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*For earlier discussion of issues raised by the so-called Bainum "smear", start back at the entry for Sunday, October 24 and several other entries during that same week. Additional comments appeared Nov 2-6, with just a scattering of comments since.
December 4, 2004 - Saturday
The Office of Disciplinary Counsel, the agency charged with oversight of Hawaii's lawyers, is recommending that attorney and former judge Richard Lee be permanently barred from practicing law.
The recommendation follows a 3-0 vote by a hearing panel which considered an array of charges against Lee in a week long hearing back in October (described in my entry of October 18). The recommendation now goes to the Hawaii Supreme Court, which is expected act shortly to confirm Lee's disbarment.
Bob Jones added his direct assessment of the lingering Jennifer Bainum-Malia Zimmerman-Hawaii Reporter debate:
"Well-meaning" contributors to your web site keep poking at the soft edges of the Murasaki case without ever going right to the heart.
The First Circuit Court gave Jennifer Alonso custody of Mr. Murasaki and unconditional power of attorney over his affairs. This was in part because it was Mr. Murasaki's wish and in part because Dennis and Karen Murasaki had shown no ability or interest in caring for their father at that time and he definitely needed full-time care.
That was eight years ago and the court never revisited that custody or power of attorney.
When Mr. Murasaki died, the chief medical examiner of Honolulu said she found no evidence of any abuse.
Those are the cogent issues, not whether the family members now think Jennifer didn't appropriately exercise her power of attorney or shielded Mr. Murasaki from the family members he obviously chose to exclude from management of his life and his estate in that 1996 court hearing.
End of story. Dennis and Karen need to move on and we need to quit paying attention to the conspiracy theorists.
I wish my late mother had left me all her insurance money, too, but I don't suspect that my sister who cared for her squandered the loot and cut me out while I was some 10,000 miles away in Hawaii.
Honolulu writer Alex Salkever is ending his telecommuting stint as technology editor for Businessweek Online. He announced his departure in a farewell column this week.
One thing to note about Thursday's crime spree that included the assault with a stolen van that left a police officer in critical condition, now that the van's driver, Daniel Vesper, has been arrested: he wasn't alone.
A crime alert emailed yesterday by the UH-Manoa Campus Security Officer described the morning incident on campus that started the search for Vesper:
On Dec. 2, a UH Manoa Student was assaulted by a male who used a baseball bat to hit him and steal his moped at the Johnson Hall moped lot at approx. 10:15 am. The suspect fled the area with the moped. A White Ford Aerostar Van with Hawaii License Plate #283-TRG was noted parked at the curb nearby on Dole Street. While the victim was being tended to, another male inside this van drove off. The suspects were then seen loading the moped into the van at another location on campus. [emphasis added]
It's time to take those campus crimes more seriously, I suppose.
December 3, 2004 - Friday
One regular reader, a non-journalist, shared this question regarding Sam Slom:
If Slom in fact had or has a personal relationship with the principal of the Hawaii Reporter.com as widespread rumors and some published items have suggested, don't you think he is "ethically" required to volunteer that fact before he public commends the reportage???
And a long-time journalist, editor, and industry consultant added this comment:
One of the lessons I learned early in my career is that while the pleadings in a civil suit are privileged and can be reported without fear of libel action, there is no guarantee than any of them are true. One can allege all sorts of injury in a civil suit, and we have no way of know the truth or falsity of the allegations.
That's why, in my many years as an editor, I shied away from publishing allegations in a civil suit unless I felt there was a compelling public interest in doing so.
There was nothing in the suit involving Jennifer Bainum that rose to the level of having a compelling public interest.
Stay tuned.
Somehow we found ourselves watching Dog a couple of nights ago as the strange leather-clad family went through their typical display of pretty outrageous behavior. We tuned in just in time to see Dog announce that they were heading for "Kakawako". I thought I had misheard, but he repeated their destination, "Kakawako Kitchen".
Kakaako. Kakawako. Should we care that Dog can't say or doesn't know the name of this downtown Honolulu neighborhood? Actually, there's so much wrong with the Dog's portrayal of Hawaii that a few mangled names fades in importance. Ouch.
In Seattle, members of the Newspaper Guild voted several weeks ago to continue to back their status as a two newspaper city, but the 62-43 vote showed a significant split in the membership over the future of the joint operating agreement between the Seattle Times and the Post-Intelligencer. The issue now moves to the Washington Supreme Court, which agreed this week to enter the dispute.
The cats. Duke is behind me scratching on the screen door to go out, just minutes after he fussed to come in. Open the door for Duke and Annie runs in, heading directly towards the food dishes. Leo is in my bathroom crying, hoping to draw me back for an extended interaction. Harriet has gone up on top of the kitchen cabinets and is trying to decide whether to settle down and enjoy the view or panic about the visibility of her location. Wally has a warm spot on top of my computer. Toby is just sitting around preening. Kili is out hunting after bringing home a rat for each of the past three nights.
| It's time, it seems, to slow down and enjoy the cats for a bit on this windy and chilly Friday in Kaaawa. So here's the latest round of family photos. Just click on Ms. Annie's picture to see the whole batch.
