David Farmer vs. Harmon - Witness: John Lehman, Secretary of the Navy

THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

OFFICE OF THE U.S. TRUSTEE

David C. Farmer, Successor Trustee
vs.
Bobby N. Harmon

(Formerly Mary Lou Woo vs. Harmon and James Nicholson vs. Harmon)

CV05-00030 DAE/KSC

United States District Court, District of Hawaii

Judges: David A. Ezra; Kevin S. Chang

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DEFENDANT’S WITNESS

JOHN F. LEHMAN, JR.

Chairman, Hawaii Superferry, Inc.

From http://rightweb.irc-online.org

John Lehman was the former Secretary of the Navy, and served as a member of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, the "independent, bipartisan commission" that was "chartered to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, including preparedness for and the immediate response to the attacks."

As was often apparent during the committee hearings, Lehman is a right-wing ideologue and militarist, who as a commissioner was the most dependable supporter of the Bush administration.

During his four decades in government and in the military-industrial complex, Lehman has established himself as a threat escalator who has ignored the facts and resorted to fear-mongering and alarmism in the interest of bolstering military spending and increasing U.S. military overseas operations to raise alarms about threats to U.S. national security.

In the late 1970s, Lehman joined the Committee on the Present Danger, a coalition of liberal hawks, neoconservatives, and militarists who called for an end to the politics of détente and a major increase in the U.S. military budget. The Committee on the Present Danger relied on the threat assessments of Team B, an independent group of militarists who disputed the CIA's National Intelligence Estimates, which were regarded as being naïve with regard to Soviet imperial ambitions and imminent threats to U.S. national security.

At a time when the staff reports from the 9/11 commission and most of the media were dismissing the Bush administration's continuing assertions about the links between al Qaeda and the Saddam Hussein government, Lehman told NBC's "Meet the Press" on June 20 that the commission had documents captured in Iraq that "indicate that there is at least one officer of Saddam's Fedayeen, a lieutenant colonel, who was a very prominent member of al-Qaeda."

Lehman succeeded in giving new life to the administration's claims, although the CIA quickly dismissed the assertion saying that the documents did not support Lehman's allegation. In fact, the CIA had investigated this alleged link "a long time ago" and concluded that one officer in Hussein's militia merely had a name that was similar to an al-Qaeda operative. However, Lehman claimed on national television that it was new information, as yet unexamined by the commission or other government entities.

http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/1262

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March 27, 2006

The Exchange

By Anthony Pignataro, Maui Times

WHO GAVE: John Garibaldi — President, Hawaii Superferry, Inc.

WHO RECEIVED: Governor Linda Lingle

AMOUNT: $2,800

Lost in all the discussion over what will happen with the state Senate’s compromise bill that requires a full Environmental Impact Statement on the proposed Superferry (at taxpayer expense) but allows Hawaii Superferry, Inc. (HSF) to start operations this July is what will happen if the bill manages to make it all the way to Governor Linda Lingle’s desk. Don’t expect it to be pretty. In addition to Garibaldi’s contribution cited above, here’s what HSF principals and investors gave to Lingle during the 2006 campaign:

• John Lehman (HSF Chairman): $3,000

• Christopher McKenna (Lehman Brothers): $2,500

• Tig Krekel (HSF Vice Chairman): $3,000

• David Cole (HSF Director/Maui Land & Pineapple President, Chairman and CEO): $4,000

• Margaret Cole (David Cole’s wife): $6,000

• Stephen Case (HSF investor): $3,000

When all that’s added to Garibaldi’s $2,800 contribution, HSF, its directors and investors gave Lingle $24,300 in total during her 2006 reelection campaign. Where I come from, that translates into the bill being Dead On Arrival when Lingle gets it.

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May 31, 2009

Hawaii Superferry files for bankruptcy

Company claims it's unable to operate here,
lists debts as much as $100 million

By Derrick DePledge, Advertiser Government Writer

Hawaii Superferry filed for bankruptcy protection yesterday, telling a Delaware court that a Hawai'i Supreme Court ruling caused the Alakai to cease operations in March and has sapped the company's revenues.

