovoked attack I was exercising my right of free speech by talking to the audience about a critical public issue – rail transit for Honolulu. While I was speaking, Mr. Magaldi came up behind me and grabbed me with both hands, wrapped around my shoulders forcefully, and tried to pull me away.

Ironically this happened at a city-sponsored meeting on city property concerning an important issue which is coming up as a ballot question in the General Election, which asks the public if they approve or disapprove building rail transit. A further irony is that Mr. Magadli, who is well know as a fervent rail advocate, and former Marine colonel, is the Chairman of the Honolulu Transportation Committee and former Chairman of the OMPO CAC, for citizen involvement in the transportation planning process.

The public meeting last night is part of a planning procedure mandated by the Federal Transit Administration that requires “public involvement” in the process.

I have standing and recognition in the community as a spokesman for the anti-rail position as co-chair of Stop Rail Now, an organization that represents more than 40,000 people who signed our initiative petition to put rail on the ballot. On October 20 we formally asked the mayor for the opportunity to speak at these public meetings with equal time to present a balanced perspective on the transit issue, but we were denied. We attended the meeting last night to assert that right of free speech. We asked the audience how many wanted to hear from us and all but one hand went up. After the city presentation we then tried to speak to the audience and this is when I was physically attacked by Mr. Magaldi.

[hat tip to Cliff & Bobbie Slater for the inside info]

ALERT ZERO SHIBAI READERS
HAVE BEEN WRITING US
TO SUGGEST THE CHARLES ATLAS
PROGRAM (below) FOR DENNIS:

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Time to Get Some New Advisors from Planet Earth, Muffy
Honolulu Mayor Picks Up On Radio Waves from Deep Space and Warns Unsuspecting Voters of Secret Plot to Prevent Him From Enriching His Friends Thru Rail Project

Published: June 25, 2008

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The 'Sheeple' Have Spoken
Under Lingle's Direction, Uninformed Republican Delegates Overwhelmingly Support Creation of a Racist OHA Government for Hawaii's New Alii to Run On Behalf of Hawaii's Part-Hawaiian Commoners . . . With Everyone Else's Money

Published: May 20, 2008

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Gambling on the Future of Hawaii
Sovereignty/Separatist Activists in Hawaii Want Part-Hawaiians to Get the Same Things Indians Got . . . The Shaft of the Commoners by the Self-Interested Alii

Published: May 11, 2008

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Have You Brushed Up On Current Events?
Attention Hawaii News Junkies and Celebrity Watchers: Do You Recognize this Newsmaker? The ZS Reader with the First Correct Answer Will Receive a FREE Subscription to ZeroShibai.com PLUS Fame, Fortune and Everything That Goes With It

Published: May 8, 2008

READER QUIZ RESPONSES:

Huah writes: "The answer is: Democrats who continually vote for the same frauds year after year after year."

Rachel from Hawaii Kai writes: "Rod Tam searching for naps and snacks? House Judiciary Chair Tommy Waters ignoring victims of crime and patients who want tort reform so they can keep their doctors? Linda Lingle and lawmakers out of touch with the people Hawaii voters who keep putting the same jokers in office? Council member Barbara Marshall who didn't show up at the Honolulu City Council's big vote on rail?"

Kimo from Hau Bush writes: "It's none of the above. It's (GOP Party Chair) Willes Lee pretending Republicans have a chance in November even though he has done nothing to support any change for voters to consider over democrats. No, No, it's House Minority Leader Lynn Finnegan in a pant suit pretending that since the end of the legislative session she knows what needs to be done for Hawaii's people even though she has done nothing but write praises in letters to the editor in the Advertiser for the democrats during the 2008 session. No, wait, it's Haunani Apoliona after writing an article in the May OHA newspaper outing all the people who were against the $200 Million payoff to OHA. No, it's Gov. Lingle and Lenny Klompus on their way to Israel to find out more reasons why Hawaiians are really Israelites looking for their promised land."

Shakagirl from Ewa Beach writes: "I kind of think this looks like (GOP Party Chair) Willes Lee when he said it is okay for Republicans to publicly support Democrats in a contested race."

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Good Thing This Year's Legislative Session Just Ended
Yes, Tonight I'm Gonna Party Like It's 25 or 6 to 4

Published: May 3, 2008

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Get Ready For a More Active Lifestyle and a Longer Commute
You Don't Need to Imagine What Life Will Be Like Once Mufi and His Well-Connected Pallies Build the Rail Project and Re-Route the Buses; Here's a Simple Explanation of the Complex, Time-Consuming Steps Needed to Get To and From Work in the Year 2020

Published: April 28, 2008

READER COMMENTS:

John Brizdle writes: "Great rail piece today. Don't forget, if the City Council continues to make the rider pay for 30% of the cost of mass transit and the cost goes up 125 million like it says in the alternatives Analysis, the bus fare will have to go up as well."

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T-Shirts, Get Your T-Shirts . . . No, Not YOU!
Let's Celebrate The Forthcoming Division of Hawaii With a Parade; Just Stay on the Sidewalk Where You Belong and Cheer Loudly for the OHA Monster You Created and Will Be Forever Paying For . . .

Published: April 27, 2008

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Even So-Called Liberals Get It
Prominent National Liberal Publication Reveals the Intentional Vagueness of the Akaka/Lingle/OHA/Kau Inoa Bill; Pretty Thought-Provoking Stuff About Life in Hawaii's Racially-Divided Near Future . . .

Published: April 21, 2008

A long article by Elinor Langer in "The Nation" magazine on 4/28/08 -- "Hawaiian Resistance Then---And Now" -- just came to our attention. It is well worth reading, particularly if you like history. While the author and the magazine are typically big government growth advocates to the core, effort was obviously made to give a balanced account . . . though not always successfully. Toward the end of the piece (page 4 of online version) is the following observation regarding the proposed Akaka bill (really the "Akaka/Lingle/OHA/KauInoa Bill"):

“What happens if it becomes law is unpredictable. The bill is conspicuously vague. Deferring all important decisions to future ‘government to government‘ negotiations after a Native Hawaiian governing entity is created, the bill is so open ended that no one knows where it will lead, including Senator Akaka, who told an NPR interviewer that it would be up to his grandchildren and great-grandchilren whether to seek independence---a bit of candor greeted in many quarters with a shiver.”

"The heart of the matter, long concealed by other things and staggering to contemplate now that it is being faced, is land: the 1.8 million acres ‘ceded‘ by the republic to the United States at the time of annexation and referred to by everyone touched by the sovereignty movement as ‘stolen‘. This land involves roughly half the State of Hawaii and includes some of its most valuable property, starting with the Honolulu airport."

Again, this assessment comes from a source friendly to the notion of native Hawaiian special group rights; so the tendency would be to diminish the magnitude of problems foreseen and unforeseen in the path of achieving that goal. Thus, Ms. Langer's refreshing candor is a great vehicle to help facilitate discussion and to highlight major problems that scream for attention.

Here are just some of those problems:

First, if the end result of the law is unpredictable and no one knows where it will lead, it seems obvious that elected representatives in Washington, D.C. who vote for this act are imposing upon us a "pig in a poke". By definition they have examined not and thought not. Business hates uncertainty. It is not possible to believe that Hawaii could thrive financially after the bill passed. Smart money would go elsewhere. It is conceivable that negotiations could go on indefinitely but the public outcry and consequent pressure all officials via lobbying and corruption (remember, control of 1.8 million acres is at stake) would trigger some relatively quick action in no telling what direction.

Second, social unrest is almost guaranteed. The unfavored are bound to get angry, particularly when ancestry is on the table and personal economic welfare is at stake.

Third, the 1.8 million acres in question did not belong to the native Hawaiian people, who are now the part-Hawaiian people. Instead it was held by royalty for Hawaii’s people, less than half of whom were of native Hawaiian ancestry (see 1890 census). When that simple fact is discussed and debated in public, 'staggering' will be an understatement.

Fourth, the cry of "stolen land" harks back to events of 1893. Even if true, which is arguable, there is no one now alive who participated. Are you responsible for the improper actions of your great–grandfather? In the course of financial and social pain in the state, this concept will create Sunni’s and Shiites in short order.

Fifth, not mentioned in the quote above is that NONE of the plans for native Hawaiian land entails any private property rights. Moreover, NO individual ownership of fee-simple land is contemplated. And any income from the land will be controlled by “leaders“. The American Indian Tribe model will prevail. Cuba also comes to mind.

Summary . . . Well, just try answering these questions:

Is this good for the state of Hawaii?

Is it good for native Hawaiians?

Is it good for the people of Hawaii?

Is it good for Hawaii’s political leaders?

Is it good for the leaders of a new Native Hawaiian Governing Entity?

Is it good for OHA (repetitive question, perhaps)?

Is it good for the USA?

Is it good for the enemies of the USA?

Are there gainers and losers?

Should there be?

YOU DECIDE.

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People Power in Honolulu
Initiative Campaign Launched to Stop City Adminstration's Rail Project; Signatures To Be Collected to Put Issue on November Ballot; Opposition Expected from Pro-Rail/Tax Political Establishment Figures such as Gov. Lingle, Mayor Hannemann and Other Prominent Democrats

Published: April 21, 2008

A new citizen group has been organized to conduct an initiative petition campaign that is designed to kill rail transit, “and force the city government to develop a better plan for solving our traffic congestion problem,” said Michael Uechi, co-chair of the initiative campaign. The initiative will put the transit issue on the ballot to let the public decide if rail should be built in Honolulu.

The initiative petition proposes the following ordinance:
“Honolulu mass transit shall not include trains or rail transit.”

The group, called stoprailnow.com began circulating the petitions today and plans to “work very hard in the next three months to get the signatures, recruiting a volunteer army to achieve this major task,” said Dennis Callan, who is co-chairing the campaign. “We are counting on public involvement to help with this grass-roots campaign because we don’t have a million-dollar budget for our publicity,” Callan said, referring to the $1.5 million being spent by the city administration to sell the public on rail.

The group has a web site, www.stoprailnow.com and plans a vigorous campaign to circulate the petitions and collect the signatures “starting right now” says Uechi, with advertising, direct mail, e-mail, sign-waving, door-to-door, rallies, standing at busy intersections and shopping malls and word of mouth.

Stoprailnow.com needs to collect about 40,000 signatures before August 1 to qualify for the upcoming General Election in November. If the proposed anti-rail ordinance is then approved by the voters, “rail is dead,” says Uechi. “We need to solve traffic congestion with more effective solutions,” Uechi says, “rather than building a white elephant that very few people would ever ride. Even the city’s own studies show that congestion will get much worse in the future with rail.”

“This petition is urgently needed to let the public decide the issue, because the City Council has been unable to reach a decision, and now the mayor is claiming that he has the power to unilaterally force the train on us,” Callan said. “This is not how a democracy works. The mayor is acting like a grouchy dictator, threatening to ‘pull the plug’ on solving our traffic problems if he cannot have his way. He’s like a spoiled child who is grabbing his ball and going home. The decision is too important to leave in the hands of politicians, especially when they have consistently shown they cannot properly deal with it. If this mayor cannot operate within our democratic principles and find real traffic solutions we need to elect a new mayor who can help us.”

“Rail is not a done deal - we can stop it with this petition and the public vote,” concludes Uechi.

Honolulu Advertiser coverage HERE

Advertiser video HERE

Star-Bulletin coverage HERE

KHON coverage HERE

KITV coverage HERE

KGMB coverage HERE

KHNL coverage HERE

official StopRailNow.com campaign website HERE

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Who's Troothin' and Who's Lyin' ??
When It Comes To Our High Cost of Living, Is Hawaii's Republican Party REALLY for Lower Taxes OR Is the Party of Lingle Just Pretending?

Published: April 17, 2008

Sometimes the distance between the truth and a press release is pretty far apart. Here's a recently published letter to the editor from the current Chair of the Hawaii Republican Party, Willes Lee, which suggests that Republican Governor Linda Lingle wants to help Hawaii taxpapers while the Democratic majority in the State Legislature wants to hurt taxpayers. Below Mr. Lee's letter is a rebuttal from Hawaii resident George Berish published in today's Star-Bulletin. Clearly, there's more to the tax story than Mr. Lee bothered to share, or that he wanted us to remember.

Tax day hurts more in Hawaii

April 15 is always particularly painful in paradise. The governor and lieutenant governor have worked to lower Hawaii's regressive and punitive taxes where state tax on a single mother with one child kicks in if she makes more than only $215 a week.

Last year the Legislature blocked significant tax reform and passed only one-third of the tax relief proposed by Gov. Linda Lingle. The governor's proposal would have refunded $780 to a family of four with income of less than $50,000. Go look in your wallet. Wouldn't it be nice to have that $780?

This year the governor proposed tax relief totaling $132 million, but, as of today the Legislature is passing $0. Zero! It is interesting that the Democrats in Washington, D.C., know that a tax rebate is the best way to keep the economy stimulated, but in Hawaii the Democrat-dominated Legislature still does not get the message.

As long as Democrats prevail in our Legislature, the pain of high taxes will continue, on April 15 and every other day.

This November reduce your pain. Vote Republican.

Willes K. Lee, Chairman
Hawaii Republican Party

GOP shares blame for high tax rate

Although everyone has a right to her or his opinion, no one has a right to be wrong in her or his facts, as Willes Lee was in "Tax day hurts more in Hawaii" (Star-Bulletin, April 14).

Specifically, he got it backwards when he demonized Democrats and lauded Gov. Linda Lingle with respect to Hawaii's regressive taxes.

Hawaii's .5 percent general excise tax increase is its biggest and most regressive ever, and it was passed under three parties: Democrats, a few Republicans who survived Lingle's two elections and Lee's own party, which seems little more than the governor's alter ego - Lingle Party.

Facts: Pre-Lingle Party, Democratic lawmakers, under a Democratic governor, twice proposed a .25 percent GET increase. Back then - even before the Republican Party implosion - Republicans were a minority, so credit for both defeats is due Republicans and anti-tax Democrats.

On Oct. 31, 2003, the Star-Bulletin reported ("Lingle tax plan empowers counties") that Lingle invited the Democratic Party to try again.

And in Small Business Hawaii's September 2005 newsletter, Sen. Sam Slom confirmed he had enough anti-tax Democrats and surviving Republicans to sustain her veto. She refused to issue one.

For better or worse, Lingle deserves unilateral credit for Hawaii's last GET increase - a regressive tax that just completed its first year of undermining Hawaii's already staggering economy.

George L. Berish
Honolulu

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Newly-Launched Campaign Aims at Pro-Rail Councilmember
Honolulu City Councilman Romy Cachola Targeted for Betraying Taxpayers in Council District Which Includes Residential Salt Lake Area; Organizers Promise to Turn Cachola's Constituents Against Him by Election Day 2008 For His Support of Rail

Published: April 16, 2008

*** KHON coverage HERE

article by one of the campaign supporters HERE

official campaign website reportedly HERE

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Kau Kau Time, Haunani
BEWARE: OHA's Revisionist Explanations About The History of Hawaii Are Meant to Be Taken With a Grain of Sea Salt . . .

Published: April 10, 2008

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There Will Be Less Parking, No New Highways, No More Widening, No HOT Lanes
Rail System Pushers Don't Understand How People and Businesses Need the Auto To Get Around; With Over 92% of the Commuting Population of Oahu Ignored by City/State "Planners" -- Who Are Shifting All Future Funding from Roads and Highways to Rail -- There's Really Only One Thing to Say . . .

