July 13, 2015 by Ka Leo O Hawai‘i

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN MARRY YOUR CAT P. 4 Slippery slope arguments forget something essential.

POLIO VIRUS COULD SOON BE ERADICATED NEWS P. 2 ISSUE.8

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SAFER THAN YOU THINK PROTECTIVE GEAR IS UNNECESSARY FOR TRICK SKATING P. 4  W H AT ’D I MISS?

Phasing out plastic bags

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Leader of the Spokane, Washington chapter of NAACP Rachel Dolezal took advantage of afﬁrmative action and cheapened her activism.

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COVER: JOELYN DALIT / KA LEO O HAWAI‘I; PHOTOS: REESE KATO / KA LEO O HAWAI‘I; JASON HONG / KA LEO O HAWAI‘I; ILLUSTRATION: CALEB HARTSFIELD / KA LEO O HAWAI‘I

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

KA LEO O HAWAI‘I: THE VOICE

NEWS

news@kaleo.org @kaleoohawaii

pay of $17,500. HB3 553 would allow graduate student assistants to collectively bargain these and other terms of their employment. A GA pay scale published on UH Mānoa’s site shows the minimum nine-month pay is $14,382.

Bill aimed to help graduate students risks veto HB 553 on Gov. David Ige’s intent-to-veto list

HISTORY OF THE BILL

BEN DECASTRO/ KA LEO O HAWAI‘I 

UH Mānoa’s Graduate Student Organization has been in effect since 1974. BIANCA SMALLWOOD STAFF WRITER

A bill that would allow University of Hawai‘i graduate students to collectively bargain their wages, hours and other compensations may not be approved. House Bill (HB) 553, which would allow part-time and full-time UH graduate student assistants (GA) to unionize, is on Gov. David Ige’s Intent to Veto list, according to a news release from the governor’s ofﬁce. Although the decision to veto the bill has not been decided yet, Bret Polopolus-Meredith, Graduate Student Organization (GSO) Employment and Compensation chairman, said that the passing of HB 553 would provide graduate students with the right to ask for what is fair. “HB 553 represents [a] historic milestone for past, present and future graduate assistants at UH,”

Polopolus-Meredith said in an email interview. “HB 553 also corrects a longstanding unconstitutional statute that legally prevents graduate assistants from collective bargaining or unionization. The signing of HB 553 into law will finally give graduate assistants at UH the right to strive for better working conditions and fair pay.” However, in a testimony written by UH Vice President for Academic Affairs Risa Dickson and Vice President for Budget and Finance Kalbert Young said graduate students are considered students first and employees second and later cite that faculty members who have a Ph.D. have many years of qualified ability and skill. WORKING THEIR WAY UP

Polopolus-Meredith also said that although graduate students

Courtney Teague News Editor

do similar work as other UH faculty and staff, there is an imbalance. “Graduate assistants at UH teach classes, perform research, work in administration and volunteer in our community,” Polopolus-Meredith

Introduced on Jan. 26, 2015, by Rep. Isaac Choy, the request to create collective bargaining units for graduate students can be traced back to 2012 with HB 2859. HB 2859 stated that since 2004, graduate student workers have not received a wage increase despite the cost of living in Hawai‘i increasing. While the bill received 10 yes votes and no opposing votes from members of the State Legislative Committee on Higher Education, HB 2859 was referred to the Committee on Finance where no further actions were made. Rep. Mark Nakashima, chairman of the House Labor and Public Employment Committee, said that while the bill was referred to his committee ﬁrst, there were rea-

Graduate assistants are doing the same work as other professionals and faculty at UH but without ... collective bargaining. – BRET POLOPOLUS-MEREDITH GSO EMPLOYMENT AND COMPENSATION CHAIR

said. “Essentially, graduate assistants are doing the same work as other professionals and faculty at UH but without the protection provided by collective bargaining.” A GSO media brieﬁng said that graduate students are not given sick leave and receive a minimum

sons the bill did not pass three years ago. “At that time there were many unknowns and questions that needed to be answered, such as the number of graduate students actually employed by the State of Hawai‘ i [as opposed to the