Superferry and its parent company, HSF Holding Inc., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. Superferry listed between $1 million and $10 million in assets and $50 million to $100 million in debts....

Continued at...

http://www.kycbs.net/Hawaii-Superferry.htm

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July 19, 2007

Superferry Rolls Out
Royal Carpet For Lingle

by Piepiele Ka'ape

(Satire)

HONOLULU -- Gov. Linda Lingle and 30 of her staff toured the new Hawaii Superferry "Alakai,". The ferry was tied up at Pier 19 which was fortunate since it was unable to traverse the channels due to marine warnings.

Superferry executives had nothing but praise for Lingle and her group."She carried us through so many perilous passages," said John Lehman, chairman of the Hawaii Superferry board. "With a flick of her pen she wiped out Hawai'i environmental law and eliminated an EIS. With slick double talk she turned our $40 million dock construction into 'barges'. And she took away dock space from our competitors, crippling them so we could excel."

Governor Lingle thanked former Navy Secretary, Lehman for his kind words and added, "I hope by doing these favors for Cheney's neocon friend, I'll be under consideration for a national office. Perhaps VP?"

According to West Hawai'i Today, "Most of Lingle's staff was full of oohs and ahs for the massive, well-appointed craft. Others, depending on their position in government, recalled the long road that brought them to this point or envisioned how the Superferry would change how the state does things in the future."

"These things don't just happen," Lingle said in praising staff. "It took all of us working together to circumvent environmental law and screw the neighbor islands."

For state Homeless and Mainland Criminal Exporting Liason, Bud "Ship 'Em Out" Slathers, the emphasis was on how the new ship could help jump-start 'Oahu's lagging homeless exports to the neighbor islands, especially since 9/11 security has impacted his air operations.

The state paid more than $40 million for docking barges, improvements and relocation of existing freight infrastructure, while the federal government is providing a $140 million loan guarantee for the interisland ferry project. "This represents a real coup for neocon looting of both state and federal taxpayers," said an excited spokesperson for Vice President Cheney. "Until now we've only been able to feather our nests via war profiteering. This extends our operations into new territory - Hawai'i."

For Attorney General Mark Bennett, it was the long legal battles with environmentalists that may not yet be over. "Dang," he said, "these environmentalists are so picky. They want everyone, even Cheney's buddies, to follow the law. What kind of precedent will that set? How will politicians get ahead if they can't do favors for Karl Rove's friends?"

But Major General Robert Lee, director of the state Department of Defense, hadn't even set foot on the ship before he was talking about how important the Superferry could be during a disaster. If a major earthquake, hurricane or other disaster such as suspending the Constitution and declaring marshal law, shut down the airports, the Superferry would be invaluable shipping fresh food and supplies from island to island, or moving evacuees out, Lee said.

"Just imagine. A hurricane hits 'Oahu. We can easily evacuate all 1.2 million residents to Maui 900 people at a time. With a round trip of about 8 hours, that will only take us...let's see... ummmm...anyone have a calculator...444 days!"

"The big picture is it will help the state become a little bit more independent," Lee said. "I see the Superferry as another strong player in how we enhance our homeland security here. It's not just federal, state and local (government) involvement but now the taxpayers can foot the bill for the private sector as well."

In fact, Lee said, an entire Stryker Brigade could fit in the hold of the ship. Lehman showed the group how construction includes reinforced brackets in the cargo hold to tie down equipment during stormy seas.

"If those pesky neighbor islanders keep up their defiant ways, the Superferry will bring troops to squash them like bugs!" proclaimed Lehman.

http://www.electlingle.org/LingleTour.html

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October 14, 2007

Hawaii ferry spent $175,000
on lobbying

By Rick Daysog, Honolulu Advertiser

Hawaii Superferry officials spent more than $175,000 over three years on lobbying and campaign contributions, including dozens of donations to Gov. Linda Lingle, U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie and other key state legislators.

An Advertiser computer-assisted study of state and federal campaign records shows that the Superferry, its executives and several of its board members contributed more than $39,000 since 2004 to local lawmakers and members of Hawai'i's Congressional delegation.

