08-25-2008, 03:37 AM
Rob's done a pretty good job of laying it out as far as the scenery.
Certainly, this election year is shaping up to offer a chance at a genuine turning point. With the current Mayor two-termed out, no clear bloc swinging influence in the Council or anywhere else, a seriously big wave of newly registered voters, and rising participative-activism in general (as evidenced by PCDP, various petition initiatives over the past year, and the large number of candidates seeking office) the conditions for change are actually pretty well set.
One of Rob's points that I must defer from is Mr Gumapac. My comments are political, not personal. Kale Gumapac is smart, well educated, and seems to have a fire in his guts for taking on something that is wrong -- if he could only connect his vociferous dissatisfaction with the world's problems to some sound ideas about how to make Puna's part of the world better.
IMHO, Mr Gumapac is more on about complaining and take offense than workable solutions to make life better for Puna.
As for, "bring back respect for Hawaiians in government", there is no lack of people who complain about injustices to Hawaiians (that is easy with plenty of examples); what is less common and has brought lasting respect are those who do something about it and do so with finesse, clarity, and persistence, not just bluster and blame.
We all know and live the problems everyday.
What we need is to elect someone who demonstrates the ability to think about and do something about do-able solutions.
James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park
Certainly, this election year is shaping up to offer a chance at a genuine turning point. With the current Mayor two-termed out, no clear bloc swinging influence in the Council or anywhere else, a seriously big wave of newly registered voters, and rising participative-activism in general (as evidenced by PCDP, various petition initiatives over the past year, and the large number of candidates seeking office) the conditions for change are actually pretty well set.
One of Rob's points that I must defer from is Mr Gumapac. My comments are political, not personal. Kale Gumapac is smart, well educated, and seems to have a fire in his guts for taking on something that is wrong -- if he could only connect his vociferous dissatisfaction with the world's problems to some sound ideas about how to make Puna's part of the world better.
IMHO, Mr Gumapac is more on about complaining and take offense than workable solutions to make life better for Puna.
As for, "bring back respect for Hawaiians in government", there is no lack of people who complain about injustices to Hawaiians (that is easy with plenty of examples); what is less common and has brought lasting respect are those who do something about it and do so with finesse, clarity, and persistence, not just bluster and blame.
We all know and live the problems everyday.
What we need is to elect someone who demonstrates the ability to think about and do something about do-able solutions.
James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park