Enjoy.
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December 2, 2004 - Thursday
Just a bit more from Sam Slom's viewpoint as presented Tuesday at the Bishop Street Exchange Club (I learned that my initial reference to the Downtown Exchange Club was incorrect, although I swear that's what was on the sign in the lobby that directed us to the proper room....)
Slom defends Hawaii Reporter's coverage of what he refers to as the Jennifer Bainum story by distinguishing it from the "Cec Heftel smear" of 1986.
"Do you know who wrote those things about Cec? It wasn't a story, it was a rumor campaign," Slom argued. "The Jennifer Bainum story had an author, facts, and public records that could have been searched. No resemblance whatsoever."
The Bainum story, Slom said, "was not a political story. It was about elder abuse."
While acknowledging that a state court had reviewed and ruled on the case years ago, Slom says it's still of current interest because of what he says is an ongoing federal investigation into cashing of social security checks after the death of the beneficiary, and the appearance of "live community witnesses" willing to speak publicly.
"The papers have decided it's not worthy of you to talk about. Instead, they called it a political smear," Slom said. "But this idea of selective reporting, making everything into a smear or political attack, should be disturbing to all of you."
"Just because it's printed or in the public record doesn't make it true, but it's interesting that the media picks what it wants," he added.
Slom rejected the view that the story should not have been published just before the election. "Then it would have smacked of a political story," he said.
I found this answer particularly amazing. Slom's past personal relationship with the author of the story, her record of similar controversial stories timed to make an impact in previous elections, and its publication just weeks before the election which happened to coincide with the appearance of advertising featuring Slom's endorsement of Bainum's opponent, all made the story's essentially political intent clear. This was emphasized by the last minute appearance of a Washington D.C.-based public relations pro offering media interviews with the author and others literally on election eve, an effort which disappeared as soon as the votes were cast.
In any case, Slom also commented on his endorsement of Mufi Hannemann.
"I told Mufi, you're not my first choice, you're not my second choice, not my third, fourth, fifth, or sixth choice. But in terms of integrity, in terms of what I saw, I told him I'm going to support him."
As I told Mufi, I fought with him over the years. I fought when he was DBED director. I don't think he did that good a job. I fought him on rail, on tax issues, and a lot of things.
But in every instance, the guy was a gentleman. He never personalized anything. He always explained his position. I could not say the same for his opponent.
Slom said his endorsement of Hannemann was not universally well received.
"I got people swearing at me (as a result of the endorsement)," Slom said. "I got death threats. I got people saying they will do everything to destroy me professionally and business wise."
"What's in it for me?" Slom asked, and then answered: "I'm going to get body tattoos."
In closing, Slom stressed that he is willing to answer any questions, any time.
| Folks on the mainland might wonder where UH sports teams got the "Rainbows" nickname, but it's certainly no mystery to folks who have spent any time on the Manoa campus. For example, this incredible double rainbow put on quite a show on Tuesday afternoon. By the way, I took this shot from Meda's office while waiting for her to get out of a late afternoon meeting. |
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My computer's spelling checker just offered up various alternatives to "Hannemann", including Anemone, Honeymoon, Unmanning, Humaneness, and Inhumanness. Isn't technology grand?
December 1, 2004 - Wednesday
One of my "conservative" friends, whose recent eldering made it to these pages several weeks ago, invited me along to yesterday's meeting of the Bishop Street Exchange Club where Sen. Sam Slom was scheduled to speak on "the rest of the story" about the recent election and the alleged "smear" aimed at Duke Bainum's wife. [Earlier I mistakenly identified the club as the Downtown Exchange Club, apparently an error of significant proportions which, of course, I regret.]
I quickly accepted, especially given the topic. Slom, no master of understatement, can be counted on to be an opinionated and entertaining speaker.
But what I hadn't counted on was being drawn into the fray by Slom's repeated personal jabs at me during his speech. Apparently I've written things that needled him in the past and this was his opportunity to vent.
But while I took a few wild hits, the mainstream news media took it directly on the chin as Slom hurled accusations of bias, conspiracy, and worse.
Slom asked rhetorically why the accusations against Jennifer Bainum didn't appear in the mainstream media, then provided his answer: "The fact is that all the radio and tv stations and newspapers got together and agreed not to print them."
According to Slom, Hawaii Reporter was not the only media to run with the Jennifer Bainum controversy. He cited KHVH (talk radio?), KSSK's Michael W. Perry, and KWAI-a.m., although few would consider those in the "news media" category.
Slom ridiculed the idea of ethical standards for journalists, which have been cited in editorial explanations of the decision not to pursue the story.
