By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Staff Writer
Early in the morning of Feb. 8, a police officer spotted state Rep. Nobu Yonamine weaving erratically on the H-1 in his white Honda Accord.
The police report for Yonamine’s DUI arrest states: "Accused vehicle on numerous occasions while weaving would jerk back to the opposite side quickly as it contacted or crossed over divider lines."
Trouble is, more than a month later, Yonamine is still weaving erratically.
He says he’s remorseful for what he did, but he just can’t seem to make up his mind about how to play this. He’s still swerving all over the place.
The morning after his arrest, Rep. Yonamine spoke publicly of his shame and his mistake and said he would step down from his elected office.
Yet he took much of that grand gesture back by saying he’d like to stay until the end of the legislative session.
Later, Yonamine took it all back, saying he’d stay till the end of his elected term. He explained the change of course by saying his supporters talked him into it.
Early last week, Yonamine entered a plea of not guilty in the case. Eyebrows were raised. Didn’t he already publicly admit his guilt?
Days later, he changed his mind again.
In a letter he wrote to his attorney, Yonamine said he wants to change his plea to guilty. "I have erred," he wrote, "and I wish to commence paying my debt to society as soon as possible."
So commence already.
On the morning after his arrest, Yonamine said: "I feel strongly, and this is my conscience speaking, that I do have a higher standard, and I’ve let my family down, I’ve let my colleagues down, and I’ve let my constituents down, and I feel right now that I would want to submit a resignation."
Later, he stopped listening to his conscience.
Yonamine needs to pick a path and stay on the straight and narrow. His initial decision, I think, was correct. Our representative should listen to his na‘au instead of weaving to the whispers of bad counsel and weak advisers.
Rep. Yonamine let not only his family, his colleagues and his constituents down; he let all of us down. He tarnished the honor of his office.
He was so drunk, the police report stated, that in the middle of questioning by the arresting officer, he unzipped and relieved himself right there on the side of the freeway. Facing traffic.
That’s just shameful. But worse, Yonamine committed what could have been a deadly crime. He could have killed someone. And it was his second DUI arrest. If he’s gonna make a big show of falling on his sword, it should be a saber and not a butter knife.
Yonamine should step down now rather than after session and set an example of true remorse, and perhaps scare other elected officials into walking the straight and narrow instead of weaving all over the law.
Lee Cataluna’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Her e-mail address is lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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