It's been called the Great Garbage Patch and "the most shocking thing" Oprah has ever seen: a massive island of plastic in the Pacific Ocean that, according to many reports, is twice the size of Texas, outnumbers plankton, and has killed millions of sea birds.

But many of those claims, according to a new analysis, are huge exaggerations. Others are downright false.

Honolulu –  Four more positions within the Administration were appointed by Governor Neil Abercrombie.  These positions include the Director of Office of Youth Services, the Executive Director of the Office of Aging, the Deputy Tax Director, and the Deputy for the Department for Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA).

The museum will reveal the techniques it uses to preserve and protect objects in the 1821 Mission House, the oldest documented house in Hawai‘i.

Honolulu – Governor Neil Abercrombie today announced the appointment of Gilbert Kahele to represent Senate District 2.  Kahele fills the seat left vacant by Department of Agriculture Interim Director Russell Kokubun.

If the officers had done nothing and Arekat had proceeded to shoot someone, defendants undoubtedly would have been sued for failing to detain Arekat. One of the officers explained in her deposition that this case reminded her of a prior case in which the police had not removed a firearm from a person who exhibited signs of paranoia, and that person had used it to kill a person, resulting in a huge civil liability for the police department and the city. In this case, the defendants made a courageous decision to detain Arekat.

Video interview with the father of 9 year old Christina Taylor Green....

Honolulu, Hawaii – John R. Lott, Jr., author, activist, speaker and professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, will be in town speaking on the topics of gun control, public policy and other points of interest at a dinner hosted at The Plaza Club Tuesday, February 15th, 2011 starting at from 6:30 p.m.

Implicit in Mr. Gates’s five-year assessment was the possibility that the North could soon solve one of its biggest technological hurdles: manufacturing a warhead small enough to fit atop a missile….

• House: Health Care Repeal Rule
• House: Reducing the amount authorized for salaries and expenses

...finger pointing by those seeking to assign blame has reached a fever pitch.  In articles today, Slate magazine, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Ben Smith of Politico attempt to tie alleged shooter Jared Lee Loughner to a strange website promoting a self-styled “King of Hawaii.” 

"As I knew him he was left wing, quite liberal. & oddly obsessed with the 2012 prophecy."

"He was a political radical & met Giffords once before in '07, asked her a question & he told me she was "stupid & unintelligent"

Threats of libel actions in UK courts were used to silence coverage of the financial connection between Barack Obama, Tony Rezko, and Iraqi ex-Baathist billionaire and lifelong Saddam Hussein associate Nadhmi Auchi during the 2008 campaign.  Hawai’i Free Press was one of the few news sources anywhere on Earth willing to defy the threats. 

Former Rep. Djou served on the House Armed Services Committee with Rep. Gifford.  The two of them co-sponsored the Truth-in-Spending bill in the 111th Congress and co-authored editorials together advocating for restraint in Federal government spending.  Djou and Gifford’s bipartisan cooperative relationship was a subject on televised debates in Hawaii and Arizona.

Rep Gene Ward: "The eight of us have heard directly from our constituents, from Oahu to Maui, about the importance of not raising the general excise tax (GET), providing favorable pro-small business initiatives that will create jobs and ensuring improvements are made to state infrastructures."

Honolulu – Representative Barbara Marumoto submitted the following bills for inclusion in the Women’s Caucus Legislative Package.

Did you know that an idealistic U.S. diplomat disobeyed his Washington superiors early in World War II and saved 2,500 Jews in southern France, before Nazis could ship them to death camps?

Rep. Hanabusa and Senator Inouye assured voters last October that she would get a seat on the powerful Appropriation Committee if elected and that has turned out to be nothing more than an empty campaign promise.

I believe that a vibrant two-party democracy is better at preserving liberty than monolithic one-party rule.

I believe that open and responsive elected officials are better at ensuring an accountable government than an old-boy network.

"The Congress is the most futile place in the world, and the most discouraging, and the most depressing" for people in this position....

Because voters in the Dec 29 special election for Honolulu County Council Dist 1 elected a Republican, Tom Berg; the billion dollar Progressives at Civil Beat have concluded that the system of elections must be changed, “to prevent such an election in the future.”

That’s some favor Abercrombie did his old pal; he took a non-issue that was as settled as it’s ever going to be and fired it up all over again.

UHPA: After a series of meetings with Governor Abercrombie, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed on December 23rd, 2010 that increased the employer’s contribution to 60% of the premium costs for the coverage selected by individual public employees.

for all their criticism in print and on-line of incumbent Chairman Michael Steele, none of his four opponents in the race (which will be decided at the RNC winter meeting next week) landed a knock-out blow or even roughed up the embattled RNC chief….

