These studies resulted first in a paper inspired by Tom Coffman - then an investigative writer for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin - on campaign contributions by architects and engineers, and then a follow-up paper on U.S. I was also a community organizer on Kauai. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii Manoa, I put all possible required hours into directed studies that I designed based on interests I had developed before law school, as a lecturer in Survival Plus (a UH Manoa environmental program), as a radio news announcer for KIVM on Kauai, and as a stringer for The Garden Island. I am a lawyer, still registered as such in Hawaii though on inactive status because in 1996 I left Hawaii and eventually settled in Cambodia. This essay is a personal story about how “Land and Power” was written and what it led me to in later life, all the way until now. Before co-authoring “Land and Power,” Gavan wrote, among other books, “Shoal of Time: A History of the Hawaiian Islands” (1968). The draft research turned up information about systemic corruption in Hawaii politics and government that is still with Hawaii. The book is based on what I researched, mainly from the public record, and what Gavan Daws shaped into a book. Here is what Cooper has to say about “Land and Power” today. George Cooper, who wrote “Land and Power” with Gavan Daws, today lives in Cambodia where he works with human rights organizations focused on protecting the rights of the poor to land and natural resources. ‘Land and Power’ has been a guide post for how to develop ourselves, personally and professionally, to be able to push back against that old regime and try to work for a better relationship between our people and the islands.” Scheuer, who also served 11 years on the board of the Hawaii Land Trust, added, “For many of us in my generation - or at least myself - it’s also been inspirational. I believe for those who continue to profit by developing land, in part succeeding based on their personal relationships, that public consciousness has resulted in some limits.” It’s how that phrase has impacted our framing of politics and land regulation in Hawaii. Jonathan Likeke Scheuer, who recently finished eight years on the Land Use Commission, the last four as chair, told Civil Beat, “For me it is not just that the phrase ‘land and power’ has entered people’s consciousness. “State and local office holders throughout Hawaii took their personal financial interests into account” in their actions as public officials. Editor’s note: F ew works have had a more lasting impact in the islands than “ Land and Power in Hawaii: The Democratic Years.” First published in 1985, it describes “a pervasive way of conducting private and public affairs,” as the University of Hawaii Press explains on its website promoting the book.
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