Shiwani Johnson Associate News Editor

Research Corporation],” Nakashima said in an email interview. “The bill was turned into a resolution requesting a study by the university to determine exactly what the scope of this class would include. The resolution failed to pass the legislature and no further action was taken.” Nakashima also said that while the bill allowing graduate students to organize was passed by the legislature, UH administration and graduate students have not been able to come to an agreement. Dickson said that while UH recognizes the work graduate students do, she said HB 553 raised concerns with administration as some matters were absent or not addressed in the proposed bill. Having previously worked at California State University, San Bernardino, a university where there are unionized graduate student assistants, Dickson said that if HB 553 were to be vetoed, the GSO has other options. “I believe that meeting with representatives of the Graduate Student Organization and engaging in meaningful dialogue and discussion over their concerns and issues is another option that should be fully explored if HB 553 does not pass,” Dickson said in an email interview. “We don’t need legislation to authorize university ofﬁcials to meet with the representatives of the GSO to discuss these matters. I believe that the GSO and the Legislature have clearly spoken and the university needs to begin to take ownership in addressing this matter.” For the full story, go online to kaleo.org/news Ka Leo O Hawai‘i

Polio virus could be eradicated soon, Rotary Club president says ‘End Polio Now’ project may be complete in months PAVEL STANKOV OPINIONS EDITOR

Polio could be eliminated before the end of 2015, Rotary International President K.R. “Ravi” Ravindran said during a visit to O‘ahu. The Rotary Club of Honolulu celebrated its centennial on July 8 with a lū‘au at Ko Olina Resort. Ravindran honored the local chapter of the service organization and shared his views on the upcoming eradication of polio, the organization’s future goals and the involvement of young people. “End polio now” is one of Rotary’s best known and long-standing projects and it’s coming to a completion. In an exclusive interview for Ka Leo, Ravindran said the potentially paralyzing virus could

be eradicated within months. “We’re very close. Maybe before we ﬁnish the year we’ll see the last case,” he said. Polio, in short for poliomyelitis, is a viral infectious disease spread through contaminated water. While most cases show no symptoms, about a quarter come with minor ones or meningitis, and less than one percent develop paralysis. Nevertheless, as recently as 1988 when concentrated international effort began, polio paralyzed 350,000 people a year worldwide. From the beginning of 2015 until now there have been only 30 conﬁrmed cases, according to the Global Eradication Initiative. FIGHTING POLIO WORLDWIDE

Ravindran said some progress still has to be made in South Asia.

“We’re down to the last two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Ravindran said. “The only reason why we haven’t ﬁnished it off is because we’re being blocked by the Taliban. They’re sabotaging it.” The last case of the disease in Africa was last year and the brief resurgence in the Middle East after the Syrian Civil War is also contained. Out of these last 30 cases, 26 are in Pakistan, whose Federally Administered Tribal Areas on the border with Afghanistan are under Taliban control, according to the Global Eradication Initiative. Missions to eradicate polio in the country were sabotaged in the wake of Bin Laden’s assassination. According to an investigation by NPR, the CIA had collected information through a Hepatitis B vaccina-

tion campaign. As a result, in 2012 the Pakistani Taliban banned all immunizations and have sought out and killed workers of the World Health Organization. In contrast, the Taliban in Afghanistan permited medical missions against polio, according to an ofﬁcial statement from 2013 that has been posted on Global Eradication Initiative’s website. Ravindran called the eradication of the disease Rotary’s “only corporate project” and its “ﬁrst major challenge.” Clubs on the national and regional level may share goals related to local circumstances, but the polio mission unites all chapters, according to Ravindran. He sees Rotary’s work as a model for other organizations. “Our polio program is a classic example of private and public sec-

tor cooperation,” he said. According to Ravindran, the system Rotary has set up to ﬁght polio can be used to eradicate other diseases like measles and Ebola after the current mission is completed. “We have shown that every child in the world can be reached,” Ravindran said. “We have shown that you can reach 600 million children. … Everything is possible with dedication and commitment.” Ravindran has been instrumental in eradicating polio in his native nation Sri Lanka. Under his leadership, Rotary was able to deliver the vaccine to areas in the north under Tamil control reaching “almost 1.5 million children,” Ravindran said. For the full story, go online to kaleo.org/news

KA LEO O HAWAI‘I: THE VOICE opinions@kaleo.org @kaleoopinions

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Citizens United follow-up case rightfully shot down SPENCER LOWE STAFF WRITER

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DANIEL MURATA / KA LEO O HAWAI‘I 

On Jan. 21, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court decided political donations by forand non-profits are a constitutional right under the First Amendment.

