One heckuva long drive...

And wet, too!



During the Democrats' all-night climate change "talkathon"/
sleepover in the Senate last night, Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J. -- aka: media darling) let the world know that once upon a time, he drove all the way to the Aloha State.
 
“I just do want to say that right after I turned 17 and got my New Jersey driver’s license, one of the earliest places I drove was a trip — the only trip I have ever taken was to Hawai'i,” he said.

So which freeway did he take? 


Bonus: Dan Quayle still not getting a pass from the media...

On hallowed ground...

How the "Hawaii Five-O" team treated the real heroes, part 3

The latest post (below) from Steffan Tubbs, KOA-AM newsman, who witnessed the "Hawaii Five-O" production team's lack of respect for those U.S. military heroes visiting their fallen brethren at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific last week...

The show's set: the final resting place of U.S. military heroes...

From Tubbs: "Friends... even if I am lying - which I am certainly not - is this the type of 'Hollywood' respect our dead veterans receive in 2011? Tell me I'm not the only one outraged here! Repost this, share it! LETS GET BACK SOME DIGNITY! Someone at CBS needs be held accountable for this travesty."

Hallowed ground...

UPDATE ON DISSED VETS AND CBS HAWAII FIVE-O

The latest (below) from KOA-AM morning host Steffan Tubbs on the response to his report of the "Hawaii Five-O" production team "disrespecting" Pearl Harbor/WWII veterans visiting the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific last week -- during the 70th anniversary observances of Pearl Harbor Day.

KOA/Denver host Steffan Tubbs accompanied a group of World War II veterans who traveled to Honolulu to mark the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on the American fleet at Pearl Harbor in 1941. That’s Tubbs on the left with 96-year old Pearl Harbor survivor Archie Gregory of Huntington Beach, CA. “He was on the deck of the USS Arizona when the attack began,” Tubbs said. “He was blown into the water. A really amazing man.”

UPDATE ON DISSED VETS AND CBS HAWAII FIVE-O

by Steffan Tubbs on Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 8:21am

Morning, friends:

All of our vets are either home or on their way as I write this. I appreciate the outrage you have shared with me regarding the incident at Punchbowl on Friday. Please know via a friend, actor Daniel Dae-Kim apparently got word of this to the show's executive producer. Please see the EP's response to me via email last night:

===============

Steffan,

I'm appalled by this account of events, and you can be certain I will be questioning my crew about what happened. I fly to Hawaii tomorrow and will get to the bottom of this. In the meantime, please accept my apology for any mistreatment.

Warmest regards,

Peter M. Lenkov

Executive Producer

Hawaii Five-0

==================

TWENTY FIVE MINUTES LATER...

==================

I'm being told that our crew did stop for your ceremony, at least for the time we told you needed, then proceeded with shooting.

Sent from my iPad

==================

And then this morning... the accusations to me:

==================

From Lenkov:

After my email to you, I spoke to approx 30 folks who were there, including reps from Punchbowl. All say the same thing: they paid respect during the anthem, then called lunch to give the vets the privacy and respect they deserve. Now I know it might be fun to trash a TV show, but I can't understand why you would make these claims. Everyone knows how much we respect our military. We couldn't do our show without them. And since 80% of our crew is made up of locals with deep ties to the military, I can't imagine any one of them doing the things you said in your blog.

Also know, we were not told there was a ceremony until we arrived at Punchbowl. If you know anything about production, you would agree that we had to proceed. And we did, with great respect. Albeit you did not see it that way.

Unfortunately the damage is done. Your blog has spread quickly amongst our fan base. I have a meeting with CBS tomorrow to discuss further.

Wish you would have contacted us first so we could discuss your claims before trashing us so aggressively in a blog.

Peter M. Lenkov

Executive Producer

Hawaii Five-0

======================

to which I responded:

There is nothing made up here. If from my location I could not see your crew stop for the anthem, I apologize. I do know during Taps there were people walking around.

What about the assistant in the backpack walking through hushing vets placing roses? How do you explain the caterer?

Yes, at some point the show had to go on. And it did.

I am a newsman, not some gossip columnist. I recounted exactly what happened and this isn't "fun." These "claims" are fact. The attached picture says a lot, even if it is standard procedure for your crew on location.