A review of state and federal ethics filings also found that the Superferry spent more than $136,000 since 2004 to lobby state officials and the federal government.

"You're talking about an extremely large sum of money even by national standards," said Craig Holman, a campaign finance expert with Public Citizen, a Washington, D.C.-based consumer advocacy group. "At the very least, they are trying to buy access, and at the worst they are trying to buy influence."

Superferry officials said there's no connection between the political donations and any legislative efforts pursued by the company.

The Lingle administration decided in February 2005 to exempt the Superferry project from an environmental assessment, which would take months to complete. That decision was reversed by the Hawai'i Supreme Court in August and now the ferry has been banned from operating until the assessment is finished.

Lingle and state legislators may convene a special session to rewrite the law and allow the ferry to operate while the assessment is conducted.

The 350-foot ferry was to carry passengers and vehicles between O'ahu, Maui and Kaua'i and began service in August before being shut down.

POLITICAL DONATIONS

The Advertiser's computer-assisted study examined contributions made to Lingle, Hawai'i's Congressional delegation and all 76 state legislators from 2004. The study found that Superferry executives and its board members made more than 30 political contributions between 2004 and 2007.

Here are the highlights:

Lingle's campaign received the most money from the Superferry and its officials, even though Lingle had directed campaign officials not to accept money from Superferry executives, said Miriam Hellreich, who served as the Lingle campaign's finance director from 2002 to 2006.

State campaign spending records show that Lingle's campaign received six donations totaling $12,000, including $6,000 in donations in October 2006 from Superferry Chairman and former Secretary of the U.S. Navy John Lehman and company Director Tig Krekel.

Hellreich said the Lingle campaign's policy was to refuse contributions from companies that were negotiating with the state for contracts. Lingle also told campaign staffers not to accept contributions from Superferry executives, Hellreich said.

Hellreich said staffers made "an error" by accepting the $6,000 in 2006 because negotiations between the state and Superferry were ongoing. Some campaign staffers were not aware of the internal policy against accepting money from Superferry officials, she said.

Hellreich also noted that the Lingle campaign returned about $10,000 in donations to Superferry officials in 2005 because the state and the company were still in negotiations. Hellreich said the campaign has no plans to return the 2006 donations.

"All the donations associated with people with the (Superferry) were within the law," Hellreich said.

Superferry executives and directors also contributed $9,200 to Abercrombie's campaign, including a cluster of June 2007 donations from Lehman, Krekel and Superferry President and CEO John Garibaldi.

Abercrombie said he receives support from a broad group of interests including environmental groups.

Federal Election Commission records show that the Sierra Club's political committee contributed more than $6,000 to Abercrombie's campaigns since 1998 and that the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund has donated nearly $1,000 to his campaigns since 1998....

Superferry executives made several contributions totaling $8,800 on Aug.25, 2006, and Sept. 11, 2006, to Akaka's campaign. Akaka spokesman Jesse Van Dyke said Akaka has taken no position on the issue since it doesn't involve Congressional action and is largely a state issue.

State House Speaker Calvin Say, a Superferry supporter, received $2,000 from the company on Jan. 24, 2006. That same day State. Rep. Joseph Souki received $1,000 from the Superferry. Say, D-20th (St. Louis Heights, Palolo Valley, Wilhelmina Rise), and Souki, D-8th (Wailuku, Waihe'e, Waiehu), were not available for comment....

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From www.namebase.org:

Vistica, Gregory L. - Fall From Glory: The Men Who Sank the U.S. Navy. New York: Simon & Schuster (Touchstone Edition), 1997. 478 pages.

Author Gregory Vistica, a reporter for Newsweek, tells us how the Navy brass really operates in the Pentagon. This book centers on John Lehman, Reagan's secretary of the Navy.

Lehman was an egomaniacal infighter who destroyed anything that stood in the way of bigger battleships and bloated budgets. Tough-sounding flyboys such as Lehman were darlings to the fanged neocons who littered the Reagan years. A more sober analysis of the Soviet threat (which was already starting to rust in port), and of new threats from missile technology, might have saved billions. The subtitle for this book should have been, "Boys and Their Toys."

