i L i n d . n e t

Our walk yesterday morning was cancelled because of rain, and it’s raining hard again this morning. The plants and grass will be happy, but cats are definitely not into rainy days. And we don’t mind rain, but wish it would leave us a little window at dawn to do our Kaaawa walk. It could still happen today, but I’m bracing for another lazy morning.

I have to admit that I listened to the recording of the Dog yesterday, the short version posted by the National Enquirer. What’s most amazing to me is that even in this difficult moment, the spin machine is at work.

By apologizing for comments made during a private conversation, Dog successfully left many readers with the idea that the particular conversation that happened to be recorded was the issue.

His actual problem goes much deeper because he discloses regular use of the term “nigger” by himself and his cadre of bounty hunting employees, and is afraid of the presence of someone who might object.

From the tape:

it’s because we use the word nigger sometimes here. I’m not going to take a chance ever in life of losing what I’ve worked for for thirty years because some fucking nigger heard us say ‘nigger’ and turned us in to Enquirer magazine. Our career is over. I’m not taking that chance at all. Never in life. Never. Never….

We use the word nigger, we don’t mean ‘you fucking scum nigger without a soul’, we don’t mean that shit, but America will think we mean that. We’re not taking a chance of losing everything we’ve got over a racial slur because our son goes with the girl, i can’t do that, Tucker…I’ll get you another job, but you cannot work here unless you break up with her.

As of this morning, Dan Nakaso’s story about Dog that appeared Thursday morning had racked up 639 comments, most from elsewhere across the country and even internationally. A story about the final passage of the Superferry bill had just 47 comments as of this morning. Does this mean they’re all those people are reading about Dog via the Advertiser online edition? How do they get pointed there? Amazing.

My Honolulu Weekly story this week, referred to here yesterday, got a mention from DOT Director Barry Fukunaga on PBS Hawaii’s Island Insights broadcast last night in response to the suggestion that Superferry campaign contributions were responsible for the outcome of the special session. Well, at least it’s getting read.

That was quite an eye-opening story in the Washington Post yesterday describing a State Department meeting over a plan to involuntarily assign employees to the American embassy in Iraq.

Kawaiahao Church is starting a $14 million construction project to replace older buildings, and a reader questions priorities.

They have fourteen million dollars to spend on demolition of older (but still viable, worthwhile, and beautiful landmark status architecture) and then, construction of new buildings, but apparently they have not a red cent for maintenance of the sacred grounds and the final resting place of many early (Hawaiian) denizens of this island. Resulting in trash, debris, broken down modern plumbing and equipment splayed all over unmaintained/broken/destroyed gravesites. With the incredible immediate attention given to the periodic discovery of iwi kupuna at the Whole Foods Auahi/Queen site, why would THIS not garner ANY attention?!

He refers to this YouTube video as evidence. It’s worth a look.

Today’s Friday Feline is none other than Mr. Duke. I caught him stretched out among the cat toys scattered across the living room floor. Actually, I don’t know if he did the scattering or if he just took advantage of a situation created by others. In any case, I thought his blissful pose was worth capturing. Just click for a better view.