Most certainly the few individuals did not represent the view of you, your entire crew, H5O or CBS. But this happened and unfortunately its a reflection of all of you.

I wish you all success and I told this like it was.

=====================

And the drama goes on.

Folks, if you are friends of mine or not, please know this was told the way it happened. Period. To those members of the crew who stopped to show their respect, I salute you. It is extremely troubling the vets never saw it.

SEE ATTACHED PICTURE TO GET A FEEL OF HOW IT WAS FOR A TIME...

That's a production assistant's hand trying to block the photographer...

"Hawaii Five-No!"

Last night at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii (aka: “Punchbowl"), a group of World War II vets were visiting their fallen brethren there as part of the observances of the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

While paying their respects, the vets encountered cast and crew members filming an episode of "Hawaii Five-O" (a CBS program) at the cemetery.

According to Steffan Tubbs (morning show host at KOA-AM in Denver and an advocate for veterans of the Greatest Generation...and someone I'm proud to say is a good friend), the "Hawaii Five-O" crew treated the WWII vets with utter disrespect.

Inquiries to CBS have gone unanswered and comments posted on the "Hawaii Five-O" website reportedly are taken down almost as fast as they are posted. Steffan stands by his report and continues to post reactions to what he witnessed.

Steffan's full, eyewitness account follows. Please share.

CBS HAWAII FIVE-O CREW DISSES PEARL HARBOR SURVIVORS: A Disgrace at Punchbowl

by Steffan Tubbs

FIVE-O CREW DISGRACEFUL TO WWII PEARL HARBOR SURVIVORS

December 9, 2011

(NATIONAL CEMETERY OF THE PACIFIC – HONOLULU)'

It looked strange from the moment we pulled up to the Punchbowl, a sacred Hawaiian site once the location for human sacrifice before Cook's arrival to the islands. Our tour bus, filled with 23 WWII Pearl Harbor survivors as part of The Greatest Generations Foundation came to the beautiful location in an old crater above downtown Honolulu for a closing ceremony and presentation. The National Cemetery of the Pacific pays tribute to those veterans of all faiths who served their country, many who lost their lives during WWII.

Sacred ground: the National Cemetery of the Pacific ("Punchbowl")...

I admit I was not happy two days earlier on the morning of December 7 at the Pearl Harbor Memorial service. Thousands of people in attendance, yet President Barack Obama – born just a few miles from the USS Arizona memorial – was not only a no-show, but did not bother to send a written or videotaped greeting of thanks to these men. And then there was no-show Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, his bio and picture listed in the program and scheduled to deliver remarks in person. The president I can slightly understand, but the former Colorado senator? What was going on that was so important he couldn't make it on a private government jet to attend the last and final major Pearl Harbor survivors gathering? I am not aware of the circumstances, and perhaps there was a truly legitimate reason for Salazar's absence, but I have yet to hear it. Instead, the National Park representative on site read a bizarre partial statement from the Secretary and then stopped mid-sentence, paused awkwardly, and said, "Thank you."

As we drove in to the Punchbowl site with thousands of graves, large U-Haul-type trucks were lined along the boulevard as people with headsets scurried about acting busier than they really were. It took me just a few seconds to realize this was a production crew from the CBS series Hawaii Five-O. Their scene had something to do with lead character McGarrett visiting his father's grave, which in reality was surrounded by the real graves of WWII heroes. It didn't seem right. But I let it go.

Within 30 minutes of our arrival, we conducted a small ceremony that began with the presentation of the Colors by the University of Hawaii Army ROTC. The National Anthem followed. I emceed the event and looked out on men who had been injured December 7, 1941 – they represented the USSArizona, Tennessee, St. Louis, Pennsylvania, Lexington, Medusa, Sacramento, Antares, Maryland,West Virginia, Stoddard, Tanney, Vestal and Pyro. This group of men also represented Ft. Kamahameha, Kanehoe Naval Air Station, Hickam Field, Schofield Barracks, Fort Shafter and Ford Island. At least eight were in wheelchairs. Average age: 91. The others sat in plastic chairs underneath a large, temporary tent. The cemetery representatives could not have been more respectful and there to assist.

