i L i n d . n e t

Here’s a comment on the pending Superferry that was emailed rather than posted:

H-3 and the Alaska Pipeline were both pushed through after Congress exempted them from any further legal restrictions and court action. Whether the Hawaii Legislature can similarly exempt the Super Ferry would depend, I guess, on any peculiarities within the Hawaii Constitution and on whether an inferior legislative body has the same powers regarding State law as Congress does with Federal.

My recollection is that Senator Inouye placed the H-3 exemption within a monster omnibus continuing appropriations bill which passed the House by one vote. Neal Abercrombie, during his short stay the first time around, provided that one vote which in retrospect was an early indicator of his ability to see issues differently from the inside.

That neighbor islanders regard people from Oahu with the same fear and loathing that we regard people from the mainland has been a startling revelation. This leads me to think that Oahu legislators should be less inclined to continue the disproportionate funding of neighbor island projects.

Let’s see what else is stuck in my mailbox. Here’s a letter from the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Commerce in response to a Freedom of Information request for a report on the status of the complaint about illegal lobbying by staff of WESTPAC, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. The letter confirms an active investigation that prevents disclosure of the documents at this time because disclosure could interefere with enforcement actions.

Meanwhile, we did our walk at dawn yesterday in Hilo. Meda had to make presentations at the UH campus in Hilo, and I took my camera and went along for the ride. Although I haven’t had a chance to process all the photos, I grabeed this quick collection to share this morning. Just click and enjoy.