i L i n d . n e t

The Advertiser’s Derrick DePledge reports this morning that a compromise between media and law enforcement types has been reached in advance of today’s conference committee meeting on HB2557, the reporter’s shield bill. That conference draft is not yet available but, from his description, appears to be quite good.

Doug White (www.poinography.com) is quoted as worrying about the different standard for independent bloggers, but the bill’s provisions actually seem quite liberal in this regard. A “public interest” standard has been used to separate substantive blogs from personal blogs. I wonder where they’ll put this strange mix of cats, dogs, sunrises, and occasional news? Don’t worry, morning dogs, I won’t expose your confidential tips.

Rep. Blake Oshiro deserves a lot of credit for initiating this bill and keeping it moving, along with media attorney Jeff Portnoy and city prosecutor Peter Carlisle, who managed to work through significant differences, and Honolulu Advertiser Mark Platte, who reached out beyond the usual divisions between competing media to generate broader support among the news media itself.

The conferees are scheduled to meet again at 3 p.m. today in the capitol’s conference room 325. With any luck, this agreement will hold and the bill will pass.

Let’s see. A UN food official is quoted by Agence France-Presse predicting spreading global food shortages with 100 million being plunged into hunger and despair, and food (or its lack) become a key international security issue. And Larry Geller (www.disappearednews.com) brought it home with comments about rationing that we’re already seeing of rice and other commodities.

Meanwhile, here in the land of the free, we’re offering tax breaks to take food crops, such as corn, and convert them into fuel to keep our cars on the road while the public rails against rail transit. Freedom to drive vs. the basic human right to food? Apparently it’s no contest. The road warriors win. And here in Hawaii, the Legislature is still considering a bill (SB546 HD1) to protect important agricultural land by allowing 20 percent of it to be rezoned to urban or other uses. I’m sure that makes sense in someone’s calculus. But with food panics threatening national security, shouldn’t we be protecting all important ag lands? Isn’t that why they’re being designated “important“?

National Popular Vote, the California organization pushing a multi-state agreement that would essentially bypass the Electoral College in presidential elections, spent $67,201.68 for a barrage of media advertising last year urging legislators to override Gov. Lingle’s veto of the measure.

That’s an astounding amount for a bill that generated virtually no supporting testimony from anyone except the sponsors and their paid lobbyists over two legislative sessions.

The belated disclosure came in an amended expenditure report filed with the State Ethics Commission for the period May 1 to December 30, 2007 by Barry Fadem, president of National Popular Vote. It is the first public disclosure of the cost of the media campaign, which included both prime time television advertising and large newspaper ads.

If I were picky, I would note that much or most of that advertising came prior to May 1 and should have been disclosed during an earlier period. Under Hawaii’s law, expenses are supposed to be reported on an accrual basis, meaning that when commitments were made to run the ads rather than later when the bills were actually paid. But I’ll let the Ethics Commission deal with that matter.

The amended report came just days after I wrote to the commission about the group’s failure to fully comply with the state’s lobbyist law.

The House failed to override last year’s veto, and the new version of the same bill passed both House and Senate was vetoed yesterday by Gov. Lingle.

I don’t know whether an override will be attempted again this year. But the belated disclosure shows that any perceived public interest in the measure was likely the product of the deep pockets of the scheme’s little-known mainland promoter. A bill like this that effectively amends the constitution should not become law if it is unable to generate significant public interest and debate outside of the small circle of lobbyists and lobbied, and so far this measure has failed dramatically on that front despite the well-funded media campaign.

And I noticed this update on the helpful, friendly, supportive and sensitive state Department of Transportation web site.

ATA Airlines Update: ATA Airlines announced that it has ceased all operations, and cancelled all current and future flights.

Wow. Okay. What’s the state’s helpful advice?

ATA ticket holders are directed to make their own arrangements to return home on other airlines.

End quote. That’s it. That’s all they wrote.

What? That’s the best DOT could do for the thousands of stranded visitors? Do DOT administrators ever talk to folks over at the Tourism Authority? Do they read the newspapers? Did they think about mentioning the charter flights paid for by the Hawaii Tourism Authority?

Is this “too bad, you’re on your own” message the best DOT could do? Is someone in the administration trying to find out just what went wrong? Sometimes blame is a good thing in terms of changing future behavior.

Finally, if you missed my recent story about the A.L. Kilgo Trust in Honolulu Weekly, you might want to check it out here.