Three hundred yards away and clearly visible to them, no one on the CBS production stopped for the anthem or any part of our program. This included the ending of our presentation – Taps and the moment of silence. I was perturbed, but because our veterans faced me, they couldn't see the disrespect. The ceremony ended and several men hopped on golf carts to visit their fallen comrades buried in other parts of the cemetery.

Make-believe heroes...

I decided to take a closer look at the production area from the public thoroughfare and walked closer to see catering trucks, grips, associate directors, production assistants, lighting workers, countless minions and the lead director – a Hollywood-looking middle-aged man wearing a black "AD/HD" t-shirt, a play off the rock band "AC/DC." I stopped well behind the cameras and out of view when a local production assistant politely told me to keep moving. I was not happy and told her we had WWII vets who would likely be in the area. I was told, "Sorry, sir. We rented this part of the cemetery today." My blood started to boil, but I remained calm and moved on. As I stood behind the tent, the director yelled at everyone to: "Get out of the line of sight! If you don't belong here, clear out!"

I made sure to go where I was basically invisible, 40 yards from the nearest camera when the director heatedly walked to me. He was not happy.

"Can you please move?" he said sternly.

"OK," I said. "Where would you like me to go? I have Pearl survivors who are here visiting their fallen comrades at a public cemetery."

He couldn't have cared less and told me that if we stood behind a tent, that would be fine. He walked away completely frustrated and yelled at a local assistant: "I am doing YOUR job! You wanna come back here again? Do your job!" I felt sorry for her. It wasn't her fault a group of vets actually came back for a real reason to this cemetery. Having been around a few movie sets, I knew this was how they were especially if the scene was behind schedule, etc. Keep in mind at this point I was alone. It wasn't as if our entire entourage was milling about. There was only one veteran anywhere near me and was walking toward me from up the road.

Real heroes...

Walter Maciejowski, 90, from Massachusetts soon caught up and I quickly tried to run interference so he wouldn't get yelled at as he stood there in his cream-colored Pearl Harbor Survivors cap. Walter was clueless and was just amazed at the technology. He whispered in my ear as the scene was about to begin 75 yards away. We both stood exactly where the director had told me to stand.

Two minutes later, another guy with an earpiece came up and simply asked us to leave. Period. He was polite, and I politely retorted: "This is a public place and its Pearl Harbor week. These men have made it possible for you to shoot here today. Plus, this is where your director placed us."

He told me he agreed but to please leave with Walter. Oh, he did offer to get us a water or soda to enjoy as we left. We declined.

I told Walter we had to go, and we started to walk away as lead actor Alex O'Laughlin and Terry O'Quinn from Lost did their scene. As we moved out, yet another woman came up to us and with a fake smile told us Walter couldn't take any pictures.

"Our actors get very skiddish around still cameras, sir."

"Funny, and yet they act in front of them," I said, ticked off because we were already leaving.

I wish he hadn’t done it, but Walter asked if they by chance had a hat for him. To his face, she said, "I doubt it but I will try." She never did.

We continued to walk down the road and now 300 yards from where we had stopped previously. At that moment, yet another production assistant, this one in his 20s and with frizzy blonde hair, told us we couldn't stand near the graves because we were in "the line of sight" of the actors. This was physically impossible. We were back near the podium where our ceremony had been held, and oh, we were behind a tree. I let this kid have it with a few select, powerful adult words and basically told him what he could tell his director. I give you my word we were NEVER in the way, NEVER loud and followed every instruction.

It gets worse.

The TGGF program had brought 24 red roses to place at the gravesites on the opposite side of the Punchbowl. The program crew actually had one of their men wearing a backpack and earplug walk through – infiltrate – our rose-laying ceremony hushing everyone.

It was a disgrace.

He ruined the somber mood and my blood was now beyond boiling. Thankfully most of our vets were so focused on placing their roses they didn't catch what was going on. This moron laughed as he communicated with some other crewmember on the other side of the cemetery via his cell phone headset. About this time, a caterer walked over grass and flat headstones, through our vets gathering, with a plate of blackberries and salmon for the actors to snack on.

