Last week, upon arriving in Copenhagen for his failed mission to secure the 2016 Olympic Games for Chicago, President Barack Obama met face-to-face with U.S. and NATO Forces Commander in Afghanistan Gen. Stanley McChrystal on Air Force One. The meeting was just the second conversation between the two since Gen. McChrystal assumed command of what President Obama used to call the “central front in our enduring struggle against terrorism.” Just days before, while responding to questions about his recommendation for 40,000 more troops, Gen. McChrystal told the International Institute for Strategic Studies, “Waiting does not prolong a favorable outcome. This effort will not remain winnable indefinitely, nor will public support.”

Through a price guarantee, or feed-in tariff, for electricity produced by sun, wind, and hydroelectric sources, Hawaiian Electric Companies will now pay a set rate for renewable energy fed into the grid. This incentive will draw additional investment into Hawai‘i’s renewable energy developments and signify to the rest of the nation and global community that Hawai'i is a model for clean energy initiatives.

While having no qualms with voting to take money from taxpayers in one of the worst recessions in history, Colleen Hanabusa somehow feels entitled to give herself and fellow legislators a pay raise.

Baisa's motion is not mere symbolism.  Section Nine of the proposed ordinance reads:

"The transition of the County of Maui from the jurisdiction of the United States to the reinstated Kingdom of Hawaii will occur over a term of four years, having commenced on February 1, 2009.  All county officials and employees shall retain their positions during this transition period."

"I welcome Colleen Hanabusa to the race.  Like Ed Case, Colleen has run for the 2nd Congressional District multiple times before and I respect that she will be an experienced candidate for this race in the 1st District. If Colleen wins her contested nomination, I look forward to debating her on the issues," stated Djou.

If you or others you know are interested in running as Republicans, please email us at youlikerun@gophawaii.com.

Multiple sources on the Hill have told The Foundry that as early as next week, the Senate could be debating Obamacare. Senate Majority Leader Reid has stated an intention to take the HELP Committee product and merge it with the Senate Finance Committee markup that is expected to be over by this Thursday or Friday. Their plan is to proceed to a House passed non-health care bill to provide a shell of legislation to give Obamacare a ride to the House and then straight to the President’s desk.

Hodges is asking the state and the unions to waive contract terms and regulations that may prohibit furloughed teachers from returning to work under private contract and to streamline approval processes so community volunteers can be mobilized quickly and effectively.

The discrepancies were due to errors in the recording of tax revenues collected in FY08 and FY09.  In FY09, $44 million was collected by the Department of Taxation as part of its Delinquent Tax Program.  This amount was incorrectly recorded when the Department of Accounting and General Services prepared its FAMIS reports.  A similar recording error of $800,000 also occurred for FY08.

Edward H. Kubo, Jr. – Current position: outgoing U.S. Attorney, District of Hawai‘i.  Prior experience: assistant U.S. attorney, District of Hawai‘i; deputy prosecuting attorney, Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, Honolulu; associate trial attorney, Carlsmith and Dwyer; law clerk, Kobayashi and Watanabe.

The Parks Service had heard from Mike Reynolds, superintendent of the National Park of American Samoa. Reynolds told a Yellowstone dispatch operator that four tsunami waves, each 15ft-20ft high, reaching half-mile to a mile inland on island of Tutuila, where Pago Pago is.

“The National Park of American Samoa visitor centre and its offices appear to be destroyed completely,” Bundock said. Mr Reynolds reported deaths but had no confirmation of numbers, she said. “He’s completely cut off from the rest of the island,” Bundock said.

DETAILS: The 25th Infantry Division's Special Troops Battalion (25STB) begins returning home, Tuesday, after serving as the command headquarters for Multi-National Division North (MDN-North) in Iraq, since December 2008.

Tuesday's flight of 150 Soldiers paves the way for the remaining 700 headquarters Soldiers returning before the Thanksgiving holiday. A homecoming ceremony will take place at Wheeler Army Airfield, Tuesday, at 1:35 p.m.