"Standards? The Advertiser has standards?", Slom asked in a mocking voice, drawing laughter from the audience.
"We've got a media monopoly, a philosophical monopoly," Slom said. "They are Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee. The Advertiser is where Honolulu Weekly used to be, and the Star-Bulletin is where the Advertiser used to be. If your reality is shaped by what is in the newspapers, you're in trouble. It's a travesty."
Senator Slom did stop short of dismissing the local media altogether. "Every once in a while they get it right," he commented.
I might have it wrong, but it sounded to me as if Slom was dismissing the whole idea of journalistic ethics as simply a smokescreen that the mainstream news media hide behind when making decisions that shortchange the public. I'm just not sure whether Slom's admirers are equally prepared to walk away from a world in which ethics matter.
It wasn't all confrontation and controversy, though, as Slom did proclaim a couple of times that he shares a love of cats.
Credit where credit is due.
More on this tomorrow.
November 30, 2004 - Tuesday
Definitely worth exploring: "Eating in Public", a lengthy discourse against capitalist consumerism coupled with both symbolic action and artistic grace. Brought to you by www.nomoola.com.
The Washington Post today has a long overview of the newspaper industry's scandal involving fraudulent circulation figures. I suppose the Star-Bulletin's non-reporting is preferable to flat-out fabrication.
The New York Times reports that the International Committee of the Red Cross has called U.S. treatment of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay "tantamount to torture". I'm still not sure how our politically active Christian community can reconcile such reports with their own religious beliefs.
An analysis of the U.S. military assault on Falluja published by Asia Tmes Online earlier this month begins with a quote from the Roman historian Tacitus: "The Romans create a desolation and call it peace."
And protests by two federal unions have exposed an attempt by the Bush administration to impose a blanket gag order prohibiting disclosure of unclassified but potentially embarrassing information by government employees, according to the Washington Post. The move is yet another Bush administration attack on the public right to know.
| The stars must have been aligned properly yesterday. I found my first glass ball on the beach in about five years, although Meda picked up a couple earlier this year to break our long drought. I spotted this one in the debris washed up by the high tides and surf.
And by mid-morning the iLind.net counter hit the 500,000 mark, with the honor being claimed by a Hawaii attorney in public service who has been a regular reader. Several other people let me know that they had been very close to the magic number. Perhaps I'll send out a few consolation prizes.
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November 29, 2004 - Monday
It's going to happen soon. Sometime in the next few hours someone is going to be the 500,000th visitor to ilind.net.
If you're the one, let me know (some evidence preferred) and I'll send you a pack of greeting cards (let me know if you want cards featuring one of our cats or a Kaaawa sunrise). And maybe in the meantime I'll think of something better.
| But speaking of cats and cards, I made up this little greeting card yesterday featuring Ms. Wally in a definitely wild mood with her catnip Christmas toy. Inside a simple message: "We're just wild about the holidays." Just click on it for a closer look. |
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A New York Times story today on so-called WiMax Internet technology for delivering high-speed wireless Internet access over large areas will probably give a boost to the industry, which already has at least one player here in Honolulu. Skywave Broadband is already using similar technology to offer high-speed Internet to Oahu condominiums where the internal wiring can't accomodate Oceanic's RoadRunner. And it comes at a very competitive price.
For an interesting daily summary and analysis of events in Iraq and the Middle East , check out "Informed Comment" by Juan Cole, Professor of History at the University of Michigan. I just ran across the site and have found it most interesting.
November 28, 2004 - Sunday
Keep an eye on that counter. It's going to crack the 500,000 visitor mark soon! And it's really only a partial counter as it applies to this main page but not to the site as a whole, so it is a very conservative count.
The New York Times ran a story yesterday on the Mormon community of Laie, located another 10 miles or so up the coast from Kaaawa. It doesn't get to a lot of the other more controversial issues out there, from substance abuse and youth gangs to land politics and pressures on non-believers. But it's an interesting take on the Laie scene nonetheless.
Google has launched their new search system for academic publications (scholar.google.com). I did a test run on Meda's scholarly output and Google delivered quite a long list. Very interesting.
The Independent reported a few days ago on civilian casualties of U.S. military action in Iraq, the kind of reporting that doesn't often survive our sanitized daily news sources. We may have the First Amendment, but British newspapers seem to get more diverse and critical news reporting.
The Third Annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index compiled by the group Reporters Without Borders ranks the United States in a tie with Belgium for #22, outpaced on the freedom front by such unlikely places as Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
| We don't see it all during our dawn walks here in Kaaawa, but we do see a lot. We have the usual dogs, cats, and chickens, an occasional horse or llama, now and then a pig, peacock or heron, a parrot and several rabbits (safely in cages), not to mention the turtles and other sea life. Oh, add ducks to the list, both white and brown. |
Click photo for more
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One of those ducks was in ecstacy when we passed by his (or her) large puddle created by overnight rain a few days ago.
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