We loaded our bus after the roses were placed and the vets climbed on and took their seats. Our oldest Pearl veteran 96, youngest 88. One of our crew guys asked the production guy in the backpack if, as we left, one of the actors could take two minutes to hop aboard during a break in shooting to say hello to our veterans as we drove past. Word came about three minutes later via an earpiece, "No."

That didn’t surprise me.

I stayed at the front of the bus with Tim Davis, president and founder of TGGF. He told me to let the vets know what had happened, but I'd already made up my mind I most certainly would. I took the bus microphone and informed the vets in a nutshell what happened. Many of them booed, and then I told them as we drove by, if they felt the urge, to give the CBS crew a one-fingered military salute.

We rolled past and about half our veterans flipped everyone off as we rolled out of the Punchbowl. We all had a good laugh and most agreed we should write CBS and boycott the show and its sponsors.

Having been in the news business nearly 22 years, I understand how the crew was just doing a job and there's big money involved. Shows have to be shot, actors coddled and issues down to rain and daylight come into play. And then, there's common sense and respect.

It would have been an issue if all 24 veterans and 10 staff had come near their "set" (again, on tops of graves of fallen soldiers) and were loud and in the way. Instead, it was just one or two that went to see the on-location production. They didn’t speak, and of course were much friendlier than I was. However, I know many of them were upset. I also thought about the tax incentives this production much receive from taxpayers!

Perhaps you side with the production team, simply trying to film a scene at an historic location. Regardless, I hope I've conveyed how this is just how it is at the end of 2011: people, often consistently, do not show their elders the proper respect they deserve. Of all the weeks of the year – Pearl Harbor week – where fewer than 200 arrived on Oahu for their final goodbye, this was the time for CBS, Hawaii Five-O and the average American to rise up and go the extra mile to accommodate these men. To show respect. To say thank you.

Production on such a grand scale isn't free. To that I say: neither is freedom.

In honor of these men and to show your support, I urge you to share this on Facebook, Twitter, at church, at your poker game, at schools, at work. This shouldn't be a quiet little island secret. Let people know via social networking. Stealing a line from a colleague: Hawaii Five-No!

Mahalo,

Steffan Tubbs

Newsradio 850 KOA, Denver. Colorado's Morning News co-host

Board member, The Greatest Generations Foundation (www.tggf.us)

steffantubbs@clearchannel.com

Twitter: @tubbskoa

Newsroom: 303-713-8500

Steffan Tubbs...

Today's Top 10 List: States with the Highest Income Taxes

From NYC Educator

The always reliable and informative Tax Prof Blog posts the following list of states that take the most from their citizens. There are no surprises:

The Top 10 Highest State Income Taxes: All Obama Blue States

Forbes, States (And Bill Gates Sr.) Look to Soak the Rich, by Ashlea Ebeling:

Hawaii: 11% (income over $400,000 (couple), $200,000 (single)

Oregon: 11% (income over $500,000 (couple), $250,000 (single)

California: 10.55% (income over $1 million)

Rhode Island: 9.9% (income over $373,650)

Iowa: 8.98% (income over $64,261)

New Jersey 8.97% (income over $500,000)

New York: 8.97% (income over $500,000)

Vermont: 8.95% (income over $373,650)

Maine: 8.5% (income over $39,549 (couple), $19,749 (single)

Washington, D.C.: 8.5% (income over $40,000)

(Yes, I realize the taxes listed above are state and President Barack Obama is a federal official, but the clip was too good to pass up...)

Aloha from Hawai'i...pt. 2

Shall we try again?



I’ll be on The John Batchelor Show tonight (following a short hiatus…after a large cup of coffee being spilled on the studio controls...forcing a postponement of last night’s chat).

I’ll be on for a brief update on “all-things-Hawai’i”…re: Limbaugh, Pelosi, Obama, etc. John and I will start chatting around 9:50 p.m. PST. You can listen to the show at KSFO-AM 560, WABC-AM 77 NY, WMAL-AM 630 Washington, D.C., and on XM/Sirius Satellite Radio. If you’re not in one of the listening areas, you can tune-in via any of those stations’ websites.

And as always…mahalo for listening.

Radio tonight - aloha!

Book 'im, Danno...