Published: April 10, 2008

READER COMMENTS:

Bobby Command of West Hawaii Today writes: "We don't need more lanes. We need gas that is $7-$10 a gallon so people begin using mass transit, walking or biking to work. If gas does not get that expensive, then we need to reduce the number of on-street parking spaces by 50 percent, or huge increases ($500? to register a second car, of course coupled with the first car being registered for a song). We also need no-fare bus service (don't laugh, many municipalities already have instituted them)."

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Zero Shibai Exclusive
Federal Court Judge Seabright to Meet with Lawyers for State and OHA Today to Discuss Anti-OHA Attorney's Request for Immediate Shutdown of OHA

Published: April 8, 2008

This morning at 10:00 a.m., U.S. District Court Judge and Lingle appointee Michael Seabright will be holding a status conference on the matter of newly-filed civil rights lawsuit Kuroiwa v. Lingle with attorneys for the State of Hawaii, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and William Burgess, who represents the plaintiffs. (see story below) The most urgent matter is Burgess' request for temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to shutdown OHA before a trial even gets underway; based on compelling arguments, solid evidence, and a likelihood of Burgess' clients winning their civil rights case in federal court.

At issue is a recent ruling by the Ninth Circuit of the U.S. District Court of Appeals, in which teh "ceded lands" of Hawaii -- from which OHA derives income (and which it wants total control of, in order to form a new, racially-exclusive government) -- belong to all the people of Hawaii, not just part-Hawaiians. This ruling from Seabright's superiors will undoubtedly set the tone for a contentious conference today, either in his chambers or his courtroom, as neither side in this dispute will likely rest until this matter is adjudicated by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Should Judge Seabright grant a temporary restraining order (TRO) and/or a preliminary injunction (either today or in a future hearing) which shuts down OHA, or at least freezes its operations or financial shenanigans, the resulting political tsunami brought on by such a legal earthquake would be on a magnitude of Phuket 2004 proportions. OHA's Haunani Apoliona is already screaming "They want to shut us down" and Lingle's Attorney General Bennett is claiming that "this is the same old tired lawsuit we've seen before". But now, in this case, the six plaintiffs represented by Burgess all have standing and have the Court of Appeals on their side.

Moreover, unlike the case wherein Kamehameha Schools (renamed for P.R. purposes, but still known to most as "Bishop Estate") paid off a student at the last minute with a $7 million dollar settlement -- since Kam Schools wasn't confident about getting a favorable ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court to keep its racially-exclusionary admission policy -- the new civil rights case of Kuroiwa v. Lingle has ZERO chance of being settled by the parties. One side abhors discrimination based on race, while the other side is firmly established in the race-based, victimization industry and wants to jump to a higher level of discrimination by moving from being merely a department in a state government to being the big, new government altogether . . . courtesy of the Akaka Bill.

Though it's hard to predict how long the conference will take, it is expected that a post-Seabright conference press conference will take place on the mauka side of the Congressman Kuhio Federal Building sometimne around 11:00 a.m. Today might not turn out to be newsworthy, but the days ahead look pretty earthshaking.

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Put Simply . . .
Why Ruin a Good Thing?

Published: April 6, 2008

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The Silent Majority Fights Back: New Lawsuit Argues That Ceded Lands Should Benefit ALL of Us; U.S. Court of Appeals Already Agrees
Six Non-Ethnic Hawaiians Sue Gov. Lingle, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, et al For Breach of Trust, Deprivation of Civil Rights; Lawsuit Seeks to Dismantle OHA, Stop Funding of Akaka Bill Lobbying and Kau Inoa Registry, Halt Ceded Land Transfers; TRO Requested for Immediate Relief from Further Injury

Published: April 4, 2008

James I. Kuroiwa, Jr., Patricia A. Carroll, Toby M. Kravet, Garry P. Smith, Earl F. Arakaki and Thurston Twigg-Smith, represented by renown constitutional attorney H. William Burgess have brought suit against the Governor, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and several state agencies on behalf of themselves and approximately 1 million unrepresented residents of Hawaii. The suit claims the defendants have violated the public trust, distributed hundreds of millions of dollars for one racial group and none for the other beneficiaries.

Named as defendants are Governor Linda Lingle. Directors of six state agencies and Haunani Apoliona, Chairperson, and the Trustees of The Office of Hawaiian Affairs. The six defendants are seeking to have revenues & proceeds from Ceded Lands appropriately distributed for the benefit of all citizens of Hawaii.

The suit claims that the trust originated in 1898 and requires that Hawaii’s Ceded Lands (the Public Land Trust) "shall be used solely for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Hawaiian Islands for educational and other public purposes". At the heart of the suit is a decision by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court on August 7, 2007 that “the lands ceded in the admission act are to benefit ‘all the people of Hawaii,’ not simply native Hawaiians.”

For the first 20 years of statehood, from 1959 through 1978, the State of Hawaii channeled most of the Ceded Lands income from the about 1.2 million acres (which does not include the 200,000 acres of “available lands” set aside for the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act) to the Department of Education. “We have been subjected to a decades long race based conspiracy that has damaged every single citizen of Hawaii”, stated Attorney H. William Burgess in filing the suit. “Imagine the benefits just to our school system and to our keiki of all races if the Ceded Land funds had been properly administered”.

In addition to proper use of the Ceded Lands Funds, the suit would dismantle the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, end OHA and state spending on lobbying for the Akaka Bill and Kau Inoa, and stop any future land or financial settlement such as proposed by the Governor and currently before the legislature. In requesting the TRO, the defendants and counsel Burgess are seeking to prevent any addition to the millions of state dollars OHA has already spent advocating for secession and a separate government and nation.

“We respect and support the Hawaiian culture, Hawaiian tradition and the Hawaiian people. As King Kamehameha III said, ‘God hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on the earth in unity” noted Burgess in speaking on behalf of all the plaintiffs. “And as Hawaiians of all races and ethnic backgrounds we will continue to celebrate that culture in the great Hawaiian tradition of equality for all.”

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Just What We Need to Hear During an Economic Downturn
Pardon Me, Big Spenders: How Can I Register to Vote This Election Year When I Might Be Living In My Car Pretty Soon?

Published: March 30, 2008

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More Coverage of Local Republican Party "Infiltration" Brouhaha
THE KEPPELER-GATE SCANDAL: Word Gets Out That Something Fishy Is Going On at Hawaii G.O.P. Headquarters; Chair Willes Lee Keeps 'Moving the Goal Posts' to Protect a Major Democrat Contributor's Influential Position Within Minority Party

Published: March 29, 2008

This morning's online edition of the Honolulu Advertiser features a few quotes from Willes Lee, chairman of Hawaii's Republican Party, in an article by Advertiser reporter and blogger Derrick DePledge, about the ongoing situation concerning major Akaka contributor and Abercrombie contributor Bruss Keppeler, a local activist attorney who has an influential position on the GOP's Platform Committee. The article's comments by Lee suggest that the loyalty test for party membership and even for leadership positions (as found in Section 107 of current party rules) is really a moving target, and that Lee will gladly move the goal posts if needed to ensure that those who oppose having Democrats help run the declining party will never score a touchdown for party fidelity.

Notwithstanding the pronouncement by Lee that a "public endorsement" by a Republican of a Democrat would be more serious than party leaders merely giving cash to the party's opponents, The Advertiser's DePledge easily dug up an endorsement by Keppeler of Akaka (on Akaka's own campaign website) from Fall 2006, the last election cycle. Interestingly, Keppeler's major contributions to Akaka and his newly-revealed endorsement of the Democratic U.S. Senate incumbent came at a time that the Hawaii GOP had an official horse in the race against Akaka -- TWO horses in fact. The first horse was Lingle-backed Gerry Coffee, who later dropped out for health reasons. The second horse was Lingle-backed Cynthia Thielen, who immediately took over where Coffee left off.

Interestingly, in DePledge's article, after accusing party critics Eric Ryan and Garry Smith of "shading the truth", Chairman Lee blatantly lies when claiming, "Nobody asked the question if it was alright to give money to the Democrats." That is the ENTIRE issue at hand. For Lee to say that Keppeler remains an influential party insider today because nobody asked about Republican donations to Democrats is asinine. More asinine is Lee's expectation that he'd get away with something so absurd and false. Any remaining credibility Willes Lee thought he had with the media is now probably shot for good. Adding to Lee's credibility problems are that Lee's 'investigation' of the complaint against Keppeler was so shoddy that he was unable to unearth with a single Google search Keppeler's public endorsement-in-question of Akaka. Clearly the fix was in -- the party rules were to be ignored and Lingle's pro-Akaka chum Mr. Keppeler was to be protected and preserved.

Rumor has it that Ryan has resubmitted his complaint to Lee about Keppeler based on new evidence. Yet despite the 2006 endorsement of Akaka and despite increased publicity over this scandal, it is unclear if Chairman Lee and his lackeys (who really are all Linda Lingle lackeys) are too dug in to a position of protecting Keppeler -- even in light of Keppeler's determination to actively support the sitting U.S. Senator which the party seemed determined to defeat -- to see their way clear to showing the door to the Democrat in their midst. In a time when fewer and fewer people seem capable of admitting when they are wrong, Willes Lee is expected to keep the wagons circled around Bruss Keppeler because he is reportedly under orders to do so from the party's patron-in-chief, the nominal Republican Governor Linda Lingle. When you consider the steady losing record of Republicans at the polls, the total control of Hawaii's Republican Party by Lingle appointees, and the absence of self-promotion by the party during successive legislative sessions and successive election campaigns, you don't need to wonder why they keep losing at the polls.

Bruss Keppeler -- who openly supports independence from the United States for Hawaii, and supports the Akaka's Democrat-sponsored 'Government Reorganization' Bill as a first step in repealing Hawaii's status as the 50th State -- probably didn't mind handing over big bucks to Senator Akaka's campaign and giving him an unqualified pre-election endorsement over the Republican candidate(s). Birds of a feather flock together, as they say. But the really curious part of this story is how far out of his way Chairman Lee is willing to go in order NOT to mind such documented active support by someone who's goal it is to defeat and emasculate Republicans in Hawaii.

ADDITIONAL COVERAGE OF KEPPELER-GATE SCANDAL:

MichelleMalkin.com - National Columnist and FoxNews Contributor

Poinography.com - Hawaii's leading liberal blog

More detailed information about the scandal is in the next article below.

READER COMMENTS:

Kalli from Ewa Beach writes: "It seems that the Hawaii GOP is crumbling from within. State Sen. Mike Gabbard and State Rep. Karen Awana saw the party falling apart in the past few months and decided, wisely it seems, to join the Democrats.

Chair Willes Lee has obviously been influenced by former Republican Party Chair Sam Aiona to follow the old policy: "Find good candidates, raise money and win!" Unfortunately, focusng on a few select faces while forgetting to actively and effectively communicate our policy differences with Democrats hasn't worked over the last 3 election cycles . . . and doesn't seem to even work in years between elections, with Gabbard and Awana jumping ship before the voters could throw them out for being Republicans and for appearing to be no different than the Democrats; except they have no input to the Legislature as part of the minority caucus.

Republican Minority Leader Lynn Finnegan is probably the next to announce her switch from the Republican Party to the Democrats. She has already laid the groundwork by praising her Democrat brethren in a letter to the Honolulu Advertiser in Feb. 2008, rather than shaking them up and making hay about the Democrat 'pay-to-play' system in order to make a path for more Republican candidates. The mishandled situation was a political gift from Democrats to Republicans, but Finnegan fumbled and Lee didn't even try to play.

If the Republicans are to gain seats rather than lose them, they are going to have to demonstrate that there is a difference between the two parties. So far this legislative session, it's been another case of "go along to get along" with the Republican leadership -- now including the Chair of the Republican Party practically leading the cheer for the Democrats -- which completely wipes out any hopes of the Republican Party gaining seats in the Nov. 2008 elections. And thanks to party leaders, you can probably forget any hope of retaining all seats currently held by Republicans."

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Scandal at the Ill-Fated, Declining Republican Party of Hawaii
Word Has It That An Internal Cover-Up at Republican Party HQ is Dividing Party Leaders, Members and Elected Officials Over Questionable Loyalties and Alleged "Infiltration" by Democrats in Local G.O.P. Policymaking

Published: March 27, 2008

With Zero Shibai averaging 24,000 statewide readers per day since our launch last December, it was probably inevitable that we would be tipped off by our insightful readers about stories which don't make the newspapers and the nightly newscasts. To wit, several alert Zero Shibai readers have tipped us off about a recent and ongoing brouhaha inside the party of Linda Lingle. The scandal involves a generous and regular financial supporter of local Democrats -- such as U.S. Senator Dan Akaka and U.S. Representative Neil Abercrombie -- who also contributes time and money to favorite Democratic Party causes such as the local separatist sovereignty movement, and promotion of Kau Inoa and the Akaka Bill.

It seems that the individual in question, a local attorney named Bruss Keppeler, has been accused of infiltrating the local Republican Party and joining the party's policy-writing Platform Committee (reportedly at the behest of Governor Lingle herself) in order to put the party on record -- and to keep it on record -- as joining with Democrats and separatist activists in supporting the formation of a racially-exclusive government which would divide local people and property and government funds by race. Here at Zero Shibai, support for such a policy seems rather odd and guided more by political correctness than historical accuracy and/or good economics when you consider that the Republican Party normally associates itself (at least in theory) with philosphies of smaller government, not bigger government. Or in this case, the creation of a whole new government altogether.

Well anyway, a war of words (and pictures) seems to have broken out in the intra-party struggle over the value of political loyalty as well as whether or not there's a limit to how much socialism the party's true believers can accept as official policy. Here's an e-blast received by at least a couple dozen Zero Shibai readers which lays out the timeline, the players and the arguments involved:

click image to enlarge

Reportedly, the chairman of the party, Willes Lee, has circled the wagons around party leaders who support Democrats by claiming that a lenient "interpretation" over the weekend of the specific party rule -- one which normally would result in kicking members (esp. its leaders) out of the party for actively supporting the party's opponents -- relied on a softball determination by the chairman of his party's rules committee, Karl Espaldon (a staffer in the Keppeler-friendly Lt. Governor's office). [NOTE: Some party insiders have said that Lee might NOT have told Espaldon the whole story and there's a slight chance the issue will be revisited when cooler heads prevail.] In the meantime, that ruling said that Keppeler and other party leaders like him are only guilty of 'passive' support by contributing thousands of dollars in cash to Democrat candidates; whereas if the same GOP party leaders were to make in-kind contributions -- such as signwaving or making phone calls for Democrats -- then the party might not be as lenient about such 'active' support. In the political world where cash can be put to all kinds of valuable uses to defeat candidates, you gotta suspect that powerful influence was at play in order to protect people like Keppeler who play both sides of the fence . . . as the next intercepted e-blast argues:

click image to enlarge

And just when our readers thought it was safe to check their e-mail, here's another e-blast from party critics who don't seem to have high regard for Chairman Willes Lee's allegedly shameless, bald-faced promotion of the untenable notion that no conflict-of-interest exists when coaches for one team are supporting the other team in substantial, verifiable, effective ways. Nor do these critics think much of the direction Lingle/Aiona are taking their party, not to mention to lackluster political results. It seems that the party's internal critics are making the point that loyalty equals determination to win equals success in elections; and that the opposite has proved to be true -- officially-sanctioned party disloyalty breeds contempt for desire of the party's true believers to become a majority party in Hawaii once again (for the first time in 54 years) and that the dwindling number of elected GOP officials proves that out:

click image to enlarge

Of course, one can't help but wonder what kind of inroads the Grand Old Party expects to make in Hawaii when it turns a blind eye to such ongoing treachery by its own leadership. Despite party losses in the last several consecutive election cycles, party members still seem to put a lot of faith in nominally Republican Governor Lingle and her sidekick Lt. Gov. "Duke" Aiona who reportedly have done close to nothing to protect incumbents or elect challengers. Whether or not that faith is misplaced is not Zero Shibai's kuleana. Still, rightly or wrongly, smartly or dumbly, word is that she seems to have cast a spell over long-time Republicans and newer recruits alike and has kept them from fully realizing that Hawaii's Democrats don't consider Hawaii's Republicans much of a threat. Sure, with Lingle as a candidate, the party finally got someone with an "R" after his or her name elected governor. But Ms. Lingle arguably seems to have more in common with the Democrats and their policies (probably thanks to the likes of Keppeler and others) than with her own party. Long accused of being a "RINO" (a Republican-in-Name-Only"), Gov. Lingle has reportedly chastised fellow Republicans critical of her liberal leanings by telling them bluntly on more than one occasion: "Where else are you people going to go? I'm the best thing you've got."

