ICA Rules Hamman/Williams Not Legitimate Candidates for 14th District Race
Today the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals overturned a Kauai Fifth Circuit decision which allowed the Republican Party three additional days to field a “replacement” candidate (Harry Williams) when David Hamman supposedly “withdrew” from the District 14 State House Race to run for the Kauai State Senate seat. The ICA ruled that Hamman was never a candidate because his nomination papers were not complete and should never have been accepted for filing. This is an important decision for future elections to make clear that all candidate nomination papers must strictly comply with the law.
Pilgrimage of Compassion – 2011
Lawai International Center
Today I participated in the eleventh annual Pilgrimage of Compassion, as I have done for the past three years at the Lawai International Center. Many of the sentiments I shared came from others and deserve to be repeated and their wisdom remembered each year. Many of the participants have asked that I post what I shared today, which is below, and the link to the blog I posted last year.
Ano ai me ke aloha kakou, e na hulu mamo like ole.
Greetings, with aloha, among all of us, birds of many feathers. I think this is the 3rd time I have participated in this pilgrimage and each time I have opened with this greeting, which I learned from Puanani Burgess, a community builder and poet from Waianae. She learned this formal greeting from Pilahi Paki who was instrumental in giving Lynn guidance and the foundation to restore this area. Puanani, who is also a Buddhist priest, told me she thought that this greeting demonstrates the Hawaiian mindset perfectly. The kaona, or hidden meaning, of this formal greeting is that even though we may look different we are all the same. And, scientifically, this is true. Through the human genome project we now know that 99.9% of humans are genetically the same but unfortunately, most conflicts focus on our differences be it race, gender or religion.
Respect for nature, universal human rights and a culture of peace. These are the kind of values we share and these values can be embodied in a single word, Aloha. Aloha is what brings us together today. Aloha guides Lynn Muramoto and is the foundation of Lawai International Center. It is Aloha that allows this puu honua, this place of refuge, to transcend through generations.
Over twenty years ago another person that helped to give Lynn guidance is Alvin Shim, a Hawaii visionary and peacemaker and who was a mentor to many of Hawaii’s leaders. Several weeks ago I was having dinner with his son, Pono Shim. Pono continues his father’s legacy of social justice to spread the meaning of living with Aloha.
Pono told me, “you know Mina, we don’t have cultural diversity in Hawaii, what we have is a cultural hybrid.” Pono explained to me that he viewed cultural diversity as being together in a defined area but still identified through our differences. To Pono, cultural hybrid was more suitable in describing what we have in Hawaii – that we strive to blend the best qualities from each culture and bind them together through our shared value of Aloha.
Pono, a practitioner who stresses the importance of native storytelling to describe Aloha, compared the concept of a cultural hybrid to lei-making. We all know that a lei is very special. Many times a lei is a symbol and a gift of Aloha.
Kui Lei
We are all familiar with the kui lei, the most common type of lei making where we take similar flowers and with a needle poke through the center of the flower to string the flowers together. Pono said this describes cultural diversity. We have lots of beautiful kui leis but it’s usually all the same kind of flowers held together on a string.
- However, the more traditional lei is either wili or haku, where you weave multiple lei materials held together with a strong backing and light cordage. Pono explained that with a haku or wili you bring together many different types of materials, flowers and foliage, to create a lei. If the backing and binding is done right the flowers and foliage will hold together no matter how hard you shake the lei. However, if not bound correctly and tightly, the lei falls apart. Similarly, without the backing and binding of Aloha our communities fall apart.
Haku Lei
At the 2009 pilgrimage, I shared how Hawaii became known as the Aloha State through Reverend Abraham Akaka famous statehood sermon in 1959. To close, I want to share an excerpt of that timeless sermon with you again.
Kahu Abraham Akaka
We do not understand the meaning of Aloha until we realize its foundation in the power of God at work in the world. Since the coming of our missionaries in 1820, the name for God to our people has been Aloha. One of the first sentences I learned from my mother in my childhood was this from Holy Scripture: “Aloha ke Akua” – in other words, “God is Aloha.” Aloha is the power of God seeking to unite what is separated in the world – the power that unites heart with heart, soul with soul, life with life, culture with culture, race with race, nation with nation. Aloha is the power that can reunite when a quarrel has brought separation; aloha is the power that reunites a man with himself when he has become separated from the image of God within.
