Anyone not getting enough misery and disgust in their lives really ought to turn on C-SPAN right now and watch the Senate Banking Committee hearings on whether to bail-out the Big Three automakers. A month ago Ford CEO Alan Mulally, GM CEO Rick Wagoner and Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli flew to Washington in private jets … Continue reading Watching The Great American Giveaway
Lies, news and Afghanistan
Thanks to the always-uplifting Center for Media and Democracy, I just learned that at a time when President-elect Barack Obama is apparently planning all sorts of new and wild things for our relatively small but intensifying war in Afghanistan, General David McKiernan, the commander of NATO forces there, is merging the military office in charge … Continue reading Lies, news and Afghanistan
Linda Lingle’s the one!
Somehow, 49 governors and governors-elect managed to attend President-elect Barack Obama's big meeting in Philadelphia today. Guess who didn't show? That's right, our own lovely and talented Linda Lingle, governor of the Great State of Hawaii. During the election, Lingle repeatedly made herself look a lot dumber than she is by publicly denigrating Obama's Hawaii roots. Now … Continue reading Linda Lingle’s the one!
Bankruptcy: It’s Fantastic!
Seems that a lot of us, at least in Hawaii, are following old Hawaiian Telcom into Chapter 7, 11 and 13 lands. "A review of U.S. Bankruptcy Court filings shows there were 215 filings in November, the most in any month this year," says this Honolulu Advertiser story. "That was a 72 percent increase from … Continue reading Bankruptcy: It’s Fantastic!
HT still not OK
Apparently, Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle–fresh off the John McCain campaign trail, where she made a name for herself ridiculing Barack Obama's Hawaii roots–is also taking an interest in Hawaiian Telcom's troubles: "Our Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, the Consumer Advocate and the Public Utilities Commission has been closely monitoring the company's financial circumstances and … Continue reading HT still not OK
HT not OK
Been reading about Hawaiian Telcom's filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy this morning. Not that it really affects me–I haven't had a land-line in years, which is probably part of HT's problem. Certainly, the trend towards cell-phones, Skype and cable phone service is certainly causing problems for Hawaiian Telcom (to the tune of $425 million in losses … Continue reading HT not OK
Dissing the ‘commanders in the field’
Today the Honolulu Advertiser editorial page heartily approves of President-elect Barack Obama's "apparent" choice to keep Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense. "That's a smart move," the unsigned editorial puffs. "With the nation's economic turmoil rightly Obama's top priority, Gates' understanding and proven leadership in Iraq and Afghanistan will help us continue to chart the right … Continue reading Dissing the ‘commanders in the field’
WaMu BS
Just saw a commercial for Washington Mutual bank advertising how it's great that they're now "part of [JP Morgan] Chase" because customers have just gained access to "14,000 ATMs." For some reason, WaMu failed to mention in its ad that getting bought by Chase (a recipient of $25 billion in federal bailout money, which the … Continue reading WaMu BS
Top 10 words and phrases I don’t want to hear anymore
10. Skillset 9. Empower 8. Gated community 7. Cut and run 6. Evil-doer 5. Touch base 4. Privatize 3. Drinkability 2. Enhanced Interrogation Techniques 1. Keanu Reeves
Parsing Wayne Nishiki
I just read with great interest Wayne Nishiki's Viewpoint article on his election disclosure troubles in Thursday's Maui News. As is now well-known on Maui, ex-Maui County Council member Wayne Nishiki barely defeated former County Planning Department Deputy Director Don Couch in the race for the South Maui seat on the County Council–a race that … Continue reading Parsing Wayne Nishiki
Anthony Pignataro 