Stay tuned for more on this story. Our sources tell us that we may not have heard the end of this tale of political espionage, wagon circling and growing rebellion in the ranks.

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The Main Alternative to Rail Which Costs LESS and Works BETTER:
A Reversible Expressway from Pearl City to Downtown (a.k.a. "Hot Lanes")
On the Other Side of the Country, Floridians in Tampa Demand and Receive a Faster Way to Get Around WITHOUT Having to Walk to Bus Stop, Ride Bus, Transfer to Rail, Ride Rail, Transfer to Bus, Walk to Work, and then Do It All Over Again to Get Home...

Published: March 27, 2008

FOR SPECIFIC INFO ON "HOT LANES" FOR OAHU:

Article by U.H. Professor and Transportation Expert Panos Prevedouros

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Thinking Ahead Is a Good Idea
From 1988: A Twenty Year Old Peek Into the Future of Hawaii's Ever-Growing Government and a Rallying Cry on the Importance of Voting in the State with the Lowest Voter Turnout in the Country

Published: March 26, 2008

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Article in Honolulu Advertiser

Article in Honolulu Star-Bulletin

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A Brief Tale of People Power
The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Axe . . . For the Time Being; Now We Must Derail the Whole Darn Train Before Oahu Gets Railroaded

Published: March 20, 2008

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Honolulu Advertiser: "Council Revives Non-Steel Transit Options"

Star-Bulletin: "Council Expands Transit Options"

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We Take for Granted the Vile Stuff Spewed by America Haters in the Aloha State
Anti-American Rhetoric by Obama's Pastor Accepted as 'Normal' Here in Hawaii Nei

Published: March 19, 2008

America is in an uproar about the anti-American and anti-Caucasian rhetoric of Barack Obama's pastor, who has been his friend and mentor for 20 years. But here in Hawaii anti-American and anti-"haole" rhetoric are accepted as normal.

People are accustomed to hearing UH Professor Haunani-Kay Trask rail against "the power of a white country called the United States of white America . . . . . Learn your history, and then you will know which side of history you belong on. And you do not belong on the American side. You do not belong on the Hawai'i state side. You belong on the side of your people -- lahui Hawai'i [racially defined Hawaiians]."

On December 1, 2003 Eric Poohina wrote in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin:
"Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden are not the enemy of the Hawaiian people and the Hawaiian nation. The United States is the No. 1 enemy of the Hawaiian people and the Hawaiian nation." On November 25, 2005 he wrote "The U.S. should be concentrating on the evacuation of its military troops in Hawaii and the restoration of the government of the independent nation state of Hawaii to the kanaka maoli, or Hawaiian nationals, the aboriginal people of Hawaii."

On August 6, 2005 Governor Linda Lingle herself stood next to Lieutenant Governor Duke Aiona at Iolani Palace, both wearing the red shirt of 15,000 protesters supporting racial segregation at Kamehameha School. In her speech she could not possibly miss seeing huge anti-American signs with phrases like these: "We don't need no American government. Don't like to see too much foreign power here cause Western influence been killing us for years." and "We are not American. We will die as Hawaiians." She could no more miss seeing those signs than Barack Obama could miss the rhetoric of his pastor of 20 years.

Acceptance of hate-filled rhetoric in Hawaii is fueled by the apology resolution of 1993, which is filled with twisted history and outright falsehoods, and forms the basis for the Akaka bill. Let's hope the apology resolution will be repealed as part of a Congressional resolution congratulating Hawaii on the 50th anniversary of statehood.

FOR MORE A MORE DETAILED ANALYSIS:

http://tinyurl.com/2mxj8s

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Where Were YOUR Kids Last Night?
Those Sweet, Precious Bad Boyz from Saint Louis High School and Their Devoted, God-Fearing, Community-Minded Parents

Published: March 17, 2008

Perhaps the most unbelievable words in the English language today are "first offense". While that term might have some relevance in criminal courts, we all know that when someone gets busted for that "first offense", it's NOT really the first time that person has done something wrong and/or illegal; it's just the first time they've been caught. Indeed, they've probably even been caught before, but perhaps the police let them off with a warning, or some witness or some victim decided not to press charges. But, c'mon, when you see some of these people and their case is referred to as a "first offense", these two words don't even pass the laugh test.

Such is the case of the four less-than-accomplished 17-year-old lettermen -- "Gentlemen of Character", actually -- somehow still magically enrolled at the extra-tolerant, Marianist-run Saint Louis High School. These low-lifes were caught red-handed egging homes in Lanikai by (of all people!) a highly controversial former Bishop Estate trustee named Gerard Jervis . . . an overdosing, adulterous, suicide-causing, greedy bastard . . . and the last person on earth you'd expect anyone to have sympathy for. As everyone knows, just before the "first offense" egging incident by these four sweet local gangstas, Jervis had spent the previous few hours getting hammered to the point of DUI. Well, for the record, he wasn't alone in getting hammered, as the teenage driver of the getaway SUV was also DUI. Moreover, most people reasonably assume that the other three teen football players for St. Louis had sucked back a few illegally obtained Heineken's as well . . . maybe even a little ganja smoking took place. You can be sure that Family Court won't let the public know all the juicy details. After all, it's abundantly clear we can trust the parents to keep future incidents from happening . . . or is it?

Well anyway, after eggs came flying onto his property, Jervis the unlikely new community hero staggered into his car, chased down the getaway SUV, and either ran these vandals off the road up a utility pole guywire -or- his car hit theirs after the fleeing quartet lost control of their car. Stay tuned for court proceedings or plea bargainings on this he said-they said point of dispute. At least prosecutors are NOT charging Jervis for drunk-driving, since he probably didn't intend to go pleasure cruising after his big night of binge drinking. Let's show our hero some mercy!

Since then, the private school in Kaimuki claims to have "disciplined" the bad boyz. Big deal, suspended for two days plus some community service. Further, the school says that administrators are working to ensure that the parents understand the severity of the Lanikai incident. But what about those parents? Are these bad boy first offenders the products of an increasingly popular child-rearing approach, whereby the parents live in fear of their tweens and teenagers, trying to be their friends rather than their authority figures, and generally too busy to notice what's going on in the kids' lives since the parents' narcissism keeps them busy with other selfish pursuits than simple parenting?

You can't help but wonder since we now know that at least one of those brats didn't even get his leash shortened since the drunken/egg throwing/car chase and crashing incident. You see, just one week since Lanikai, at 8pm this past Friday night, Scumbag #4 was arrested near Downtown for soliticing a prostitute in an area usually 'serviced' by transvestite hookers. An undercover female police officer was probably the last person our "first offender" should have asked to help him with his raging hormones. Not surprisingly, after being bailed out of jail, Scumbag #4 was released into the custody of his parents, who undoubtedly took him straight home so he and his homeboyz could surf porn websites in the privacy of his bedroom while the folks headed back to the karaoke bar to nurse their wounded pride with cheap beer, stale pretzels and bad singing; all the while wondering if they should have corrected Junior Boy's bad behavior and emphasized values instead of merely being spectators as 'first offenses' gave way to seconds, thirds, fourths, fifths and so on.

If you ever wondered as you read the local news, drive on our reckless freeways, shop alongside rude people at malls of any size, recoil in horror at the endless parade of loser guests on Jerry Springer and Ricki Lake: Gosh, I wonder where all the assholes in the world come from? Well, don't wonder about it any longer. Just look at the parents of these four punks and get your answer. And if you're one of these kids' parents, look in the mirror and consider the Gerard Jervis sleeping pill strategy. Just make sure you take enough to do the job. Otherwise, you've got a LOT of makeup parenting to do. Maybe Junior Boy needs his allowance cut and his expectations raised. Maybe then he won't be so quick to cut short his post-arrest introspection in search of a pre-marital blowjob from a vice cop in a mini-skirt. Saint Louis President Walter Kirimitsu said in a news release: "While these students' choices were not particularly wise, they ... are good kids who hopefully learned a life-altering lesson." Obviously NOT, Walter. Crappy parenting combined with wimpy-punishment-issuing, enabler educators like you are a rotten combination. Plus, you spend an awful amount of your own money keeping the political machine in power, so you're even more to blame in all kinds of ways.

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Hungry for Some Kau Kau?
Remember Those Good Old Days When People Respected Mrs. Bishop's Actual Wishes, and When the Pricetag of a Good Education Didn't Include Secret Payoffs to Maintain a Racist Admissions Policy?

Published: March 12, 2008

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"The Life of the Land Is Perpetuated in Righteousness"
Is the 50th State's Motto Now Outdated?
Has the Original Meaning Become Defunct in the Modern Age of Fee Simple??
Published: March 7, 2008

by guest columnist Don Newman | newmand001@hawaii.rr.com

The Meaning of Pono

Bill Federer, noted speaker, author and and president of Amerisearch, Inc., a publishing company dedicated to research America's noble heritage, wrote that the words that later became the motto, Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono, of the State of Hawaii were first spoken by Queen Ke'opuolani in 1825 as she was baptized into the Christian faith. Queen Ke’opuolani was the wife of King Kamehameha who unified the islands.

The Hawaiian Historical Society, founded in 1892 to preserve historical materials relating to Hawaii, says that King Kamehameha III, who presided over the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1825 until his death in 1854, recited the phrase when the British returned the islands to the King after the illegal British overthrow in 1843.

The concept of “pono” was translated as “righteousness” but this is a subtle word with many related meanings. The concepts of justice and doing the right thing are closely connected. The idea of righteousness is a specific Christian concept that probably didn’t have a true analogous relationship to the word pono.

An example of this can be found in the The Native Hawaiians Study Commission report of 1983 which says “ . . . the land itself was viewed as belonging not to one individual but to the gods. All the people, including the Ali’i merely administered the land for the benefit of the gods and society as a whole. The system, therefore, had no analogy to ownership in fee simple absolute. The high chief had significant power: ‘the king was over all the people; he was the supreme executive, so long, however, as he did right!’” (1)

This last clause is closer to the intent of the meaning of that part of the motto “i ka pono” which was a statement of the fiduciary responsibility of the chief rather than a moral dictum which the term “righteousness” has in English. It was both an admonishment to, and a responsibility of, the King and the Ali’i.

Doing right was more than just proper care of the land, it was also just allotment, although not ownership, of the land to the people since living off the land and sea was their very livelihood. The gradual breakdown of the old semi-feudal system that Hawaiians traditionally followed did great damage to the concept of preserving the land by doing right. The context changed. It also did great damage to the Hawaiian people as the land was no longer held in trust for them but gradually became the exclusive property of the Ali’i.

“The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness” is the translation that has been handed down to us. Without the original context this has an altered meaning which means whatever anybody wants it to mean. Understanding the context also reveals why this is a poor translation. A more accurate translation might be, “The everlasting nature of the land is preserved by doing what is right.”

The Meaning of Aina

The original Hawaiian land system that the motto reflected was gradually dismantled through a series of steps in the following decades while the motto remained. From the beginning of foreigners immigrating to Hawaii the chiefs and Ali’i of the neighbor islands complained that the King shouldn’t sell any land to foreigners. They feared the breakdown in their land system this would bring. The King thought otherwise and continued to give land to foreigners and bring them into his cabinet.

The Hawaii motto, Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono, first appeared in a political context on the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Hawaii (1810-1894) that was adopted in May, 1845. At that time there was still some semblance of the old land system in place but it was rapidly deteriorating. The problems this breakdown generated led to an attempt at a solution.

The Great Mahele was allegedly a land division giving land to Native Hawaiians in an effort to forestall the Europeans and others from buying it all up. In reality all it did was destroy the old land system and give the Ali’i unfettered power over the vast majority of local lands. This de facto changeover to a fee simple system forever destroyed the Monarchy’s control of the land, except for the land it reserved to itself, thus rendering the motto archaic.

The endorsement of the motto at the time of annexation ignored the fact that it was already divorced from the original meaning. The mystical association to the land of the old Hawaiian religion, which was destroyed by the machinations of Queen Kaahumanu, had already been lost. The meaning of the word “aina” no longer had the mystical connection and the sense of fiduciary responsibility that it once had.

The preservation of the land for the livelihood of the common people ceased to exist and was attempted to be resurrected by the Hawaiian Homelands Act of 1920. The displacement of common native Hawaiians off the land left them with nowhere to live except the cities as the land was increasingly bought from or used by the Ali’i for sugar plantations. Large numbers of landless native Hawaiians ended up living in poverty in Honolulu and other growing cities.

In order to give these homeless native Hawaiians land upon which to dwell the Hawaiian Homelands Act was instituted. This “Hawaiian scheme” was intended to give them lands upon which to preserve their bloodline and their lifestyle. The implementation of this scheme left a lot to be desired since it gave them no pure ownership but only leasehold rights. Only a small number of families who could have qualified have ever been placed on the lands.

The Meaning of the Motto Today

The wording of the state motto has little connection to its original meaning and in most cases means different things to different people. Thus in this day and age it is hard to take any objective meaning from the motto. It means whatever anybody wants it to mean. For some preserving the land means opposing any further development at all costs.

The problems that face Hawaii are world problems, not just Hawaii problems. Adhering to an ancient motto simply because it was handed down by history isn’t necessarily the best way to administer public policy. First we have to ask ourselves what it means. And today that would be very difficult to say.

Conclusions

Hawaii’s motto no longer has the meaning it did when it was first invoked. This change of meaning somewhat invalidates its value as a guiding principle in present-day society. The history of the motto reveals this change of meaning and as a people, the residents of Hawaii should consider whether it still is meaningful today. Traditions are important when they embrace universal values that all people can relate to. When this is no longer the case traditions only serve to hamper freedom, progress and development.

It impels one to wonder what other state mottos are outdated, destructive or simply useless.

(1) Page 254 NHSC quoting - David Malo, Hawaiian Antiquities – Bishop Museum Press

Nancy from Maui writes: "Hey there zeroshibai, Been reading your blog/editorial for a handful of weeks now. I was just wondering to myself what the line, "perpetuated in righteousness" is in regards to. Your article helped greatly. I'd say "good timing with your article."

