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WE NEED TO TALK From Joel Fischer <jfischer@hawaii.edu> Sent Friday, January 2, 2004 2:08 pm To MFisch@Honolulu.Gannett.com, MFisch@HonoluluAdvertiser.com, SKeyes@HonoluluAdvertiser.com, DFrancis@Honolulu.Gannett.com, DFrancis@HonoluluAdvertiser.com, JBurris@HonoluluAdvertiser.com, JKelly@HonoluluAdvertiser.com, DMontesi@HonoluluAdvertiser.com, DMontesi@Honolulu.Gannett.com Subject WE NEED TO TALK Did you ever wonder why writers of major exposes -e.g., "Broken Promises" (Bishop Estate) and "Dangerous Equations" (Evan Dobelle) choose ultimately to publish their work in the "Star-Bulletin?" Let me offer one possibile reason: It may be because the "Advertiser" is viewed as not being willing to stick out it's collective "neck" to take on controversial issues. It may also be because "Advertiser" reporters and editors are too frequently taken in by smooth public relations -or, more accurately, propaganda- operatives. A very important case-in-point: Your apparent ongoing policy -as symbolized most recently by your editorial of 12/14/03- re: Evan Dobelle, and your refusal to see that the success of the UH and the success of Dobelle, are not always intertwined. With this and the following e-mail and their attachments, I hope to convince you that you need a far more balanced, and, I hope, investigative stance toward your coverage of UH. As a professor at UH for 33 years, I have developed a number of connections throughout the system that for the past few years have been feeding me astounding information about the performance of Dobelle and his closest associates. I have circulated this information in two papers that I am now sending to you, which, incidentally, I sent to a number of your reporters and columnists months ago. Perhaps because of my writing style, perhaps because of the seriousness of the charges, you may want to view these papers as a series of undocumented charges concocted by a madman. Let me assure you of two things. First, every point in these two papers has, in fact, been documented by my first-hand knowledge or by administration insiders at the very highest level of the UH. Second, I am indeed a mad man, but I think you will understand why I am mad if you are willing to examine these two papers. You must understand that Paul Costello leaving and Wick Sloane being removed is the begining of the end for Dobelle...rats leaving a sinking administration. It, therefore, I would think, behooves such an important community voice as the "Advertiser" to search out the reasons for the problems at UH rather than relying on such simplistic slogans as "politics as usual." It is the belief of most faculty and legislators who actually know what is going at UH that Dobelle's removal is imperative in order to restore some semblane of progress at the UH. There must be reasons for that beyond just "local politics." Please allow me make one other point. The material I am sending you and the material I hope you read in "Dangerous Equations" (See Dangerousequations.com) is, unbelievably, only the proverbial tip of the iceberg. Other than assurances that this is so by prominent UH officials who know the facts, let me cite one other circumstance that some of your writers were informed about but did not pursue, despite the ease of verification. As you must know, Dobelle left San Francisco State in the shadow of a fiscal crisis that he created with some of the same shenanigans in which he engaged here. Perhaps less widely known, but also reported to your reporters, was that Dobelle left Trinity in thr shadow of a sexual crisis that has relevance to UH. He was sleeping with a middle-level development person there whom he then tried to hire here - at a large salary, of course- as the UH East Coast representative, of all things! Many of the development people here interviewed her, and can verify this scenario. While the woman was not hired (for reasons I don't know), this unsavory situation was cause enough to fire Dobelle on the spot, don't you agree? Politics as usual? I think not! Dobelle has been caught a number of times in unseemly situations here, so the Trinity experience was certainly not unique. (All of this raises another, related, question. The "Advertiser," bravely I believe, did an outstanding investigative job in reporting the delicate situation of Hamilton McCubbin's "sexual problems." Why then ignore Dobelle's and those of coach June Jones who impregnated Lily Kahumoku, was seen having sex in a car by Kaiser High School students, is or was dating Timmy Chang's sister or cousin while touting Chang as a Heisman Trophy candidate and who has an ignored moral turpitude provision in his contract because of widespread community and UH awareness of his sexual picadillos? Are Dobelle and Jones sacred cows to the "Advertiser" while it is open season on Native Hawaiian McCubbin? Your reporters were provided with all of this information. Where are the investigations? There apears to be a major journalistic, if not ethical, discrepancy here.) The community needs your help in unvcovering the true story of the UH shake-up, and the entire fiasco of the Dobelle presidency. I hope you take this charge seriously. I am ready to meet with your Editorial Board at any time, or to do what I can to help you in your investigation. Aloha, Joel Fischer, DSW Professor Last modified: February 2004 |