This is What Waterboarding Looks Like

This is What Waterboarding Looks Like

Foreign Policy In Focus | Chomsky on World Ownership

Foreign Policy In Focus | Chomsky on World Ownership: "I saw recently in the Christian Science Monitor, something like “New Study of Foreign Fighters in Iraq.” Who are the foreign fighters in Iraq? Some guy who came in from Saudi Arabia. How about the 160,000 American troops? Well, they’re not foreign fighters in Iraq because we own the world; therefore we can’t be foreign fighters anywhere. Like, if the United States invades Canada, we won’t be foreign. And if anybody resists it, they’re enemy combatants, we send them to Guantanamo."

Kauai heart of darkness

The Kauai County Council in its unrelenting effort to keep the people they represent totally in the dark may have found the magic bullet to end the toothless misery of the State Office of Information Practice (OIP), and put another bullet through the heart of a citizen's right to know ("County prevails in executive session suit", The Garden Island, Feburary 11, 2008, A1).

This new magic bullet is called the "Intertwine" and it sounds as dangerous as it is. The Intertwine bullet spins erratically structuring the meeting discussion in such a manner that Judge Watanabe summed up the situation like this "... minutes were so intertwined with other portions that redaction would be impractical."

"Let's hold all our executive meetings using the Intertwine and then we can keep all our deeds done in the dark secret from those we represent," gleefully exclaimed a Kaua`i government official under condition of anonymity.

Surely the deployment of the Intertwine will become a great urban legend retold and intertwined in executive sessions through the State. It is a tale of how the Kauai County Council discovered a way to keep what happens in executive session secret from those they represent -- forever.

Pardon my analysis, but isn't the common use meaning of a rambling discussion termed a "BS session"?

Finally unless I have one of those "intentionally altered government documents" that Kaua`i County Council members seem to see everywhere now before me, there has been an OIP opinion released since former OIP director Les Kondo was appointed to the Public Utilities Commission in July (contrary the Garden Island Article. The advisory opinion is S Memo-G 08-6, dated January 28, 2008. The opinion was requested by the Kaua`i County Attorney. The OIP opined that contrary to the assertion of the Kaua`i County Attorney, Section 307.E of the Kauai County Charter (which only allows the Council to close a meeting to discuss "claims" with it's attorney) does not violate State Sunshine Law, and in fact is a partial wavier of the attorney-client privilege. True to form the Kaua`i County Council to date has refused to release the County Attorney's opinion on this matter and continues to meet in executive session in violation of the County Charter.

Dirty deeds done in dark?

According to the State of Hawaii Office of information Practices Jan. 28, 2007 formal opinion the Kauai County Charter section 307.E supersedes and is compliant with Hawaii State Sunshine Law. Section 307.E reads in relevant parts;

E. The council shall meet regularly...With the exception of deliberations relating to confirmation of appointees or consultations with the county attorney on claims, all county council and committee meetings shall be open to the public.

The OIP opinion further found;

the charter provision does not cause a violation of attorney client privilege, but instead acts as a partial waiver of the privilege by the County as the client.

Now I'm not a lawyer but it appears the County Charter section 307.E supersedes and is compliant with State Sunshine Law and furthermore 307.E partially waives the attorney-client privilege.

Short conclusion: The County Council committed numerous violations of the County Charter, and the only people refusing to release the county attorney's opinion is the county council. Please note in the opinion of OIP the charter already partially waives this prividlege so it appears only the county council itself stands in the way of making the opinion public. Contrary to the Garden Island Newspaper headline "County protects legal opinion" it appears council members are just protecting themselves.

Dirty deeds done in dark? Read the opinion and you decide.

1. County attorney request for opinion to OIP
2. OIP Opinion to County Attorney

Vote Repugnacan or Demorat?

The seven dwarfs always left to go work in the mine early each morning.
As always, Snow White stayed home doing her domestic chores. As lunchtime approached, she would prepare their lunch and carry it to the
mine.

One day, as she arrived at the mine with the lunch, she saw that there had been a terrible cave-in. Tearfully, fearing the worst, Snow White began calling out, hoping against hope that the dwarfs had somehow survived.

"Hello, hello!" she shouted. "Can anyone hear me? Hello!"

For a long while, there was no answer. Snow White again
shouted, "Hello! Is anyone down there?"

Just as she was about to give up calling, there came a faint voice from deep within the mine.

"Vote Republican or a Democrat! Vote for a Republican or a Democrat!"

Snow White fell to her knees and cried out to the heavens, "Oh, thank you, God! At least Dopey is still alive!"