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"Kau Kau Inoa" Strikes Again
Hear the Drumbeat, See the Smoke Signals, and Follow the $$$$$$** All the Way from Washington D.C., Across the Pacific Ocean, to a Little-Known 'Tribe' on a Brand New, Native Hawaiian 'Indian' Reservation
** please make all checks for Hawaii's Indians payable to:
OHA (Only Haunani Apoliona and her friends)

Published: March 4, 2008

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Local "Musicians" That Are Just Plain BAD for Hawaii
Drug-Dealing Rasta Wannabes and Anti-American Separatist Rappers Produce a Toxic Mix of Poison for Hawaii's Youth
Published: March 2, 2008

Where's the genuine artistry and the innocence of bygone days of Ray Kane and Aunty Genoa Keawe when you need them?!? We ask that because the Big Breaking News last night was that a local, well-known, triple extra-large, wannabe-reggae and faux hip-hopper was busted by the Feds for possessing a record 50 pounds of crystal meth at his Royal Kunia apartment which he intended to sell to the people of Hawaii. The drugs imported by now incarcerated Joe "JD" Daniels Jr. of the group B.E.T. — short for Big Every Time — have an estimated street value of $1.5 million. More info released in news coverage this morning include Daniels' admission that he knew the FedEx packages contained meth. Also, an additional five pounds of the dangerous drug was found in a bedroom closet at Daniels' home and meth distribution center.

Crystal Meth, of course, is the drug which makes people want to break into your car and into your home to steal things which they can quickly sell to get money to purchase even more crystal meth. Police say they are pretty much helpless against the crime wave of the past decade or so brought on by methamphetamine or "ice", just as they were in the previous decade or so when crack cocaine was all the rage. Hip-Hopper Daniels clearly has no moral problem with getting people hooked on drugs and reaping profits while lives and families are being ruined in order to make a big payday. Naturally, there are enough idiots among us in Hawaii who'll regard this Godless exploitative loser as even more a larger-than-life figure thanks to the arrest. It'll be difficult for Daniels and B.E.T. to thank and update his fans via MySpace, however, unless prison guards provide internet access to the extra-large Federal holding cell, yo.

Certain questions arise, such as this: In the era of non-sober pilots getting publicly busted, will go! Airlines dump Daniels' sorry, drug-dealing ass as their sponsored spokes-musician? Less than two years ago, the head honcho of the inter-isle passenger air service, Jonathan Ornstein, Chairman and CEO of Mesa Air Group, Inc. said: "We're delighted to be associated with B.E.T. In addition to making terrific music, they are great people who embody the modern definition of the aloha spirit." I guess when it comes to 'aloha spirit', ethnicity and skin color matters more to Ornstein than a good background check and actually spending some time with someone before making such a dubious proclamation.

On a similar note, the question of whether local companies like music distributor Booklines Hawaii and local record dealers will take B.E.T.'s CD's off the shelves and off their websites in order to stop putting money in the pockets of drug dealers such as Daniels is still up in the air. Maybe companies and other enablers will sever their financial ties with Daniels for good. After all, the scourge of crystal meth is doing more to keep part-Hawaiians and full-blooded Hawaiians down than even OHA, DHHL and Linda Lingle put together. Ironically, Daniels said a few months ago in MidWeek that if he was President of the United States: "I would definitely stop the war and put all that money that we’re putting into the war into the homeless situation." Presumably, by that Daniels meant he'd take those billions from war funding and use the money to buy crystal meth for the homeless to help keep them down in an even more devastating way than the existing level of drugs (like those he sells) have already affected Hawaii's people. Oddly enough, the too-quick-to-pass-judgement professional journalists and editors at MidWeek describe Daniels as a "devoted family man".

Everyone knows that drugs like crystal meth and crack bring out the sociopath in already unproductive people living amongst us on all islands. Whomever takes that first puff of meth without already knowing how addicitive and destructive it is are the kind of people for whom knowledge is NOT power. These are selfish morons who are ruining society, one hit and one theft and one broken home at a time.

Of course, political correctness dictates that we are supposed to feel sorry for these helpless people who are probably down on their luck, living in their cars and have nothing better to do than steal, smoke ice, and steal some more. Well, guess what? Smoking meth is unlikely to help you when you're down on your luck. Obvious statistics show that drug abuse typically makes your life even more of an unfortunate one. But WE know that, of course, because for the rest of us knowledge IS power. So we'd probably smash a meth pipe, if one were ever handed to us, and call the police; whereas some would willingly smoke and/or deal the stuff -- consequences be damned.

So how does a person like Joe Daniels Jr. square the conflicted circle of being a hip-hopper that needs a paying audience with his being a drug dealer that needs paying customers? Hmmm, let's see. Could it be that hip-hop and drugs have long been intertwined and that he was just acting like his heroes? Or, perhaps, Mr. Daniels saw an opportunity to exploit his fame for a really big payday . . . kind of like the current crop of OHA Trustees, who include three former high-profiles judges, a member of the music group Olomana, a former Governor's son, a well-known (though disgraced) Bishop Estate trustee, a newspaper columnist's father, a former political intelligence officer for Bishop Estate, plus a G.E.D. certificate-receiver turned land commissioner turned OHA Trustee. The longshot push by these celebrities for a giant, new government with lots of money and jobs in exchange for the tacit promise of an easier life for Hawaiians-only sounds like something that will feel good and become habit-forming, just like crystal meth. Kind of makes you flash back to a time when the Hawaiian Kingdom's government was low on money so Queen Liliuokalani decided to make some extra cash by importing opium and having a lottery. Isn't that how exactly how money is made off poor folk in the inner cities by drug dealers and politicians?

But since we're on the subject of musicians that are bad for Hawaii, Zero Shibai readers should be aware of other dangerous groups which are singing and rapping to your kids (and maybe even YOU) while actually trying to sell something that can be an addictive narcotic, no different than crystal meth. Guarans brah, these local 'entertainers' stay singing and rapping to your keiki right now; the message is that they are all victims of the United States, and the specific bill of goods being sold a is big, new expensive government paid for by non-Hawaiians which will take care of all the needs of part-Hawaiians exclusively. Based on the usual bogus recitation of poorly understood island history as written by the hate-mongers at OHA, here's a sampling of the crap they're peddling (click below if you dare):

It's self-evident that sometimes rappers can be pretty darn stupid, especially the imitative, monkey-see-monkey do types. In the song and the accompanying music video which preaches the need for part-Hawaiians to rise up in the spirit of sovereignty and create a new government in order to provide reparations for money and land which was never even stolen from them, here's the line from this 'song' which reveals the absolute lack of necessity for a new multi-departmental, multi-agency, multi-zillion dollar government: "Because you've got the blood, the power, the mana, Hawaiians can be anything that you wanna." Clearly, there's a disconnect between the rapper's mouth and his brain (crystal meth, perhaps?) since part-Hawaiians, just like the rest of us, already have sovereignty over their lives. On any given day, part-Hawaiians can wake up in the morning and make the most of their lives (as most do!) and be anything but a 'victim'; rather than waking up in the morning, telling themselves their lives are hopeless because they don't have a Queen or a King overseeing their lives, then waiting for a government to come and save them, and build them a house, buy them a car, and put food in the refrigerator (as some do!).

Still, even though the truth is there for all of us to see, some musicians and celebrities (just like politicians) are all too comfortable with advocating the religion of big government at the expense of freedom and personal responsibility. That's why the people of Hawaii need to be ever-vigilant in watching out for dope-peddling and socialism-peddling celebrities in our community. They might even be living right next door to you and preaching to your kids right now.

Just a quick irie thought, mon. If OHA is looking for a theme song for its Akaka Bill campaign, they don't have to look any further than B.E.T.'s ripoff-Jamaican anthem "Rise Up, Stand Up, Come Together". You can be sure that OHA supporters will be impressed both by the song's defiant message and by being pandered to with such an overt anti-establishment move as standing in unity with poor indigenous wannabe Rastafarian homeboyz who have been forced to turn to drug dealing to support their not-very-indigenous fake Reggae, hip-hop lifestyle. We are left wondering if any amount of rehab is going to be effective enough to get their victims off drugs and also to stop them from worshipping the golden calf of big government?

AFTERTHOUGHT: After showing dozens of red-shirted protestors in the above music video, originally found on YouTube, the statue of Kamehameha located across from Iolani Palace is heavily featured. This is really strange for a couple of giant reasons. First, Kam I violently overthrew the leadership of each island with the help of Western assistance. You'd think that the rappers' stated revulsion to 'overthrows' in Hawaii would cause Kam I's violent, power-consolidating history to bother them immensely. But, hey, if you're into revisionist history and possibly even crystal meth, then it's a safe bet that you're not bothered by Hawaii's actual history of thousands upon thousands upon thousands of Hawaii's native islanders being speared and shot by fellow native islanders for the sake of Kam I's rise to power.

The second reason the Kam I imagery is strange is because he and subsequent monarchs of Hawaii radically altered the "back to the aina" and racially-exclusive Hawaiians-only mentality and lifestyle which these rappers (and sovereignty groups generally) keep pushing for. Seriously, folks, you don't have to be a historian to realize that the Hawaiian monarchy absolutely LOVED money, power, land ownership by the crown, the elevation of alii and kahunas over the commoners, keeping people in their place, in addition to how monarchs loved the United States and western ways galore (just look at the outfits they wore and the palace they built). Sounds like the rappers are projecting the 'kill haole day' mindset of the sovereignty movement onto the former kings and queens of Hawaii who felt quite the opposite from these modern day neo-alii activists. But since when has the truth mattered when poetic license, drug abuse and the sovereignty movement are involved? No, it never mattered at all.

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Bad Drivers Can Spoil Your Day and, Over Time, Destroy the Aloha Spirit
You Can Tell A LOT About Someone By the Way He or She Drives; "Do Unto Others..."
Published: March 1, 2008

Runners-Up and Honorable Mentions
in This Week's Zero Shibai Bumpersticker Contest
Include the Following Entries:

"If You Cross Using a Crosswalk,
Then I’ll Stay Off the Sidewalk"

"Any Chance You Could
KEEP UP With All of Those
Cars Way Up Ahead of You??"

"This Is a Neighborhood -- NOT H-1
Slow Down, and Stop Blasting
That Crap You Call Music"

"Gee, One Little Trip to Disneyland
and You Come Back a Mainland Driver"

"Gosh, Thanks for Stopping Buddy --
Obviously, You Weren’t Planning To"

"You Know, Traffic Would Be 10-20% Lighter
If the Uninsured, Unregistered
and Unlicensed Rode TheBus Instead"

"Sorry, But You Don’t Get to Give Dirty Looks
When It’s YOU That Screwed Up Back There"

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With All the Rallies, Who Has Time to Work or Attend School Anymore?
At Yet Another Protest, The Big Money Political Agenda of Hawaii's Insiders and the Secret Desires of Low Blood Quantum Part-Hawaiians Come Together in Perfect Harmony
Published: February 28, 2008

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Reportedly, the Politically Correct History Books Used in Hawaii's Public School Classrooms Gloss Over and Even Omit Some of These Very Important Facts. . .
Just a Few Key Points to Consider When Discussing the Actual History of Hawaii
Published: February 26, 2008

Bruce Wong of Honolulu writes: "Your wit on this subject and previous articles have been entertaining, informative and truthful. I can't believe it has taken this long for a website like this to come into existence. Aloha and keep the zingers coming!"

Eric Seabury of Kaneohe writes: "This is great! Your cartoon "Kau Kau Inoa", shows informed citizens once again why this sovereignty movement to "liberate" Hawai'i IS shibai! Does Hauanai Apoliona and OHA really think they're fooling people with this "free" Hawaiian nation talk? What doesn't the Hawaiian-American man and woman in the state of Hawai'i have today, that they could have in a new, independent Hawaiian nation? More economic and personal Freedom (Huh?), Pay less taxes and have less regulations against their lives and businesses (Uhh... no), Have better public schools to teach the keikis (Oh, wait...), Have more opportunities for better and higher paying jobs (Uhh... well...) A better opportunity to own land and a house of their own (Okay... I see your point...) Better public servants who would represent you and your family's interest within government (Oh, never mind!)?

In our state of Hawai'i and in our United States of America, EVERY individual has the right and the opportunity to do what he wants, live where he wants, work where he wants, raise his family and live his life out as he wants, worship as he wants and be what he wants. Provided he works to get to that goal. There is NOTHING to keep anyone back from doing what he wants to do.

That is, except, for government. Our Democratic-controlled state legislature is what keeps people down, prevents them from receiving quality education, prevents them from affording a decent home and a good paying job to pay the bills, prevents them from realizing our dreams and passing something on to our children. It is our state government and our four county governments, it is the special interest groups and the greedy elitists and organizations like OHA which keep people down, whether they be ethnic-Hawaiian or any other ethnic group.

Hawaiian-Americans and other (all) Americans in Hawai'i, our plate is already full trying to deal with the greed, corruption and bureaucracy in the governments we currently have. How is having another layer of wasteful government going to make you more Free?

If you want true Freedom, economic and personal, then we need to deal with the problems of today, right now! Not in an imaginary future that's not going to happen. Because if we don't deal with the problems which are plaguing Hawai'i today, then the status quo politicians, the elitists and the leeches of the "pay to play" scheme will have won. We'll be beaten every time. It's time to wake-up and retake control of our own lives and our own future!"

Hawaiian Wannabe from Ewa Beach writes: "Hey, you da kine Cow Inoa guys, I want my benefits from being a one drop Hawaiian. I went get one transfusion from one Hawaiian tranvestite so I stay one kine 'transfusion tranvestite' who is vested in Hawaiian kine benefits. You not gonna take away my rights!!! I got my rights to water, land, gathering, geothermal and all the rest so says da Hawaiian Supremes. One kine guy like you not going to take away my stuff, I got drugs to buy and kids to put in foster care I can't afford to work. Go back to where you come from and I go back to Tahiti where I come from but they don't give me no special rights cause I no special there. Hawaiian wannabe.

Anonymous from Makiki sent us her observations
about Hawaii's troublesome melting pot:

E Pluribus Unum Upside Down

The bill that would create a separate native Hawaiian nation H.R. 505/S. 310 that many call the Akaka bill, passed in the House a few months ago. It could come up in the Senate anytime, and it could pass unless all of us act.

This is as serious as brain cancer. Ultimately created by government bureaucrats from US, State of Hawaii and the new Native Hawaiian Governing Entity (NGHE) would create the largest “tribe” in the USA. The land would be carved out of the current State of Hawaii (up to 50%) and the people would come from Hawaii and all over the US (and the world). Up to 400,000 (one drop blood +) of them. Indian Tribal Governments back the concept. One should ask, why? US Representative Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) says that land and money are at stake.

Darn right. Power and people too.

If you believe that negotiations over formation of the NHGE will not attract big lobbying with big money flowing lavishly, you too can be serviced by a tooth fairy.

Current entitlements of native Hawaiians would go to the new nation, whose leaders would control distribution. Would any come out the other end?

US American Indian policy has been a huge mistake and, with tinkering, gets worse by the day. Regular Indians on reservations are mainly poor serfs, their leaders, affluent nabobs. It is Socialism writ large. Now the US, if the Akaka bill passed, would be creating new divisiveness and gross racial prejudice not to mention serfs. One of the trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, a Hawaii state agency, once said that their motives were misconstrued and to set the record straight explained that they seek a “sovereign, dependent nation.”

Dependent on who or what you ask? Look into your wallet for your answer. There is a growing organization on the US southern border called AZTLAN. They claim parts of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California as former AZTEC territory. They are in favor of the Akaka bill, of course.

Native Hawaiians are not Indians. They are completely integrated into Hawaii society. They have no reservation. But they do have freedom. The Akaka bill would give them a new separate, additional government. And a road to serfdom. Their leaders? A road to wealth and privilege.

