It’s Time to Save the Hawaii Superferry

There is no such thing as halfway support for the Hawaii Superferry. If you back the Hawaii Superferry you support it all the way. The environmental assessment (EA) needs to be done as required by the Supreme Court ruling. But it as well as the more stringent Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) can be done while the Hawaii Superferry is put back into operation. Service must resume in order for Hawaii Superferry to pay its bills and financially survive in the volatile Hawaiian islands.

Mr. John Garibaldi, CEO of Hawaii Superferry recently established a six-week deadline before they will have to pull the plug on the idle ferry and re-locate the business elsewhere. If that ever happens it will be a very sad day for Hawaii consumers.

Hawaii’s business climate has already gotten a black eye from the fanatic environmental zealots and a small group of radical Kauai wackos demanding that the EA be done before the ferry can resume service. They are relying on the court to make a ruling on this. If the court rules in favor of the environmentalists and wackos, we will be saying “sayonara” to the Superferry forever.

With the Superferry tied up at the dock and litigation, the message being sent out to the investment community is “don’t do business in Hawaii. Anything new and innovative you do in Hawaii will be shut down by a small group of wacko environmentalists and NIMBYism.” Hawaii has a long, sad history of private investment being shut out by special interest groups.

If you support Hawaii Superferry, you have to be in favor of allowing Superferry to operate while the EA process is underway. Anything less puts you in the column of the opponents.

Call the Governor and your legislators and urge them to go into emergency special session to draft legislation more favorable for the Hawaii Superferry. Sign the online petition. Call talk radio shows. Blog your opinions and send letters in favor of the Superferry to news publications.

It’s time to save the Hawaii Superferry.

Photo: Hawaii Superferry arrives at its home port in Honolulu after its only revenue generating trip to Maui in August.

Thunderbirds in Hawaii

The United States Air Force Thunderbirds are in Hawaii in observance of the Air Force's 60th anniversary. The Thunderbirds gave Honolulu residents a treat yesterday during two "practice" shows held at 9:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. off the shores of Waikiki. While all the action was in the Waikiki area, everyone in Honolulu were aware of the Thunderbirds' presence as their F-16s streaked across the Hawaiian skies. It was a great show that attracted thousands of residents and tourists to the beaches and the tops of buildings to get the best view. An even bigger show is scheduled for Saturday, September 15 at 2:30 p.m.

The Thunderbirds are the air demonstration team of the U.S. Air Force. They travel throughout the United States and are a valuable recruitment tool for the service. For more than 20 years, the Thunderbirds have been flying General Dynamics F-16C Flying Falcon jets that are capable of flying at speeds of up to 1,500 mph (Mach 2). For demonstration purposes the Thunderbirds usually fly at speeds of up to 500 mph. The F-16 is one of the most recognized fighter planes in the Air Force's fleet.

• More Photos at my Flickr website
  

Photos by Melvin Ah Ching

As Featured on KGMB TV

Taken this afternoon from the 10th floor observation deck at Aloha Tower. This is the kind of perfect sunny day coveted by the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau. Featured today on KGMB TV News "Storm Patrol". Taken at 1:36 pm with my Canon 300D camera, 18 - 55mm wide angle kit lens.

Hawaii Reporter Streams Video

The folks at HawaiiReporter.com are getting into videos. This is their first posted to YouTube.com. The videos are embedded back to the main HawaiiReporter.com website. Hopefully this is the first of many to come. Hawaii Reporter has been an alternate to mainstream media publications, broadcasts and websites for the past 5 years. Recently their main website underwent a major design change that brings it forward as a serious news and opinion site that has attracted thousands if not millions of viewers throughout the world. Video commentary and reporting is just the next step in the site's long history of reporting the "real news."