Aloha consists of this new attitude of heart, above negativism, above legalism. It is the unconditional desire to promote the true good of other people in a friendly spirit, out of a sense of kinship. Aloha seeks to do good, with no conditions attached. We do not do good only to those who do good to us. One of the sweetest things about the love of God, about Aloha, is that it welcomes the stranger and seeks his good. A person who has the spirit of Aloha loves even when the love is not returned. And such is the love of God.
Aloha does not exploit a people or keep them in ignorance and subservience. Rather, it shares the sorrows and joys of people; it seeks to promote the true good of others.Today, one of the deepest needs of mankind is the need to feel a sense of kinship one with another. Truly all mankind belongs together from the beginning all mankind has been called into being nourished [and] watched over by the love of God. So that the real Golden Rule is Aloha. This is the way of life we shall affirm.
Let us affirm [for]ever what we really are – for Aloha is the spirit of God at work in you and in me and in the world, uniting what is separated, overcoming darkness and death, bringing new light and life to all who sit in the darkness of fear, guiding the feet of mankind into the way of peace.
Aloha ke Akua. Mahalo for allowing me to share this message with you.
Closing One Chapter, Starting A New One
On Wednesday, March 9, the Senate Committee on Commerce & Consumer Protection held my confirmation hearing (click here for Governor’s Message No. 523, testimony and committee report) and recommended for approval my appointment to the Public Utilities Commission. The full Senate confirmation vote was held on Monday, March 14. Just prior to my vote, former Kauai Senator, Gary Hooser, was also confirmed by the Senate as the Director of the Office of Environmental Quality Control. Subsequently, after the confirmation vote, I walked back to the House Chambers to meet for the last time with House colleagues and was allowed to make my last statement on the House floor. I then resigned as the State Representative for District 14 and was sworn in as a Public Utilities Commissioner later that afternoon in the Lieutenant Governor’s conference room. My first day on the job as the Chair of the Public Utilities Commission was the next day, Tuesday, March 15.
No Fishes, No Fishermen
Reacting to the convoluted discussion surrounding the Hawaiian Island Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary management plan review, a fisherman asked me if I was for or against fishermen. My simple answer to that question is I am for the fish – no fishes, no fishermen.
I understand that fishing is a significant factor in keeping our island lifestyle and culture but this important resource is dependent on maintaining a healthy ocean ecosystem. Unfortunately, indiscriminate fishing, the absence of comprehensive marine management and sensible regulations and enforcement have put our marine resources in jeopardy not only in Hawaii but throughout the world. Kupuna Louis “Buzzy” Agard describes the situation we now face:
In our oceans today, too many people are fighting over a diminished resource. I have been fishing in Hawai‘i for more than 60 years. I remember when there were dense schools of fish in Hawai‘i. But I can tell you from experience, times have changed. Our food fish are now a commodity, and when a limited natural resource becomes a commodity, you have the tragedy of the commons – everybody keeps taking, but nobody takes care. If we learn to take care, and to take only what we need in a responsible manner, then maybe we can be proud of the future we pass on to our children.
Our best efforts have to be brought forth to ensure a thriving fishing community. It was not long ago that our nearshore waters were managed through a konohiki with strict rules and serious consequences. Our Hawaiian ancestors truly understood that having a thriving fishery was a matter of survival and responsibility. Rebuilding our fisheries can only happen through a thoughtful discussion and acknowledging our kuleana as an island community dependent on our ocean, not through rumors, fear and speculation. Hopefully, the Hawaii Humpback Whale Sanctuary management plan review can be seized as an opportunity to redirect federal and state resources not to focus solely on target species but to identify what it will take to restore a thriving and diverse marine ecosystem to enhance the quality of our island lifestyle.
Navigator Nainoa Thompson says, “It’s time for us to recognize the value of our ocean, and understand that we are in a time of decline . . . We must rebuild a culture of an ocean community. This will require a partnership among scientists, government, and those who use and love the ocean like I do. It’s about values and responsibility, and is truly a matter of survival.”
