Rep. Karamatsu Blogs DUI Arrest, Balks

A few days ago, I mentioned the disappointing news that one of Hawaii’s up-and-coming young lawmakers, Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu, had been busted for DUI. I also noted that Karamatsu, as one of our few elected leaders with a blog, had a unique opportunity to address his constituents and the public directly, without the filter of the mainstream media.

Well, early this morning, someone at HawaiiThreads noticed that Karamatsu had indeed directly addressed his Oct. 16 arrest on his blog. But it turns out some filtering may have been a good idea. In his post, titled “I send you my deep apologies and I wish you a safe and happy life,” he recounts that day, including being hounded by and ultimately talking to the press, against the advice of lawyers:

I talked to the media honestly, and as an attorney myself, knew I wasn’t suppose to say anything. I sacrificed my legal rights o the media. I was scolded by many attorneys for this. However, if followed my legal rights, the media would have made me look bad. espite me giving up my legal rights to speak honestly to the media, I as hurt to see them report wrong facts of the case and definitions of the statute.

He then wrote at length on about drinking and knowing your limits with alcohol, resolving to use his “negative experience to do something positive.” Karamatsu outlined his legislative priorities and reaffirming his love of public service… but then mused about the world after politics:

Just like I live life as if I could die anytime, I do the same for my goals for my community and Hawaii as if my time in elected office could end anytime…

On the other hand, the future may hold for me a private life where I can live quietly, make money, support my favorite charities, and focus on my family and loved ones. It would also be nice to be steady with a girl. The scrutiny of what I do and who I date could eventually be the past. When I see former politicians I admire, they look so much more relaxed and at peace.

For all his honesty and frustrations over the distortions of the media, though, Karamatsu apparently had second thoughts about writing so freely. The blog post was taken down barely two hours later.