In such a scenario, the government would use taxpayer money to fund a more expensive contract. This would be a broken system where corrupt politicians waste our resources in order to get elected. FIGHTING CORRUPTION

The existing law is invaluable in ﬁghting corruption; it states that if an organization donates over $1,000 to inﬂuence an election, it must register as a political action committee (PAC) with the state. This allows us to keep track of where money is coming from. “Without these laws, it would be impossible for the public to deter-

“Without these laws, it would be impossible for the public to determine what interests are funding political action committees...” – KRISTIN IZUMI-NITAO HAWAI‘I CAMPAIGN SPENDING COMMISSION

cial interests out of politics. Given this ruling, the United States might even see laws encouraging corruption completely overturned. ‘PAY TO PLAY’ POLITICS

Had the law been reversed, the court would have legalized “pay-toplay” politics, also known as “quid pro quo corruption.” In such an arrangement politicians and corporations beneﬁt at the expense of the taxpayer. For example, a construction company hoping to obtain a contract for a new government building would be able to donate to campaigns with the understanding that if the candidate won, he or she would award the contract to the donating company. In “quid pro quo,” politicians can award contracts to companies that offer more expensive bids as long as they donate.

OPINIONS

Pavel Stankov Opinions Editor

On May 20, the 9th Circuit Court ruled in favor of keeping corporate money out of Hawai‘i politics. The judges upheld a law that disallows government contractors from donating to state and county campaigns after local electrical construction company, A-1 A-Lectrician, had challenged it in 2010. The frequent government contractor ﬁled the suit shortly after the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission case, which removed the limit on how much corporations can spend on political campaigns. Conservative lobby group Citizens United had opened new avenues for lobbyists to reach corrupt politicians on the grounds of First Amendment rights. A-1 A-Lectrician hoped to do the same and even employed the Citizen United’s attorney James Bopp. The outcome of the Citizens United case was a step in the wrong direction. The 9th Circuit Court ruling is a step in the right one because it sends a clear message: for a less corrupt government, contractor money should stay out of politics. While the 9th Circuit Court decision takes care of that for Hawai‘i, all Americans should hope to see more laws upheld to keep ﬁnan-

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

mine what interests are funding political action committees, including big-money SuperPACs,” Kristin Izumi-Nitao, Executive Director of the Hawai‘i Campaign Spending Commission, said in a press release. “This ruling underscores the importance of encouraging transparency in political campaigns and guarding against corruption.” Courts nationwide have not been willing to reverse laws allowing government contractors to donate directly to campaigning candidates. For instance, in the 2012 case of Wagner vs. FEC, the District of Columbia court ruled that three contractors could not make direct donations to political campaigns. INFLUENCE IS NOT CORRUPTION?

Local plaintiff A-1 A-Lectrician must have been under the impression that

after the Citizens United precedent, appellate courts would roll over the public interest when faced with money-in-politics issues. A-1 lawyer Randy Elf quoted Citizen United representatives to Circuit Court judge: “Influence is not corruption.” Such an attempt to remind judges of the Citizen United precedent on First Amendment grounds was half-baked at best. At worst, Elf deliberately misrepresented an already backwards ruling. It was half-baked because the Citizens United court decision equated money (campaign donations) to free speech, solidifying the notion that “corporations are people.” Nonetheless, even if one supports the claim that influence though donations is protected by the First Amendment, Elf’s quote is still misrepresentative. That’s because to him, influence is not simply a limitless donation to a candidate a company believes in, but cashing in once its candidate wins. A-1’s local contributions make Elf’s assertion particularly harmful. According to official data from the Campaign Spending Commission, A-1 donated a total of $70,600 during the 2008–2010 election period. The money went to candidates from all parts of the political spectrum, from Republican Lynn Finnegan to Democrats Mufi Hannemann and Mike Gabbard and Libertarian Tom Berg. Although the company hasn’t been politically active ever since, it has been awarded numerous government contracts in its long history, including a State Capitol renovation in the 90s and an ongoing project with the Navy. It seems that A-1 sought to buy itself into the good graces of all political parties of Hawai‘i, without regard for any particular view, and has been rewarded accordingly. This type of “pay to play” politics is corrupt and corrosive to the State of Hawai‘i. Thankfully, the court’s decision put an end to this type of corruption.

