Fed Court: City Failed To Consider Alternatives To Rail
General Contractors Association of Hawaii Endorses Lingle
Caldwell Caught with His Hand in “Pay to Play” Cash Register
Ohana Health receives contract to provide behavioral health services in Hawaii
HD5 Bateman Releases Final Radio Commercial
Governor Selects Louise Kim McCoy as Communications Director
Stop Rail Permanent Injunction Hearing December 12
SA: Cliff Slater, a longtime rail opponent who is part of the group that filed the federal lawsuit, said the rail opponents will use Tashima's ruling as the basis for a request for a permanent injunction to stop the rail project at a hearing before Tashima on Dec. 12.
"The city's comments tonight are just nonsense," Slater said after Carlisle's news conference Thursday night. "They'd like to pretend like this is nothing at all, and the judge is having a hearing on a permanent injunction on Dec. 12."
"I don't think they should take that lightly," Slater said. "If they've won everything, then why the hell are we having this hearing?"
Slater said Tashima's ruling requires the city to undertake detailed studies and research on three separate issues: the Beretania Street tunnel, the cultural survey and Mother Waldron Park.
Carlisle: This will not stop rail
Panos: At Minimum Rail Needs Supplemental EIS, 1 Year Delay
read … Stop Rail
Star-Adv: HSTA Chose Furlough Days
SA: Hawaii Democrats are … glossing over the role the teachers union — one of their major political allies — had in the controversy.
The Democratic Party of Hawaii has sponsored a radio advertisement urging listeners to “party like it’s 2009,” when teacher furloughs left public-school students with the fewest classroom instruction days in the nation. Democrats are also holding a King Street rally this afternoon dubbed the “3rd Annual Linda Lingle Furlough Friday Festival.”
But the furloughs were part of a collective bargaining agreement between Lingle, the state Department of Education, the state Board of Education and the Hawaii State Teachers Association to reduce costs and help balance the state budget.
The teachers union chose furloughs over pay cuts or layoffs. Educators and teachers also chose to schedule the furloughs on classroom instruction days….
read … And now they celebrate their Propaganda Victory
Honolulu Co Clerk: Voter Fraud Could Happen
SA: Q: What do you think of the critique that elections should be held all on one day?
A: I hear some people who don’t like it. One of the criticisms I heard of the mail balloting is that “it goes to the home, and who knows who’s voting?” So-and-so’s voting for their parent, or husband’s voting for the wife — you know, that kind of stuff.
Q: And what’s your response to that critique?
A: My response would be, I guess it could happen….
Q: Do you ever get any calls about voter fraud?
A: Sometimes we get called and people, they think we’re the ones who go after people. We can only go after a voter registration, if someone wants to challenge someone’s voter registration, like, “They don’t live in that area.” Somebody says, “I suspect some politician or some candidate is coercing people to vote for them,” we can’t investigate that; (we) usually refer them to the attorney general’s office.
Q: For some people, isn’t there also the question of trusting the mail system?
A: Yes, and that's something we don't have any control over. Once we put it in the mail system, we have all our faith that the whole process is going to get it to you. A lot of times people, they move and they don't tell us….
read … Honolulu County Clerk
Top Rail Project Consultants Give Maximum To Caldwell's Mayoral Campaign
HR: Top executives and employees of the lead consulting firm on Honolulu’s delayed $5.2 billion rail project have given more than $26,000 in political donations to pro-rail mayoral candidate Kirk Caldwell, an analysis of campaign records shows….
Parsons Brinckerhoff has received some $469 million to date in non-bid city consulting contracts for rail-related work.
Ten executives at another rail consulting firm, InfraConsult LLC, gave another $17,000 to the Caldwell campaign in the past two months, records show.
InfraConsult’s three managing partners have given just under $11,000 to Caldwell’s campaign this year.
The company has received $82 million in non-bid rail consulting contracts, according to the city’s rail project website…
ILind: Cayetano supporter mistakenly reported as major donor to Caldwell (A tale of two Dwyers.)
read … Top Rail Project Consultants Give Maximum To Caldwell's Mayoral Campaign
HSTA Strategy Plays to Abercrombie’s Bull-Headedness
ILind: The videos are part of a grassroots effort to raise awareness and momentum for Hawaii Teachers. Others have picketed the Governor’s events and got Senate Candidate Mazie Hirono to pose with their signs.