Growing Our Own Teachers On Kauai
I like it when people stop to talk story with me at the grocery store or post office. I usually get caught up on or a new issue is brought to my attention. Yesterday at Foodland-Princeville was no exception. George Corrigan, the President of the Rotary Club of Hanalei Bay, was at the entrance encouraging people to participate in Give Aloha, Foodland’s annual community matching gifts program which runs from September 1 to September 30. For every customer’s $1.00 contributed, Foodland will match up to $249.00 to a non-profit. The non-profit George was advocating for is Growing Our Own Teachers On Kauai, which started out as a community service project of the Hanalei Rotary. The purpose of this non-profit is to provide needed financial aid to teacher candidates who live on Kauai and aspire to become teachers in Kauai schools.
In Hawaii, and nationally, there is a severe shortage of good, qualified teachers. In the past, the State Department of Education actively recruited teachers from the mainland paying relocation bonus resulting in few longterm benefits to our public education system. Now, through distance learning we can “grow and nurture” potential teacher candidates within our own communities and the retention and commitment to teaching within our communities is much more successful. A critical partner in this effort is the University of Hawaii, College of Education with its Statewide Teacher Education Program, which offers distance learning on its neighbor island campuses rather than having teacher candidates relocate to the UH Manoa campus.
Growing Our Teachers On Kauai steps in, providing financial assistance, at a critical juncture for these teacher candidates:
Most local teacher candidates have to pay for their own college education. They do it by working a full-time job or several part-time jobs. Many candidates have families of their own or are the sole income provider for their families. They have to balance family, work and school at the same time. With tuition, plus books, a computer, software, supplies, and other associated expenses, the costs are approximately $5,000 per semester or $20,000 for the two-year program.
In spite of all this, there are many local teacher candidates who have the motivation and dedication to tough it through. Until that is, their final semester. At that time, they must quit their jobs and serve full-time in the classroom with their mentor teacher, Monday through Friday, everyday. Teacher candidates do not get paid for student teaching and the commitment to teaching is full-time. Many teacher candidates cannot afford to finish that last stretch to become a teacher.
I guess the first question a person would ask a Legislator like me is why don’t these teacher candidates get a stipend. I don’t know the answer to that question except this is another expense that has to compete with all the other general fund needs of our State.
As I was going through the Foodland checkout line I spotted this Time magazine cover. Right below the bus window it says “It Starts With The Teachers”. Since 2002 the Lingle-Aiona administration tried to peg school reform on one issue, locally elected school boards. The Chair of the House Committee on Education, Representative Roy Takumi, has studied the issue of school reform extensively. What is clear is governance of a school system (local versus state board of education) has little to do with successful schools.
Throughout the country, successful schools have these common characteristics: (1) Principals with effective leadership qualities, (2) Skilled and dedicated teachers, (3) Involved parents and active community support, (4) An Articulated Curriculum, (5) A Safe and Healthy Learning Environment. Using this framework, I have supported legislation that brought funding and decision-making directly under local school control, worked to reduce class size, add more money for textbooks and modernize computers and technology infrastructure, tried to address the teacher shortage by providing fair compensation to retain and attract skilled and dedicated educators, established a Principal’s Academy to enhance leadership skills, established and adjusted the weighted student formula to adequately address a student’s special needs.
There is no doubt that so much more has to be done to transform and improve public education in Hawaii and I can’t thank the Rotary Club of Hanalei Bay enough and its support of Growing Our Own Teachers on Kauai in helping to address one of the most fundamental challenges to our public education system, attracting and retaining skilled and qualified teachers in our rural communities. So until September 30 double your contribution to this worthy non-profit by making a donation while checking out at Foodland.
Race Update
Republicans named Harry R. Williams as the replacement candidate. According to Derrick DePledge’s blog post, he is a Kapaa contractor.