Hawai`i’s teachers and students are pawns in a larger game of political power and control.  The discussion today should be about the DOE’s massive waste and ways to trim it instead of what our children will be doing for the 17 days off.

According to President Obama, victory against the Taliban in Afghanistan is not only essential for the security of the United States, but for “the safety of people around the world.” We couldn’t agree more, which is why it is so alarming to learn that President Obama is considering a different strategy advocated by Vice President Joe Biden. Just as Biden opposed the successful surge in Iraq, Biden now opposes a surge in Afghanistan, instead favoring withdrawing most U.S. troops leaving only special forces and predator drones to strike al Qaeda cells. Biden was wrong about Iraq and he is wrong about Afghanistan.

The bill contains typically huge piles of pork - much of it not listed in the committee's list of earmarks - paid for by raiding the spending needed to support the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is the usual atrocious funding mechanism the Appropriations and Armed Services Committees have employed for years - they use the Operation and Maintenance account of the bill as an "offset" to pay for the billions in pork added throughout the bill. Put simply, the parts of the bill that support training, spare parts, maintenance, food, fuel and much else the troops at war need the most are reduced to enable the money added for earmarks.

Hooser prefers that we hold hearings and community discussions to debate the type and size of government we should have. Lawmakers can hold such hearings during the next legislative session, or even schedule them now while the Legislature is on its break. Frankly, the Legislature should have held such discussions three or four years ago, when the State had money to invest in our long-term future.

While Hooser is busy debating options, the Administration is facing up to our fiscal responsibility and obligation to the people of Hawai‘i by taking immediate steps to address the current financial crisis. Many of the decisions that are being made are not ones that we want to make, but we are doing what needs to done in order to ensure the State government does not run out of money, which will happen if we wait as Hooser suggests.

Watada implicitly calls for the United States Armed Forces to impose its will on the elected civilian leadership of the nation saying, "If soldiers realized this war is contrary to what the Constitution extols – if they stood up and threw their weapons down – no president could ever initiate a war of choice again."

Watada closes by calling on soldiers to stop "allowing" the U.S. government this liberty.  "Those who called for war prior to the invasion compared diplomacy with Saddam to the compromises made with Hitler. I say, we compromise now by allowing a government that uses war as the first option instead of the last to act with impunity."

Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) received a handwritten note Thursday from the House-Senate Joint Committee on Taxation Chief of Staff Tom Barthold confirming the penalty for failing to pay the up to $1,900 fee for not buying health insurance. 

(This fee would be added to your federal taxes each year if you do not buy health insurance.  If you refuse or fail to pay this portion of your taxes, that would be misdemeanor tax evasion and here is what happens....)

Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor and could face up to a year in jail or a $25,000 penalty, Barthold wrote on JCT letterhead.

Its late in the game, but Hakim Ouansafi, head of the Muslim Association of Hawaii has yet another excuse for steering the Legislature to celebrate Islam Day on September 24, 2009--a day which just happens to correspond to September 11, 2009 in the old Julian calendar.  Talking to the Honolulu Advertiser, Ouansafi says: "Yesterday was selected because it marked the end of Ramadan...." 

But a quick glance at an Islamic calendar shows that Ramadan ended on September 19, 2009.  The next day, Eid al-Fitr, September 20 is an important annual Islamic feast day.  There is nothing significant about September 24.

Read between the lines of Sen. Hooser’s commentary and you will see the only idea he has is to increase taxes on Hawai'i’s already overtaxed citizens.  We need elected officials who can make difficult decisions and solve complicated problems, not hope someone else will find a solution.

