Let’s kill all the lawyers, really?

One byproduct of the "Wondergate" shenanigans at the University of Hawaii, and the attempts by various UH-retained lawyers to explain it, has been the revival of Shakespeare’s famous quote: "First thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers."

At the Senate hearing Tuesday, it was uttered by one of the interrogators out of frustration that the UH attorneys could be so obtuse, and meant as a criticism.

The actual quote, however, from "Henry VI, Part 2" might actually have been intended as a compliment. As various attorneys have explained it (no surprise), it was an acknowledgment that people who knew the law could thwart efforts to establish a dictatorship.

A less charitable interpretation vilifies lawyers, who wield their "parchment" that could be "scribbed o’er" to "undo a man."

Voters confront dueling debates

Talk about unfortunate timing. KITV’s mayoral debate competed for viewers with the rebroadcast of the first presidential debate, and it’s hard to imagine the local attraction lured that many political junkies. Considering that the presidential face-off aired live while most people were at work, the evening repeat had to be their best chance of catching it.

According to Mediabistro.com, more than 58 million people watched Obama and Romney, "up substantially from the first debate in the 2008 election cycle, which had 52.4 million viewers."

Viewers had another chance in last night’s PBS Hawaii forum with Ben Cayetano and Kirk Caldwell, which fortunately did not coincide with the vice presidential debate.

People might want to watch that one, as Joe Biden often has a surprise up his sleeve.