E Pluribus Unum, stand on your head!

Hat Tip to www.hawaiipoliticalinfo.org for alerting us to First Hawaiian Bank's new loan offering exclusively for "Native Hawaiians and Native Hawaiian organizations". Seems like the potentially illegal special treatment for one ethnic group keeps coming, as white folk, Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Filipinos, Blacks, Micronesians, and others will instead pay the much higher posted interest rate of 7.64% APR for a similar fixed-rate loan on www.fhb.com:

By the way, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs wrote about Zero Shibai's "Cow Inoa" cartoon (featured on HawaiiReporter.com) with a charming little article in OHA's current issue of their taxpayer-funded magazine Ka Wai Ola:

As usual, Haunani Moo plays the race card, attacks the messenger, demands censorship,
and then exhibits her usual academic dishonesty by continuing to claim that only
Hawaiians were compared to cows. Haunani's grade school teacher is rolling over.

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FOCUS ON THE STATE LEGISLATURE
So WHO Is State House Member Tommy Waters? . . . And WHY Should You Care?
Published: February 25, 2008

Representing House District 51 which includes Waimanalo, Keolu Hills and Lanikai, State Rep. Tommy Waters is best known as the chairman of the State House’s Judiciary Committee. During the current legislative session, the UH Law School graduate and practicing attorney with Waters and Young has major influence over a number of major issues, including having the final say about whether some critical reforms will even be reviewed and voted on by the powerful judiciary committee.

So why should you know who this politician is? Simple. On no less than three major issues of the day, Waters is arguably out-of-step with his own constituents and even with voters statewide.

PROPPING UP THE HIGH COST OF HEALTH CARE?
Health care is getting more expensive all the time. Medical liability insurance premiums – sometimes known as malpractice insurance -- are a primary cost driver of ever-increasing health care expenses due to insurance companies’ fear of costly lawsuits. The pricetag for these premiums is skyrocketing all the time. As a result, neighbor island doctors (esp. specialists) are refusing to take new patients, or they’re closing up shop and retiring or simply relocating somewhere other than Hawaii. In addition, many neighbor island hospitals and health care facilities are cutting back services altogether. With neighbor island residents losing doctors, specialists and hospital care, these neighbor islanders frequently have to travel to Oahu and even to the mainland to get the care they need . . . care which used to be readily available on the neighbor islands and which should be expanding rather than contracting as the population of each island grows.

The Hawaii Medical Association (HMA) wants to help reduce cost of insuring doctors and to maximize patient access to health care in Hawaii by introducing caps on awards from lawsuits ($250,000 cap on "emotional distress" and $375,000 cap on "pain and suffering") . . . an approach commonly known as “tort reform” legislation. Without such caps to damages -- which are being implemented all over the country, except Hawaii -- the price for insurance policies on doctors and hospitals will continue to skyrocket, and doctors will keep moving away, retiring, or just not accepting new patients, while hospitals keeping cutting back on many services.

Many people believe that the neighbor islands are well past the health care ‘tipping point’ by being hit hardest with increased costs of health care and the cutbacks in medical service. But this crisis, caused by out-of-control lawsuits and damages, only seems to have been met with Judiciary Chairman Waters’ determination to let the problem get even worse. During the current 2008 legislative session, Rep. Waters informed the HMA that he will not even hear a malpractice reform bill this session after the judiciary committee rejected it last year. That rejection occurred after Rep. Waters was accused of allowing his fellow trial lawyers to outmaneuver doctors with stunts such as packing hearings with lawyers and their clients who want the sky to be the limit on how much hospitals and doctors can be sued for.

So why oppose tort reform? One possible reason is that Rep. Waters has a major conflict of interest, along with other practicing lawyers who make up 25% of his collegues in the State Legislature. Another reason could be that his main campaign contributors are legal professionals in Hawaii, many of whom make a healthy living from lawsuits against doctors, hospitals and especially their insurance companies which have the deep pockets. As you can see from Tommy Waters’ contributor list filed with the Campaign Spending Commission, Waters has a lot of generous, litigious friends on Bishop Street and elsewhere. The list is a veritable ‘Who's Who’ of trial lawyers ostensibly opposed to tort reform. This doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s a ‘quid pro quo’ or that he’s blocking the reform legislation to make his lawyer friends and contributors happy, but it certainly can’t be ruled out.

Whatever his story is, neverending problems like physician shortages and skyrocketing insurance premiums are crippling Hawaii's healthcare system and directly hurting patients (all of us). Reluctance of medical students and existing doctors to practice in Hawaii through stabalizing of malpractice insurance is a directly related matter not being addressed by Rep. Waters. Hawaii is a litigator's paradise.

In 2004, Tommy Waters defeated incumbent Republican Wilson Ho in the general election of 2004 by a wide margin. Then in 2006, State Representative Waters bested Republican challenger Kimberly Kalama by nearly two-to-one. Now, his campaign has so much access to big money that he could theoretically ignore the will of voters and still outspend his way right back into office. Indeed, Waters has a huge cash-on-hand SURPLUS of more than $46,066.80 as of a few weeks ago; making the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee virtually unbeatable by a political challenger, despite making arguably bad decisions for his constituents in Waimanalo, Keolu Hills, and Lanikai -- not to mention statewide.

SOFT ON VIOLENT CRIME?
Another reason you should be familiar with Tommy Waters is because he is arguably soft on violent crime - specifically by protecting older teenagers who commit heinous murders and rapes from the severe punishment they deserve. Over the years, local newspapers have documented an increase of violent crime by out-of-control older teenagers. Most recently is the well-known case of a multiple-arrestee teen punk in Ewa Beach who robbed, raped and murdered Karen Ertell. This specific crime spree inspired State Rep. Kymberly Pine of Ewa Beach to propose that violent youths aged 15-17 to be automatically tried as adults if accused of murder or rape. Not designed for your average hooligan, "Karen's Law" would apply only to the worst offenses by the worst offenders: first- and second-degree murder and first- and second-degree sexual assault; thereby routing these hardcore sociopaths and dangers to society away from the kinder, gentler Family Court, and directing them to Grown-Up Court where serious crimes deserve to be prosecuted to the fullest extent.

Last week, according to Ertell’s adopted daughter, Malanie Ertell McLellan reports that, "So far, Rep. Tommy Waters, the chair, has refused to hear the bill. HB 3362 HD1 and "Karen's Law" will die -- just like Karen did -- without being given a chance to fight for survival." Rep. Tommy Waters' tight-fisted control of the Judiciary Committee means that he could keep ignoring voters in Ewa Beach, Waimanalo, Lanikai, Kaneohe, Kahului, Kihei, Kona and elsewhere throughout the State of Hawaii for as long as Speaker Calvin Say permits Waters to stay on as Judiciary Chair, or for as long as Waters constituents are kept in the dark about his misbehavior.

WATERBOY FOR THE POLITICAL MACHINE?
Finally, though this article isn’t meant to be an exhaustive review of Tommy Waters’ most recent misdeeds at the Legislature, Rep. Waters is determined to ignore the will of the voters on the matter of when judges should retire. Keep in mind that voters were asked on the ballot in 2006 whether the mandatory retirement age of 70 years old should be done away with altogether. Well in case you forgot, the proposed constitutional amendment put forth by Hawaii’s political machine was soundly defeated by more than 80,000 votes -- 58 percent to 35 percent.

This year, Rep. Waters is using his position as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee to put a bill on the fast track which defies the will of the voters by increasing the retirement age for judges from 70 to 80-years-old. Why the big deal about retirement age for judges? Before you let Waters put forth the fake argument of “age discrimination”, just know that the answer is really a political one. You see, having a Republican governor in office these past few years has put a crimp in the plans of the Democrat establishment.

During her first term and a half in office, according to the Hawaii Reporter, Gov. Lingle has already replaced more than 25 percent of Hawaii’s Judiciary since she was elected in 2002; often selecting more moderate prosecutors over liberal defense attorneys and public defenders. Normally in Hawaii, the more liberal candidates are typically selected for judgeships by Democrat governors and legislators. So what really puts Waters’ campaign for increasing the retirement age into high gear is the upcoming forced retirement of Hawaii’s State Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald Moon, a good friend to the local Democrat establishment. While on the Court, Moon has reportedly been very friendly for decades to Hawaii's well-connected insiders. But under current law, he is slated to retire before Gov. Lingle leaves office. That means, gasp, that Lingle could nominate Moon’s replacement for this important post . . . rather than a Democrat governor.

By Waters and his Democrat collegues changing the law to increase the age of mandatory retirement, Justice Moon would be able to stay on for another ten years without having to step aside for Lingle’s choice to replace him. Arguably, Lingle was chosen by a large percentage of voters and a similarly large percentage of voters are opposed to increasing the retirement age to 80 years old. So there's no cause to mess with the people of Hawaii. But don’t tell that to Tommy Waters, who seems quite determined to put the interests of well-connected, well-funded insiders (and poor Justice Moon) ahead of the voters.

In the end, the people of Hawaii are very busy folks . . . sometimes too busy to stay on top of current events and who’s who in Hawaii. But to be uninformed about the likes of Tommy Waters is a dangerous prospect, since his actions reveal that even the busiest person in Hawaii needs to be familiar with what he's been doing behind closed doors. Now, if you like having high-priced and harder-to-find health care, if you like having violent teenagers routed to family court for a slap on the wrist instead of being seriously punished, and if you like having your vote just two years ago completely ignored by powerful politicians, then Tommy Waters is probably YOUR kind of guy. If, on the other hand, these positions on key issues are offensive to you as a voter and taxpayer, then you REALLY need to know about Tommy Waters. And you need to keep a really watchful eye on him.

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Aloha 'Oe, Tax Money; Aloha 'Oe, Peace and Quiet; Aloha 'Oe, Sustainability; Aloha 'Oe, Skyline; Aloha 'Oe, Cost of Living; Aloha 'Oe, Honesty in Gov't
The Train That Linda and Mufi and Neil Built; Steel Wheel on Steel Rail Technology Approved Just as Easily as the Fleecing of Taxpayers by State and County Gov'ts
Published: February 23, 2008

Cody Jackson, popular local "crystalattice" blogger, writes: "A friend showed my your site and I love it. I've been having debates on my blog (http://crystalattice.gidblog.com) about the problems in Hawaii and, while many people agree that Hawaii isn't paradise, there are the occasional few who buy into the lies hook, line, and sinker. So, I finally added a link to Zero Shibai just to show them that their rose-colored view is just the wool pulled over their eyes. Thanks for a great site. Love the parodies."

Erin Kealoha, 2008 USC graduate, writes: "I admire your use of the blog as a media to really stimulate discussion and debate in Hawaii politics. I believe this can make Hawaii politically healthy and vibrant, something I as a young Hawaiian studying political science and international relations in California can appreciate and encourage.

However, I do not agree with the tactics used on this site. While your mission is to "encourage healthy, honest and informed debate," your comic-like columns, cartoon images and scathing language is demeaning and foul. I believe you have the best intentions and that you are entitled to your opinion of about Hawaii Republicans being eager-to-please, but why don't you close photoshop for just one second and try doing some research online or spending some time with the offices of these politicians. Your presentation only goes skin deep and comments on the failure of certain politicians to voice their party's opinion or rally support for a policy. Why not go deeper and suggest YOUR OWN ideas for improved policies? Why not offer advice to these politicians you mock instead of humiliating them? In doing so, you may understand how difficult it is for these leaders to create these policies and perhaps learn some appreciation yourself for the job they are doing.

If you really want to help Hawaii politics, you have to move beyond comic imagery and mocking language and encourage your followers to understand THE ISSUES and how they want to solve them. I hope you take this into consideration in your upcoming blog posts and website updates. Demonizing politicians will only encourage the people of Hawaii, especially the younger generation, to loathe politics. I hope this is not your intention, but know that this is what you are doing. Best, Erin Kealoha"

Garry P. Smith of Ewa Beach writes: "It is just so difficult to believe that Attorney General Mark Bennett ("Some see ceded-lands deal as unfair," Feb. 17) has struck such a great settlement deal with OHA that we all should be grateful it wasn't more.

It doesn't take much of an experienced negotiator to make a deal where we, the taxpayers, pay $187 million worth of prime real estate that is highly undervalued by any stretch of the imagination over a questionable debt.

The fact that Bennett repeats over and over again that this is payment for a single issue only, those of ceded-lands payments, creates the question: How much else is owed, and will the state have the same lack of negotiating skills for settlement of these future issues?

The Hawai'i Supreme Court recently ruled that the state must settle the ceded-lands dispute with OHA before any sale or transfers of ceded lands.

With the negotiating skills just demonstrated by our AG and given his bias in favor of the Akaka bill and Hawaiian sovereignty, the so-called non-Hawaiians will be lucky if he doesn't end up giving up the entire state. Or is that the plan B?"

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Exclusive Photo from Last Night's HGEA Pre-Caucus Rally for Hillary Clinton; The Big Political Machine Has Some Serious 'Mechanical Problems' . . .
Dan Inouye, Formerly the Most Powerful Politician in All of Hawaii, Comes Up a Little Short as Leader of Hillary's Effort
Published: February 20, 2008

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Season One Available Now; Season Two On Sale Later This Year
Hawaii's Favorite Show Comes to DVD;
Both Seasons Will Cost You a Fortune
Published: February 17, 2008

EXCERPT FROM ONLINE CHAT BY BENNETT & OHA'S CLYDE NAMUO
WITH READERS OF THE HONOLULU ADVERTISER (Feb. 12, 2008)

READER: "Short of giving away money, land and power to a bunch of money-grubbing politicians and bureaucrats (namely OHA) with a highly unsuccessful track record of helping native Hawaiians, another way to take care of OHA's lawsuits would be to repeal the law giving OHA 20% of the gross revenues from the public land trust. OHA has got plenty of money already and so little to show for it, plus taxpayers help native Hawaiians in countless ways. Why are you and Gov. Lingle so determined to advance separatism?!? Don't Republicans have higher expectations for return on investment of taxpayer dollars?"

BENNETT: "I do not believe OHA is a bunch of money-grubbing politicians and bureaucrats—the Trustees I have dealt with are dedicated public servants, who want to do everything possible to help their beneficiaries. I do not believe OHA has a highly unsuccessful track record....I do not advance separatism—I support this settlement (season one DVD) because I believe it appropriately and fairly fulfills the State's legal obligations and I support the Akaka Bill (season two DVD) because I believe that it is just and fair, and in the best interests of Hawaii and our people."

click here for the entire transcript

H. William Burgess writes to ZS to take issue with the 'Whopper' of a shibai advanced by Attorney General Bennett in trying to justify the giveaway:

HERE'S WHAT BENNETT SAID: "Aloha. The Ceded Lands Settlement between the State of Hawaii and OHA fulfills an unfilled State obligation dating from 1978. Article XII of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii requires the State to provide a share of the income and proceeds from the "Ceded Lands" to OHA, for OHA to use to help benefit native Hawaiians . . . The State's obligation under Article XII are not discretionary—they are mandatory."

HERE'S BURGESS' REACTION: "Wrong. Art. XII of the State Constitution describes in Sec. 6 the powers of the OHA trustees but does not anywhere require the State of Hawaii to pay any trust money or transfer any ceded land to OHA for “native Hawaiians.” The Hawaii Constitution does not even define the terms “native Hawaiian” or “Hawaiian".

