INDEX - HAWAII TRANSPORTATION

www.islandbreath.org


SUBJECT: SUPERFERRY STORY SEPTEMBER 20TH

SOURCE: JUAN WILSON juanwilson@mac.com

POSTED: 20 SEPTEMBER 2007 - 8:00am HST

Governor Lingle must be looking to defuse mess

by Juan Wilson on 20 September 2007

There are indications that Governor Lingle realizes that she backed herself into a corner and that she must find a way out. One indication is that her aides have said that tonight's meeting at the Peace & Freedom Hall at 6:00pm will be more than her reading us the "Riot Act" and threatening dire consequences to the people of Kauai.
The night will be open to a dialog beyond questions about the rules of the Emergency Security Zone.

Jo Ann Yukimura's recent editorial in the Garden Island calling for a peaceful demonstration seeking an "EIS First!" set just the right tone. I think that the losses for Lingle are accumulating and we are gaining ground. The report yesterday that any Environmental Assessment won't be rushed or done in a no bid contract by a DOT hand picked consultant is a significant loss of ground for the Superferry. We are winning.

Some of the technical difficulties and errors with the USCG emergency rule have been identified (no 30 day notice period, no specified date of commencement) have compromised any future prosecutions against those who are caught violating the rule. Moreover, the headline in the paper today is that the ACLU is looking into the application of the rule as interfering with legal peaceful protest.

Offering Lingle room for a compromise that will be face saving while she backs down a bit is important.

A seemingly unrelated item in the Garden Island was an article that discussed the reason the developer of the Coco Palms recently backed out of the huge project. An important component was the slow down of resort living demand and the debacle over credit due to the sub-prime loan crisis. In other words, the economy is failing on the single operating piston of American prosperity - "Suburban Development". As the middle class find difficulty making mortgage payments, tourism is evaporating. And with crude oil futures heading towards $90 a barrel the Superferry is small potatoes in the big picture. As a result, Lingle has much bigger things to worry about than keeping the HSF Corporation afloat.

 

SUBJECT: SUPERFERRY STORY SEPTEMBER 20TH

SOURCE: JIMMY TRUJILLO jtluvmw@lava.net

POSTED: 20 SEPTEMBER 2007 - 8:00am HST

See a "sea" of color presented to Governor Lingle

by Jimmy Trujillo on 20 September 2007

Aloha kakou,

Mahalo for keeping the info stream flowing. sorry for the multiple postings.

It's been a challenge to keep up with the latest.

I spoke w/ russell pang from gov.lingle's office. I asked him about the meeting format and would we have to sign up to speak.he shared that there would be an optional sign in sheet (to receive latest info on issues) but no need to sign up to speak. There would be multiple mics in the auditorium for speakers. Time was not going to be limited but he expressed that they had only a couple of hours and people would be encouraged to be brief.

The Q/A session will follow their version of 'shock and awe' and the consequence of us defying them. mr pang thought that the governor's guest would need 30 -45 min to present and the remainder of time would focused on the Q&A. The meeting will end sometime around 9pm. They are returning to honolulu via a Nat.Guard airplane after the meeting. The multiple opportunities to collectively express our feelings are soon upon us.

Tomorrow's gathering at the county courthouse at 4:30 to express our solidarity for the county council's position of an EIS before the HSFerry begins. we can thank them again for representing kaua'i admirably on this issue. many in this group of kauaiians will march on to the peace and freedom hall and convention center to join the others waiting for a chance to express themselves before the governor and her guests. please bring your ti leaf and your friends and family to this event. see islandbreath.org for more details on the EIS FIRST Rally at the county courthouse. There have been several suggestions about identifying leaders or spokefolks to represent the various groups and individuals who may or may not want to enter the governor's ball. keone's suggestion below was well recieved.

What about gathering outside until the official start time of the meeting then performing an oli kahea to ask permission to come in. Waiting until at least the official start time of the meeting is correct. The point of displaying a unified community, respect for traditional protocol and making them answer to you before entering the building are all preserved and in a way that you maintain your center and come from a place of solidarity and even power.

Followed up on his suggestion and was also counseled to seek out Ipo and Kamahalo from Kanu I Kapono charter school. They are considering the proposal and will decide how they'd like to participate in tomorrow's events. kamahalo expressed concerns about using protocol and observing protocol and the need to be on the same page if we do this; that we commit to being peaceful and respectful. This concern has been echoed by many regarding our collective strength coming from a place of respect and aloha to be shared with our adversaries and that there must be no room for beligerence, arrogance and hatred in our hearts. we must overwhelm that type of negative energy with our light that shines full of love and compassion. I look forward to hearing from others regarding this. There was some discussion on arranging a press conference during the
meeting. I like this idea and hope with a little support we can make this happen.