Then there were the scandals and morale problems. Vistica takes us behind the scenes of the Tailhook scandal, the Admiral Boorda suicide, the "Ill Wind" procurement scandal, the John Walker spy case (Walker gave the Soviets access to the Navy's secret communications for more than 17 years), the Iowa battleship explosion and cover-up, and the cruiser Vincennes, which shot down of an Iranian airliner and received combat action ribbons for killing all 290 civilians aboard.

You won't find many heros in these pages; this is Reality Check time. It's unfortunate that it takes about two dozen investigative books from excellent journalists to balance out just one fake Tom Clancy thriller. Blame it on Hollywood culture and Pentagon corruption.

http://www.namebase.org/books41.html

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Star Trex

Boosting Maui’s military-industrial complex

By Anthony Pignataro

This paper gets a lot of press releases from U.S. Congressman Ed Case (D, 2nd District). Most are pretty routine and, frankly, somewhat dull—a couple recent ones dealt with Case calling for more stringent “federal ag inspections” and his new bill that would add “Hawaii macadamia nuts to country-of-origin labeling,” respectively. But on July 21, 2005, Case’s office faxed over one release that definitely caught our eye.

“Congressman Ed Case today said the U.S. Department of Defense’s Missle Defense Agency has awarded a $48 million contract to develop cutting-edge missile defense technology at Trex Enterprises locations in Lihue, Kauai and at the Maui Research and Technology Center in Kihei, Maui,” stated the release.

By itself, the announcement of a firm winning a relatively tiny Defense Department contract ($48,594,922 to be exact) isn’t exactly news. Trex, based in San Diego, California, has earned millions in DOD contracts for the last five years. But the release’s next paragraph was different.

“This contract further demonstrates the growing value of Hawaii’s high-tech industry and the important role it’s continuing to play in strengthening the security of our country,” the release quoted Case as saying.

Remember when Democrats—especially Hawai’i Democrats—used to be liberal? Used to say government was spending too much money on war and not enough on homeless people? Used to call missile defense an endless boondoggle and Cold War relic that will never work? Whatever happened to those guys?

Anyway, Trex Enterprises isn’t like Boeing—the granddaddy of all defense contractors—but they make a few bucks now and then off the high-tech weapons our armed forces are increasingly addicted to. DOD contract announcements show that since 2000 the company has made more than $100 million doing work for all the armed services.

For instance, in 2002 the company got $6.2 million from the U.S. Navy for work on a “radio frequency shift to better suit the needs of the warfighting community.” A year later, the U.S. Army was paying them $5 million for “advanced radio frequency technology.” In 2004, Trex worked on a satellite-imaging program for the U.S. Air Force ($25 million) and optical sensor equipment for the Navy ($5.6 million).

Formed in 1978, the privately owned firm employs 150 people, who actually own two-thirds of the company. Trex has offices in four states, including our lovely Hawai’i. The company first came to Maui in 1991, when it began research and development at the Maui Space Suveillance Site atop Haleakala.

To great fanfare, on April 21, 2000, the company opened a million-dollar office in Kihei’s Maui Research and Technology Center. No less a personage than longtime “liberal” U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye (D, Hawai’i) showed up on opening day.

“I hope that this manufacturing will further enhance the quality of life of the people,” he said, according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin account of the festivities published the next day.

Trex has worked hard to get such attention. So far, the company has donated $10,000 to the National Republican Congressional Campaign (NRCC)—$5,000 in 2000 and another $5,000 two years later. In addition, corporate officers like CEO Kenneth Tang have donated more than $36,000 to various congressmen since 2001.

Hawai’i’s elected representatives have done very well for themselves, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Responsive Politics. Senator Inouye has accepted $10,300 from Trex officers in the years since he helped dedicate Trex’s Kihei office. Congressman Neil Abercrombie (D, 1st District) has cashed $3,250 in checks from Trex employees. And Congressman Case, who first alerted us to the company’s new $48.6 million DOD contract, took $1,000 from Trex CEO Tang on March 10, 2005. MTW