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POSTED: Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Winners should finish their terms

Our poor economy has exposed yet another problem. Filling a politician's vacated seat after winning a bid for another office has proved to be quite costly for taxpayers.

I'm sure there are rules that force some to resign before they run for a different office, and yet some can retain their seat while running, often returning to it after losing. I'm confused already.

We wouldn't have to deal with any of this if candidates just promised to serve out their terms. However, it is human nature to reach for “;something better”; regardless of promises made. Seems like the same reason many marriages fail.

 

               

     

 

 

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Mazie Hirono could be next

Oh, no! Hawaii, the bluest of blue states, the home of President Barack Obama, the home of “;rubber stamp”; politicians such as Mazie Hirono, has elected a Republican! First Virginia, then New Jersey, then Massachusetts, now Hawaii! Colleen Hanabusa doesn't get her chance to be a “;rubber stamp”; for Obama.

Could Mazie be next?

 

Djou win was loss for Sen. Inouye

Saturday, Hawaii voters elected Republican Charles Djou to Congress over two Democratic challengers.

However, the Democratic candidates weren't the only losers in the hard fought special election. Forty-eight-year incumbent U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye put everything on the line to support his chosen candidate, Colleen Hanabusa. In the end, voters turned their backs, with Hanabusa earning less than a third of the total votes cast.

Inouye tried to focus attention on the fact that the Democrats combined won nearly 60 percent of the vote. However, the greater message from the election is that an even larger number, nearly 70 percent, voted against the efforts of the powerful senator and his political establishment.

Hanabusa's poor showing is a clear indication that the senator may face strong opposition from two very different sources in his upcoming bid for re-election.

Republicans are the obvious threat, with candidates like Djou making headlines across the nation. But in the heavily Democratic state of Hawaii, another threat has gone largely unnoticed: Many Democratic voters in the state remain highly energized by the election of President Barack Obama. Many of them are questioning whether incumbents like Inouye and loyalists like Hanabusa will be able to champion the kinds of change that inspired so many of them in 2008.

If a candidate can capture the support of those Democrats and Hawaii's center-right Republicans, Inouye may find himself the target of voters from both sides of the aisle.

 

Kudos to 'Iolani economics team

'Iolani School's economics students hana hou'ed again, bringing home the gold in the National Economics Competition that concluded Monday in Bellaire, Texas.

It is obvious that 'Iolani students have the brains, and that Coach Dick Rankin can push them to the top every time. Besides being a great economics professor, Coach Rankin is an excellent athlete and fisherman. Hawaii is blessed to have this brilliant economics team and this talented coach.

 

Religion spreads hatred of gays

I was born homosexual. I did not choose a “;lifestyle.”; Why would anyone choose a lifestyle that is discriminated against? Logic doesn't support this. I certainly would not have chosen a life that is reviled by some or endangers me when roaming bigots hurl slurs or worse things at me. It is part of my natural being. I am wired this way.

Sadly, organized religion spreads outright hatred of homosexuals because of the Bible, a book that has been translated from one language to another to another and rewritten many times over the centuries. But civil union does not affect religion. To deny anyone the same legal rights as all other people is morally wrong. Civil union is nothing more than legal equality in the name of love.

 

Not all religions hate homosexuals

The reporting in the media is that opposition to the civil unions bill is coming from religious groups. It would be more accurate to say that opposition to the civil unions bill is coming from some religious groups. Certainly the historic Honolulu Church of the Crossroads fully supports the passage of this bill, to judge by last Sunday's sermon. In any event, if one truly believes in a God that created all things, then clearly gays are supposed to be here.

 

Lack of equality was heartbreaker

In October of '98, my partner began to fall down at work. By Christmas of the same year, he could no longer walk without aid or speak clearly. In March he left home in an ambulance, never to return. Albert “;left the party early”; April 16th; he was 30.

During this, I was only a “;roommate.”; At times I was denied visits and there were times I was kept in the dark as his condition worsened. I was not able to make any medical decisions for him, once he was no longer able to speak. I was also unable to make any funeral plans. I was only a “;roommate.”; Through tears, I bribed a funeral director to tell me how his headstone would read—”;Beloved Son and Brother”;; our time together didn't even count.

We weren't married, so there was no bereavement time at work and no leave of absence. A civil union would have afforded me the most basic rights that a married couple takes for granted.

I wouldn't wish anyone to go through what we went through. We simply deserve the same rights as other married people.

 

Keep Hawaii 'The Aloha State'

I am a frequent visitor to Hawaii. One of the most wonderful things about Hawaii is the feeling of community and sense of ohana that its people share with each other and those visiting.

To continue to discriminate against certain people and to limit what is ohana hurts everyone. Don't be shy or hesitant in standing up for justice, for fairness, for equal treatment of all Hawaiians. Don't let the hateful words and fears of some keep you from doing what is right for all. Keep Hawaii “;The Aloha State.”;

 

Stop teaching children to hate

People, stop teaching children to hate and discriminate against gay people. Church people and political leaders must be role models who teach and promote love, tolerance, equality and justice for all people. Aloha does not discriminate or promote prejudice and persecution of any group. Equality and justice for all people is the essence and foundation of our democracy. Prejudice and bigotry undermine equality, and undermine our democracy. Extend a lei of aloha and love to all people, and support the civil unions bill.

 

'Rich and famous' confuse lust, love

I find it rather disturbing that so-called conservative people like former first lady Laura Bush and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, co-host of ABC's “;The View,”; have come out in support of same-sex marriage. Their position demonstrates the decaying depth to which Americans have fallen.

There is simply no reality that can be put on the same level as a marriage between one man and one woman because marriage is not just any union between persons; it has unique and inalienable characteristics that make it the foundation of the family and of society.

Our government has a duty to protect marriage between a man and a woman and to recognize its contribution to the common good. It also has a duty to denounce same-sex couples because they undermine and destroy society and the family.

Clearly Bush and Hasselbeck have confused love with lust—a common mistake made among the rich and famous.