I’ll be on The John Batchelor Show tonight for a brief update on “all-things-Hawai’i”…re: Limbaugh, Pelosi, Obama, etc. I’ll be joining John at 9:50 p.m. PST for the discussion. You can listen to the show at WABC-AM 77 NY, WMAL-AM 630 Washington, D.C., and on XM/Sirius Satellite Radio. If you’re not in one of the listening areas, you can tune-in via any of those stations’ websites.

And as always…mahalo for listening.

Radio update - KVEC-AM this afternoon

Unless you've already started celebrating, let me be the first to wish you a Happy New Year's Eve. I hope 2010 is a better year - your best, ever.

Just a programming note: I'll be joining Dave Congalton a little later this afternoon (4:05 p.m. PST) on KVEC 920 AM. If you're not in the listening area, you can tune in via the station's website. The show is a call-in program, so feel free to ring us up and add your two cents' (or more) worth.


Dave Congalton.

We'll be discussing Rush Limbaugh's recent health concerns, what the future of radio (and politics) looks like with/without him, and the media and politics in general.

Rush Limbaugh.

Limbaugh update: There is no word yet concerning additional tests that were run on Limbaugh today. I did, however, receive the official statement/release (below) from my PR contact at the hospital where he is right now.

--------------------------------------




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 31, 2009

Media Contacts:
Cedric Yamanaka
Director of Corporate Communications

N. Makana Shook
Corporate Communications Coordinator


The Queen’s Medical Center Provides Update on Rush Limbaugh

HONOLULU — Rush Limbaugh was admitted to The Queen’s Medical Center on Wednesday, December 30, 2009 after suffering chest pains. He is being treated today, continues to rest comfortably, and remains in good spirits.
Mr. Limbaugh appreciates the prayers and well wishes of his many fans and supporters. He will continue to provide updates on his website, rushlimbaugh.com.

# # #

The Queen’s Medical Center is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation, acute care medical facility accredited by The Joint Commission. The facility houses 505 acute beds and 28 sub-acute beds and is widely known for its programs in cancer, cardiovascular disease, neuroscience, orthopaedics, surgery, emergency medicine and trauma, and behavioral medicine. Queen’s is home to a number of residency programs offered in conjunction with the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii. Queen’s has achieved Magnet® status – the highest institutional honor for hospital excellence – from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Magnet recognition is held by less than five percent of hospitals in the United States. Queen’s is the first hospital in Hawai‘i to achieve Magnet status.

Rush Limbaugh - the next chapter?

"El Rushbo"...

As you read this, Rush Limbaugh - perhaps the loudest, boldest and best-known voice on the right side of the political aisle - is resting in a Honolulu hospital room after being stricken with chest pains during his golf outing on Wednesday.

I know it sounds like a bit tin-foil hat-wearing, conspiracy theory stuff but I wouldn't doubt it if some time in the not-too-distant future we hear Mr. Limbaugh is retiring for "health reasons" (hence the photo of Gary Cooper below as Lou Gehrig). btw...I'm not inferring that there's anything to do with ALS...the disease that knocked down Gehrig.


Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig in "Pride of the Yankees"...

From the Associated Press: "Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh was taken to a hospital after suffering chest pains and was resting comfortably Wednesday, his radio program said in a statement."

According to Honolulu television station KITV, "Paramedics responded to the call at 2:41 p.m. at the Kahala Hotel and Resort. Rush LimbaughLimbaugh, 58, suffered from chest pains, sources said. Limbaugh was sitting in a chair in his ninth-floor hotel room at the Kahala when emergency crews arrived, sources said. He told medical crews that he was taking medication for a back problem, sources said. Paramedics treated him and took him to Queen's Medical Center in serious condition. He will not be released from the hospital on Wednesday night, sources said."

Early reports had Limbaugh being listed in serious condition but those could not be confirmed.
I reached spokespeople at Queens Medical Center in Honolulu earlier this evening. They would not comment on Limbaugh being a patient or about his condition.

According to a statement released by Kit Carson, Limbaugh's chief of staff (for his radio show), "Rush was admitted to and is resting comfortably in a Honolulu hospital today after suffering chest pains."

We'll see what the days and weeks bring. Needless to say, the most formidable media personality of the last several decades - and political force majeure - moves through his next round of recovery.