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MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

KA LEO O HAWAI‘I: THE VOICE

OPINIONS

opinions@kaleo.org @kaleoopinions

Same-sex marriage? What next, the end of the world?

Pavel Stankov Opinions Editor

COVER STORY

Not all skateboarders need helmets Legal enforcement of protective gear unnecessary for trick skaters

JASON HONG / KA LEO O HAWAI‘I 

MATTHEW JONES / KA LEO O HAWAI‘I 

As of June 26, 27 countries allow gay marriage, according to Ranker.

Skate spots at UH Mānoa include Kennedy Theatre and the hill outside Frear Hall.

DANIELLE WOO STAFF WRITER

June 26 was a momentous day: the Supreme Court legalized samesex marriage nationwide. Same-sex couples now enjoy the same beneﬁts that married heterosexual couples do. However, in the midst of celebration, some of the more argumentative opponents to gay marriage were quick to jump to conclusions. One of their long-standing challenges is the slippery slope: if we allow same-sex marriage, extremes will inevitably follow. This is not only unsubstantiated but also impossible because homosexuality is a different kind of sexual preference. INCEST, BESTIALITY, PEDOPHILIA

“If marriage is about the ability to define one’s own family,” law professor Kent Greenfield wrote in 2013, “what’s the argument against allowing brothers and sisters (or first cousins) to wed?” The same year, Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, participated in a conference call with Rick Scarborough, the man behind conservative nonprofit Tea Party Unity. The recording has since been removed from the site, though it is available through Right Wing Watch. “When you say it’s not a man and a woman anymore, then why not have three men and one woman or four women and one man?” Gohmert said. “Or why not, you know, somebody has a love for an animal? There is no clear place to draw a line once you eliminate the traditional marriage.” Also in 2013, presidential candidate Ben Carson made comments about “redefining marriage,” uttering in the same breath the LGBT community and pedophilia advocacy organization NAMBLA. Carson withdrew as commencement speaker at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine because of this controversy. SLIPPERY SLOPE DOESN’T WORK

Greenﬁeld, Gohmert and Carson, like many others, are con-

fused about same-sex marriage because they compare homosexuality to things completely different. To say that gay marriage is a segue to polygamy, incest, bestiality or any other extreme is wrong. There are no valid, factual arguments that can prove that samesex marriage will lead to anything other than people of the same sex getting married. Second, slippery slope overlooks the critical difference of consent to prove its point. “The problem with ‘slippery slope’ arguments, is that they assume that society and the law can’t make distinctions between situations that are different from one another. … [T]hat women got the right to vote does not mean that infants are next,” legal advisor Jon Davidson wrote in 2008. Same-sex marriage gives two consenting people the right to matrimony. In the instances of pedophilia or bestiality, there is no consent factor. Incest and polygamy have reasonable arguments like genetic problems and abuse. The legalization of same-sex marriage means exactly what it sounds like: two people of the same sex can now get married. It does not mean that people will marry their dogs or that pedophilia will be a permissible sexual practice. These arguments ignore the fact that same-sex marriage in comparison to opposite-sex marriage is much more similar than comparing homosexuality to pedophilia, bestiality, incest or whatever else has been proposed. Marriage has shifted only from opposed genders to the same. It has not dabbled in the intermingling of species or forced children into the mix. The fact that we have come this far is an accomplishment to celebrate, and we should not jump to conclusions. If possibilities beyond same-sex marriage come into play, seeing how long it took us to achieve equality, we have adequate time to think about them. Ka Leo O Hawai‘i

TOMOKI KOBAYASHI STAFF WRITER

People often see skating as dangerous. They classify it as an extreme sport and associate it with being naïve and reckless. Since 2013, Honolulu City Council member Joey Manahan has been advocating for Bills 30 and 31, which would regulate, respectively, everybody wearing a helmet while riding in skate parks and children under 16 wearing helmets while riding in any public space. Manahan means well, but he doesn’t seem to understand that

The councilman is not alone: most people don’t know the important difference between the two types of skating. It is unfair to say all of it is reckless when one of the types – downhill skating – is far more dangerous. Legal enforcement of helmet wearing on both downhill and trick skaters is unfair. SKATEBOARD FATALITIES

“We don’t want to impugn anybody,” Manahan told Hawaii News Now. “We’re just saying, ‘Hey, please, if you’re going to skate, wear a helmet.’” He proposed the bills after the

The crucial difference between trick skaters and downhill skaters is speed. a signiﬁcant factor in recent skateboarding accidents is that they involved downhill skating, as opposed to the trick skating Bill 30 addressed.