Sec.6 of Art. XII gives OHA power “as provided by law” (i.e., as enacted by the legislature) to manage “income and proceeds from that pro rata portion” of the ceded lands trust “for native Hawaiians.” The Legislature’s subsequent enactments in 1980 and then in 1990, were held by the Hawaii Supreme Court to “provide no judicially discoverable standard” for determining whether OHA was entitled to a pro rata share of the income or proceeds from the trust for native Hawaiians; and invalidated. The “settlement” now proposed cannot be considered mandated by the State Constitution because the Legislature, 30 years later, has still not provided any standard for determining what pro rata share, if any, OHA is entitled to.

Moreover, as the AG pointed out to the HI Supreme Court in OHA v. State, “income” from the ceded lands trust can only mean net after expenses. OHA has no entitlement under the State Constitution or under trust law to a distribution of 20% of gross revenues from the trust.

Hawaii citizens of Native Hawaiian ancestry have always shared fully as members of the general public in the benefits of the ceded lands used for schools, roads, parks, harbors, airports and other infrastructure and the benefit of expenditures of trust moneys to construct, maintain and operate public facilities located on the ceded lands. In addition, over the 28 years since 1980 the State has been distributing 20% of the gross revenues to OHA as the pro rata share for “native Hawaiians” (persons with 50% or more Hawaiian ancestry). The total ceded lands trust moneys still held by OHA is now over $400M.

The ceded lands trust is for the benefit of all citizens of Hawaii. The State of Hawaii as Trustee of the ceded lands trust has a duty of impartiality and a duty not to comply with illegal trust terms. But the State has made no distributions as the pro rata share for the rest of the beneficiaries.

The State does not owe any more to OHA. To the contrary, during those 28 years it has short-changed the 95% of the beneficiaries who do not happen to have 50% or more Hawaiian ancestry. The State has a duty to now set aside exclusively for these Hawaii citizens of less than 50% or no Hawaiian ancestry, $7.6B. If the State is not prepared to do so, it must cause its agency, OHA, to refund the $400M to the State for the benefit of all citizens without regard to their ancestry."

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With All the Advances in Modern Science, You Knew This Was Coming . . .
OHA Sees Financial Opportunity After Creating Heightened Racial Tensions:
OHA's ETHNIC LIPOSUCTION SERVICE
Published: February 16, 2008




Glenn Teves of the University of Hawaii writes: "What you're proposing was already done around WW II when especially Japanese changed their names to Hawaiian surnames or even their mother's surname in the case of bi-racial marriages to hide the fact that they were oriental or wouldn't be ostracized or worse. But many of them, especially Japanese were part Portuguese so they really had a choice of what surnames they could use. If they're only a handful of pure Hawaiians left, then why is it that I have over 50 in my neighborhood? I thought this was zero shibai, buy it sounds like hapa kukai. Ioane"

EDITOR'S NOTE: Thanks for writing, Glenn. It's easy to review the latest census data, available for free at your campus libraries. There are very few pure aboriginal indigenous Hawaiians in Hawaii. That's why OHA is hastily trying to transition from the legally-restricted support to only those with 50% or more koko to a broader constituency of people with even one drop of koko. Pure politics. The tragic result of OHA and other anti-American activists in Hawaii putting such a premium on race and ethnicity through their Kau Inoa campaign, their Akaka Government Reorganization Bill, and their games down at the state legislature -- when Hawaii's culture benefits from all races and ethnicities -- will only lead to divisiveness and severe disappointment . . . an outcome which we are horrified about. Any problems Hawaiians suffer from are problems experienced by ALL people in Hawaii. Economic hardship, drug abuse, alcoholism, underemployment, homelessness are NOT uniquely Hawaiian problems. That's why the overwhelming majority of Hawaiians, like everyone else, do NOT suffer these problems. Clearly, OHA tries to divide and conquer for personal aggrandizement, and they play the race card without concern for consequences. They must be stopped.

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Such a Simple Conspiracy, Even the GEICO Caveman Could Do It . . .
You Mean to Say That This Multi-Million Dollar Campaign Might NOT Be Good For Hawaii -or- For Hawaiians?!?
Published: February 14, 2008

Jorge 'Kimo' Justiniano writes: "Aloha from New Jersey. I am totally impressed with Zero Shibai! This is the first time I have seen it. I have missed the island of Oahu for the last 13 years. I used to live in Nankuli, and can attest to the dumbing-down of the local people through misinformation. I lived there for a number of years and wish I were back. I am also impressed with the Hawaiian Reporter. It is about time someone stood up to the status quo and printed the truth from an objective perspective. I agree with 'printing it' and let the people decide. (That is, if they are allowed to be literate!)

OHA has had such a dismal track record of actually advancing the Hawaiian People. It seems as if they only want a regime with a small class of rulers and a large caste of subjects. This is why they attempt to subvert the actual will of the people through the courts and through politicians who are literally in OHA's pocket. This is similar to the ACLU's back door tactics of social engineering to mold the populace into their own set of pawns. What a shame and a sham. (Cow Inua!...HEH!)

Unfortunately, the Hawaiian government and OHA and their ilk would rather the entire island populace where medicated through 'grassroots' pharmaceuticals and alcohol to render them docile and apathetic. It has not changed one bit since I have left.

They (OHA and the politicians) will be the undoing and destruction of Hawai'i and all the people who have made Hawai'i the jewel it used to be."


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DANGER: Thoughtful and Lighthearted Cartoon Ahead; Proceed with Caution
The Debut of "Kau Kau Inoa" by I Ka Pono; Haunani Should Sit Before Reading This!
Published: February 4, 2008

A Letter to the Editor published in today's Honolulu Advertiser (2-8-08) by Kaneohe resident Tom Macdonald says it all:

AKAKA BILL IS ABOUT GETTING LAND TRANSFERS

It is now clear that if the Akaka bill becomes law, huge chunks of state lands that benefit all the people of Hawai'i will be available to benefit only those with at least a drop of Hawaiian blood.

The governor's agreement to transfer valuable chunks of waterfront property in Kaka'ako and on Neighbor Islands to OHA is just the first installment in what OHA plans to be a massive transfer of other lands from state ownership to Native Hawaiian ownership in "negotiations" required by the Akaka bill, between the state and a new Native Hawaiian government.

Now that the Hawai'i Supreme Court has ruled that the state must reach a comprehensive ceded land deal with Native Hawaiians, that negotiating process has been tilted in favor of Hawaiians.

And it has become clear what "recognition" of Native Hawaiians really means. As succinctly put by U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, the Akaka bill "is a bill about the control of assets. This is about land, this is about money... we're talking about 2.2 million acres of land..."

It's not just about "preserving Hawaiian culture." It's about getting land back from the haoles who "stole" it in 1893.

The big question now is — assuming the polls correctly predict we will have a Democrat president in 2009 who will sign the Akaka bill — how willing is the Legislature to give away these ceded lands.

If the Legislature accepts the entire current Lingle land transfer package, it will be a sign that under Akaka bill negotiations in 2009, it will give away at least 20 percent of the ceded lands, and probably a lot more.

The state Constitution and the federal government only require the state to use the ceded lands for any of five purposes, including public education and Native Hawaiian causes, among others. The Legislature chose the 20 percent figure itself. It could have decided on 5 percent or 1 percent.

This will be a hugely significant legislative decision for the 80 percent of Hawai'i's citizens who are not Native Hawaiian.

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It Used to Be That Racism Was Not Liking People of Other Races Because of Their Race; Now, the Thought Police Say You're a Racist for Even Discussing Race Relations and OHA; 'Pilau' Political Correctness Washes Ashore in Hawaii Nei
"Cow Inoa": Milking a Controversy and Revisiting Two Weeks of Cartoon Politics
Published: February 1, 2008

On all islands, and from coast to coast, lots of folks have been weighing in on "Cow Inoa", Zero Shibai's political cartoon published last week by HawaiiReporter.com and on this website a couple days earlier. OHA thought they could 'milk' the controversy, but it backfired like a blast of corn-fed methane aimed at the ozone layer. One could also say that OHA's feigned cries of protest about "Haunani Moo" hit the ground with the force and stench of a meadow muffin.

Well, we at Zero Shibai love to receive criticism about our opinions since the reactions contain valuable insights; sometimes revealing the critic's true feelings, while sometimes revealing his or her true motives. Here's a trip down memory lane of just a fraction of the comments, good and bad, we've heard in the past few days from far and wide about "Cow Inoa" (reprinted below for convenience).

Below is a tiny sampling of letters and articles about "Cow Inow" from the past crazy couple of weeks. See if you can identify the fans of free speech and open debate while trying to pick out those who wish poor little "Cow Inoa" was never born into this world. We'll start off with one of the folks who needs a complete refresher course in history concerning the Kingdom of Hawaii.

Rita Nasario writes: "For your info, 'white folk', Filipinos and the Chinese did not have their governments overthrown nor their land taken away by foreigners nor denied their right to their culture or language. So if you don't know what your talking about, keep your ignorant comments to yourself. As for the cow, I think it applies to your stupidity of the situation and locals like myself who are not Hawaiian but who were born and raised here understand the injustice that was done to the Hawaiian people. So, it you don't know what your talking about, keep your ignorant comments to yourself as we do not appreciate it. Outraged in Hawaii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

EDITOR'S NOTE: It's always saddening to read something like this from a person who probably grew up in Hawaii right alongside us at Zero Shibai. Sad, because the quality of education in Hawaii is clearly so pitiful that many people in our state probably believe the OHA propoganda version of Hawaii's history. If you were to ask many sovereignty activists, they'd probably tell you something nutty like this: There were absolutely no non-Hawaiians living or working or born in Hawaii until sometime AFTER several aircraft carriers pulled up in front of Iolani Palace and threatened to nuke poor little Liliuokalani until she handed over power. After the U.S. "takeover", so the ignorant thinking goes, that's when the first non-Hawaiians arrived on the shores of Hawaii. After that, using highly advanced military time-machine technology, the C.I.A. located Kamehemeha III's constitution and re-wrote it to include language that people of all races were citizens of the Hawaiian Kingdom and had equal rights. In addition, the documents revealing how Kam III kept trying to get the U.S. to annex Hawaii were probably all forgeries.

The more you think about how we don't know our own history -- allowing ourselves to simply accept and believe the nasty revisionist bumpersticker slogans of today's anti-American secessionists -- the more your realize how quickly we can be conned by activists and politicians into thinking that Hawaii needs to be split in two. Somehow, it's likely that Ms. Nasario doesn't realize that westerners became citizens of Hawaii way back when Kamehameha the Great (the first one, in case you weren't sure) received major assistance in the form of western military strategies, military guns, military ships and such in his successful military campaign to "unite" the islands. In fact, John Young, the very military man who helped lead Kamehameha (after whom Kam Highway is named) to victory, was made Governor of the Island of Hawaii. More important to understand is that throughout the history of the Kingdom of Hawaii, people of ALL races were citizens of the Kingdom and people of ALL races served as government leaders.

So, Ms. Nasario's assertion that ONLY native Hawaiians were affected by the "overthrow" of the monarchy is bogus, since the Hawaiian Kingdom always was a highly multi-racial society; just as modern Hawaii is today. History is clear: there never was a race-based government in Hawaii. Zero Shibai is equally clear: there never should be. Additionally bogus is her assertion that Hawaiians were denied their language by the big, bad foreigners. It will probably surprise her to know that the official policy of Kamehemeha Schools, based on the directive of Bernice Pauahi Bishop was and is "English Only". End of story. Was Mrs. Bishop, the great-granddaughter of Kamehameha the Great, a racist? Zero Shibai highly doubts it. And please take note that the so-called "overthrow" was really a revolution against a monarch with questionable ethics and utter disdain for democracy, and that this revolution replaced a monarchy with a republic. We're sorry you feel that people who know Hawaii's history are stupid and that that those who take OHA's press releases at face value are smart. But hey, there's always hope for you.

James Andreu of Makawao writes: "Thank you for standing up to the land of the offended. Humor is what makes life worth living. OHA needs to get a grip."

Larry Disney writes: "If you guys keep electing these people to office you'll find yourselves voted off the Island."

Kaha writes: "I'm hoping there will be t-shirts in the future. (Cow Inoa) if so put me at the top of the list. It's a sad day when a group of people can't laugh at themselves."

Oswald "Oz" Stender, current OHA Trustee, former Bishop Estate Trustee, former Campbell Estate CEO writes: "How can you live with yourself with so much hate in your heart? Oz."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Gosh, what can you say in response to the very guy who's leading the effort to separate people by race to line his pockets under the new government? How about: The shoe is on the other foot buddy. Hey look in the mirror. I know you are, but what am I? Isn't that like the pot calling the kettle black? Et cetera. Oz, you're headed to a very warm place in the afterlife; complete with pitchforks, fire, ragged clothing, and even more fire. But that's OK, your fellow OHA Trustees will be there to keep you company . . . for eternity.

Eric Seabury writes: "Amen, Zero Shibai! It is high time we start doing what the politicians won't do, which is openly debate the triple threat of OHA, the Akaka bill and the Kau Inoa "initiative", who's ultimate goal is to "bite the hand that feeds it" with creating a separate, race-based Hawaiian government, while continuing to be pumped up with American tax dollars that EVERY Hawai'i citizen works and sweats to make.

I laugh every time a sovereignty supporter/activist talks about "making Hawai'i "free" because the Hawaiian man and woman are "oppressed". Incase these people haven't noticed (which obviously they haven't) Hawai'i is Free and in a sense, is sovereign. If our public servants weren't so "footloose and fancy free" with our money and would stop misspending and overspending what we earn, they wouldn't have to grovel to Capitol Hill to secure federal funding. In turn we wouldn't have to have the federal government dictate to us how we run our own affairs in our state.

I'm sure many of these sovereignty activists who dream of a sovereign and "free" Hawai'i don't bother to even participate with what's going in government today and how the politicians make decisions in our name. Instead of participating in solving the problems we are facing in the present time, they falsely believe that sovereignty will solve all their problems.

I am not anti-Hawaiian but OHA, the Akaka bill and Kau Inoa will do nothing more than keep the Hawaiian man and woman down and continue to be subservient to government. Our present state and county governments are trying to do that to all of us right now. We, as a state, need to get together to reclaim our Freedom from overtaxation, we need to reclaim our Freedom from the overregulating of our personal lives and businesses. We need to reclaim our Freedom from the "ol' boy" network and special interest groups who love to participate in the "pay to play" schemes which makes us out to be the losers, everytime. We also need to reclaim our Freedom by getting rid of any bureaucrat who prefers to "kowtow" to the unions by providing low-grade education to our children attending public schools, ensuring a future only as menial job employees in the tourism industry and government jobs. The time to stand up and take action is now!"

EDITOR'S NOTE: There's really nothing more to say. Well, alright, there's always a few more things to say . . .

"Bovine Flatulence": Analysis of Zero Shibai Cartoons and Responses

Maui Talk Blog: Discussing the Scandal and Determining the Cartoonist's Background

Letter to the Editor on Hawaii Reporter

Article about "Cow Inoa" on National Opinion Website

Article about "Cow Inoa" in American Thinker magazine

Brief Article on USMC Forum

Discussion of "Cow Inoa" on Free Republic website

Another "Cow Inoa" -- Just Discovered!! (prepare for the backlash)

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Hitting an Intolerant Nerve at Formerly Open-Minded College
UH Professors Slam Zero Shibai For Having Contrary Opinions to Theirs
Published: February 1, 2008

From Dr. Joel Fischer, Professor of Social Work at UH: "I immediately bookmarked your new site as one of my "favorites." Then I read your "no shibai" article about Oz Stender. Damn if it wasn't the biggest pile of bullshit I EVER have read...and I have read plenty of bullshit. You actually pretended you had an interview with Stender, and instead, desperately MADE UP the entire thing to suit your own agenda. "NO SHIBAI" is actually the MEANING of shibai, with additonal multiple doses of lies and hypocrisy. " Shibai": You are hereby removed from my list of bookmarks! Go away!"

