Lurkah, I agree.

The thing about child molesters (as with other criminals) is that the number of people they've victimized usually is far higher than the number we know about. I can't say that about Chinky, but that is generally true.

Geez, just seeing his name in the Merrie Monarch's published results really raises my hackles.

(And I didn't even know I had hackles. )

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That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

I danced for Chinky mahoe and I was a keiki up until i was a teen.
I have to say that it was also during the time some of these alleged
accusations occured. I have to say Alleged because some of these
kids in class either were the trouble makers or the one's who
tried the hardest to out do one another.
Now its one thing for a person to endure this and go to trial and then
to have a slander and harrasment in the process.
I have to say there is always two sides to every story.
I have to also say that Chinky mahoe not only was a great kumu hula
but taught the main things: Discipline, Honesty, Responsibility, and
humility through his dancing and hula.
I have to also say alot of these people who have to slander this man have
never met him in person nor got to know him on a personal level.
To meet and see a person at performance is one thing to have known him
on a the basis of a dancer or student is another. I can say those who
know Chinky would agree with what i say!

I respect your experience and would guess that others here might as well. That said, please give these two points sober consideration:

1)child molesters don't usually go after every youth available. They often pick out their targets, groom them emotionally (either through positions of authority or trusted confidante) and then zero in.

Just because it didn't happen to you, doesn't mean it didn't happen to others.

2)youths being victimized, particularly at the hands of one in authority, lack the skills and the power to immediately articulate what is happening to them. Since not every case is one of violent rape, it becomes harder to sort out what happened/how it did/what did I do to cause it, etc.

Being a troublemaker is the most common form of lashing out when you are a kid being molested.

And. It. Changes. You. Forever. To top it off, there is nothing--I repeat, NOTHING--worse to have happen to a child than to have his/her experiences suspected/ridiculed/not believed.

I end this with a plea to respect others' experiences and extend empathy and compassion where it is deserved.

My only problem with your comments is that you keep saying the accusations are "alleged", but in reality, Chinky CONFESSED! He admitted to multiple counts of child molestation. Plain and simple. Nothing "alleged" about it.
Congratulations to you for not being one of Chinky's victims, and good luck to you in your endeavors.

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That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

See convicted child molester Chinky Mahoe in the sixth photo down in John Berger's column here in today's Star Bulletin.
That photo should be cropped to just show Kinky Chinky and then posted all over O`ahu.
I fail to understand why the Makaha Sons continue to feature such a reviled pervert, who has admitted to multiple counts of the molestation of innocent children.

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That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

I thought he pled "no contest," which is not a legal admission of guilt. If that's the case, we should at least be clear about it. If not, I'm open to correction.

You know, I had the impression that he confessed at some point as well, but thinking back, it may just be the usual presumption prompted by breathless media coverage. Notes the Star-Bulletin (as part of a child-abuse retrospective sidebar to another story):No contest, or nolo contendre, "means that the defendant neither admits nor disputes the charge." One can make all the suppositions one likes, but under the law, it means nothing more or less than that.

Not that I'm defending the guy, and given that he served time, you can count me among those who think his continued participation in various events (and, in fact, those events' mind-boggling affection for him) is poor form. But one can still hold that view on the basis of facts, rather than allegations.

Right. He did not dispute the charge, and he accepted the sentence for the crime.
Point, set and match: convicted child molester.

There's the rub, PZ. He did NOT "serve time" per se; he was merely given probation.
For multiple counts of child molestation.
Sometimes our legal system just plain sucks.

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That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Convicted yes, confessed no. This column says Mahoe maintains his innocence despite the no contest plea, rather than simply accepting responsibility or -- as many have rightfully demanded -- at least expressing remorse.
Ah, quite right, and an important distinction. You'll get no argument from me on that last point. Fifteen years for identity theft, one year for killing someone while driving drunk? Yeah, that makes sense.

Too often our little ones bring allegations to the Culprits who intentionally Sexually Abuse their bodies. In the case of Mr. Mahoe, it wasn't just one child.

I too, suffered from Sexual Abuse by a family member when I was a little girl. I made the allegations but no one listened. Only this past year they finally did. They apologized. They hugged me.

My abuser...ready to die from heart disease. He has not apologized to me yet. Ainokea, he will have to explain it to the man above.

Still the hurt and pain, I carried all these years never did go away. It has affected my life Big Time. We must listen to the children whenever they make an accusation. No matter how unimaginable it may be. Nothing should be taken for granted.

Yes, the system itself Sucks when it comes to letting animals back into Society to prey on Innocent Children again.

Allegations from children are coming from broken hearted Angels.

Auntie Lynn

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Be AKAMAI ~ KOKUA Hawai`i!
Philippians 4:13 --- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

LikaNui, please read again what I wrote earlier. I did not dispute his conviction, but rather your continued use of the word "admitted," which appears to be inaccurate.

"Point, set and match"? Please.

"Appearances" notwithstanding, this is petty semantics.
I refuse to attend any event in which Chinky is participating. The Makaha Sons lost the cost of my two tickets for the "Walk In The Country" show last weekend.

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Bravo Likanui! If more like you would do the same, it would show society doesn't put up with anyone accused by children.

In time, his Demons will reappear and unfortunately, another innocent victim will be abused.

Auntie Lynn

btw: Does anybody else notice but this Forum is HOT today! Slow down, I can NOT type fast.

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Be AKAMAI ~ KOKUA Hawai`i!
Philippians 4:13 --- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

No. In this case, it is a very distinct legal difference, and that's where I would like to see the clarity in this discussion. Legal issues (such as admission of guilt) are not petty.

LikaNui, I have great respect for you and enjoy reading your postings, please be sure you understand that. In fact, I applaud you for taking a stand based on how you feel about the situation. You "voted" with your wallet, and made it clear that you could not support someone who showed support in turn for Chinky Mahoe.