REESE KATO / KA LEO O HAWAI‘I 

According to Concrete Disciples, Hawai‘ i has 19 skate parks.

deaths of HPU athlete Kameron Steinhoff in May 2011 and Hawai‘ i Kai teenager Reid Krucky in April 2013. Steinhoff was riding down a hill in Kāne‘ohe at night when he hit a parked car. Krucky was being towed by a moped when he lost control and fell. Sadly, those were not the last skateboard fatalities in Hawai‘i. In August of 2013, 19-year-old Alan Michael Danielson lost control as a vehicle in Kāne‘ohe was towing him at 2:30 a.m. In November that same year, also in Kāne‘ohe, 44-yearold Eric Pierce was riding downhill when he crashed at 5:30 a.m. In June of 2014, 53-year-old John Ohelo was riding down Alohea Ave. in Kaimuki and collided with a stopped SUV. Only a month ago, 43-year-old David Pantohan died in Ewa Beach at 12:30 a.m. after being towed by a lifted truck and losing control. We can see some patterns. Four of those six cases happened after dark, three of the victims were towed by another vehicle, and two were riding alone downhill. None were fatally injured as a result of trick skating. We should also note that “clinging to vehicles” is illegal in Hawai‘ i. Manahan is right: wear-

ing helmets could have prevented these deaths. However, there are other important factors that have nothing to do with trick skating, which Bill 30 proposed to regulate. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DOWNHILL AND TRICK SKATING

The crucial difference between trick skaters and downhill skaters is speed. Downhill skating is when the rider goes down a hill as fast as possible. This type of skating can be fatal due to trafﬁc and acceleration. “I’ve crashed into a bunch of parked and moving cars,” said KJ Nakanuela, a Windward Community College graduate and sponsored downhill skateboarder. “Even when you are good, sometimes cars just cut you off because they can’t tell how fast you are going.” Nakanuela said his worst injury was when he hit a parked car, stretched a knee ligament and lost the skin on his elbows and knees. Trick skating typically is riding ramps and grinding rails at skate parks. There are several locations on O‘ahu, Makiki Park and A‘ala Park are the most accessible from the University of Hawai‘ i at Mānoa. Trick skating can also be dangerous, as almost all tricks require leaving the ground. Even though a trick gone wrong can result in a broken bone or a torn ligament, these injuries don’t compare to the severity of downhill skating injuries. IS IT FAIR?

Skating is not the most dangerous and underregulated way of transportation. Since last October, moped accidents have happened at least once a month. Helmets are not required for moped riding in Hawai‘i. Motorbikes and motor scooters require a helmet only if the rider goes on the highway and is under 18. Although preventing skateboard deaths is noble, it is unfair to enforce protective gear on trick skaters because the kind of skating they do is fundamentally different from downhill riding.

KA LEO O HAWAI‘I: THE VOICE features@kaleo.org @kaleofeatures

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

FEATURES

Ben Decastro Features Editor

Dancing Obon in Hawai‘ i EMPLOYMENT ON-CAMPUS PART-TIME

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The Koboji Shingon Mission in Kalihi is one of many Buddhist temples participating in the Obon festivities. JENNIFER YOO STAFF WRITER

Every summer, people of all ages and religious backgrounds come together all over Hawai‘i, often dressed in yukata, a light cotton summer kimono, to celebrate being alive and honor those who have passed on, known as Obon. The Obon festival, also popularly known as the “Festival of Lanterns,” is a 500-year-old tradition rooted in Japanese Buddhism beliefs that ancestral spirits return to their homes from the world of the dead during this particular time of year to be with their families. The tradition was brought over to Hawai‘ i from Japan by immigrants in the late 19th century and has become a large aspect of Hawai‘ i’s summer culture today. Traditionally, families light lanterns to welcome and show their ancestors the way home as well as place offerings in the form of food, drinks and ﬂowers at their graves. The biggest attraction to Obon celebrations is the festive and family-friendly atmosphere ﬁlled with music, dance, food and good-natured fun. Usually set in the courtyards, lawns or parking lots of Buddhist temples, families come together to savor some delicious food from the many vendors, play games and immerse themselves in the lively rhythm of taiko drumming.