EDITOR'S NOTE: Sorry to hear that, professor. We really hoped that you, of all people, would respect a comedic approach to politics. However, upon re-reading your kind note and the candid photograph of you 'teaching' politics through comedy on campus, it's clear we can't please all people all the time.

From Noelani Goodyear-Kaopua, PhD Assistant Professor, Indigenous Politics University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Political Science Department: "It's quite ironic that any writer or editor who hides their identity and does not take responsibility for the words and ideas they publish to claim 'zero shibai'."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Earlier this week, true to form. the former Miss Goodyear took issue with Hawaii Reporter's publishing of our political cartoon "Cow Inoa" with an 'outraged' letter to the editor that reveals she probably had to surrender her sense of humor along with her objectivity and even-handedness in order to get a job as an "indigenous politics" assistant professor at UH. Sounds like a run for OHA Trustee by the Chinese, English, Hawaiian academic is not far off. Indeed, in a 1997 interview with the communist "Workers World" publication, Ms. Goodyear-Kaopua makes it pretty clear that -- notwithstanding so much positive evidence to the contrary -- she holds the tragically low opinion of Hawaiians that they are culturally, socially, spiritually and perhaps genetically unprepared to enter the modern world. That's not really the kind of leadership Hawaii needs. Thanks, Noelani, but NO thanks. It's back to the "ivory tower" for you, where you can brainwash the next generation of part-Hawaiian kids that they're not good enough or smart enough or capable enough. You go, girl.

Upon learning that Noelani Goodyear-Kaopua has received a $26,000 grant to pursue PhD studies in UC Santa Cruz's History of Consciousness program," an alert Zero Shibai reader, "Cowabunga", responded this way: "Hey dudes, you are messing with my consciousness. Can I get a Ph.D. in this too? Is that what they teach at UH Indigenous Politics? The 60s never left! Righteous."

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Depiction of an Honest Press Conference That SHOULD Happen, But Likely Won't Since the Truth is Well-Guarded from the Public
The Truth Comes Spilling Out When "Oz" Stender Talks Candidly about OHA's Goals
Published: January 30, 2008

TRANSCRIPT -- Oswald "Oz" Stender, OHA Trustee: "OK, you want the truth. Here’s the damn truth already. I’ll let you in on a little OHA secret. This whole deal of what we're pushing for isn’t all about trying to protect some silly little programs for Hawaiians only. It’s much, MUCH bigger than that.

Do you really think we’re making ALL these lobbying efforts and spending untold millions of dollars to push a bill through Congress, PLUS spending millions of dollars in TV, radio and print advertising to promote a Hawaiian nation, PLUS organizing a nation-building convention, PLUS working year after year, day-in and day-out getting people to “place their name” for free Kau Inoa t-shirts all just to protect a few little programs for Hawaiians? Are you kidding me?

Let me paint the picture for you. We’re going to scam the public, either through the Akaka Bill or through the State Legislature or maybe ConCon, into giving OHA our own taxing and spending power, and getting Hawaii's current politicians in D.C. and here to let us create a massive new government which has all the same wasteful, bureaucratic, sluggish departments that the state and county governments have by exploiting every drop of sympathy that local folk have for native Hawaiians. Why do you think Senator Akaka’s bill is called the “Government Reorganization Act”? It’s all about land and buildings and employees and equipment and vendors and unions and contracts and pensions and big, BIG money . . . not funding a few little programs to teach hula classes and ukulele lessons to Hawaiians.

Seriously, folks, who needs an entire, brand-new government organized from scratch just to keep money flowing to some existing programs? C’mon, keep your eyes on the ball!! We need a new government like we need a hole in our heads, but that’s where the big money is . . . it’s in big government. This isn’t about Hawaiians anymore. Heck, most Hawaiians are now so married into and mixed into the local population that it hardly matters. This is about riding that wave of sympathy to get the big prize. And if we can keep the silent majority from finding out and getting pissed off about what we’re up to -- and also keep those ultra-rabid, turn-back-the-clock sovereignty groups from ruining everything for us -- we can laugh all the way to the bank.

Most people have just about forgotten that I’m one of those five nasty Bishop Estate Trustees who made a financial killing off the backs of Hawaiian schoolchildren at Kamehameha Schools, where only a fraction of Hawaii's indigenous keiki will ever get to attend. Before that, I was CEO of another big estate - Campbell Estate. I’m into the big money, you see . . . not manini stuff like cutting checks for lei making or taro planting classes. So now, I’ve started a new life for myself as an OHA Trustee. And believe me; all of my fellow trustees, our OHA employees and our many allies in the community see BIG dollar signs in our future.

After we get this new government started and break Hawaii into pieces, we’re gonna cash in like you wouldn’t believe; awarding contracts to our pals, hiring supporters with government jobs, developing every profitable acre of our new land, collecting political contributions from far and wide. Don’t get me started!! It’s a special interest bonanza -- a big time payday -- so you better be ready for some big, big changes when it happens. The State of Hawaii, our island way of life, and our melting pot are going to be hardly recognizable when we're done.

Sure, dividing Hawaii along ethnic lines will cause racial strife between those with Hawaiian blood and those without, since Hawaiians will get all the rights and privileges of the new nation plus everything they get now, while non-Hawaiians will be left out in the cold, while stuck funding all governments, Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian alike. But who cares about that? There’s so much money at stake and that's just how it's gotta be -- piggybacking on fellow Hawaiians to get control of money, land and power for ourselves!! And listen, we’re going to get away with it, too. So far, nobody’s complaining that OHA, a state agency operating with the people’s money, is using money we're supposed spend on helping Hawaiians to instead advertise and lobby and organize and plan to create this big new government and to divide people and property by race. Look, we’ve even got this unholy alliance with a pseudo-Republican governor who's eagerly helping us and making it all seem legitimate. So if we’ve come this far, we might as well go all the way.

Sure, no matter how you slice it, it’s greed, pure and simple. And until we get everything we want, we’ll keep playing the game by saying and doing whatever we must to keep voters distracted by promoting an exaggerated image of poor, downtrodden, helpless Hawaiians while we grab all the land, money and power we can -- all while pretending it’s all about saving some little programs. Of course, now you know better. I just hope we win soon, cause I can’t keep pretending I’m a sincere and genuinely concerned Hawaiian activist much longer. You know me; I’m really more of the country club, estate manager type. Cha-ching! Anyway, mahalo for coming, no more questions." -- END OF STENDER TRANSCRIPT

Click here for the map of what's OHA's Looking At . . .

Do you agree or disagree?

Kalli writes: "I don't get it. According to Sen. Akaka and others, the Akaka Bill is not about race but about government, even though you have to be of a particular race to belong to that government. So how can anyone be racist about Hawaiians when they aren't a race but a political group? That pathetic letter (published on Hawaii Reporter) by Oz Stender is just so crazy. He talks about being poor, like a lot of us, but never says that he pulled himself up by his bootstraps (except Marines don't have straps) and made something of himself in an organization that is mostly white. And then he wants to deny other Hawaiians the same opportunity he had to make himself something, he wants them to become wards of the government."

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Zero Shibai Reader Survey
THE BIG QUESTION FOR YOU:
Published: January 29, 2008

Q: Will this year's Legislative Session, now under way at the State Capitol, be remembered as a boon or a bust, and why? To this end, what issues most matter to you that State House and State Senate members, along with the Governor, are responsible for tackling? And how likely is it that the success or failure of YOUR particular representatives in the Legislature will affect your decision whether or not to re-elect them the next time they're on the ballot?

What's YOUR opinion? Let us know!!

Send us your own answer to the question above

OHA and Kau Inoa Leaders Influence Blood Bank Operations
New Policies Keep Blood Donations from Different Races Apart to Preserve Aloha
Published: January 28, 2008

Here's a sample response from a Zero Shibai reader . . .

Hawaii Farmer writes: "How come Hawaiians can aihue a 'haole' organisation like Blood Bank Of Hawaii? If the Kau Manua people want to keep their blood seperate and uncontaminated, why don't they have their own repository of Hawaiian only blood? Maybe they can call it, "Local Koko". How come they can claim such special status of "Koko" and yet haoles take, store and control it? If Koko was so special than Hawaiians should be the only ones running Local Koko. Quite frankly, if Hawaiians want to keep their blood separate, it is OK with me provided they also agree not to receive non-Koko blood under any circumstance. Judging by the amount of Federal money going into Hawaiian only diseases, sickness treatments and other medical concerns, they would be gone in a generation if left to their own devices. If this is an honest attempt by certain Hawaiians to establish a cornerstone of their idea of a sepetate nation, we should be very suspect of every word in the aKAKA Bill."

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New Unauthorized Segments to Appear in 2008 on ZeroShibai.com
Dog Returns to Public Eye with all-new
Episodes of "Dog the Brickwood Hunter"
Published: January 27, 2008



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Keep Those Cards and Letters and Phone Calls Coming In
Cries of "Rasicm" Flood Zero Shibai's Switchboard from Illiterate Non-Readers
Published: January 25, 2008

Here are some sample responses from Zero Shibai readers . . .

Oswald Stender, OHA Trustee who recently accused Westerners in Hawaii of being 'genocidal colonizers' writes about Zero Shibai's response to OHA Chair Haunani Apoliona: "I have just read your “What We’ve Got to Say About It”. I will say that I see so much hate for Hawaiians and Indians in your response. Aloha e. Oz"

Richard Hoeflinger writes about the "Cow Inoa" cartoon: "Amen, brother. I really enjoy your parodies, and the truth they convey."

Ruth Nakasone on the "Cow Inoa" cartoon: "Having a cow? no shibai, exactly my sentiments.....and that was a blast, funny and yet saying it like it is. Mahalo and Aloha."

"Kanaka" on the "Cow Inoa" cartoon: "You should not be saying anything racial about any race... It is people like you who are making things hard on all of us with your racial slurs, even if it is your type of humor what about the people that do not share your kind of humor..You are only making the racial bounderies bigger and bigger...The hawaiians had a lot of things taken away and if you do not agree than just shut up...What race are you....."

Kalli writes about the self-described Hawaiian mechanic who announced his refusal to work on "Haole"-owned automobiles: "I don't understand. he says he won't fix haoles cars anymore but then doesn't tell us his shop name so we can avoid it. Also, if he denies service to white people based solely on their race he is violating article 14 of the u.s. constitution and should be sued by the aclu. he says that kau inoa is to build a nation and this has no effect on haoles. who the hell does he think is going to pay for his nation? How does he think oha got it's money in the first place, the hawaiian gods? haoles gave the money to oha and now the one drop hawaiians want more land and money. nation of hawaii not going to affect haoles, it's gonna infect everybody!!!"

Karen Chun of Save Kahului Harbor and Maui Paddle (both anti-Superferry groups) writes: "I am sick of all YOUR shibai and your racist, anti-hawaiian, f@%#ing, haole crap."

Greybeard waxes philosophically about Zero Shibai, politicians and OHA: "The Emperor's Fool, The Modest proposal. Aristophanes. Humor is humanity's smart bomb. A complacent society needs someone to pop the hot air balloons and Hawaii is one BIG hot air balloon. One third of children are raised by their grandparents. We have less than a week's food on the island. Most of our kids will leave to the mainland so they can have a life. Our schools: organized child abuse, while good tachers go home and bash their heads against the wall or drink themselves to sleep or leave after a few years. Yet a dingle berry governor, numb nuts legislators and a sacred cow OHA think they deserve a free ride and prance a merry fools dance congratulating themselves on the corpses they have sucked dry. ZeroShibai is like a Victorian spinster in its decorum so far compared to what they dish up on the mainland or in Europe. Still they are pranksters and good ones and the government should fear them for they appeal to their fellow humans and that makes them very, very dangerous. Go with God, he goes with you. Don't be cruel, but speak for the children and those without voices."

Here's an interesting and thoughtful response from the blogosphere:
Hawaii Blogger - Ron McElfresh

EDITOR'S NOTE: Thanks to everyone for your insights on the issue. At Zero Shibai, we hope that people will think long and hard about whether dividing people by race and creating a new bloated, racially-exclusive government is the answer. In fact, Kau Inoa's website makes it clear that their goal is to create a new government with all the same departments that our state and county governments have. Due to the previous lopsidedness of this debate, there was no other way to have an honest discussion until the tension and political correctness was stripped away with pointed humor so we can talk about the facts; without fear of being branded "racists". Unsurprisingly, many of the folks who are pushing for Akaka's "Government Reorganization Act" and for the expansion of OHA are diehard fans of big government anyway. And they love to play the race card whenever their power is threatened. So you have to wonder if this sovereignty issue is being exploited by insiders to create cushy jobs for themselves and their buddies. Hopefully, now that the bubble has somewhat now been burst by this cartoon controversy, we can have the reasoned discussion that the people of Hawaii -- ALL the people -- deserve.

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-- KGMB-TV News Coverage Below --

ZeroShibai.com Responds to Feigned Horror Expressed by Haunani Apoliona over Publication of Zero Shibai's "Cow Inoa" Cartoon Published by Hawaii Reporter
Stop Perpetuating the Image of Hawaiians as Losers, Haunani, and Stop Trying to be the New Alii by Exploiting Your People For a Cushy New Government Job
Published: January 24, 2008

by The Essayists | editor@zeroshibai.com

OFFICIAL RESPONSE
to Haunani Apoliona and her taxpayer-funded PR spokes-hack
for their glaringly desperate attempt to get publicity
by acting udder-ly horrified at our "Cow Inoa" political cartoon


(scroll down to see full-size)

Here's OHA's Letter of Fake Indignation

And Here's What We've Got to Say About It . . .

Don’t have a cow, Haunani. The only thing offensive is your refusal to stop thinking of Hawaiians as pitiful losers and stop promoting an image of them as unable to succeed in life without receiving a regular and exclusive supply of handouts, freebies, subsidies, preferences, entitlements, immunities, special treatment, privilege, pity and lowered expectations. Seriously, Haunani, there comes a time when the many wonderful success stories of Hawaiians, both well-known and mostly unknown, reveal the inaccuracy of the stereotype you keep trying to perpetuate in your rush for a new bloated government just for you and fellow Hawaiian “leaders” to run.

It’s a real shame that this constant theme of loserdom persists in local media coverage of native Hawaiians; in addition to being tragically promoted by you and others who pursue your selfish interests while claiming to represent the supposedly huddled masses of native Hawaiians who are purportedly unable to exercise control over their lives or keep from getting 'trampled' on. On a daily basis, we are being fed a diet of fabricated, exaggerated, oversimplified, and totally inaccurate images of your allegedly downtrodden race of Hawaiian people as all being poor, angry, self-loathing, homeless, beach-dwelling, drunk driving, chain smoking, welfare-addicted, special program needing, uneducated, grossly overweight diabetics who can’t seem to stay off drugs or out of prison . . . all because the unelected descendants of Queen Liliuokalani aren’t still running things from Iolani Palace.

Give us a break!!! Please, won’t somebody stop the shibai train before it reaches its destination?

