New World Order
December 10th, 2009 by Derrick DePledgeNot only do we have local bloggers who hate the Mainstream Media, now national bloggers, who hate the Mainstream Media even more deeply, are branching out into our territory.
The Post & Email, a Connecticut-based Web site which describes itself as “a new media initiative of American patriots,” was apparently the first to report that Paul Tsukiyama has left as director of the state Office of Information Practices.
Tsukiyama did not have a large public profile -- he was mentioned in The Advertiser in three stories since being appointed by Gov. Linda Lingle in 2007, including a brief about his appointment -- but he led an important office.
Tsukiyama, an attorney, left in November for a job at the Hawaii Health Systems Corp., which oversees the state’s public hospitals. Cathy Takase is acting director at OIP until Lingle appoints a permanent replacement.
So while we will take our lickings for being scooped by the Post & Email, we will let readers decide whether their speculation about the reasons for Tsukiyama’s departure is credible.
Since it is a recurring theme with government officials who are in a position to expose Obama that they resign or get removed, or are promoted out of the way, I was intrigued to learn today of Tsukiyama’s resignation, when I spoke with the OIP office by phone.
Folks at the OIP and Lingle’s office said today that Tsukiyama’s departure had nothing to do with a presidential cover-up.
Tsukiyama could not immediately be reached for comment.
December 10th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Well, I reckon that news plus bogus analysis is always better than not getting the news at all.
A pox on those pesky bloggers...
December 11th, 2009 at 1:55 am
"Doug"? That name sounds faintly familiar.
There was once a young feller by that name used to keep us informed 'bout what was going on. Smart feller, too. Lotsa good insights, good contacts, commonsense.
This is first I heard about bloggers gettin' the pox. Musta done him in.
December 11th, 2009 at 4:16 am
Nah. As it happens, what has done Doug in (temporarily) is actually related to the OIP, too. Have patience, Kolea.
December 11th, 2009 at 6:16 am
It's not about Obama, silly. It's about the little green men who live in the Diamond Head crater and are secretly controlling the rail transit project as a ploy to take over Kailua and force everyone to eat mushrooms.
December 11th, 2009 at 6:28 am
I respect a lot of the good bloggers out there, but there's just too many of the irresponsible ones who try to pass their work off as journalism, when it's really no more than half-truths and opinions. Seems there just aren't any standards amonst this group, and it will only serve to degrade the profession of journalism as the public goes to these sources for their "news" and mainstream media makes compromises to compete.
December 11th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Doug: "temporarily"? The title of the last post -- dated 6/28/09 -- begins "The wait is almost over" The wait has been "almost over" for almost 6 months; it better be good!
Earl: "Half-truths"? You give too much credit. A dated -- but still relevant -- reference to Marshall McLuhan is in order here: "The medium is the message." In the case of the cited blog, the "Post & Email" has reduced it -- nay, perverted it -- to "because it CAN be said, I have a RIGHT to say it." It's ALL medium and NO message. At least in the case of this blog, Ian Lind's, etc., we have people who have a foot in bricks and mortar MSM and its aspiration to be grounded in facts, with a commitment to verify before publishing. They risk something if they say ridiculous things, the "Post & Email" risks nothing because it is, well, nothing.
December 11th, 2009 at 10:39 am
Actually in a roundabout way Mike Levine of The Garden Island first reported it last week by nmentioning the "acting director "Kathy Takase" in an article about our infamous ES-177. I've been putting off reporting on it myself being busy with another more local topic this week.
And I'm not anti MSM- just extremely cricial of the lazy lack of enterprise journalism and "he said she said" reporting without good followup,,, present company excluded of course Derrick
December 11th, 2009 at 11:10 am
"Folks at the OIP and Lingle’s office said today that Tsukiyama’s departure had nothing to do with a presidential cover-up."
And yes, I've stopped beating my wife, too.
December 11th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Sorry folks, I knew of Paul Tsukiyama's departure several weeks ago but thought nothing of it as he really did nothing in the short time that he was there to be of any significance.
December 11th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Tsukiyama’s departure could very well have something to do with the Hawai`i Supreme court decision regarding the case of County of Kaua`i vs. OIP where the county sued the OIP over an order to release minutes of an executive session a few years back.
The OIP claimed that the regulatory scheme set out by the legislature- and stated in the legislative committee report on the UIPA- says that the OIP has final say over release of records specifically to avoid having agencies suing each other all the time.
The 5th circuit found that the releasable parts were "irretrievably intertwined" with the attorney client privileged part and therefore ruled against OIP and the ICA and SC agreed without much comment.
This leaves the OIP even more of a “toothless tiger” than ever- their “opinions” on record requests under the UIPA (HRS 92F) as well as sunshine law (HRS 92 Sect 1) issues are now subject to suits by the involved agencies in circuit court and, according to the Levine article, Takase said the OIP will therefore not issue any more formal opinions and presumably serve only an advisory role in the future.
Tsukiyama fought hard through staff attorney Jennifer Z. Brooks to protect our sunshine and open records laws and would have led what is now a useless entity if he stayed on. I wouldn’t head an agency like that either.
Only the legislature can change this but I don’t see them addressing that what with all those important issues like denying civil rights and slashing social services and education budgets while making sure tax credits and other corporate welfare programs remain in place.
December 11th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
It's just stunning that OIP has been reduced to less than a vestigial organ.
Say whatever you want about John Waihee (during whose tenure the UIPA became law) but the OIP was a vibrant, engaged, almost crusading entity under Katy Callahan (sp?). So much so that it came back to haunt the Governor (Hawaiian Tel procurement, etc.). Its powers have been slowly and steadily eroded by governors over the years -- starting with Cayetano and accelerating under the current occupant of the seat -- because they were threatened by it.
The Legislature should transfer OIP to the legislative branch -- like the Auditor, LRB, and the Ombudsman. Shoots, the Legislature is exempt from the Sunshine Law and enjoys considerable exemption from the UIPA. It has nothing to fear. But does it have the money and the political will?
December 11th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
actually, if you follow birther logic, it was Les Kondo who was forced to resign over the birther conspiracy since these sorts of things are required to have happened before anyone knew that Obama had any chance of becoming/being President. Once he became President, all the overt acts of the conspiracy were completed. lol.
i do agree with Ohia that moving OIP over to the legislature would be a great idea. now, what to do with office of elections....?