Thanks for the e-mails, comments and phone calls I received throughout the day and the little chats while I was at post office and Foodland this evening. Many of you have said, “It’s okay I know you will win.” I really appreciate everyone’s confidence in my campaign and my ability as your State Representative. I would have welcomed a race against a legitimate candidate, however, in this case there was no Republican candidate in the District 14 House race at the close of filing. The Chief Election Officer misinterpreted the section of the law (11-117, HRS and 11-118, HRS) that deals with a candidate’s withdrawal, perpetuating this David Hamman fraud and scam.
At the time of the filing deadline (4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 20), David Hamman was a candidate for the Senate seat, having filed his nomination papers for that race after withdrawing from the District 14 House race on Monday, July 19. According to the Hawaii Administrative Rules, which governs the Office of Elections, Chapter 3-172-1, HAR defines “candidate” as “an individual who has qualified for placement on the ballot.” And, an individual is qualified only if he files his nomination papers in accordance with Chapter 12-6, HRS. Hamman qualified as a candidate for the Kauai Senate race having filed his nomination papers for that race by the filing deadline. The section of the law that the Chief Election Officer is relying on would apply only if Hamman was withdrawing from the Senate race.
Simply put, Hamman did not file nomination papers for the District 14 House race by the close of the filing deadline because he withdrew on July 19. And, there was no way he could because he filed his nomination papers for the Senate race and a person cannot run in more than one race. The Republicans did not have a candidate qualified for the ballot for the District 14 House race at the close of the filing deadline, therefore, no candidate vacancy exists to allow Harry R. Williams to run as a legitimate candidate.
Someone commented that it would be a waste of State resources to pursue this. I was surprised by that attitude because that’s the same logic that proponents of the SuperFerry were using when people questioned and challenged the Administration’s interpretation of Hawaii’s environmental laws and the process. And, you all know the outcome of that fiasco.
Pilgrimage of Compassion – 2010
At the foot of the path.
Yesterday I had the privilege of giving remarks at the 10th annual Pilgrimage of Compassion at the Lawai International Center. In preparing to speak before a large group I like to put everything I say in writing and try to edit what I say as much as possible so I can be up at the mike for as short as a time possible. I tried all week to write and the pressure was building. I woke up yesterday morning with nothing in mind and had to leave the house in a couple of hours. I am not a religious person, nor do I think of myself as spiritual but my life has been enriched by people I have met like Ramsay Taum, Pono Shim, and Puanani Burgess, who all perpetuate the wisdom of kupuna and practice and share Aloha. (click here to see a video of Ramsay sharing the meaning of Hawaii, read Pono’s statement to the State Senate and hear Kupuna Paki share the meaning of Aloha) Suffice it to say, that once I started to focus on their stories to sharing their words for the pilgrimage it became easier to write.
Pilgrimage of Compassion - 2010
One of 88 shrines.
Many people at the pilgrimage asked for the text of my remarks and given the wonders of WordPress, I can now retell the story here with pictures and special links below. Also, here is a link to my 2009 remarks which talks more about Pilahi Paki and Kahu Abraham Akaka’s famous statehood Aloha Ke Akua sermon. LawaiInternationalCenter
Kaua & the Lotus Blossom
Last week I watched my lotus plant flower for the first time. I wasn’t familiar with the significance of the lotus blossom in Buddhism so went to look it up on the internet.
The roots of a lotus are in the mud, the stem grows up through the water, and the flower blossoms high above the water, reaching for the sunlight. The movement of the stem and bud through the mud represents the progress of the soul from the primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, and into the bright sunshine of enlightenment. And, although there are other water plants that bloom above the water, only the lotus which, owing to the strength of its stem, rises about a foot above the surface of the water.
Learning this reminded me of the Hawaiian creation chant, the Kumulipo where existence begins in darkness and muck. This is how Kumu Hula, Pualani Kanahele, from Hawaii Island, describes the Kumulipo.
“The Kumulipo is a mele ko‘ihonua (genealogical chant). It is a remembrance from the lipo (dark depth) of our deep past to the lipo of our unknown future. It heralds existence from dawn to dawn or the numerous beginnings and endings. The Kumulipo acknowledges the walewale as the earthy matter from which all forms have ascended. The fundamental images, thoughts, forms and shapes from walewale evolved and increased into familial patterns. It is the organic inception of all family systems . . .