I brought up this topic of clarity because you were taking an earlier poster to task for using the word "alleged"; I felt that you also needed to be more accurate in the terms you used. Pzarquon said:People complain all the time about how "the media spins" facts, yet fail to hold to similar standards in a public forum, where misinformation can spread further.

Please note that at no time have I expressed anything that should be interpreted as support, judgment or endorsement of the individual who is the topic of the thread.

Pleading "no contest" has a benefit that applies to cases where there is the potential for lawsuits: for a criminal defendant, pleading no contest enables him to deny the act at a later civil trial - the plea cannot later be used to prove wrongdoing in a civil suit for monetary damages, but a plea of guilty can.

Hmmmm. In this case it a victim's civil case against Chinky Mahoe might make it tougher but not impossible given the plea of no contest.

Okay, I gave myself a day of "time out" on this thread. But...
Auntie's comment about "anyone accused by children" prompts me to point out that not everyone who is accused is actually guilty. There are countless cases where children have made accusations against adults and those accusations were later proven to be groundless and were merely a matter of the kids trying to retaliate against the adult for various reasons.
One very recent example was right here on O`ahu with the case of the dance instructor. That article notes "... the girls' testimony was so inconsistent that it could not be believed. Myron Takemoto, Jones' lawyer, argued he was the victim of a "wildfire of hysteria" fueled by one of the five girls who was obsessed with Jones, who had rejected her."
Ergo, we shouldn't make judgements based on mere accusations but instead should wait for results of a trial.
In Kinky Chinky Mahoe's case, those children did not lie. The results are in and he was found guilty of six counts of child molestation.


(And a side note to Leo: no harm, no foul, brah! We agree on most issues. No worries.)

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That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Lika, I'm as disgusted with the way Chinky Mahoe's case was handled as anyone else. But I don't think Leo's rebuttals were merely "petty semantics." Several times in this thread, you emphasized strongly the word "confessed," and "admitted." Honestly, even I had the impression that he'd confessed -- perhaps from the frenzied media coverage, perhaps from the outcry of family members, or perhaps even just from reading your posts to this thread.

But, it turns out, he did not confess, and in fact (to the disgust of many) continues to claim innocence. If prosecutors at least said they had a confession but were unable to introduce it at trial, I can see citing that as an exhibit in an argument against the man (though it'd be unprovable). But no. Now, we do have a "no contest" plea, a conviction and sentence, and ongoing restrictions related to his sex-offender status. That's plenty bad enough to be convinced the man has no place in community and cultural events. Though obviously some event planners feel differently.

I clarify this only because you're now saying, "The kids in Daniel Jones' case were lying. The kids in Chinky Mahoe's case were not." These are not, sadly, undisputed facts, and therefore also not a compelling point in the debate.

The statements in the article you cite for Jones? They're the assertions of his defense attorney. Of course he'd say the whole thing was fabricated. And yes, Jones was acquitted, but only on 12 of 18 charges. I believe prosecutors still plan on pursuing the remaining charges. And it took the jury nine days to decide on those 12, mind you. Hardly the signs of a clear-cut case.

As for the kids in Chinky Mahoe's case, it's a fair statement that the victims weren't lying, insofar as they formed the basis of the prosecution's case, a case which Chinky Mahoe chose not to contest. On the other hand, there was no trial, and no testimony... so what was "said" can only be guessed at from news coverage or family statements.

Again, my point is, one can evaluate all the available facts in Chinky Mahoe's case and conclude that it's apalling that he still participates in events and that event organizers welcome him... without going an extra few steps into conjecture and assumptions.

Noticed this in the "Calendar: Local Events" for today at the bottom of HT's main page:

San Diego Kane Workshop Chinky Mahoe
Kane Workshop $40 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm. Courtyard by Marriott, 8651 Spectrum Center Blvd. For info call Bonnie at 619-895-3268.

It was posted by screen name "gwayland" who joined HT on May 5, 2006, and who has written zero posts. Apparently just joined HT to promote Kinky Chinky.
I wonder if the Marriott corporation knows that they're hosting a convicted child molester...

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Well, HawaiiThreads is now one of the top -- if not the top -- search results for his name. The fact that he continues to perform is proof that some folks are still fans. I'm actually surprised we haven't heard from more of them. (Though I can imagine how well that conversation will turn out.)Why not call them? Spread the word! Boycotts have certainly been built on less.

Seriously. The reasons Chinky Mahoe still gets to perform are basically (1.) some people think he's innocent, and (2.) some people think doubts over his innocence are outweighed by the commercial benefits of having his participation. You're probably not going to change that first one, but the second? I don't think it'd be too hard to make Chinky Mahoe a commercial liability rather than an asset -- and I can't fathom why he isn't already.

Let me ask this hypothetical question then. What if instead of probation he actually spent time in jail. And he servered the entire sentence and is now released back into society.

Would they be any changes in the way people feel about him?

(Assuming he actually did molest children) I think there would be less outrage if he did serve jail time but I do not think it would change the way people feel about him. Those who support him would probably continue to support him and those who believe he molested children would probably never again trust him or think well of him. I believe child molestation is one of the few things one cannot be redeemed from (at least by us. Possibly by God, if you believe in God.) If he stole money, I might believe that he's really really sorry and will never do it again. But if it was as simple as stealing money, he could give the money back or make some kind of restitution. There's no way to undo molesting children. Also, certainly some people can refrain from ever molesting children again but the rate of recidivism is high for child molesters.

Yes, absolutely.
I'd still want them to give him a frontal lobotomy, but now I'd say it was okay to use anesthesia for it.

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That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

There is perhaps the amputation of a different part of the anatomy than part of the brain that would be even more effective for child molesters ....