5:50 a.m. and I just noticed that my Internet connection has suddenly been lost. I don’t know whether it’s my computer or RoadRunner that has the problem, and I don’t have time right now to troubleshoot. Reboot cable modem…aha, all is well again, at least for the time being.
It seems that a bit of blackmail might turn out to be the least of Bob Awana’s problems, judging from the latest shoe to drop in the unfolding affair that seems to be getting steamier by the day. Greg Mebel of MauiTime Weekly gets credit for taking the story up a notch with this allegation made by Charudatta Patkar, the younger brother of Rajdatta Patkar, who is being held without bail in Honolulu on charges that he threatened Awana and demanded cash in a series of e-mails in 2005.
…when Awana and other state officials visited the Philippines, Charudatta said Mae was expected to “entertain his delegates.†When I asked if this included sexual entertainment, Charudatta said, “Yes.â€
The “Mae” referred to here is Jullie Mae, who has been identified in published accounts as the defendant’s “girlfriend” in the Philippines. MauiTimes Weekly says they two never actually met but had become acquainted over the Internet. I can’t help wondering whether it was a link like this that brought them all together?
Whoa! Is that why these state delegations have been attracting dozens of paying participants from the corporate world? That may be an unfair and rhetorical question, but it does seem to be time to put some heat on the Lingle administration and on the corporate media that have sent reporters along on a number of these junkets. Could such “entertainment” be offered or sought out by participants? Are we encouraging or allowing participation in the sex trade in Asia? Is anything done in terms of policy or practice to prevent or prohibit such behavior while traveling on state business? Inquiring minds want to know.
From Ryan Ozawa comes a collection of photos from the last picture show at the Varsity Theater, a familiar sight to many generations of UH students and Moiliili residents. Thanks, Ryan.
Deep breath. Perhaps its time for a moment of calm, like this one captured over the weekend in Kaaawa.
She’s 18?! How old is that sleazebag? Let’s stop calling her his “girlfriend,” doesn’t sound like that’s the relationship at all. I guess I had hoped that having a woman governor would help put a stop to some of this kind of behavior. Doesn’t bode well for Hillary as President, does it?
Eew.
Even if we gave Mr. Awana the full benefit of the doubt that he wasn’t having an affair with Jullie Mae and didn’t solicit her to provide sexual favors to other Hawaii dignitaries, the question still would remain, “how did his name come to appear in Jullie Mae’s email and why was he corresponding with her?”
Giving Mr. Awana the benefit of the doubt, I’m still curious as to who the other “state delegates” were that Mae was, allegedly, expected to entertain.
The story about Jullie Mae appeals to our prurient side, but did you see the story that appeared last Saturday regarding the allegations concerning the Saipan sanitary landfill contract? Of course, allegations are just that but I recall in January of this year the AG’s office was investigating a vaguely similar complaint regarding a Honolulu’s Waimanalo Gulch landfill. See, “Hawaii A-G Bennett investigating Health Dept. corruption charges”
http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/contentview.asp?c=188538 involving the company Waste Management. Does anyone else sense a connection here? The astute observer might also notice that Sen. Colleen Hanabusa not only represents Bob Awana as his attorney in civil matters but also the district in which the landfill in located. Does she have an ethical problem with these relationships? Getting a bit convoluted I’d say.
Ah, sex and politics. The red meat of the media.
How about the dubious ties with the Indonesian military that Lingle just cultivated?
Nah, no big deal, eh?
Charles, a military alliance with Indonesia could come in handy should Malaysia declare war on Hawaii. But really, don’t you think it was a little too convenient for her to be out of the state when the news stories about her chief of staff began to break? By the time she returns, things should have cooled down somewhat.