Knowing Gov. Abercrombie, I reallly don’t think the personal public attacks are a good idea, and not an effective lobbying tactic.
Neil is tough. And he can be stubborn. Pushing him like this almost guarantees he’ll dig in and hold his ground.
Related: Hirono Joins HSTA Protest Against Abercrombie
read … Teacher protests not likely to create room for solutions
SB: Hirono Needed to Save Obamacare, Cut Military, Raise taxes
SA: U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono and former Gov. Linda Lingle have faced off in multiple debates in their contest for the U.S. Senate, and it was clear who had the better skills onstage. Lingle is more poised and adroit at thinking on her feet. Hirono has improved at presentation over the years but can be halting and at times, somewhat defensive.
This is no small thing — communications are important in representing voter interests — but it's not the main thing.
Where it counts the most, Hirono has been a consistent advocate for government actions and policies that serve Hawaii, and she would be the most reliable vote on some key issues coming up on Capitol Hill in the near and long term.
In particular, her support of the Affordable Care Act, of a balanced approach to budgetary and entitlement reform, and of curbs on waste in military and other government spending recommends her for the job.
Best Comment: “Like Congresswoman Hirono, the SA seems unable to point out any accomplishment, only her expected positions.”
CB: Fund for Freedom Buys 1,000 Spots As Election Draws Near
read… A bunch of reasons to vote for Lingle
Poll: Obama Losing Ground in Hawaii
CB: A survey of 1,218 likely general election voters across the state shows the Hawaii-born Democratic incumbent with a 61 percent to 34 percent lead over Republican challenger Mitt Romney. The survey, which was conducted between Oct. 24 and Oct. 26, had a margin of error of 2.8 percent.1
That 27-point advantage is down slightly from his 32-point lead (62 percent to 30 percent) Obama held in late September, and down significantly from the 45-point win (72 percent to 27 percent) four years ago that made Hawaii the state with his largest margin of victory.
read … Numbers to Compare to Result
Fontaine has proven record of service to South Maui
MN: George and Paige have their footprints with much involvement in our schools, charities and issues of the community. Their children are schooled here as well.
George was a great help ridding the drugs on Namauu Street.
I've been living in Kihei since 1973; where was Kaniela Ing? I never saw him in town meetings for our highways issues or flooding meetings. Was he living here when our streets were flooded two times? Talk is cheap, but to put the soles to the ground is a different story, which George has proved over the years. We don't need a plant from Oahu but a person who lives with the people and knows their concerns and is able to help.
It's a mystery why Fontaine's signs on our street are down and Ing's signs are up. Coincidence? I think not.
MW: Fontaine and Ing Focus on South Maui’s Hot Topics
read … Fontaine
State panel fines Ing $375 for campaign spending violations
MN: The Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission levied $375 in fines Thursday against Democratic South Maui House candidate Kaniela Ing, ruling on two Hawaii Republican Party complaints filed since August that sought thousands of dollars in fines.
Gary Kam, the commission's general counsel, said Ing was fined: $250 for failing to report expenditures for ads placed before the Aug. 11 primary in The Maui News; $100 for failing to file a timely loan document; and $25 for failing to file a notice of a Sept. 5 fundraiser, called a "Friendraiser," at Maui Meadows….
Republican South Maui Rep. George Fontaine reiterated Thursday that he didn't initiate the complaints against Ing and "didn't really know what's going on with it."
When asked for comment on the rulings against Ing, Fontaine said: "It's unfortunate he wasn't able to be in compliance."
He said he's concerned about running his campaign for re-election to a second two-year term, "not necessarily what my opponent is doing."
AP: Maui candidate Kaniela Ing fined
read … Swansong
Mizuno Flips Out, Starts Ranting About Bigots, Haters
HR: I have always stated 'to denigrate another person to elevate yourself or your Party displays fear, hatred, and bigotry, and I don't believe voters would want to elect such a negative person into office.'"