Accused 1992 of sexual misconduct with St. Lawrence Seminary HS students. Reportedly fired in 1988 for similar allegations then rehired. Criminally charged 1/93 with enticing child for immoral purposes and intimidating victim. Judge dismissed case, but noted evidence that Gardipee had disrobed in front of boy. Lawsuit 4/93 cited sexual abuse, harassment, and stalking of teen; expanded 1994, accusing Capuchins of racketeering; dropped 1995 due to WI S.C. ruling Pritzlaff v. Arch. of Milwaukee.
Milwaukee, WI.

HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i 50^th Anniversary of Statehood Commission is proud to announce that its successful conference, “New Horizons for the Next 50 Years,” will be broadcast on ‘Olelo channels 49 and 52 throughout October and November. The one-day conference, which took place on August 21, drew more than 2,200 attendees to look back at Hawai‘i’s history and accomplishments and discuss the direction of the state for the next 50 years. 

Attorney and "main organizer" of “Islam on Capitol Hill”, Hassen Ibn Abdellah is President of the Elizabeth, New Jersey Dar ul-Islam, Inc.  Abdellah was, described October 25, 1993 by the New York Times, as the “most aggressively combative of the lawyers” representing the terrorists who staged the 1993 World Trade Center attacks.  His client, the Egyptian-born Mahmud Abouhalima, was convicted of helping to manufacture and transport the bomb detonated in the 1993 attack and is now incarcerated in the Federal "Supermax" prison at Florence, Colorado.

HONOLULU – Almost 1,000 women and men from across the state were drawn to the sixth annual International Women’s Leadership Conference on Tuesday, September 22 to hear women leaders from eight nations share their stories of success. The majority of the event is now viewable online....

The United States elected 43 presidents before the current occupant graced the office with his presence. We fought, and won, two world wars, liberated millions of people worldwide from tyranny, and worked cooperatively with other sovereign nations to rebuild entire continents. Some might even say the character of our nation is well established considering we have been a democracy for just over 230 years now.

Not President Barack Obama, who told the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, “For those who question the character and cause of my nation, I ask you to look at the concrete actions we have taken in just nine months.” 230 years versus just nine months. No wonder, the New York Times reports, were UN delegates not only applauding Obama, but snapping photos of their hero like tourists.

“The Department of Education, Board of Education and the Hawai‘i State Teachers Association, along with the overwhelming majority of teachers who ratified this contract have demonstrated leadership in dealing with the current financial crisis.  They understand that everyone must make a shared sacrifice to help our state get through this difficult period and for State government to live within its means."

Is Hawaii, "an unlikely flashpoint for debate about Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip?"  The Honolulu Advertiser says so.

Islamists and their supporters have planned a week of propaganda activities in Hawaii leading up to "Islam Day"--declared by the Hawaii State Legislature to be Thursday, September 24, 2009--a day which corresponds to absolutely nothing on the Islamic calendar but is September 11, 2009 on the old Julian calendar.

Saudi money, Libyan assassins, Palestinian Jihad, London bombers, Malaysian sodomy, and laughing Islamists: Click here to connect the dots ....

Co-sponsored by Rep Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) and Rep Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and their comrades in the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Rep Jerrold Nadler, September 15, introduced H.R. 3567, a bill that would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

HR 3567 would require Hawaii and all other states, territories, and Indian Tribes to recognize same-sex marriages performed in jurisdictions where such marriages are now legally recognized.

Rod Blagojevich has a message to his former political cronies: "If I'm going down, I'm taking all of you with me."  And given his close, 14-year relationship with Barack Obama and Tony Rezko, this can only be bad news for the White House. 

The brigade was instrumental in helping the Iraqi government during a pivotal period of security and governmental transition and infrastructure reconstruction. The Soldiers return home with 230 projects completed and 140 more in progress that are vital to the economic revitalization of this burgeoning nation. The Soldiers' efforts are affording the people of Iraq with a better quality of life by providing them with better power distribution and infrastructure; 67 new and renovated educational facilities; transportation projects to improve road and rail systems; and the revitalization of market areas to stimulate economic growth.

