In threatening the press for reporting the truth about an impaired lawmaker, a gang of Hawaiʻi senators traded their public obligation to transparency for tribal loyalty—and showed just how comfortable they've become with authoritarian tactics at home.

Governor Green plans to veto a bill that would reform Hawaiʻi’s civil asset forfeiture law, which lets police seize property from anyone suspected of crime without due process or a conviction and profit off of its sale. Rife for abuse, this policy amounts to nothing less than state-sponsored piracy.