The new year is in full swing and the halls of power are bustling again as we plant tongue in cheek and "flASHback" on the week’s news that amused and confused:
» Shan Tsutsui was sworn in as Hawaii’s new lieutenant governor and got Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s blessing to work part of the time from his home on Maui. That’s the beauty of a do-nothing job: You can do it anywhere.
» Gil Keith-Agaran, who was appointed to the state House by former Gov. Linda Lingle, has now been promoted to the Senate by Abercrombie to fill Tsutsui’s seat. Not many get the endorsement of both Tweety and Sylvester.
» Violent winds and rain buffeted Hawaii, ripping roofs, toppling trees and knocking out power across the state. It made a perfect backdrop for the theme of this year’s Legislature: "It was a dark and stormy night …"
» The Broadway musical "Wicked" canceled its shows at the Blaisdell Concert Hall after Saturday and is refunding ticket money. The Legislature holds a monopoly on wickedness from mid-January through April.
» Maui Rep. Joe Souki, who was ousted as House speaker by Calvin Say in 1999, saidhe has the votes to reclaim the job from Say 14 years later. I can hear the late sportscaster Les Keiter calling this action: "In again, out again, Finnegan."
» Good-government advocates are pressing legislators to pass new laws making it easier for Hawaii voters to cast ballots. Requiring polling places to have ballots available would be an easy place to start.
» New Hawaii U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono pledged to honor their predecessors by renewing Daniel Akaka’s fight for Native Hawaiian recognition and maintaining the federal funding Daniel Inouye brought to Hawaii. It’s the old Sherlock Holmes strategy: Start with the impossible and then move on to the improbable.
» In one of his first public appearances, new Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell joined a city crew filling potholes in Kalihi. He always keeps his shovel handy to make sure Ben Cayetano stays buried.
» Paying contractors not to work on the city’s stalled $5.26 billion rail project is costing the city 31 percent less than originally estimated. That’s a first; the cost of doing nothing usually goes up after an election.
» Conservative groups in Hawaii and elsewhere are promoting a Gun Appreciation Day on Jan. 19. If it gets a good turnout, national appreciation days will be scheduled for locusts, plague and famine.
And the quote of the week … from Abercrombie on his renewed push for state-funded preschools: "If we don’t catch the kids early, unfortunately the justice system tends to have to catch some of them later." Kids who fall through the crack between school and prison are swept up by political office.
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Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com or blog.volcanicash.net.