Wash Times: Unfortunately, the most important strategic factor is the same: a liberal Congress working to undermine the U.S. war effort. The U.S. military had won the Vietnam conflict by 1970, but when Democrats in Congress cut aid to South Vietnam in 1974, our trusting allies in Saigon were left helpless before the communist onslaught. Mr. Obama might want to consult with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on the spirit of those times. Mr. Biden was a freshman senator and one of the cosponsors of the Case-Church Amendment, which stopped aid to Cambodia and opened the way for the Khmer Rouge takeover and the killing fields that followed. 

(And Neil Abercrombie at UH Manoa was one of the hippie protesters who helped Biden make the Pol Pot killing fields possible.)

UPDATE: If you needed help with your ... uh ... "business", the Hawaii ACORN office is was located at 949 Kapiolani in Honolulu right next to the offices of the leftist Hawaii People's Fund.  But you can't pull on your beaverskin fedora and hop in your '73 Coupe Deville and cruise on over--because they've abandoned their office.  But be sure to thank Mazie Hirono for her support anyway.

The ACLU is threatening a lawsuit against the City of Honolulu after the City Council voted to ban sleeping on sidewalks.  Today's Star-Bulletin editorializes:

Councilman Charles Djou introduced the bill because of concerns about how the homeless sleeping on Waikiki sidewalks is affecting tourism. Djou maintains that refusing to allow the chronically homeless to sleep on sidewalks would "put the hammer on people getting the help they need."

Djou needs to cite a precedent where such tough compassion has actually worked.

The answer is embarrassingly simple: Los Angeles. 

This leads to an obvious question the Star-Bulletin editorialists must answer:

Where has your laissez-faire attitude towards homelessness ever produced anything but more homelessness?

If this is how Obama handles missile defense for Europe, what will he do to protect Hawaii?

One of the speakers, Michelle Rhee, is the chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools System, the seventh person to hold the post in the past 10 years.  Intent on reforming the D.C. school system, Rhee has fired non-productive teachers, principals and central office administrators, and proposes to make D.C. teachers the best paid in the country by partnering with private philanthropists to create financial incentives for improved teacher performance.  The daughter of immigrants from South Korea, in 1997, Rhee founded the New Teacher Project, which in 10 years has recruited 10,000 teachers for hard-to-staff inner-city schools in 20 states.

HONOLULU — Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who earlier this year raised almost $660,000 for an expected gubernatorial campaign in 2010, refused Monday to disclose his positions on same-gender civil unions, gay marriage and abortion rights.

Hannemann campaign spokeswoman Elisa Yadao was asked to provide the mayor's positions on the three hot-button issues. She responded in an e-mail: "As Mufi is not an official candidate, we are not participating in stories featuring candidates who have announced their intention to run for governor."

"That's a pretty lame defense," said University of Hawaii political scientist Dan Boylan....

Many have wondered how ANYONE AS EXTREME AS Obama’s “Green Jobs Czar” Van Jones – a self-described “Communist” obsessed with racial conspiracy theories – could have been named to head a federal agency. David Horowitz described the radicalization of the Democratic Party as the appointment’s subtext. Closer to the fore, Jones owed his elevation to another new factor: the unparalleled influence of Valerie Jarrett.

To call Jarrett a presidential adviser, even a close adviser, is misleading. She is an alter ego, an inner conscience, a touchstone of clarity for both President Obama and first lady Michelle. In the frenzy of the presidency, she reminds both Obamas of their identity and deepest-held beliefs. In exchange, the president makes no decision without her and has said she can “speak for me.” Unfortunately, she is also a racially polarizing elitist.

The county’s projected budget shortfall is more severe than ever, the mayor said. The county already faces a $44.8 million hole in next fiscal year’s budget, which combines $33.8 million less in projected revenues and $11 million more in projected expenses.

