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The Mauna Kea Access Road standoff does not mark the first time that protesters have illegally blocked a public roadway in Hawaii. But it may well be in a league of its own for law “enforcement” costs and timid tactics.
While the bill for enforcement staffers at the blockade continues to climb — now upwards of $11 million — relatively little has been done to actually enforce the law. Since mid-July, there have been nearly 100 arrests for various offenses; and by late October, nearly 6,000 citations had been issued. But the paramount law enforcement task — clearing the access road of protesters to allow building of the Thirty Meter Telescope — remains undone.
More education on mail-in voting
Don’t we all realize that Election 2020 will be the first to be all driven by mail-in voting?
Er, likely not. As part of the onramp to election prep, the state’s election officers will face lawmakers in a briefing set for 2 p.m. Wednesday in room 16 at the state Capitol. But an onramp does not an information highway make. There needs to be outreach through conventional and social media; otherwise veteran voters and young ones alike are sure to end up unclear on the concept. Election Day is less than a year away.
