Laserfiche WebLink
behavior in that regard. So that's basically what happened and <br />that's why I filed this petition. <br />Ms. Kahakalau: Thank you Mr. Underwood. <br />Mr. Strauss: Thank you Madame Chair. Steven Strauss. It's ironic that an <br />opinion expressed by Mr. Roth that the division of boating and <br />recreation and its director are corrupt and retaliatory generates a <br />baseless retaliatory petition which is what happened in this case. <br />Mr. Underwood claims that he started an investigation with the <br />AG's office ... I can tell you that investigation started long before <br />Mr. Underwood contacted them and they are investigating <br />corruption and retaliation in his department. Mr. Underwood <br />doesn't like the way the prosecutor investigated this claims of <br />corruption and retaliation... So what ... that's Mr. Underwood's <br />opinion. He didn't talk to me so what. That means nothing and <br />he'll probably get somebody who'll get around to talking to him in <br />the course of this investigation but there are a lot of witnesses to <br />interview. The prosecutor must do his job. Lawyers must uphold <br />their oaths. Citizens have a right to petition their government. I've <br />handed you two documents. One is a statement of the first <br />amendment and I've put in bold the petition clause. No one <br />including State officials can frustrate someone's ability to petition <br />the government. That's what Mr. Roth was doing. Mr. Roth was <br />doing. He was presenting testimony ... he was petitioning the <br />government and he was saying hey this guy should have a <br />contested case. That was not an evidentiary hearing so Mr. <br />Underwood claims that he didn't present any evidence.:; that's <br />irrelevant:. chat's not what the purpose of that hearing was for ... is <br />to determine whether there should be a contested case ... not present <br />a contested case. When government retaliates against individuals <br />be it government officials or private citizens or lawyers or all <br />three.:.it violates the first amendment... the right to petition and <br />also violates equal protection... another constitutional violation. <br />Mr. Roth is sworn to uphold the constitution ... laws of the federal <br />government and the State of Hawaii and the County of Hawaii. <br />As a lawyer, he takes that oath ... as a prosecutor he takes that oath. <br />It doesn't matter whether he testified in part as a government <br />official regarding investigation that he had begun or as a private <br />citizen or.as a.lawyer supporting someone's right to be heard by <br />their government... it doesn't matter. Let's look at the merits of <br />25 <br />