Projected revenue losses include 10 percent of real property taxes, the county’s largest source of revenue, amounting to about $17.9 million. The county also expects to see a loss of interest on investments amounting to about $1.6 million.

If the state were to take the county’s $17.9 million share of the Transient Accommodations Tax on hotel rooms, the situation gets much worse, Mayor Kenoi said. Next fiscal year’s budget shortfall would be closer to $64 million without the county’s share of the TAT.

“That’s $100 million taken out of our budget over two years -- gone,” Mayor Kenoi said. “That is a real possibility.”

Finance Deputy Director Deanna Sako also warned that the Employer Union Trust Fund may add to the budget difficulties by increasing health insurance premiums for employees after Jan. 1.

“I appreciate the Department and Board of Education taking the lead in these negotiations, in coordination with my negotiation team, to work toward reaching an agreement with the HSTA that is in the best interest of teachers, our students and the general public, and that recognizes our growing budget shortfall.  My negotiation team, including the budget director and the attorney general, are currently reviewing the proposed contract and I hope to reach a decision soon."

Photos from rallies in Hilo, Kailua-Kona, Lahaina, Kahului, Lihue . . . . 

RALLY: Photos, videos and news links....

Hawaii TEA Party invites everyone to local rallies in solidarity with the National TEA Party March on Washington September 12.  This is our opportunity to speak up against State and Federal Tax increases, the government takeover of health care and the cap and trade carbon tax.    

One would think that President Obama would take the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks as an opportunity to educate Americans about the link between the fight in Afghanistan and the still very real threat posed by al-Qaida today. No such luck. Instead, President Obama has chosen to use 9/11 to promote his own domestic policy agenda. 

The Governor’s action is in conjunction with a proclamation issued today by President Barack Obama ordering that the U.S. flag be flown at half-staff on September 11 in memory of the victims. By a joint resolution approved on December 18, 2001, the U.S. Congress designated September 11 of each year as “Patriot Day.”  This year, the President also declared September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

“While the State has already reduced spending by over $2 billion over the past year, without impacting labor costs, the reality is we can no longer afford to maintain the current level of labor expenses.  I am continuing to work toward reaching a negotiated settlement with the public employee unions, rather than wait for a binding arbitration decision in December.”

Islamists have just tricked the Hawaii Legislature into celebrating Islam on September 11.

Charles Djou: "But we need to do healthcare reform right.  The continued push for a massive $1 trillion government healthcare insurance program is the only key aspect of the address I disagree with.  Our nation should focus on real reforms that make sense without breaking the taxpayers’ bank including medical malpractice tort reform, allowing the inter-state sale of health insurance and equalizing the tax treatment of corporate and individual health insurance.”

“There remain some significant details to iron out.” Thus spoke the President of the United States last night, in an address in which, with a straight face, he told an awaiting nation that he was finally delivering not lofty rhetoric, but his grand plan on health care....

In fact, while he kept referring to “our plan” he never explained whose plan he meant. One of the two House plans? The one Senate plan that exists or the Finance one that’s under construction? What’s he actually for? What’s the President against?

Most Americans wanted to hear the president tell Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid and the rest of the Congress that it's time to start over on a common-sense, bipartisan plan focused on lowering the cost of health care while improving quality. 

That's what I've heard over the past several months, in talking to thousands of my constituents. 

Replacing your family's current health care with government-run health care is not the answer. In fact, it will make health care much more expensive. 

That's not just my personal diagnosis as a doctor or a Republican. It's the conclusion of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the neutral scorekeeper that determines the cost of major bills. 

When I spoke here last winter, this nation was facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We were losing an average of 700,000 jobs per month. Credit was frozen. And our financial system was on the verge of collapse.

As any American who is still looking for work or a way to pay their bills will tell you, we are by no means out of the woods.... 

...And while there remain some significant details to be ironed out, I believe -- (laughter) -- I believe a broad consensus exists for the aspects of the plan I just outlined....