073006
good news: according to www.tolerance.org, there are no hate groups in hawaii!

bad news: but then again, there's not much of ANYTHING here.



073006
discussion with professor noam chomsky on the legitimacy of violence as a political act :

any rational person would agree that violence is not legitimate unless the consequences of such action are to eliminate a still greater evil. now there are people of course who go much further and say that one must oppose violence in general, quite apart from any possible consequences. i think that such a person is asserting one of two things. either he's saying that the resort to violence is illegitimate even if the consequences are to eliminate a greater evil; or he's saying that under no conceivable circumstances will the consequences ever be such as to eliminate a greater evil. the second of these is a factual assumption and it's almost certainly false. one can easily imagine and find circumstances in which violence does eliminate a greater evil. as to the first, it's a kind of irreducible moral judgment that one should not resort to violence even if it would eliminate a greater evil. and these judgments are very hard to argue. i can only say that to me it seems like an immoral judgment.

read the rest here.

072906
honolulu ranked the fourth most overpriced city on the united states, with the median home price coming in at $625,000:

the tropical paradise of honolulu landed in the fourth-place spot. there's no question it's a great place to visit, be it for a weeklong trip or to a second home, but residents feel the burn in their wallets. honolulu falls in the bottom quartile when it comes to housing affordability, income and cost of living.

the top ten cities with their respective median home prices:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

essex county, massachusetts san franciso, california san jose, california honolulu, hawaii cambridge, massachusetts new york city, new york tucson, arizona oakland, california boston, massachusetts los angeles, california

$373,750 $720,400 $746,800 $625,000 $390,400 $528,700 $248,600 $720,400 $390,400 $563,900

072106
bush finally attends the annual n.a.a.c.p. convention—and even managed to draw some applause from the audiance during his speech.

from honolulu advertiser:

yesterday, he told a polite but skeptical audience that "racism still lingers in america" and that he understands why many in the room remain doubtful of g.o.p. politicians like him. "i understand that many african-americans distrust my political party," bush said, to the loudest burst of applause he received during his 33-minute speech.

072106


071906


071906


071806s
a stray bullet kills an innocent child
nothing's gained and nothing's solved

071806

"my head is filled with fear of war—fear and threat of war. horrific, disturbing visions of war fill my head."

- visions of war, discharge

"killing innocent civilians is NOT an act of self-defense. destroying a sovereign nation is NOT a measured response." lebanese civilians have been under the constant attack of the state of israel for several days. the state of israel, in disregard to international law and the geneva convention, is launching a maritime and air siege targeting the entire population of the country. innocent civilians are being collectively punished in lebanon by the state of israel in deliberate acts of terrorism as described in article 33 of the geneva convention. the lebanese people feel left out by the world that is turning a blind eye on the savagery of the israeli state. israel does not seem to be capable of approaching any problem outside the realm of the military power bestowed on it by the government of the united states of america and other western governments. we are writing you this letter in the hope that this massacre is immediately stopped. it is the universal duty of each individual to defend the innocents and expose the truth. the numerous civilian victims of the israeli operations are increasing by the hour. the viciousness of the attacks has attained terrifying levels where a child has been cut in three while another was half burned. the israeli war machine, in its blind savagery, is destroying not only our lives but the foundations that could help the civilians survive beyond their massacre. the israeli defense forces are destroying in few hours what lebanon has spent years and billions of dollars to rebuild. up until now more than 100 lebanese civilians have been killed, hundreds wounded, bridges and infrastructure destroyed, refugees are leaving beirut in droves and worst of all the enforced siege might lead to a human catastrophe in the next 48 hours. there must be an end to this cycle of violence and continuous violation of international laws and basic ethical behavior. between the blindness of the international community and the deafness of the arab one, the besieged lebanese population has no way out.

071706

"you're living at a time of extremism. a time of revolution. a time when there's got to be a change. people in power have misused it, and now there has to be a change and a better world has to be built. and the only way it's going to be built is with extreme methods. and i, for one, will join in with anyone—i don't care what color you are—as long as you want to change this miserable condition that exists on this earth."

