State to Update Molokai Community on Operations at Kaunakakai Harbor
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Political
41 CommentsCase to Conclude His Campaign Tour
Ed Case, candidate for U.S. Senate, will complete a campaign tour of 23 talk-story community meetings on Molokai and Lanai this week.
He will be in the Kulani 'Oiwi conference room, 604 Maunaloa Highway in Kaunakakai, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. this Friday. Case said he also will be walking Kaunakakai town Friday afternoon greeting residents and meeting community members.
For information, contact his Molokai coordinator, Robert Ribao, at 658-0334 or at molokai@edcase.com, or visit the website edcase.com.
Yacht Blocked by Protestors
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A group of protestors on small boats and surfboards physically blocked an American Safari Cruises’ (ASC) yacht, the Safari Explorer, from docking at Kaunakakai Wharf last Saturday morning.
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A community meeting set up by ASC will be held Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. at Mitchell Pauole Center.
Legislators Tour Molokai, Talk Wind
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Standing on the side of Maunaloa Highway last Wednesday – with the red dirt and green grass of Pu`u Nana Hill behind him, the blue ocean and white sands of Mo`omomi down below – Kanoho Helm made a sweeping gesture with his hand. He pointed to the some of the 11,000 acres on which local families hunt deer and gather opihi to feed their families, he said, and which is home to important shrines and burial grounds.
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Gabbard recommended residents seeking more information call his office at 808-586-6830. He added it was also partially Pattern’s kuleana to provide education about the proposals.
‘Loud and Clear’ Opposition
Still, most said there were no benefits worth the impacts of industrial turbines.
“It’s overwhelming opposition to this project, and you as our elected officials carry our voice into the walls of the House or the Senate,” Marcus Helm told the legislators at the Mitchell Pauole Center. “With that, there will be no windmills.”
Resident Adolph Helm noted a resolution recently passed by the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs which urges the governor and state legislators to “support sustainable, low impact alternative energy that will make Oahu energy self-sufficient rather than dependent upon Lanai and Molokai for its energy.”
The resolution also seeks to “protect the open spaces, natural resources and Hawaiian lifestyle of Molokai, the last Hawaiian island.”
Gabbard said he heard residents’ mana`o “loud and clear.” He said his three biggest takeaways were that the “vast majority” of residents “do not want a wind farm under any conditions,” that Molokai residents want each island to take care of its own needs, and that natural resources should be left alone.
In a phone interview Sunday, Gabbard said he had not yet had a chance to fully debrief with the other legislators.
“The feedback that we got was incredible on both islands,” he said.
Videos of the visits recorded by documentarian PF Bentley are available online at youtube.com/user/IAlohaMolokai.
Residents Protest Passenger Yacht
As American Safari Cruises’ (ASC) yacht docked on its first trip to Molokai last Sunday morning, protesters greeted it with requests to leave local waters.
Over two dozen kupuna, teachers, fishermen, cultural practitioners and others chanted “No cruise ship” and “Go home!” toward the 145-foot boat, named the Safari Explorer.
As two vans carrying the boat’s passengers departed the docking area, protesters marched across the road holding signs reading “boycott this ship,” “you’re not welcomed” and “Hawaiian way or no way.”
Lawmakers Plan Wind Talks on Molokai
Sen. Mike Gabbard and at least two other legislators will visit Molokai Nov. 2 to discuss the so-called “Big Wind” project with local residents, the senator confirmed today.
Gabbard, who chairs the Senate Energy/Environment Committee, is leading the visit with Sen. Kalani English and Rep. Denny Coffman. Rep. Mele Carroll may also attend.
The legislators are finalizing plans to hold listening sessions with various groups on the island, including people who might be for or against industrial wind farms on Molokai and Lanai, between 8 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. They plan to visit Lanai Nov. 3.
Residents interested in scheduling a session may call Gabbard’s office at 808-586-6830.
Reclaiming Hawaiian Lands
Submitted by Duke Kalipi on behalf of the Lawful Hawaiian Government
In July, Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed Senate Bill 1520 into law, becoming Act 195. This act is the prelude to the Native Hawaiian Reorganization Act, also known as the Akaka Bill. We believe its true intent is to have the Hawaiian people agree to give up their rightful claim to their national lands, identified by the U.S. government as ceded lands. These are the lands of the former Hawaiian Kingdom – government, crown and public acreage.
“Although the Statehood Act retroceded these lands to the State of Hawaii, nearly 400,000 acres of what was originally Hawaiian government lands are still owned by the U.S. government,” according to a report from Sen. Dan Inouye in Dateline Washington from 1972.