Everyone knows this stereotype -- which is being milked, kept alive and reinforced by people like you, Haunani, who are looking for the power, riches and glory which would come from a brand new government for Hawaiians only -- is hogwash. Native Hawaiians are anything BUT helpless or permanently disadvantaged. They’re doing just as well and just as mediocrely and just as poorly as everyone else. Non-Hawaiians of all races can point to their own poor and disadvantaged. In Hawaii, there are rich and middle class and poor Filipinos, Caucasians, Asians, Hispanics, African-Americans, just as there are Hawaiians of all financial strata. Just to be clear, Haunani, not all Hawaiians are poor, and not all haoles are rich. Are we clear? Did I mention the explosive growth in people who are chop suey. They’re just as mixed financially as they are racially.

So stop selling racism and stop selling victimization and dependency. You should be promoting self-sufficiency, Haunani, not more old school welfare mentality. Just as things are now in the modern age, folks back in the “pre-overthrow” days had to work hard to be successful. Liliuokalani wasn’t handing out freebies. Likewise, you and the new alii wannabees of Hawaii should stop giving Hawaiian people (who are mostly only part-Hawaiian) the impression that they are incapable, incompetent and hopeless.

Finally, Haunani, if you can’t stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen. If you don’t like Hawaiian leaders like yourself being made fun of for being the only people in Hawaii trying to get their own ethnic government, then stop being racially exclusive, divisive and intolerant of other races. That’s why Filipinos and Chinese people and white folk and the rest aren’t being made fun of for trying to get their own government just for themselves – cause they’re not doing it. The sacred cow of your perception as Hawaiians being total losers needs to be slaughtered. And you, Haunani, should be the one killing the stereotype, rather than feeding it to excess each and every day.

P.S. For the record, anyone can read the cartoon and see that people of all races are being depicted as cows, for humorous effect . . . not just Hawaiians. So take your victimization pity party and your lies and your shibai and go take some racial sensitivity classes.

And Here's KGMB's Coverage of the OHA's Fake Hissy Fit . . .

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If You Think This Video Is Scary, The Akaka Bill is a Million Times Worse
Gov Lingle Asks State Legislature to Give Money, Land and Power to OHA to Create New Government We'll Keep Paying For
Published: January 22, 2008

Do you agree or disagree?

Here are some sample responses from Zero Shibai readers . . .

The Governor's speech yesterday was most disappointing. While starting off espousing personal responsibility, the rest of her speech was anything but. I have spent a considerable amount of time, talent and money supporting and promoting Governor Lingle over the years to include her first failed bid for Governor. I rationalized her support of the Akaka Bill and opted for the best of two evils. In the long run, I still think she was the best available.

However, she has embraced, in her last term, fewer true Republican beliefs and principles and more of a socialist or Green agenda. The largest landowner in Hawaii is government yet she talks about her government buying more land. Government is a poor steward of the land - that has been proven time and again - and extremely wasteful of resources. Her administration proposes to give OHA State (the people's) invaluable land with huge income producing potential. She has already given OHA tens of thousands of acres of State (the people's) land without any input from the people (the owners). So, she chooses to give away -- without the people's consent -- huge tracts without compensation and wants to buy more land with the people's yet-to-pay money? I find that politically abhorant in a state which already is ranked as one of the highest taxed states.

The Governor says that giving more land to OHA is "just and fair" and supports the horrible and unconstitutional Akaka Bill without input from the people. Why doesn't she put the question to the people of the State of Hawaii? The state now owes OHA $200 million by the state legislature giving in to OHA's demands. Why didn't the state pay OHA the $200 million from the $600 million and $700 million of excess taxes (surplus) collected from the taxpayers over the past two years? There are many questions that go unanswered concerning the Governor's recent decisions as it relates to the taxpayers of this state. I seriously doubt that I could support her anymore while she pursues her current agenda. ---> submitted by Hawaii Farmer


"Plan B for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) is proceeding perfectly. Unable to get the federal Akaka Bill passed that would provide federal recognition and therefore more billions in lands and ultimately casinos, OHA is actively acquiring land and money to form a new nation anyway. Stating “it’s a good deal for taxpayers” Governor Lingle announced the state settlement for disputed ceded land revenue to OHA of $200 Million, but it includes only $13 Million in cash and the rest in vast acreage in some of the most prime real estate in the State at considerably less than market value. Why would a state agency want so much land while fervently supporting federal recognition that would require the State of Hawaii and the Federal Government to negotiate the surrendering of 1.2 million acres of ceded lands to the new Nation of Hawaii? If the Akaka Bill does not pass Congress or is vetoed by the President as expected, Plan B will provide a land base for the new Nation of Hawaii anyway. Land is money and power in Hawaii, especially undeveloped prime real estate in Kakaako and Kalaeloa.

As a state taxpayer I cannot even get a $1 tax rebate from the $700 Million surplus of taxes in 2007 and probably not even .o1 in 2008 but OHA can get a $200 Million settlement, the governor wants $100 Million for DHHL homes for Hawaiians on top of the $600 Million over 20 years all ready being paid, the federal government provides about $150 Million annually in various programs for Hawaiians, the Federal Communications Commission is providing $400 Million in rural fibre optic connections on Hawaiian Homesteads through Sandwich Isle Communications which has an all Hawaiian Board of Directors, Mayor Mufi gave over $5 Million to buy Waimea Valley and gave it to OHA and Hawaiians on Homesteads only pay $100 a year in property taxes for the same city services I pay over $3000 a year for. With the billions of dollars all ready paid out to Hawaiians one wonders why there are so many still homeless on the beaches. How much longer do the taxpayers of the State of Hawaii and the Federal Government have to pay and when will enough be enough?" ---> submitted by Kalli from Ewa Beach

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Article in Honolulu Advertiser

Article in Honolulu Star-Bulletin

Article in Pacific Business News

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Unwanted, Poorly Raised Keiki are Tomorrow's Hooligans and Criminals
Lousy Parents are Public Enemy Number One and Should Be Treated As Such
Published: January 20, 2008

by The Essayists | editor@zeroshibai.com

Here is an editorial you WON’T read in our useless, pussyfooting, politically correct local newspapers.

Close your eyes and imagine living in the perfect Hawaii. Everyone has a job or owns a business or is in some way self-sufficient. Imagine if those same people (meaning everyone) only had children when they could afford to do so, and only had as many children as they could really take care of, and intentionally brought them into the world to be part of a happy, healthy, self-sufficient family. Imagine if these children got the upbringing necessary so that they could lead fulfilling, productive and nondestructive lives.

Now, open your eyes and remember that you live in Hawaii and it’s the year 2008. Things are far from perfect. For starters, people with no economic means, no matrimonial ties, no initiative, no resources, zero parenting skills and possibly drugged out of their minds are breeding keiki each and every day. People that call their kids “stupid” throughout their childhoods (you see them when you're out shopping) and smack them rather than talk to them are having babies all the time. People just looking for quick physical satisfaction are bringing poorly socialized little monsters into the world; becoming the next “at risk” generation of little criminals, juvenile delinquents, underachievers, druggies, teen parents, troublemakers, welfare cases, and the like. The statistics don’t lie, folks. Just look around you. Grandparents and great-grandparents, uncles and aunties, who’ve already served their time as parents, are having babies dumped on them while the birth mother and birth father (a.k.a. sperm donor) continue along their self-destructive bent somewhere.

Speaking of self-destructive bents, the mother of this week’s dead baby is not the only parent in Hawaii that abuses drugs during pregnancy, has babies indiscriminately with different fathers, shacks up with abusive men who are lower than scum, leaves keiki unattended for hours, days or longer, and blames everyone except herself. These people are everywhere, on each island, in every neighborhood.

Sometimes our various government agencies know about these poorly raised kids. Most of the time, government has no idea whatsoever. But in every situation, these horrible circumstances are known about, or at least suspected, by family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. Yet in our politically correct times, people have been brainwashed into not saying anything, doing anything, or even thinking anything is wrong . . . because we are supposed to believe there are different “parenting styles” practiced by people of “other cultures”. What hogwash! Kids’ lives get screwed up by the same defective parenting 'styles' that we’re all aware of. And the dead baby’s mother seemed to practice every single one of them.

Child Protective Services released the records concerning the dead baby and his narcissistic, bad-boy loving, drug-abusing, child-abusing, blame-shifting mother yesterday. All the warning signs were there. The baby was less than two years old, yet the mother had been “in the system” for six years. That’s right!! She was already in the system for four long years before the dead baby was even born. That’s because the woman, who knowingly smokes addictive crystal meth, lives in a bad neighborhood with a drug using boyfriend, leaves the front doors unlocked, and has two previous kids with two other men in equally appalling circumstances. And yet, the mother’s uterus was still open for business . . . and nobody really seemed to mind. To be perfectly honest, the baby that is now dead really didn’t have much of a chance with the two awful parents that brought him into the world; one of whom has been in prison this whole time and the other is the mother who ended up being the last person in all of Hawaii (along with her current boyfriend who let the baby wander off down the street earlier the same day) to know her baby was dead, after the story had been on the news all day and all afternoon, on into the evening.

The critical point is that we need to work at solving these problems or not at all. Clearly we aren’t doing things right, since all the overall statistics concerning the kind of parents that are “in the system” keep getting worse rather than better. Unquestionably, government is NOT the answer. Our government wants us to keep paying zillions per year on useless social workers, caseworkers and government programs and charities in order to help spare the feelings of people like this dead baby’s mother, so we the general public don’t have to tell them the truth and deal with them ourselves?!? Are you kidding me? Someone needs to go to the homes of these people, knock on the door, smack them a few times and tell them to get their shit together. So whom do we volunteer for this task? How about their families? Their parents? Their friends? Their co-workers? Their neighbors? Instead, as things stand, we’ve built a whole system around hiring complete strangers (government workers, non-profits, etc.) who are supposed to help people, to whom they are in no way related, to urge these bad parents to get their shit together . . . without any sort of accountability whatsoever.

C'mon, if families like these keep getting worse generation after generation, year after year, are we really expected to keep looking the other way, paying a fortune in taxes and charitable contributions, then crossing our fingers that these people don’t move in next door to us, knowing full well that their problems aren’t getting any better? “But we need to help”, “We should ease their pain”, “We’ve gotta do something”, blah, blah, blah. Seriously, how about interrupting the lives of these destructive sado-masochists long enough to tell them the truth? How about changing our laws to legally empower the many good samaritans who have the real vested compassion and the justification to intervene – the families, friends, co-workers and neighbors -- people who are far more likely than a bunch of social workers to know there's a problem and also what needs to be done?

Let’s flush the political correctness down the toilet and use our caring and our determination to wake these people up before it’s too late. It’s more important to urgently intervene in the troubled lives of people around us than to simply drop off a teddy bear and some balloons at a makeshift memorial site overlooking H-1 Freeway after tragedy has already struck. Waiting for government or non-profits to come to the rescue is what we’ve done in far too many cases. Let’s turn our community’s anger at this preventable tragedy into concrete steps which make Hawaii a better place.

It starts with being willing to tell the truth. Those who have babies when their social, economic, familial, medical and emotional lives are not solid, are asking for trouble, and they are causing our society to have problems up the yin-yang. These people statistically are the #1 producers of children that grow up to be the worst of humanity. Sorry, we’re not here to spare any feelings. This is Zero Shibai, not Oprah, and we’re certainly not a bunch of suckup politicians that will tell you a bunch of feel-good shibai just to get your vote. So here’s the bottom line: mothers and fathers who knowingly procreate and raise children in severely negative surroundings like those endured by the now-famous dead baby on H-1 are public enemy number one and should be dealt with even more severely than drunk drivers, rapists and cop killers. This issue is unquestionably bigger than improving the quality of college football locker rooms. Our community should rally around a sustained strategy of attack against this problem during this and all future legislative sessions at the State Capitol. Get involved before it's too late to improve the lives, and prevent the deaths, of all the Cyrus Belts in Hawaii.

Do you agree or disagree?

Here's a sample response from a Zero Shibai reader . . .

My comments are in regards to the baby who was thrown off the freeway: What kind of life would Cyrus have had if he lived? He's in a better place now than all of us and in a better place than where he would have ended up if he continued to live with such neglect and in such a horrible environment. Did anyone reach out to Matthew Higa after he experienced a death of a best friend (Andrew Hansen)? Did anyone set up a huge memorial for his best friend? So what if they're adults, it's still someone's child, too! What about the baby's mother - wasn't she in the wrong by neglecting to both watch and take care of her own baby... not once but numerous times which whitout a doubt attributed to the death of baby Cryus. Who's the real victim here? Cyrus Belt had a enormous chance of ending up like Matthew Higa - a drug addict. Matthew Higa ended a life which would have been a life of possible drugs and crime.

Unfortunately, Society is making only Matthew pay for all of this, not the mother, boyfriend, grandfather, the police, or the social worker. Matthew Higa did one cruel act but what about the ongoing probably daily cruel acts of neglect and lack of care by Cyrus' supposed caregivers. Where was everyone that set up the memorial - alot of people go and mourn but no one reaches out to help when Matthew Higa and Cyrus needed the help which would have prevented this unfortunate product of an uncaring selfish society!!!! Matthew Higa's life is over, too, but Matthew is in a touch of hell where Cyrus is in definite Heaven- think about it!!! ---> submitted by Born to Raise Heaven on Earth!

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OHA's Kau Inoa Commercial Gets Dissected and Corrected:
Let's Come Together With Violence & Aloha
Published: January 18, 2008

Click Here for Additional Analysis of This and Other Kau Inoa Commercials

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New Ad Campaign Gets Under Way, Sponsored by Native Cow Population:
Local Bovines Join In Sovereignty Push
Published: January 18, 2008

An udder-ly aghast Zero Shibai reader responds to this cartoon . . .

"Whether I agree or disagree, your "Cow Inoa" was insensitive and more than extremely racial. To boot, the facts about the cows, whom you have also maligned, are simply not true. You also show your ignorance of history. The Kingdom, before it was overthrown had one of the highest literacy rates of any country in the world. It also had ambassadors to all of the major European countries. The sad thing is, you are also demeaning the Japanese for using one of the words from their language and culture to further your propaganda. Pau" ---> submitted by Phil Sharp

EDITOR'S NOTE: Thanks for writing, Phil. Clearly you're unaware that Kimo and Pualani enjoy an exponentially higher standard of living now that at any time in Hawaii's history . . . and they can eat together at the same table without being bludgeoned, like in the old kapu days. Ambassadors to foreign countries don't create jobs, put food on the table, put gas in the tank or provide children with free K-12 learning. Oh, by the way, put your reading glasses on and you'll be able to read that ALL people, not just Hawaiians, are depicted as cows in this cartoon. I know it's hard for some people to make an argument these days without being intellectually dishonest and presenting shibai-riddled letters to the editor. But please, Phil, try a little harder; especially when picking on a poor little cartoon.


"Dear editor, I'm not sure you know this but cows were not introduced into Hawaii before the 1700 which they were brought as food for passing foreigners. Many are not sure living is better they could have had "Costcow" without being annexed by the U.S.A. or being bitten by mosquitoes which were introduced to Hawaii. I'm not saying I agree with them or you, but one thing is certain, this cartoon is not written just for fun as you have so rudely made disgustingly obvious by attacking Phil. Thank you for your time." ---> submitted by Chris Doe a.k.a. Chris "Nahulu" Nunokawa

EDITOR'S NOTE: Thanks for taking the time to write "Nahalu". We're sure that bruddah Phil appreciates your defense of his honor, and also really appreciate your help in understanding that volcanoes did not create cows in Hawaii. By the way, Costcow is having a sale this week and you can buy a sense of humor which will get you through all of life's ups and downs. :-)

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