- malcolm x

video clip of malcolm x speaking at oxford:


071206
i had a feeling that that letter last week on honolulu weekly, "my so-called paradise," would draw many heated responses.

here's the first one:

thank you to the tourist who wrote the letter titled "my so-called paradise" for providing such a perfect example of the negative side of tourism. what the letter writer wants is a packaged paradise, an escape from the harsh realities that occur when millions of outsiders drop in on our islands for two weeks at a time, taking, using and consuming, but not giving back. hawaii, as a tourism industry, has its own problems, but it is ludicrous for you to demand that we locals "clean-up" so that you have a prettier view during your vacation. sorry, but we're busy worrying about how to create affordable housing for the families and multiple generations of hawaiians and other long-time residents who have been displaced by tourism development. we are so tired of generating a false mirage of aloha that exists only in the brochures and imaginations of tourists. hawaii is paradise, but the earth under our feet is ill. the law of cause and effect applies here—if you continue to overeat, you will get fat. if you continue to pollute without conservation, the land will show signs of sickness. we should not continue to view the island through rose-colored glasses, overlooking the problems that plague our delicate resources. how many tourists actually take time to understand the culture behind the generous smiles, hula movements and flower leis? residents of hawaii must first be motivated to protect and preserve our land of the benefit of our ohana and our keiki in hawaii nei. you complain that you have to view these homeless people and debris? donate some of your vacation dollars to a local shelter or take a minute to pick up some of the litter along the beach. paradise is a collaborative effort, and our islands cannot and will not be consumed by those who contribute nothing. you want to participate in paradise without responsibility? do us a favor and pick disneyland next year.

the second one:

most of the millions of tourists that visit hawaii every year have highly misinformed preconceptions and unrealistic expectations of what awaits them in the 50th state. yes, hawaii is advertised as "paradise," but reality is exremely different than what the tourist industy markets and sells. it is puzzling to hear that tourists still expect to find "paradise" when they arrive on oahu and stay in waikiki, especially if they have been here before. in fact, the paradise that the writer of the letter titled "my so-called paradise" claims "hawaii's visitors expect" was eliminated long ago when the beautiful land that used to grace the shores of waikiki was drained in order to create a tourist destination. now, instead of taro patches, fresh water streams and small fishing villages, there are scores of obstrusive high-rise buildings bordered by the dangerously polluted ala wai canal. moreover, the streets of waikiki are congested with seemingly endless onslaughts of noisy traffic, littered sidewalks and throngs of tourists swarming the countless shops filled with tacky pseudo-hawaiian junk. no, hawaii certainly isn't paradise anymore. actually, this tattered and abused island has been unscrupulously turned into a military playground and a money-making marketing tool for developers and investors. as early as hundreds of years ago, this island became the victim of imperialist colonization, deforestation, pollution and overdevelopment at the hands of wealthy individuals who concluded that a tropical island is most profitable if its natural beauty is obliterated and replaced with an infestation of destructive military bases, usurped plantation land, mountain-defacing and beach-devouring homes, gaudy buildings, countless roads, filthy parking garages, useless malls and tourist accommodations. nearly as shameful as the aforementioned devastating land abuses is the tourists' lack of knowledge about hawaii's history and current situation. i am frankly appalled by the fact thaat a tourist would be petty enough to complain about homeless people tainting his or her paradisiacal fantasy of waikiki. some of the first homeless people on the island were likely the native hawaiians whose homes and land were stolen by outside investors who started the infectious spread of development throughout the islands. nowadays, for the sake of tourists' social comfort and blissful ignorance hawaii's homeless are usually kept off of waikiki streets and beaches, but occasionally even tourists must face reality. a realistic glimpse at island life is long overdue for tourists who selfishly hide within the shelter of a reconstructed man-made paradise speckled with lonely palm trees, artificial waterfalls and statues depicting the dispossessed leaders of this once magnificent isle.

071106

"i am haunted by the vivid memories of killings and corpses and anger and pain... of starving or wounded children, of trigger-happy madmen, often police, of killer executioners..."

- kevin carter

possibly the most heart-crushing photograph in the world:



071006


i might have to come out of retirement for this one.

070506

"i would like to see every single soldier on every single side, just take off your helmet, unbuckle your kit, lay down your rifle, and set down at the side of some shady lane, and say, 'nope, i ain't a gonna kill nobody. plenty of rich folks wants to fight—give them the guns.'"