The Kumulipo is the reality of our dim past, the foundation for our present and the pathway into the future. It is a cognizant reminder of our ancestors, their intelligence, failure, defeat and conquest. This chant is a gift which encourages the warrior within us to awake to the contests and challenges, which continue to confront us today, by using ancestral intelligence and experiences with our own intelligence. It is the genealogy which connects the Native Hawaiian to land, sky and ocean.”
A very important part of our heritage that connects Hawaii’s physiological existence to our psychological being is the concept of Aloha. And, the Lawai International Center’s foundation is embedded in the concept of Aloha.
It is unfortunate that the word Aloha is often misunderstood as only a simple greeting or as just love. Aloha is a way of being, it is a way of life. When the word Aloha is broken down into two parts, Alo means to be in the presence of, to join or connect with. Ha is the breath, the spirit, the essence of one’s being. So to say Aloha is to be in the presence of, or to join the spirit of the person you are acknowledging. Aloha also speaks to the notion of connecting to the other life forces, however you define them – god, nature – to live in balance with those forces. It is the concept of giving and receiving – not giving and taking. It is the notion that the more you put in, the more you will receive. It is the notion of leaving people and places better than you found it, leaving people whole, leaving places whole. Aloha is the essence of our being that connects us to all life forces and humanity.
In our daily lives Aloha is the foundation of all of our actions to make our family, work, communities – local or global – sustainable. While the western concept of sustainability is balancing people, the planet and profits, I believe the human thoughts and actions required for sustainability are what I call Hawaii’s triple bottomline. First, Aloha – meaning compassion, respect and reverence for each other and other life forces. Second, Malama Pono – to do what is right and just. And, third, Kuleana – acknowledging and taking responsibility.
Like the symbolism of the lotus blossom, Aloha is the spirit of enlightenment at work in you and in me and in the world, overcoming challenges, bringing new light and life to all who sit in the darkness of fear, guiding the feet of mankind into the way of peace.
Shakuhachi Grand Master Riley Lee
Aloha is the guidance Lynn Marumoto has relied on in the establishment of the Lawai International Center. She and members of the Lawai International Center ohana have a tremendous kuleana (responsibility) to malama (protect and perpetuate) this special puu honua (place of refuge) so that the seeds of aloha may be planted with each step along the hillside during this annual pilgrimage of compassion and to blossom and propagate aloha when we leave this special place today.
Clean Energy Transformation Takes More Than “Green” Jobs
Yesterday The Garden Island ran an article about the Kauai Planning & Action Alliance’s annual meeting where I gave a presentation at last Thursday. While I understand the challenge to write an article on an issue as complex as the clean energy economy and its focus on green jobs, I thought the article missed the gist of my presentation, Hawaii’s Clean Energy Transformation, Creating & Identifying Green Jobs (KPAA62410finalnotes).
Throughout the article were snippets in quotes which did not fully convey and may have inadvertently misstate what was actually said. For example, went I used the term “energy junkies” it was in the context that we really needed to broaden outreach to include all sectors of community, not just preach to the choir which I described as the “energy junkies”. And, I use that term in an endearing way as these are the clean energy advocates I can count on to be involved and who already understand the importance of a clean energy economy. But in order for a clean energy transformation to occur the reach has to be far beyond the choir and immediate congregation.
In my presentation I reference the essay The Death of Environmentalism and the book that resulted from that essay, Break Through. I bring these two references up because both are provocative in pointing out that the stakes are too high to continue with a business as usual scenario and environmentalism alone will not save the planet. However, reframing issues to engage a larger stakeholder groups can lead to greater buy-in and participation demonstrating a good solution has multiple benefits.
A Hawaii clean energy economy transformation is both technical and social engineering at its best. And, unless we can gain confidence in this long-term strategy from a broad base of Hawaii residents and businesses a transformation will be almost impossible to bring to fruition.
House Bill 1808 Now Act 160, SLH 2010
Back in April I posted an update on House Bill 1808 when it passed the Legislature. This morning Governor Lingle signed House Bill 1808 into law as Act 160. This is the bill that will prohibit an adjacent property owner from planting and cultivating salt tolerant plants to block lateral shoreline access or pushing the vegetation closer to the sea to manipulate the shoreline certification process.