A SIGNIFICANT HISTORY

One of the big highlights of celebrating Obon is taking part in the group line dances, known collectively as Bon dance. First performed in Hawai‘i in 1910, the significance of dance in Obon is rooted in the religious origins which tell the story of a Buddhist monk who used his supernatural powers to see his late mother. When he saw that her spirit was trapped and suffering in the hungry ghost realm, he made offerings for her release and danced for joy at her ascension. Now the Bon dance has become a key aspect of Obon as a celebration of life and a tribute to the dead. Rather than a specific dance like “The Macarena,” however, Bon dance is better considered a style of folk dancing with a wide repertoire of songs. Most dances are organized in circles around striking elevated stages called “yagura” where music troupes perform live music under canopies of paper lanterns. While everyone is welcome to participate in the dancing and most of the dances are relatively easy to pick up by following along, it might be a bit intimidating for some to throw themselves into the circle and learn the steps on the fly. LEARNING THE TANKOBUSHI

The most popular and simplest of the Bon dances is the “Tanko-

bushi,” which translates roughly to “The Coal Miner’s Song.” Regardless of which event you attend on the island, you are almost guaranteed to hear this song being played at least once. Learn the steps here so that you are ready to hop right in and be a part of the Obon festivities like a pro. Like almost every Bon dance, everyone starts by standing in a circle, turned so that you are facing the back of the person next to you. When the music starts, clap twice, pause for a beat, then clap once more to signal the start of the dance. JOIN IN ON THE OBON FESTIVITIES

Obon celebrations have already started around Hawai‘ i, but there are many more still in store for this summer so there is no need to worry about missing out. Commemorations vary slightly from one location to the next but admission is always free. Don’t forget to bring some cash to buy food or souvenirs to support the temples and organizations that put these events together each year. Come be a part of the lively, festive atmosphere and join in the circle of dance at an Obon celebration near you.

For the full story, go online to kaleo.org/features

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MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

COMICS

KA LEO O HAWAI‘I: THE VOICE comics@kaleo.org

Caleb Hartsfield Comics Editor

SPORTS

sports@kaleo.org @kaleosports

David McCracken Sports Editor

Winners and losers of NBA free agency KEITH ALLISON / FLICKR 

The Mavericks missed out on its prized free agent, DeAndre Jordan. DAVID MCCRACKEN SPORTS EDITOR

WINNERS

LOSERS

San Antonio Spurs

Los Angeles Lakers

The Spurs won. Signing highly coveted LaMarcus Aldridge from the Portland Trail Blazers, the Spurs grabbed him with an $80 million contract over four years. San Antonio also re-signed Kawhi Leonard (ﬁve years, $94.3 million) and Danny Green (four years, $45 million) while bringing back Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan. With Duncan and Aldridge, this season the Spurs may look reminiscent of the late 1990’s, when Tim Duncan and David Robinson led the Spurs to a championship. The Spurs will have to address their issues with their bench after losing several players, but their starting lineup can compete with any other starting ﬁve in the league.

It seems like nobody wants to be bothered with the aging, high-maintenance Kobe Bryant, who is now a detriment to the franchise. According to multiple reports, Aldridge was intrigued with the Lakers and playing on a max deal in Los Angeles until Bryant essentially told Aldridge that he would have a diminished role in the offense. The Lakers are no longer a prime destination for marquee free agents and had to sign mid-tier talents Brandon Bass and Lou Williams.

Los Angeles Clippers DeAndre Jordan turned down the opportunity to play in Dallas with Dirk Nowitski, Chandler Parsons and Wesley Matthews. This is a huge win for the Clippers, who didn’t have a center on the roster after letting go of Spencer Hawes. Besides Jordan, the other big signing for the Clippers was Paul Pierce. He is 37, but seems to be aging like wine. Los Angeles needed a small forward who could take the pressure off of Chris Paul creating offense, and the reunion between Pierce and head coach Doc Rivers should reignite the Clippers back into title contention.