"It really hurts me to witness this type of hateful negative campaigning strategy. I completely understand why Hawaii has one of the lowest voter turnouts in the nation, with such hate ads and negativity who would want to vote. Would anyone want such a hateful candidate representing their community? My thoughts go out to all political parties, candidates, special interest groups or political action committees, who will say or do anything to get their candidate elected. It's about people, not politics, so stop the hate campaign and display your platform instead."
read … Dude, get a grip
Slom Endorses Akina
HR: In this election, the stakes couldn’t be higher. OHA and our state legislature have embraced a new law (Act 195) which creates a racial divide by allowing for the enrollment of a separate Hawaiian nation based on blood only, in effect excluding more than 80% of Hawai’i's population. Courageously, Dr. Akina is the only candidate on the record in opposition to this divisive law which will be sure to splinter our society along the lines of race.
read … OHA Race
Regents to cover UH president's job, deal with Donovan, One Regent Quitting
SA: The University of Hawaii Board of Regents on Thursday scheduled a special meeting next week to continue its discussion on UH President M.R.C. Greenwood's employment and the university's settlement with former athletic director Jim Donovan.
Much of the meeting Wednesday will be in executive session because the topics involve personnel matters and consultation with UH attorneys.
But the regents scheduled a public vote and discussion on Donovan's settlement, which gave him a three-year marketing job in the UH-Manoa Chancellor's Office at a yearly salary of $211,200 and paid $30,000 to his attorney.
State Sen. Donna Kim has said that the attorney general's office gave her an opinion saying the regents should have approved Donovan's new job as a legal settlement….
In another development, the Board of Regents announced that Keith Amemiya, the board's secretary and executive administrator, is leaving at the end of the month. Amemiya is taking a new job as senior vice president with Island Holdings Inc., parent company of Island Insurance, Atlas Insurance, Tradewind Capital and other local businesses.
read … Regents
Wind Study ‘Latest Optimistic Assessment” Of Billion Dollar Scam
SA: The study is the latest of numerous optimistic assessments of the "Big Wind" plan. Most notably, the Oahu Wind and Integration Study completed two years ago by UH's Hawaii Natural Energy Institute found that it would account for 25 percent of renewable sources to produce 40 percent of the state's energy by 2030. The project, which would provide energy to Hawaiian Electric Co., has been estimated to cost more than $1 billion.
"We looked at various scenarios and found that the economic impact was positive," said Makena Coffman, a UHERO research fellow who joined consultant Paul Bernstein in conducting the study.
THE numbers that concern Friends of Lanai, a group opposing the project, are the planting of 80 to 200 towering windmills above 400 feet high — more than double the island's tallest and oldest trees — over 22,000 acres, or one-fourth of Lanai. And they envision HECO raising their electricity bills to pay for the undersea cable — although the electric company would be foolish not to provide significant cost reductions for Lanai and Molokai households.
The Future: Lalamilo: Another Hawaii Wind Energy Junkyard, Wind Energy's Ghosts
read … Billion
Britain to Halt Onshore Wind Projects: 'Wind Farm Impacts May Be Worse Than Climate Change'
SA: In a stunning move the British government announced October 30 a halt to land-based industrial wind projects. “We can no longer have wind turbines imposed on communities,” Energy Secretary John Hayes stated, adding that few if any new industrial wind projects will be approved.
This follows last month’s statement by UK Environment Secretary Owen Paterson that industrial wind projects “may have a worse impact than climate change,” and are causing “public insurrection.” And it welcome news for Hawaii, where the islands of Molokai and Lanai are battling a huge HECO/Abercrombie industrial wind project, the Big Wind/ Interisland Cable.
Referring to wind farms and climate change, Environment Secretary Paterson added that “some of the steps we are taking might actually cause more damage than the original problem itself.” Wind projects, he added, “blight rural lives” and have, among other negative environmental effects, “significant impacts on the rural economy and the rural environment.”
