Rex Johnson’s demise as Hawai’i Tourism Authority CEO wasn’t pleasant for anybody involved, but it was necessary after he was caught sending racist and sexist emails from his official computer under the state’s digital seal.
The decision last night by directors to accept Johnson’s resignation removes distractions that have slowed the tourism agency at a time when Hawai’i’s leading industry is in economic crisis.
More importantly, it restored Hawai’i’s reputation as a diverse and welcoming place and made things pono with women, blacks and Hispanics who were hurt by the crude and cruel jokes Johnson emailed to friends.
Former Gov. John Waihee, one of several leading Democrats who defended Johnson and demeaned the history their party made this year by fielding the first black and female candidates with legitimate shots at winning the White House, was dead wrong when he said Johnson was sacrificed on the altar of political correctness.
Saying you’re going to squeeze somebody’s privates, as Jesse Jackson did about Barack Obama, is politically incorrect.
To denigrate presidential candidates with ugly slurs like “coon” or “beaver” goes beyond political incorrectness. It grossly violates standards of common decency and is just plain unacceptable from a high state official whose job is to represent the best of Hawai’i to visitors we seek to attract.
Johnson seems an otherwise upstanding person, and it’s sad for him that he had to fall for a lapse of judgment that couldn’t be overlooked.
But I suspect he’ll land well with one of the hotel companies that rose to his defense, and in the meantime, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of separation settlement the tourism agency gave him.
Racism and sexism are highly sensitive issues in this year’s presidential campaign, with the battle on the Democratic side between the first African American and female candidates ever to seriously contend and the Republicans fielding a their first woman vice presidential candidate.
That’s why it’s so disturbing to see a state official like Rex Johnson of the Hawai’i Tourism Authority fan the flames of ignorance and intolerance by using his state computer to send out ugly slurs under the official digital imprint of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
Equally troubling is the fumbling around of the tourism agency’s board trying to schedule a meeting to deal with Johnson while civil rights and women’s groups understandably consider protests at high-visibility conventions coming to Waikiki.
This is giving our visitor industry a horrible black eye in the middle of a sour economy when we can ill afford it.
If Johnson won’t step aside to spare us the drama, leaders in the Legislature who helped him keep his job when he was recently caught sending pornographic e-mails must step in and make clear to him that he can’t be effective in his job anymore, won’t receive their continued support and needs to go.
Since Sen. Barack Obama is gracing us with a visit, we’ll start with presidential politics as we “flASHback” on the week’s news that amused and confused:
Obama plans to prepare for the Democratic National Convention while chilling out on our beaches. I hope we don’t see a parade of vice president hopefuls in swim trunks.
Sen. John McCain, who hasn’t cast a vote on the Senate floor since April, knocked Obama and other senators for taking a break instead of staying in Washington to work on the energy crisis. Then he resumed his nap.
Paris Hilton responded to McCain’s ad mocking Obama at her expense by calling him a “wrinkly white-haired guy” and referring to both candidates as “bitches.” You usually don’t get that kind of respect until after you’re elected president.
Top legislators defended Hawai’i Tourism Authority CEO Rex Johnson, who was caught e-mailing porn from his state computer, saying he’s vital to reviving Hawai’i’s visitor industry. How, by stealing sex tourists from Bangkok?
The Department of Education sent more than 650 people to a conference at the Disney resort in Florida for $1.2 million. No wonder the school board can’t find money to pay for $35 drug tests for teachers.
Some state employees started a four-day work week. If they can get it down to 2 1/2 days, maybe they’ll get their pay doubled like Kamehameha Schools trustees.
An attorney who’s suing Kamehameha Schools over its Hawaiians-first admissions again after collecting $7 million last time says it’s a matter of principle. Sad but true. Greed is one of the the oldest legal principles.
An auditor criticized the city for a 44-percent increase in its energy costs. And that’s for just talking about trains. Wait until they start running them.
University of Hawai’i enrollment is up as the local job market shrinks. These are mean times when you need a college degree to be unemployed.
A Kaka’ako massage parlor was robbed by eight men masking their identities. In other words, they looked like any other men going into massage parlors.
Theresa Harden of Kane’ohe followed a carjacker and his abducted victim across the Pali and guided police to him by cell phone. Looks like “Dog” Chapman can be replaced if he shoots off his mouth again.
And the quote of the week …
… from mayoral candidate Ann Kobayashi on Mayor Mufi Hannemann’s $2.7 million war chest:
“Money isn’t everything. Money is power but so is people power, and I think people power is greater.”
This campaign will test the power of wishful thinking.
It’ll be fascinating to see how the drama plays out over the discovery that Rex Johnson, president of the Hawai’i Tourism Authority, used his state computer to email pornography to friends.
After a board meeting last week, two board members urged Johnson to resign from the $240,000 position. But in advance of another board meeting tomorrow, some heavy political muscle is lining up behind Johnson, including House Speaker Calvin Say and Senate President Colleen Hanabusa and Vice President Donna Mercado Kim.
When those three get together on anything, my first instinct is to cover the groin.
Johnson has apologized, but isn’t exactly contrite. His political backers say now would be a bad time to change leadership at the tourism agency given the slumping visitor market.
I don’t have strong feelings about what the proper punishment is for such indiscretions. The board of the tourism authority is in the best position to decide how much Johnson’s unbecoming behavior has damaged the agency’s credibility and whether the authority can effectively move forward without him.
I only hope members make the decision based on their own best judgment and don’t give in to the heavy-handed political interference.
I’m taking off early for the holiday, but I leave you with a “flASHback” on the weekly news that amused and confused:
Local bankruptcies are up, tourism is down, layoffs are up, housing sales are down, fuel costs are up, stock prices are down. You know it’s a tough economy when even our ups drag us down.
Barack Obama spent the week proclaiming his faith and arguing with a religious leader over the Bible. Is he running to succeed George W. Bush or Billy Graham?
A fellow senator says John McCain grabbed a Nicaraguan official’s shirt and pulled him from his chair during diplomatic talks. No wonder Obama doesn’t want to to sit across the table from his GOP rival at campaign forums.
Engineering professor Panos D. Prevedouros says he’ll challenge Mufi Hannemann for Honolulu mayor. This’ll be the first time Hannemann runs as the candidate with the easier-to-pronounce name.
Prevedouros barely got the attention of Hannemann, who was busy simultaneously fighting with current Gov. Linda Lingle and former Gov. Ben Cayetano over rail transit. Looks like the mayor has already moved past 2008 and is power-lifting to prepare for 2010.
House Majority Leader Kirk Caldwell says voters shouldn’t decide rail transit because we find it “easier to tear something down than to be constructive.” If that were true, we’d tear down the Legislature. Wait … that would be too constructive.
Some City Council members want to make drivers pay a toll for the congestion we cause when we venture downtown. Baskets for campaign donations would be placed on streets to the city center.
The state says Aloha Stadium will look so new after a $185 million renovation that “it’ll be just like when you walked into the stadium the first time.” I don’t think so. The first time I walked in, it was in baseball configuration and the Islanders were playing.
Honolulu police have new Tasers with video cameras attached to film rowdy suspects getting zapped. These will raise the bar for horror flicks that make your hair stand on end.
Officials are tightening permit requirements for weddings on state beaches. The parties will now have to pass a sanity test.
And the quote of the week …
… from Sen. Daniel Inouye on the sinking economy:
“If there was a time when the phrase ‘Let’s get together, let’s work together’ makes good sense, now is the time.”
If he pulls off that miracle, he’ll be the next Hawai’i saint after Damien.