Anyone interested in working on this or trying to move forward with this please let me know. I think the 4:30 'gathering of aloha' at the council courthouse would make an attractive venue for the press conference as well. The 4:30 gathering also allows for us to go over any last minute planning details regarding the governor's ball and the strategy for a unified community appearence at the peace and freedom hall. we can also discuss the spokefolks issue and possibly recruit from those present. we still have some details to work out as well regarding the nawiliwili waterfun freedom fest on Saturday the 22.

Whether we want to walk in together and walk out together or go our seperate ways as the moment and mood strikes, let us be firm and united in our thoughts and actions. we have always advocated for taking the higher road; for not stooping to the base level of corupt politicians or corporate pirates. I hope we can all agree that the aloha we feel for kauai must be expressed in ways that are pono and help us build solidarity and not tear us down. we must encourage others to do so as well. we can not control others and force people to behave a certain way but we can be influential and exert pressure to move others toward the light of compassion and understanding.

Looking forward to seeing you all there tomorrow. mahalo again for your efforts to support kauai and her people.


by Jonathan Jay on 20 September 2007 - 7:30am HST

crowd scale graphics - you gotta love it.
red - many super ferry impact shirts out there
white w/purple and green 30 dozen shirts drying as we wake
blue for the ocean as Karlos suggests...
If you are patriotic for France, Russia, Imperial America
OR the State of Hawai`i these are your colors ;)
Anyway, here is a quickie DIY craft project:
print out attached graphic on 8.5x11 heavier stock in color
fold it in 1/2 down the middle so graphics show both sides
tape it over a yard stick, & bring it tonight.
lets paint a pretty picture!
4:30 Historic County Building
5:30 Peace & Freedom Memorial Convention Hall
Be resolute with your Aloha, respect, & tough love.

EIS_First.jpg


SUBJECT: SUPERFERRY STORY SEPTEMBER 20TH

SOURCE: DICK MAYER dickmayer@earthlink.net

POSTED: 20 SEPTEMBER 2007 - 8:00am HST

Stand up and be counted

by JoAnn A. Yukimura, Kaua‘i County Council, on 18 September 2007

In times like these, it is good for all of us to take a deep breath and think about the things we love and share in common.

Most of us love Kaua‘i. We all want to live here in peace, good health and prosperity, defined not only as having enough money, but also as being able to live the lifestyle of Kaua‘i. A big part of our happiness is living with the natural environment — the ocean, mountains, and outdoors — and being surrounded by stunning natural beauty on a daily basis. We also feel relatively safe here, and we love being part of a family and community where people care about each other and have fun together. We are also concerned about the future — especially for our children and grandchildren. In general, we are law abiding, and we believe that the law should be followed.

If we had time to get to know one another — protester with Superferry supporter, Coast Guardsman with local surfer — we would probably make a discovery like Paul Baumer, the German soldier in the book, “All Quiet on the Western Front.”
In a shell hole on a World War I battlefield, out of fear and the desire to survive, he stabs a Frenchman who has jumped into the same hole to escape enemy fire. When Paul finds letters and a photo of a wife and daughter on the Frenchman’s dead body, he cries out with remorse, “For the first time, I see you are a man like me ... forgive me, comrade; how could you be my enemy?”

We are not literally killing each other, of course, but we may be thinking of ourselves as separate and very different from those with whom we disagree.
In fact, we are not that different.

Consider that most who oppose the Superferry without an EIS would accept the Superferry if there were full disclosure of the impacts prior to operation, if these disclosed impacts would be subject to the EIS requirements of documentation and public input, and if the decision-makers would make their decision with true thoughtfulness as to what would promote the public good, conditioning their approval of the Superferry on strict requirements that would effectively protect Kaua‘i against coqui frogs and mongooses; drugs and theft rings; and overloading of public beaches, roads, parks and other facilities. This may sound like a big order, but this is the “pono” way because the consequences of not addressing the impacts could be devastating to the economy and environment of Kaua‘i.

Most who favor the Superferry would certainly not object to requirements that will prevent invasive species, drugs, and theft rings from coming into Kaua‘i. Nor would they object to methods that prevent collisions with whales or protect against overloading parks. That’s a lot we all agree on.

What upset many who favor the Superferry was the rude, “no-aloha” way that some protesters used against innocent passengers of the Superferry. I agree that such behavior is completely unacceptable.

Some Superferry supporters also don’t believe that negative impacts could happen. Or, they believe that even though there might be negative impacts, nothing can be done about it. Or, they believe that the Superferry is being unfairly singled out from other forms of inter-island transport.