“We need to understand communities’ genuine desires,” Energy Secretary Hayes noted, buttressing Paterson’s earlier statement that the industrial wind industry’s “never-ending gravy train of green subsidies” must end.
read … Britain to Halt Onshore Wind Projects: 'Wind Farm Impacts May Be Worse Than Climate Change'
Gore Cult: OHA Should not be Allowed to Develop Kakaako Because of ‘Rising Sea Levels’
DN: The same sea is rising around Hawaii, but what are we doing here in Honolulu? We’re about to develop within the current inundation zone in Kakaako. Shouldn’t Sandy be a wakeup call for us as well? Instead of “relocating buildings and people farther from the coasts,” our city planners (and I use the term loosely) plan to let OHA develop land that is going to be under water even sooner than scientists had anticipated ….
Reality: No sea level rise: Pacific islands growing not shrinking, says study
read … Enviros vs Hawaiians
HMSA seeks 1.2% rate hike
SA: A number of factors have contributed to the lower rate hike, including the fact that overall medical costs are increasing at a slower pace, HMSA spokeswoman Elisa Yadao said in an email.
“For several years now we’ve had programs in place aimed at slowing the growth of medical costs,” she said. “These include our patient centered medical home program and our pay-for-quality programs with doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers. We’re optimistic that these programs are now starting to show results.”
The pay-for-performance reimbursement model ties HMSA’s payments to the quality of service delivered by health care providers. HMSA offers providers a bonus if they can demonstrate an improvement in the quality of patient care with measures such as decreased hospital readmission rates and avoidance of bloodstream infections, which should help reduce costs.
HMSA’s patient-centered medical home is a model that focuses on disease prevention in which a team of providers strives to transform how primary care is delivered, specifically coordinating care within a group that includes nurses, hospitals and specialists.
read … Monopoly
Democrats Target Fontaine, Ching
CB: The latest candidate filings with the state Campaign Spending Commission shows the combined campaign contributions that have gone to majority party candidates total more than $1.2 million.
Combined, Republicans have raised just over $320,000.
A handful of GOP candidates have actually managed to bring in more money than their Democrat opponents.
One Republican — beauty queen Tiffany Au, who is running against redistricted incumbent Scott Saiki for the District 26 seat (Downtown, Kakaako, McCully) — has largely kept pace in terms of fundraising….
the top-ranking Democrat in the House, Speaker Calvin Say, reports having raised $173,027, and he's got $126,175 in cash on hand.
Say's opponents, Republican Julia Allen and Green Party candidate Keiko Bonk, have raised just $1,375 and $23,195, respectively. Bonk recently loaned her campaign $6,326 and currently reports a $14,564 deficit….
Democrats enjoyed a 43-8 majority in the 2012 session, and the question now is whether the party will grow that majority or whether the GOP will stop their losses.
One seat the GOP would very much like to keep is the District 11 seat in South Maui. In terms of fundraising, at least, the race is quite close: Rep. George Fontaine has raised $33,808 and has $8,252 in cash on hand; challenger Kaniela Ing has raised $31,429 and has $7,652 in cash.
Fontaine's contributions come from groups like the Realtors Political Action Committee of Hawaii, Maui Hotel & Lodging Association and the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers PAC. (Fontaine is a retired Maui cop.) Ing's money comes from folks like Hawaiian Electric executive Robbie Alm, ILWU Local 142, the Hawaii State Teachers Association and House Speaker Emeritus Joe Souki….
Another well-contested race is for the District 18 seat that represents Hahaione Valley, Aina Haina and Kahala.
Rep. Mark Hashem, who was reapportioned into a new district, has raised $41,068 and has $12,013 in cash. His contributors include party power-brokers like Water Dods, labor unions and fellow Democrats in the House like Jerry Chang, Kyle Yamashita and Ken Ito.
Republican Jeremy Low, who raised $18,774 and has $13,363 in cash, has had to loan his campaign several thousand dollars. He currently reports a deficit of $6,528….
One other race where money may be a factor in the outcome: District 27, which represents Nuuanu, Liliha and Alewa Heights.
Rep. Corinne Ching, a Republican, has raised $14,680 and has $15,239 in cash left. But Ching also reports a deficit of $31,364 and has loaned her campaign thousands of dollars.
