Judge Throws Out Turtle Bay Challenge

Just saw this in the Pacific Business News Online Edition. For full story click here

...A Circuit Court judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit against Kuilima Resort Co.that would have required the developer to conduct a supplemental environmental impact statement to expand on the 880-acre Turtle Bay resort on the North Shore of Oahu. The lawsuit was filed by the grass-roots group, Keep the North Shore Country, and the Sierra Club of Honolulu, which claimed that the 20-year-old plans to expand the 443-unit Turtle Bay resort by adding up 3,500 hotel and condominium units along the secluded beachfront was no longer valid....

Maybe a dialogue can now occur between both sides. My feelings about the tactics of the Turtle Bay opposition are expressed in my post - I Don't Need A Keeper, I Don't Want a Defender.

Now that the law suits have been dismissed, perhaps the anti Turtle Bay people will put down the megaphones and poison pens and talk civil. My hope is that the Republicans and Democrats will do the same. Perhaps some battles have to be lost before cooperation can happen between adversaries.

Does Everyone Agree With You?

If all the people you talk to agree with you about all the "issues" it could be because...

- You have become infallible, therefore you are always right.

- Some of the people you are talking to are lying.

- People might think that you are too powerful to argue with.

- People might not want to go through the hassle of disagreeing with you.

- To disagree might be "social suicide". (Funny about this one - there might be a bunch of people who think like you do but are also intimidated).

- Your circle of people you talk to about "issues" has gotten very small.

- People might think you are too stupid to understand an alternative viewpoint.

- All of the above.

I Was WRONG, Mike Magaoay WINS!!!

My only political prediction of the entire election proved to be quite wrong. Mike Magaoay defeated Carol Philips by about the same margin of the previous two elections. I was pretty sure Carol would win based on money, Union friends and her single issue No Way Turtle Bay campaign.

But, perhaps I should just stick to writing thought provoking posts.

My first take this morning is that despite maybe picking up the promised union votes and the radical enviromentalist vote, she turned off a lot of other people who had voted for her before by carrying such a hard line anti Turtle Bay stance.

I'll say it again, I know a LOT of people who support Turtle Bay because Turtle Bay puts bread on their table or on the table of someone they break bread with often. Sure they don't put signs up, have bumper stickers, scream at the community meetings or protest FOR Turtle Bay. But they sure did vote.

The Genius of Carol Philips

The North Shore's only real political race is a done deal. Toegee here thinks that Carol Philips has it in the bag. That girl is a genius, relentless and ruthless. I have seen her everywhere, at all hours of the day waving signs with her new found friends. She has been attacking Mike Mag relentlessly with vicious intensity.

Where is Mike anyway? It looks like surrender to me.

For the past two races, Carol soldiered on under the Republican banner. Towing the party line, losing by just a couple/few hundred votes.

Then in the most brilliant political move I have ever seen on the North Shore, Carol "The Republican" aligned her political future with the Union - Local 5 UNITE/HERE. The Unions in Hawaii have been the main organizational force that has enabled Democrats to stay in power for as long as they have. The boldness of her to claim that she is a member of the party of Ronald Reagan (who fired each and every member of a Union who participated in an illegal strike against the government) and get the Union vote is a strategy worthy of Hillary Clinton. Al Gore or John Kerry. Carol Philips and Eric Gill together, everyone hold hands and sing Kumbaya.

Carol has partnered with opponents of Turtle Bay - Union members, socialists, radical environmentalists, NIMBYs, and other anti business activists. As a Republican, she has done so simply and ruthlessly to get votes for office - awesome move. Her campaign has been superb, almost beyond description, political genius. She made a calculation and figured out that if the Union could take just a hundred votes away from Mike and send them her way she could win. That along with her take no prisoners, protest everything about Turtle Bay stance will win her the election.

If you look back at some of the shirts of the contests that Carol used to run, Turtle Bay was a sponsor. Carol was a partner with Turtle Bay, a supporter of Turtle Bay, a vocal proponent of the changes at Turtle Bay until she partnered with the Union. It takes courage and guts to turn on a dime like she did to get votes. WOW!!!

Carol Philips is going to represent the North Shore (oh yeah those other areas as well). This political wonderkind is going to be our face, voice and life line to the state government. Get used to the idea. I am going to start waving back when I see her everywhere during the next few days.

Save Lives, Stop Traffic, Increase Aloha. Ban Surfing on Large Waves!!!

OUTLAW THE LETHAL, ENVIRONMENTALLY

DESTRUCTIVE PRACTICE OF

RIDING LARGE WAVES

It looks like the Shark Tours are going to be outlawed because people feel there is a possibility that they might pose a threat to people in the water 3 miles away. People are outraged that the Turtle Bay Resort expansion might cause traffic jams at some point in the future.

Well, there is something occurring every winter on the North Shore that is a proven lethal event that creates massive traffic jams. Not only does it kill several people every winter, it has caused catastrophic injuries in the hundreds if not thousands EVERY YEAR.

Surfing Large Waves Kills and Maims People, Causes Gigantic Traffic Jams And Destroys Aloha On The Water

Think of how many people have died. Think of how many of your acquaintances have been seriously injured. Think about how many ex large wave surfers are now drug and alcohol abusers trying to duplicate the rush of riding the big ones. How many fights and even deaths have there been over surf rage?

When Guy Hagi broadcasts - "The Country will be pumping!!!", you know that getting a shave ice for our kids is going to take an hour and a half round trip from Sunset. "The Mother of All North Shore Traffic Jams" happens when the Eddie runs and some 20,000 people all come out to see it. Any Saturday or Sunday with a high surf warning is guaranteed grid lock on the North Shore as people come out to ogle surfers on the waves.

The Duke's soul lives in the waters of Oahu. I am sure he hates the traffic, wave runners, fights, stink eye and the blatant, naked greed that commercial exploitation of surfing large waves brings to our holy ocean.

It is time to ban surfing, body boarding and swimming when the waves get over 15 feet. It will save many lives, thousands of injuries, suffering and heart breaks. Think of all the helpless keiki as they wonder if their large wave riding parents will ever come home again in one piece. Traffic would miraculously disappear. No one would drive an hour to the North Shore just to see a bunch of waves with nothing on them.

Limit big wave riding to Waikiki.

Ban large wave surfing, body boarding and swimming on the North Shore.

Defend The North Shore From Big Wave Riding.