In fact, the Superferry singles itself out. No other form of inter-island transport allows drive-on, drive-off traffic. Nor does any other commercial ship move as fast (40 knots versus an average of 12 knots.) These huge differences are enough reason to require an EIS. The Superferry will be like a highway connecting Honolulu to Kaua‘i. Just think of all the things that could come over easily by highway: cars, homeless, thieves, tour buses with 60 people per bus, motor bikes, surfers, and campers to overwhelm our already inadequate infrastructure. Our young people, too, could zoom over to Honolulu in a car. Can you imagine the problems that could create?

On the first run of the Superferry to Maui, three men from O‘ahu raided Iao Stream on Maui of 900 “imu” rocks and filled their trucks to transport those rocks to O‘ahu, an apparent violation of state conservation rules. This is exactly what those who want an EIS first are concerned about (are limu and maile next?). It demonstrates the importance of identifying potential negative impacts and addressing them before Superferry operations are allowed.

In the 1960s, people began to realize that when we overlook or ignore environmental impacts, we often hurt ourselves, others or our community, often unintentionally and often out of ignorance. For example, DDT was used to kill vermin and mosquitoes to stop disease or harmful insects, but it entered the food chain and ended up killing useful species and contaminating mothers’ breast milk. Federal and state EIS laws were passed to prevent such unconscious and poor decision-making.

Governor Lingle has announced that the Superferry will resume operations to Kaua‘i on Sept. 26 and that the force of government will be used to facilitate its landing at Nawiliwili. This announcement was made before our judicial system has ruled as to whether the Superferry, under the law, can legally operate while an Environmental Assessment is being prepared. The law itself states that “acceptance of a required final statement shall be a condition precedent to implementation of the proposed action.” As a matter of law, the operation needs to be halted.

The governor and the Superferry officials believe that only an insignificant minority of Kauaians want an EIS before the Superferry is allowed to run.

We know better.

We know that many Kauaians of all walks of life and ethnic backgrounds want an EIS first. This is because we love Kaua‘i and don’t want to see it harmed. We also want the law to be enforced on both sides of the controversy.

Tomorrow afternoon, Sept. 20, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., before Governor Lingle holds her meeting at the Convention Hall, a group of concerned citizens is gathering on the lawn in front of the Historic County Building to show support for an “EIS First.” With respect and dignity, in the highest of democratic traditions, Kaua‘i has a chance to show the world how much we care about our home. “If you don’t show, they won’t know.” Bring your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. Now is the time to stand up and be counted.



see also:
Island Breath: News of September 19th 9/19/07
Island Breath: News of September 18th 9/18/07
Island Breath: News of September 16th & 17th 9/17/07
Island Breath: News of September 14th & 15th 9/15/07
Island Breath: News of September 13th 9/13/07
Island Breath: News of September 12th 9/12/07
Island Breath: News of September 11th
9/11/07
Island Breath: News of September 10th 9/10/07
Island Breath: Superferry Concerns 9/10/07
Island Breath: KOH Petition to USCG 9/5/07
Island Breath: HSF Slice & Swath Technology 9/5/07
Island Breath: News of Oahu animosity 9/5/07
Island Breath: Maritime Administration & EIS 9/3/07
Island Breath: Support from Oahu's DMZ 8/30/2007
Island Breath: DMZ - Stop the Strykers 7/2/07
Island Breath: Maui Case & Timeline 8/29/07
Island Breath: A Hawaiian's View 8/29/07
Island Breath: We Win Round Three 8/28/07
Island Breath: Plea to Reps and TRO 8/27/07
Island Breath: Rounds One & Two 8/23/07
Island Breath: Boycott the Superferry 8/17/07
Island Breath: Superferry Preparations 8/10/07
Island Breath: Hui-R Superferry Meeting 7/26/2007
Island Breath: Not So Super Ferry 7/24/07
Island Breath: Superferry Invasion 7/22/07
Island Breath: Superferry Noise 7/18/07
Island Breath: Superferry Delayed 5/25/07
Island Breath: Still No Superferry EIS 3/31/07
Island Breath: Superferry EIS Effort 3/25/2007
Island Breath: Superferry EIS Bill hearings 2/26/07
Island Breath: Superferry Promotion 2/24/07
Island Breath: Superferry Launched 1/28/07
Island Breath: Superferry in Trouble
12/12/006
Island Breath: Superferry Reference
11/6/06
Island Breath: Superferry Resistance
11/1/06
Island Breath: Superferry & Military
10/13/06
Island Breath: Superferry History
10/3/06
Island Breath: Stop the Superferry
8/29/06
Island Breath: Superferry Meetings
8/13/06
Island Breath: Superferry Redux
6/23/06
Island Breath: Superferry Problems
11/14/04


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pau

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