Democrat challenger Takashi Ohno, by contrast, has raised $40,040 and has spent almost all of it to unseat the incumbent.
read … Democrats Have Huge Cash Advantage Over GOP In House Races
Fund Race Yoshimura, Fukunaga, Aiona
CB: Coming in first for fundraising was Yoshimura, whose donors include state Rep. Jerry Chang and state Sen. Ronald Kouchi, both Democrats. He also received $500 from HART's Horner. Yoshimura supports the rail project.
Yoshimura, who served on the council between 1995 and 2002, collected more than $14,000 from PACs and unions such as the Ironworkers Local 625 and Hawaii Operating Engineers.
Democratic state Sen. Carol Fukunaga came in second, with $60,000-worth of contributions including $6,000 from unions such as the Hawaii State Teachers Association, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and the International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 126.
But she also reported some of the largest debt. As of Oct. 22, Fukunaga was in debt by about $13,000….
The race’s leading anti-rail candidate, former Republican state Rep. Sam Aiona, on Tuesday sent out a campaign email denouncing the pro-rail Fukunaga for the alleged campaign support she's received from the Pacific Resource Partnership.
“I took offense to the fact that they’re doing that,” he said. “In all of their brochures not one piece of mail says that Carol Fukunaga supports the rail. It’s egregious offense to the voters of District 6.”
Aiona for his part raised about $43,000. Most of that money came from individuals, including $250 from Republican state Rep. Barbara Marumoto. He also collected $350 from the Realtors PAC of Hawaii and $250 from the Hawaii Dental PAC. Nearly $6,000 came from individual contributions valued at $100 or less.
“I’m proud to say that I’m not beholden to anyone,” he said. “All of the PACs and special interests are going to expect something if the candidate gets elected.”
HR: Mizunos Beat Campaign Spending Rap, Blame “Bigotry, Hatred, Pettyness”
SA: Commission fines Berg $250, clears him of more serious charge
read … Council Races
State Senate Incumbents Outspend Challengers
CB: The latest figures, which come from filings through Monday with the state Campaign Spending Commission, don't include how much was raised since the primary by Sen. Clayton Hee, who reported having $404,702 in cash on hand at that point.
Another Democrat, Sen. Josh Green, also has a huge war chest — $309,824 — suggesting that both candidates might have eyes on higher office.
By contrast, Green's GOP opponent, Jeff LaFrance, has raised a mere $5,172 for the District 3 seat (Naalehu, Kaulia-Kona). He is also $8,879 in the red.
Meanwhile, Hee's opponent, Colleen Meyer, has pulled in $17,235 in the race for the District 23 seat (Heeia, Laie, Waialua). But Meyer, a former state House representative, took out $59,716 in loans and reports a $48,176 deficit…. Hee has not yet posted a new expenditure report, but his most recent assets report shows he paid $371.68 for a chain saw. (Sorry, no reason was given.)
Like many veteran Democrats, Hee and Green also benefit from generous labor union donations….
Slom has raised $30,603 and has $11,265 in cash on hand. A good chunk of his expenses in the most recent filing period have gone to Valenti Print Group for mailers. Slom is helped by contributors like Charley's Taxi, the Oahu League of Republican Women PAC and the Hawaii Management Alliance Association.
Lajala has raised $19,323 and has $9,154 in cash on hand, and his contributors include the Hawaii State Teachers Association. Lajala paid Cardinal Services $5,781 in the last filing period for campaign mailers….
Only one Republican has outraised Slom in the general election — Fred Hemmings, his former Senate colleague until Hemmings retired in 2010. Hemmings reports having raised $44,293 with $12,944 in cash on hand.
Hemmings opponent in the race for the District 25 seat (Hawaii Kai, Wamanalo, Kailua) is Laura Thielen, who raised $55,539 — none of it from political action committees. Those contributions include $2,000 from local auto executive Joe Nicolai and $4,000 from Shannon Thielen, a relative and co-owner of Island Hemp Wear….
