It’s a hopeful sign HOPE is catching on

Project HOPE (Hawaii Opportunity Probation with Enforcement), the judicial program aimed at giving drug offenders a chance to stay clean and a quick bout of jail time if they don’t, has won praise from many quarters. Now it’s got a thumbs-up from the Christian prison outreach sector, too.

Jim Liske, CEO of Prison Fellowship, wrote a guest column for the Christian website Breakpoint (http://goo.gl/JsIdo).

The project, which Hawaii’s Judge Steven Alm pioneered, "begins with a biblical, clear-eyed view of human nature," Liske wrote, pointing to a move by Virginia legislators to establish similar pilot programs in that state.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, after all.

Legislator pines for Internet justice

A bill that gained national attention by proposing that Hawaii Internet providers retain records for two years has been shelved after a proponent being attacked by a website backed away.

State Rep. Kymberly Pine denied that the proposal was based on her being victimized on the Internet site purporting to post her email exchanges. She said the bill will be revised so law enforcement can "protect the victims of crime," aimed at child pornography.

Various Internet and cellphone providers had objected to the bill as a potential intrusion of privacy.