Boston Celtics Picking the Celtics as a winner of free agency may seem strange to some. Boston didn’t sign a marquee free agent like Marc Gasol or Lamarcus Aldridge, but resigned Jae Crowder to a $35 million contract over ﬁve years. $7 million a year in today’s NBA economy may seem like a lot for a player like Crowder, but with the salary cap increasing over the next two years, his $7 million a year deal will look like a bargain. In addition to Crowder, the Celtics signed Amir Johnson to a $24 million contract over two years, but the second year of that contract isn’t guaranteed. This allows Celtics’ general manager Danny Ainge to package him in a potential trade for a franchise player.

Dallas Mavericks The Mavericks thought they had snagged the marquee center in the free-agent market, but the Clippers barged into DeAndre Jordan’s Houston home and convinced him to stay. The Mavericks are in trouble, especially after losing center Tyson Chandler to the Phoenix Suns during free agency. They could fall out of playoff contention this season and leave Dirk Nowitski, now 37, meddling in mediocrity for the last years of his hall-of-fame career.

Portland Trailblazers Portland lost their best player in Aldridge, their starting center Robin Lopez and shooting guard Aaron Afﬂalo to the New York Knicks; let Wesley Matthews walk, only to see him sign for Dallas and they traded Nicolas Batum to the Charlotte Hornets. They tried to keep Aldridge from leaving and forgot to address their other needs on the defensive perimeter and ability to score off the bench. The Trailblazers signed Al-Farouq Aminu to a $30 million contract over four years, but he is a limited player who only looks good rebounding and defending on the perimeter. In addition to Aminu, Portland signed power forward Ed Davis who played for the Lakers last season on a three year deal worth $20 million. Davis is a solid backup in the NBA and can provide good minutes off the bench, but he is by no means a replacement for Aldridge at the power forward position.

KA LEO O HAWAI‘I: THE VOICE

MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015

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ACROSS 1 Junk email 5 “A Streetcar __ Desire” 10 Talks and talks and talks 14 Strauss of denim 15 Double-reed instruments 16 Author __ Stanley Gardner 17 Fateful date for Caesar 18 Unlucky thing to draw 20 Poverty-stricken 22 Share and share __ 23 Banned apple spray 24 Solved, as a cryptogram 26 Tabletop game requiring steady hands 30 Witch trials town 31 Like a prof. emeritus 32 Narrate 36 Supermarket chain initials 37 McCainʼs title 41 Pizzeria order 42 Male offspring 44 Univ. proctors, often 45 Seat of New Yorkʼs Oneida County 47 Go on strike, in slang 51 Vehement speeches 54 Have in mind 55 “Iʼll do whatever you need” 56 “Language” that gave us “amscray” 60 Menace who destroyed houses made of the ends of 18-, 26- and 47-Across 63 Common quitting time 64 List-shortening abbr. 65 “... had a farm, __” 66 Bullpen stats 67 Really annoy 68 Rose essence 69 Hankerings

DOWN 1 Got oneʼs uniform dirty, as a base runner 2 Feet pampering, briefly 3 State confidently 4 Error 5 “Never gonna happen” 6 Finds repugnant 7 Tie up in the harbor 8 At any time, to Frost 9 Summer hrs. 10 “Amscray!” 11 Extra Dry deodorant 12 Eubie of jazz 13 Embroidered, e.g. 19 Potato bag 21 Future prunes, perhaps 24 Weight loss plan 25 Opposite of endo26 Trident-shaped Greek letters 27 “Othello” villain 28 Scottish family 29 Garbage 33 Larger-than-life 34 Kiss from a dog 35 Grazing grounds 38 Suffix with major or Smurf 39 D.C. baseball team 40 Beyond the burbs 43 Shuffling gait 46 “30 Rock” creator 48 Brainstorm 49 Wife of 27-Down 50 Request earnestly, as mercy 51 Potato or yam 52 “Lord, __?”: Matthew 53 Fit for a king 56 Couplet creator 57 Michelin product 58 Tennis great Lendl 59 Mythical monsterʼs loch 61 Org. with narcs 62 Oscar Wildeʼs forte

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KA LEO O HAWAI‘I: THE VOICE

SPORTS

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David McCracken Sports Editor

ISI PHOTOS / U.S. SOCCER / FLICKR [LEFT]; ERIK DROST / FLICKR [RIGHT] 

The U.S. has not reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup since 2002.