Sen. Roz Baker has raised $183,079 with the help of donations from the Plumbers and Pipefitters PAC, the HSTA, Anheuser Busch Companies, Monsanto Company, lobbyist Bob Toyofuku and the HEMEP Political Fund — all of them donors that show up on the campaign spending filings of a lot of Democrats….
Sen. Brickwood Galuteria has raised $110,443 with the assistance of lobbyists John Radcliffe and Red Morris, developer Stanford Carr, entertainer Danny Kaleikini, Zanzibar Nightclub owner Jim Boersema (formerly Gov. Neil Abercrombie's communications director) and the Realtors Political Action Committee of Hawaii.
Galuteria's campaign expenses include $1,000 for Willie K and his band to play at a fundraiser and a $1,267 room charge at the Hilton Charlotte Center City Hotel during the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
His GOP opponent, Liz Larson, has rung up a $4,465 deficit despite having loaned herself $5,500….
Newcomer Russell Ruderman has raised $37,388 thanks to typical Democrat donors like HSTA, the Carpenters PAC and the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly. He has $2,444 in cash on hand.
Republican Daryl Smith has brought in $13,240 and he has $6,236 left to spend….
HR: Thielen Turns Down PAC Support, But Criticized by Hawaii GOP for Backing from Sierra Club and Planned Parenthood
read … Senate
Radio Australia Looks at Hawaii, Samoa, Guam, NMI Elections
RA: …for this election we will see support for Barack Obama, but perhaps not as enthusiastic as it was four years ago….the Republican Party has a vibrant campaign group here in Hawaii and have done a lot,
Hear our elections preview for the Northern Marianas
Hear our elections preview for Palau
Hear our elections preview for Guam
Hear our elections preview for American Samoa
read … The final of this week's special features giving a Pacific perspective on the US elections
Vote Confirms Brainwashing Effective on 89.1% of UH Manoa Students
HR: The University of Hawaii at Manoa chapters of the Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) and Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society, together with the Politically Active Student Alliance (PASA) co-hosted a mock election this Thursday, November 1, 2012 at the University of Hawaii at Manoa Campus Center.
A public oral count and tally revealed that incumbent democratic candidate Barack Obama won the election, garnering 60.4% of the total vote. (This means Obama is less popular on UHM than in the general electorate.) Unlike national polls, however, which showcase Republican candidate Mitt Romney nearly neck and neck with Obama, the result of the UH election revealed (that the perfessers have completely discombobulated non-Democrat students) Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson (legal dope) secured about twice the amount of votes over Romney, besting the former Massachusetts governor 19.8% to 10.9%. The only female candidate on the State of Hawaii presidential ballot, Green Party candidate Jill Stein, (legal dope) finished fourth with 7.9% of the total vote.
read … Dope and Gramsci
How Can Hawaii’s Most Senior Active Statesman Make So Many Misstatements?
HR: “Federal funds are hard to come by in the current budget climate and Honolulu has an opportunity to secure substantial federal support [1] for this long awaited project [2] designed to help alleviate traffic on Oahu. [3]
Rail transit will create thousands of jobs and bring welcome relief to commuters who are forced to spend hours in their cars each day inching through congested roadways. [4]
We have planned this project and debated its merits for decades and we must move forward. [5]
We must set aside our differences and work together. [6]
I remain committed to this project and will continue to do everything I can to direct federal funds to the work [7] and ensure its timely completion,” [8] said Senator Inouye.
read … Eight Errors
Guam 24-Hour Abortion Waiting Period Signed into Law
PDN: Gov. Eddie Calvo yesterday signed a bill into law that would require doctors to provide women seeking abortions with information 24 hours before they can perform the procedure.
Bill 52 requires a 24-hour waiting period before a woman can get an abortion, and requires the doctor to keep a document certifying that the woman was given information about alternatives to abortion and about the risks of the procedure.
The bill was passed by senators about a week ago in a special session by a vote of 11-4.
Calvo said it was an important step in showing respect for all human life, especially those most vulnerable. He said he's always been pro-life and signing the bill shows his commitment to the cause….
The law could face legal challenge similar to bills passed in other states that have faced legal challenges.