Lloyd Kimura, a Democrat donor, gambler, and brother of Hawaii County Prosecutor Jay Kimura, pled guilty December 28 in State Court to operating a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme known as Maui Industrial Loan & Finance Co. or Maui Finance Co. (MFC).  He could face up to 20 years in prison.  But Kimura’s admission of guilt is just the beginning....

Maui’s County-wide plastic bag ban goes into effect January 11, 2011.  No EIS has been required.  Here’s what they are hiding:

Hawaii is taking the pole position of political surrealism in the far-flung states. The new governor, Neil Abercrombie, an iconic longhair and college pal of Barack Obama's father, has decided to make knocking down Obama birther conspiracies his top political priority.

This truism is lost on the ignoramuses at the Seattle Times, who published an editorial this morning applauding newly-elected Governor Neil Abercrombie's declared intention to do something to squelch the conspiracy theory....

It is easy for Seattle Times editors to cheer on the war effort from comfort of their offices, but many on the front lines are starting to think this is not a winnable war—a quagmire.  Some are even calling for negotiations with the birthers.

Currently in active negotiations with landowners on Kauai, Oahu, Maui and Hawaii Island, HILT expects to announce thousands more conservation acres within the first quarter of 2011. The Hawaiian Islands Land Trust central office is based initially on Maui.

At Americans for Prosperity, we're asking you to join us once again as we fight three key public policy battles during the coming year....

In case you’ve been hiding under a rock since just before Christmas, Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie has committed our lives and our treasure to a Sacred Cause.  Our New Governor is heroically leading the State in a Holy War to defeat the Diabolical Birthers.  On Day Seven of this Fight to the Death, the national and international media continue to react while the local media focuses intently on the price of ahi, hoping against hope that Aoki and Asselbaye will quiet The Abercrombie down and get him to pretend to refocus on the budget or something….

Honolulu, HI — Congressman Charles K. Djou (HI-01) personally congratulated selected nominees for respective United States Service Academies at the Prince Kuhio Federal Building today.  The following individuals will be nominated by Congressman Charles Djou of Hawaii’s First Congressional District:

The new governor of Hawaii, Neil Abercrombie, has big issues to handle, including a substantial budget deficit that threatens to grow exponentially in coming years.

On top of all his headaches, though, Abercrombie has piled on another, bigger conundrum that he says he is committed to resolving.

Yes. He's taking on the birthers.

Representative Gene Ward (R-Hawaii Kai – Kalama Valley) tonight expressed cautious optimism about the State of Hawai'i’s economic future today following the Council on Revenues' announcement of a projected $44 million increase in general-fund revenues for this fiscal year.

As many of you know, Tom has proudly represented the values of our party for years as a volunteer in the community, member of the Ewa Neighborhood Board and as a candidate for the State House.  His years of dedication and service to his community have clearly been recognized by voters in this Special Election.

The results are in.  With 100% of the votes counted in the all-mail in special election for Honolulu Council District 1, covering Ewa and Leeward Oahu, Republican Tom Berg has been elected.

Hawai has an unfunded pension liability to the government Employees Retirement System estimated by the American Legislative Exchange Council in excess of $5 billion dollars.  But a September 9, 2010 Procurement exemption request filed by State vendor KMH LLP suggests that liability will be cut by reducing benefits during the 2011 legislative session.

With the UPW desperately hoping to somehow magically repatriate the Hawaii convicts being held in mainland prisons, State Auditor Marion Higa has graciously obliged with an audit of Hawaii’s private prison contracts....

The inevitable failure of DOTax to replicate CGI’s tax collection frenzy should cut revenues by about $27M per year. How many government union jobs will be lost or furloughed due to the bumbling HGEA leaders’ choice of targets?

Birtherism was almost in the grave, but only three weeks into his term, Hawaii’s newly elected Democrat governor Neil Abercrombie is scheming to resurrect it.... 

More news from around the country as Governor Neil Abercrombie, implementing a "top priority” of his administration, heroically crusades against the “demonic, eviscerating” Birther hordes.

Rather than create wealth, crony moguls form a coalition with political officials to plunder wealth from taxpayers and other citizens.

December 28, 2010 ---(Honolulu, Hawaii) The funeral service for retired federal Judge Samuel Pailthorpe King will be held tomorrow at St. Andrews’s Cathedral. A gathering will begin at 1:30pm, followed by the service at 2:30pm with the Order of Kamehameha entering the Cathedral on Beretania and Queen Emma/Alakea St.

The federal government has accumulated more new debt--$3.22 trillion ($3,220,103,625,307.29)—during the tenure of the 111th Congress than it did during the first 100 Congresses combined, according to official debt figures published by the U.S. Treasury.

Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie’s “top priority” – leading Hawaii in Holy Crusade to slay the Birther dragon – continues to make national and international news.  Google News reports over 2000 articles have been published and more are coming out by the hour.  Here are some of the latest….  

More national media reaction to the Abercrombie Administration’s “Top Priority”….