Misc. Ramblings

Hawai'i Governor Linda "What? Me Spin a Story?" Lingle is at it again. She got 30 minutes of free TV time from a local station to broadcast what was a political campaign speech in the guise of news. All of the other stations declined to carry the speech. Perhaps not totally coincidentally, that same TV station then got a free trip to Japan with the Governor, paid by tax payer dollars, to cover her efforts to get more visitors to come to Hawai'i.

Neither the Governor nor the TV station see anything wrong with this picture. Neither see the co-opting of the adversarial relationship between the press and politicians as a Bad Thing. Heck, one hand washes the other, right? So what's the big deal about a business and government partnering to get the word out about the good works the Governor is doing?

Surely, you wouldn't suggest that the TV station might shade the reporting just a tad knowing that the bills are being paid by someone else? Surely, they wouldn't produce a puff piece about how spending taxpayer money on a junket is fine but funding for anti-child abuse safety programs should be line-item vetoed (which is what the Governor did just moments before going on her trip)?

Even better, the Governor used her classic response to those questioning her judgment by attacking the questioners and accusing them of not covering enough of the things she does purely out of the goodness of her heart. Why aren't all the TV stations giving her free time for campaign speeches? Why aren't all of the TV stations covering every carefully crafted press release? Why does she have so much trouble with these pesky questions while the Big Things she does for the state go unnoticed?

"Where is the justice?"; she asks. Indeed.

Just Googling. Search on "weapons of mass destruction" and you may get this. Search on "French military victories" and you might get this.

Aloha!