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The lessons of Watergate

Subject to revisionism and neglected in the era of obsession with screens small and large, history is instructive to those who bother to contemplate it. Watergate endures principally for the purpose of providing the suffix for the scandal of the moment, but that drama and its climax leave lessons far nobler than initially comprehended and currently recalled. For those rendered by youth unable to properly appreciate neckties the width of torsos, lapels extending to the shoulders and, of course, bell-bottoms and sideburns, a brief refresher: In 1972, a “Keystone Cops” crew of ...

Holidays in hard times

In honor of her plantation camp roots, the Christmas tree featured in Ethel Nagata’s barbershop window was a bare citrus limb spray-painted white and decorated with garlands of folded gum wrappers and simple homemade ornaments. This was about 25 years ago, back when Nagata’s Kahului Barber Shop was one of the favored gathering spots at busy Kahului Shopping Center. Patrons loved Ethel as much for her playful good humor as her talent with scissors and razor. One year she decided to show folks what Christmas was like on Maui when times were tough. If memory serves, Ethel got her ...

Even Scrooge could give a bit

The Christmas season is often characterized by charity. Even Scrooges and Grinches can be convinced to give a little and to help the less fortunate. We understand that real life is no Christmas carol, but at a time when millions of Americans are facing hunger, unemployment and the potential loss of their homes, we can’t help but wonder why America’s most fortunate aren’t doing more to help. Consider this analysis from Americans for Tax Fairness and the Institute for Policy Studies: The 651 billionaires in America have seen their collective wealth increase by more than $1 trillion ...

Stepping off the treadmill

The motorist dragged an electric razor across his face as he sat waiting for a Kihei traffic light to change. The way he continued mowing his chin as he motored through the intersection conjured memories of a not-so-distant past when busy island residents had to do two things at once just to keep pace. Surely you remember those heady days before the coronavirus pandemic slipped Hawaii’s service industry into neutral. How long will it be before island folks are back to rushing between jobs and Maui’s hotels and condos are once again full of guests? An annual forecast by the ...

Evictions fuel COVID flames

As COVID-19 became the dominant presence in American life in 2020, most of us resigned ourselves to a year absent of familiar trappings, hoping the reward for enduring these difficult times would be a return to normalcy in 2021. But the pandemic was never going to magically disappear by tearing a page from the calendar. For most of us, Jan. 1, 2021, will look like Dec. 31, 2020. But not all. Unless Congress takes action, millions of Americans unable to pay rent because of the pandemic and the economic crisis it set off are in danger of losing their homes when New Year’s Eve becomes ...

Quit harming our democracy

Enough is enough. Facts still matter. Evidence requires, well, evidence. Any Republican leader who’s still publicly denying — or at least failing to admit — that Democrat Joe Biden is America’s president-elect is a coward. They’re probably scared of the bully still occupying the White House and who’s rumored to be considering a 2024 run after losing by more than 7 million votes this year. They’re likely more worried about saving their jobs in the next election by avoiding President Donald Trump’s wrath and a potential Republican primary challenger. When Trump ...