- woody guthrie

"lt. watada and anyone else who refuses to fight in this immoral and illegal war in iraq deserves the support of all who believe in peace, justice, democracy. as a former officer in the military i know how difficult it is to break away from the mindset of violence, war, and obedience, so i applaud his courage."

- howard zinn

from honolulu weekly:

on tuesday, june 27, dozens rallied in support of hawai'i native lt. ehren watada, who recently refused to be deployed to iraq with the rest of his unit because of his belief in the illegality of the war in iraq. the demonstration was held outside the main entrance to fort shafter and, due to the high volume of traffic, drew many reactions from passing drivers. everything from horn honks and shouts of approval to thumbs down and middle fingers of disapproval were seen and heard by the participants. visit watada's support website, www.thankyoult.org.

070406


070406
"a new declaration of independence" by emma goldman:

when, in the course of human development, existing institutions prove inadequate to the needs of man, when they serve merely to enslave, rob, and oppress mankind, the people have the eternal right to rebel against, and overthrow, these institutions. the mere fact that these forces—inimical to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—are legalized by statute laws, sanctified by divine rights, and enforced by political power, in no way justifies their continued existence. we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all human beings, irrespective of race, color, or sex, are born with the equal right to share at the table of life; that to secure this right, there must be established among men economic, social, and political freedom; we hold further that government exists but to maintain special privilege and property rights; that it coerces man into submission and therefore robs him of dignity, self-respect, and life. the history of the american kings of capital and authority is the history of repeated crimes, injustice, oppression, outrage, and abuse, all aiming at the suppression of individual liberties and the exploitation of the people. a vast country, rich enough to supply all her children with all possible comforts, and insure well-being to all, is in the hands of a few, while the nameless millions are at the mercy of ruthless wealth gatherers, unscrupulous lawmakers, and corrupt politicians. sturdy sons of america are forced to tramp the country in a fruitless search for bread, and many of her daughters are driven into the street, while thousands of tender children are daily sacrificed on the altar of mammon. the reign of these kings is holding mankind in slavery, perpetuating poverty and disease, maintaining crime and corruption; it is fettering the spirit of liberty, throttling the voice of justice, and degrading and oppressing humanity. it is engaged in continual war and slaughter, devastating the country and destroying the best and finest qualities of man; it nurtures superstition and ignorance, sows prejudice and strife, and turns the human family into a camp of ishmaelites. we, therefore, the liberty-loving men and women, realizing the great injustice and brutality of this state of affairs, earnestly and boldly do hereby declare, that each and every individual is and ought to be free to own himself and to enjoy the full fruit of his labor; that man is absolved from all allegiance to the kings of authority and capital; that he has, by the very fact of his being, free access to the land and all means of production, and entire liberty of disposing of the fruits of his efforts; that each and every individual has the unquestionable and unabridgeable right of free and voluntary association with other equally sovereign individuals for economic, political, social, and all other purposes, and that to achieve this end man must emancipate himself from the sacredness of property, the respect for man-made law, the fear of the church, the cowardice of public opinion, the stupid arrogance of national, racial, religious, and sex superiority, and from the narrow puritanical conception of human life. and for the support of this declaration, and with a firm reliance on the harmonious blending of man's social and individual tendencies, the lovers of liberty joyfully consecrate their uncompromising devotion, their energy and intelligence, their solidarity and their lives.

070406

"patriotism is proud of a country's virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it also acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their own specific virtues. the pride of nationalism, however, trumpets its country's virtues and denies its deficiencies, while it is contemptuous toward the virtues of other countries. it wants to be, and proclaims itself to be, 'the greatest,' but greatness is not required of a country; only goodness is."

- sydney j. harris

happy independence day!

070206
from the advertiser:

a 23-year-old man is dead and another person injured after a shooting near chinatown last night, according to police. no arrests have been made and police are searching for witnesses. the second victim was taken to the queen's medical center. shortly before midnight, a group of men got into an argument at the corner of nuuanu avenue and kukui street. the argument escalated and "several shots" were fired, police said.

070106

"the earth has enough for the needs of all, but not the greed of a few."

- gandhi

needless to say, too much "to each according to his needs" and not enough "from each according to his abilities."