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Sidelines
Kalani Simpson
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The masses make it out of the ocean
IN case you've just joined us, or maybe lost track of him since he moved to Page 2, Corky Trinidad is a genius.
The Star-Bulletin cartoonist's Lily Tomlin/NSA-phone-spying editorial cartoon is only the latest proof.
But my favorites are the ones where he doesn't even explain what the cartoon is about, he gives us credit that we get it. I'm speaking, of course, of Tuesday's "Corky's Hawaii," the one that showed a bunch of people at the beach, absolutely SPRINTING out of the water with urgency that only a cartoon can show. In the background is a sign that reads "Honolulu Triathlon." A man with a watch is saying, "Fastest swim portion we've had ..."
Genius. Nothing more is said. Nothing needs to be.
We know the context. We get it. I was on the floor, laughing.
It's a reminder that we've yet to see what would be another genius visual, the governor, the mayor, in full swimming gear, in the ocean to show us that all really is as safe as everyone says it is, after millions of gallons of sewage were dumped thanks to a crisis created by 40 days of rain.
That photo-op has been called for in letters to the editor, but I haven't seen it.
Yes, it's a silly idea. But I would feel better -- wouldn't you?
But now, thanks to the triathlon (and we know about this thanks to television -- we heard about it seemingly 14,000 times in the week heading up to the event), it seems we may have gotten a scaled-down version of that scene. City Councilman Charles Djou took part in Sunday's triathlon.
Maybe he's one of the blurry guys in the distance, in Corky's cartoon.
(I'm embarrassed to admit I don't follow the City Council as closely as I should so I don't know much about Djou's record or politics. My impression of him is based on the fact that it seems like the man can't go 5 minutes without appearing on TV. With this triathlon thing, he's in sports stories now! But then, my brother is convinced Djou is the only guy on the Council who does anything. So it's a hit-or-miss strategy.)
I applaud his action here. We can feel confidence. Somebody got in the water. Well, 904 somebodies got in.
(Editor's note: City Councilman Todd Apo also took part in the triathlon.)
"This is the first sporting swimming event since the spill, and we're proud to hold that distinction," race director Bill Burke told our reporter Brian McInnis that day.
Still, it's good that somebody from the City did it, someone official, a money-where-your-mouth-is thing.
Of course, Corky's cartoon was funny for a reason. There's a context, there was a basis for the joke. And so I'm kind of interested in Djou's swim time. I might be a little nervous if he had a personal best.