Exercising ‘Divine Right’
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Get ready to vote – and this time, instead of casting a ballot for the a U.S. government official, you can have a say in the future of the Reinstated Hawaiian Nation.
On Molokai, the Nation has been holding weekly classes to educate the community on the history of the lawful kingdom and how the public can get involved – particularly by voting in the upcoming elections on Nov. 5. Registration ends Sept. 30, though those who register after that will be counted in an unofficial vote, according to kupuna Moke Kim.
Anyone can vote, even if you are not a citizen of the nation or a Native Hawaiian.
“We need a little kokua for elections to see if people are willing to help and [contribute their] mana`o,” said Duke Kalipi, representative for the Molokai district – one of 24 districts in the reinstated nation.
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Since then, the government has been active, with nine registered “nationals” on Molokai. Statewide citizenship of the Nation has reached about 400 nationals, with another 7,000 citizenship applications in process.
Classes are held every Thursday at 6 p.m. at Mitchell Pauole Center and serve as a starting point for those interested in becoming citizens of the nation.
“One of the best ways to learn is to participate and ask questions,” said Kim.
“We’ve been here long enough to see…laws closing in,” said one attendee last week, referencing hunting and land tax laws under the Hawaii state government. “The pressure for us locals is getting bad.”
Kim taught the nearly 20 participants in last week’s class about the divine or God-given inherent right to sovereignty.
“We are all ali`i,” he said. “Is it our right? You bet!” he added, pointing to the chalk-written words “divine rights” on the blackboard. “We should all grow up teaching our children to be ali`i.”
In exercising that divine right on Nov. 5, voters will be casting their ballots on who they believe should be the next prime minister of the nation, and Molokai representative and noble.
“We want people to know that they have options,” said Henry French, filling the current Molokai seat in the House of Nobles.
Money Matters
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Continue funding the MEO bus, several Molokai residents and educators told Maui County Mayor Alan Arakawa last week.
Arakawa visited Molokai last Thursday to host a ceremony honoring county employees in the morning, his “County on Your Corner” open community discussion in the afternoon and a community budget meeting with representatives of his cabinet that night.
During the latter, residents and workers showed their support for many of the island’s county-run programs, thanking the mayor and his cabinet for current funding and requesting it continue during the 2013 fiscal year. The MEO bus, many said, is a vital part of the success of other on-island programs.
“Losing [the MEO bus] would greatly diminish our effectiveness” in reaching students through after-school programs, Molokai Middle School Principal Gary Davidson said in a prepared speech read by a student.
Kupono McPherson of Tutu and Me Traveling Preschool said the school “lives off of [the MEO bus system]” and without their service, “we don’t really exist,” while a message submitted by Molokai High School Athletic Director Camie Kimball said that “without MEO, many of our students would not be able to participate” in school sports.
Linda Liddell, a disabled person who uses an electric wheelchair and sits on the Maui County Commission on Persons with Disabilities, also said she depends on MEO for transportation.
After the meeting, Arakawa said he was interested in addressing concerns that the public bus system be as efficient as possible in its schedule.
In addition to MEO transportation, residents expressed support for a wide variety of local operations, including the Molokai Youth Center, Ka Hale Pomaikai substance abuse treatment center and the Kuha`o Business Center. Under the guidance of Annette Pauole-Ahakuelo, the center has helped more than 120 businesses open their doors, said Malia Akutagawa.
A budget plan will be presented to the Maui County Council in March 2012, Arakawa said, and the council will finalize it by mid-June that year..JPG)
Community members also had the chance to speak with Mayor Arakawa on Sept. 22 during his “County on your Corner” open forum. Residents expressed mana`o on several issues that need county support, including the Molokai Humane Society, 4-H and the Molokai Homestead Farmers Alliance. I Aloha Molokai also expressed concerns of future wind turbines on Molokai.
Moloka`i County on Your Corner
Mayor Alan Arakawa's "County on Your Corner" on Moloka`i will be held on Thursday, Sept. 22 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Mitchell Pauole Center in Kaunakakai.
"It is important to connect with people face to face," says Arakawa. "'County on Your Corner,' which is scheduled in a different location each month, is a good way for myself and members of my cabinet to interact with the community on the issues that are of most interest to them."
Joining Arakawa at this "County on Your Corner" event will be Council Chair Danny Mateo and some members of Arakawa's cabinet.
For more information, call 280-1299.
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