For more than a decade, concerned community members have been painfully aware of the abuses happening along our shorelines. In previous sessions I introduced similar bills to clarify the definition of shoreline and to prohibit planting in the shoreline area without success.
The new law requires the Department of Land and Natural Resources to maintain beach transit corridors by prohibiting land owners from planting vegetation that interferes with the corridors. It also establishes access to the corridors as a policy within the Coastal Zone Management Program. Notice will be given to property owners adjacent to the corridors if vegetation from their property blocks access to the shoreline. The department has the authority to take enforcement action if the issue is not resolved after 21 days.
The passage of this bill will help to enforce Hawaii’s long standing policy to protect as much of the beach as possible as a public trust resource, and to maintain the dynamic nature of our beaches to prevent shoreline erosion. I cannot thank enough dedicated Kauai community members like Harold Bronstein, Caren Diamond, Beau Blair and Evelyn de Buhr who challenged so many shoreline certifications all the way up the Hawaii Supreme Court to keep this issue at the forefront and people like Lucinda Pyles, Carol Wilcox and the Kahala Neighborhood Board who patiently met and worked with various governmental agencies, as well as beach experts, to help address this issue through legislation. Senator Clayton Hee helped to carry the ball on the Senate side and my House colleagues, Representatives Ken Ito and Sharon Har and Speaker Calvin Say, allowed me to chair the House-Senate conference committee as the deadline approached. Representatives Barbara Marumoto worked with her constituents in the Kahala area and Cynthia Thielen worked with her constituents in the Kailua area and helped to stress the importance of this bill to Governor Lingle. There were so many environmental groups and individuals who came to the Legislature to testify on this issue and lend their support. It was a team effort. Mahalo.
Malama i ke Ola
One year ago who would have thought that when First Lady Michelle Obama made a public policy statement by planting a garden at the White House it would result in a significant initiative and investment to be made on Kauai and Maui.
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced awards of more than $372 million to 44 communities to support health efforts to reduce obesity and smoking, increase physical activity and improve nutrition. Thanks to the foresight and work of Dr. Dileep Bal, the Kauai Distric Health Directory, and his staff at the Kauai Office, Kauai and Maui District Health Offices were awarded a $3.4 million grant from the HHS “Communities Putting Prevention to Work” program. I was asked to be Chair of the Malama i ke Ola, the advisory leadership team to put this grant into action on Kauai and Maui.
At the media kick-off I shared a story with everyone. Last November, I participated in a meeting to plan an oral history project for Lanai’s pineapple plantation era. One of the participants was Judge Dean Del Rosario, whose father worked on the plantation’s newspaper and was a photographer. Judge Del Rosario brought with him a photo album that his father salvaged after Dole Plantation was closed, which contained photos of plantation life from the 30’s to 50’s. Aside from the numerous and varied community activities pictures, what impressed me the most was how fit and healthy everyone looked no matter what age or ethnic group. Yes, the work was hard, the pay low, and there was not the kind of civil rights or consumer luxuries we now take for granted.
But the plantation era lifestyle was one in which many people were physically active and relied on their ethnic diets. It was a time when backyard gardens were a norm, store bought meats and other proteins were an expensive luxury. Hunting and fishing not only supplemented household budgets, but also provided much needed recreational diversion. I personally feel it was a time of greater community participation and sense of involvement. Today, the unintended positive health consequences and sense of community of the plantation era are some of the outcomes we strive for in Malama i ke Ola.
Malama i ke Ola, Kauai and Maui’s Communities Putting Prevention to Work effort will be working to:
- Raise residents’ knowledge and awareness of healthy eating and active living through multiple media venues.
- Increase physical activity and improve nutrition for residents through social support, culturally appropriate education, and behavior change.
- Create local infrastructure for production, distribution, and processing of locally grown agricultural products including links with schools, restaurants, and grocery stores.
- Increase access to and consumption of local produce.
- Restrict the availability of unhealthy foods in schools.
- Promote healthy foods in grocery stores.
- Improve active transport and public transportation infrastructure.
Rep. Mina Morita's Blog 