An unpleasant truth Future looks bleak for U.S. men’s national soccer team DAVID MCCRACKEN SPORTS EDITOR

As the United States of America’s women’s national soccer team celebrates its World Cup Final victory over Japan, winning its third World Cup in history, a shadow is cast over the squad’s male counterpart: the U.S. men’s national team. Male sports garner the most attention, whether from the media or the average sports fan. Female sports are often overlooked, but not this time. Women’s soccer has become what men’s soccer should have been: an international powerhouse. PRIORITIES ELSEWHERE

America has some of the greatest sports leagues in the world – the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, etc. But Major League Soccer (MLS) isn’t even close. Soccer, although popularity is at an all-time high in America, isn’t popular enough that the majority of young boys growing up dream of becoming professional soccer players. There are too many alternative sports. Soccer is considered a religion in South America. The same can be said in almost every country or

continent from England to Japan. The urgency for American male soccer isn’t there and won’t be for the forseeable future. MISLEADING RANKINGS

The average American soccer fan may point out that the U.S.A was ranked as high as fourth in the world according to FIFA in 2006, shortly after the 2006 World Cup. Last week, the men’s team ranked 28th in the world and has dropped to 34th as of last week Thursday. But FIFA rankings prove nothing. FIFA rankings are formulated by exhibition and competitive matches each country plays. America is usually ranked fairly high because they win the majority of their matches, but they play against poorly skilled countries. America plays in the CONCACAF, which includes countries such as Belize, the Bahamas, Haiti, Jamaica and Panama. America has qualified for the World Cup 10 times, a seemingly impressive number. However, Mexico and Costa Rica are the two toughest teams in the CONCACAF America faces in competitive matches, so it’s almost a guarantee that the U.S. qualifies for the World Cup every four years. The best fin-

ish for the men’s team in the World Cup Finals was third in the ﬁrst World Cup in 1930. While third place is an accomplishment, there were only 13 teams involved. Furthermore, FIFA invited each of those 13 teams, and none had to endure qualiﬁcation into the tournament. Nowadays, the World Cup hosts 32 teams, each of which must qualify over a two-year span of

America have made a signiﬁcant contribution to a top-tier team in any one of the ‘big ﬁve’ leagues in England, Spain, France, Italy or Germany in the past couple of decades. These players are Alexei Lalas, Kasey Keller, Brad Friedel, Brian McBride, Carlos Bocanegra and, most recently, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard. The talent pool for American

Women’s soccer has become what men’s soccer should have been: an international powerhouse. qualiﬁcation matches that involves nearly 200 teams across the globe. SUBSTANDARD PLAYERS

As soccer progresses, so do its players. With 57 goals for the U.S., Landon Donovan is arguably the best American soccer player to ever play for his country. However, Donovan failed to make an impression three times during stints in the Barclay’s English Premier League and the Bundesliga, Germany’s topﬂight league. In fact, only seven players from

soccer is quite shallow, especially now that Donovan has retired from international play, and Tim Howard has taken a leave of absence from the team. The next big American hope isn’t here yet. WORLD CUP POTENTIAL?

It’s unfair to say that America will never win a World Cup, but it seems highly unlikely that success will come anytime soon. Many may argue that the U.S. has showed strength and progress in

the past couple of months, defeating Germany and the Netherlands, two of the world’s top teams, in successive matches. But those two matches were just friendlies, warm-up games in preparation for World Cup qualifying matches. Under further analysis, America has also slipped up in these exhibition matches against teams that are seemingly inferior. In the last game of 2014 for the U.S., the men’s national team played a friendly against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin against a third-string Irish side. America had few ﬁrst team changes in the squad, and on paper had the stronger lineup versus the Irish but still lost by a 4-1 score line. Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann looked to revamp the side that lost against Ireland earlier this year by introducing younger talent and players, but there have been growing pains ever since. The pressure is on for the U.S. to leave their mark in international play, particularly in the World Cup like the women’s national team. But the men’s team has never won a World Cup and are not likely to do so anytime soon. Ka Leo O Hawai‘i