Many of the national challenges cite the 1973 Roe v. Wade case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that women have a right to abortion until the fetus is viable outside the womb, often about 24 weeks into the pregnancy, and that any ban on later abortions must allow exceptions to protect the life and health of the mother.
In Montana, Massachusetts, and Tennessee similar laws have not been in effect due to court cases.
But a 24-hour waiting period was upheld in another case, and Guam's attorney general's office has said an earlier Guam bill, similar to the one passed this week, could have withstood a legal challenge.
A legal analysis from the attorney general's office states Bill 52 is similar to Bill 54, the "Woman's Reproductive Act of 2009," which was introduced by then-Sen. Calvo in the 30th Legislature.
A letter from Deputy Attorney General Patrick Mason states Bill 54 would have withstood a constitutional challenge, and the same legal analysis can be applied to Bill 52.
Mason cited the U.S. Supreme Court's 1992 case of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, in which a 24-hour waiting period prior to an abortion was upheld.
TEP: Abortion on Guam: The Facts
Hawaii Democrat poised to be elected first Hindu in Congress
WP: Gabbard, whose first name refers to a tree sacred to Hindus, fully embraced Hinduism as a teenager, and follows the Vaishnava branch that believes in the Supreme Lord Vishnu, and his 10 primary incarnations. Her primary scripture is the centuries-old Bhagavad Gita, whose themes include selfless action, spirituality, war, and serving God and humanity.
“The Bhagavad Gita is often considered a guide as to how to make decisions in difficult situations, when the decision is often not clear cut,” Meghani said. “Hinduism’s innate pluralism recognizes that there are various ways to look at things, and its focus on dharma, or duty, guides those holding positions of power or authority.”
Her faith, Gabbard said, helped her through Iraq, where there were daily reminders that she could be killed any time.
“First thing in the morning and the last thing at night, I meditated upon the fact that my essence was spirit, not matter, that I was not my physical body, and that I didn’t need to worry about death because I knew that I would continue to exist and I knew that I would be going to God,” she said.
Gabbard said her faith would be an asset in Congress, where she hopes to work on veterans’ affairs, environmental issues, and developing relations with India, the world’s largest democracy and a growing economic and nuclear power.
“It is clear that there needs to be a closer working relationship between the United States and India. How can we have a close relationship if decision-makers in Washington know very little, if anything, about the religious beliefs, values, and practices of India’s 800 million Hindus?” said Gabbard.
“Hopefully the presence in Congress of an American who happens to be Hindu will increase America’s understanding of India as well as India’s understanding of America.”
The two highest-profile Indian-American politicians are both Republicans and converts to Christianity: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal was raised Hindu, while South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was raised Sikh.
Related: Dalip S. Saund, The First Asian in U.S. Congress
read … Hawaii Democrat poised to be elected first Hindu in Congress
Marten says of McKelvey: Should do will of the people
MW: "I'm really concerned about how our legislator has been voting," said Marten who is running for state House District 10, which includes West Maui, Maalaea and north Kihei. "I believe the representative should be the representative of the people. They should be the voice of the people and represent the will of the people and not represent anybody else's agenda."
The 60-year-old Marten pointed to McKelvey's vote in favor of the nearly autonomous Public Land Development Corp., which can generate revenue for the cash-strapped Department of Land and Natural Resources by allowing developers to build on public land, although the measure caused an uproar from the public and the counties.
Marten said McKelvey rode "in on the white horse" recently at a County Council meeting, claiming to have a "great plan" for saving Lipoa Point, a privately owned parcel that some residents are fighting to keep undeveloped in West Maui. But Marten said McKelvey failed to give any guarantees to the county to help save the parcel.
"I think McKelvey was just trying to grab headlines three weeks before the election," said Marten, who works in "green construction" and consults with hotels to convert their utilities to LEED technology, or what is called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
read … Marten says of McKelvey: Should do will of the people
Undaunted by work needed to beat Victorino, Blackburn says
MN: Blackburn said it was the economy and his general dissatisfaction with the fiscal management of Maui County government.
As an example, Blackburn, a former firefighter, said a fire station is being built on Molokai for $12 million.
"It's shocking to me that we spend that kind of money, and nobody has a second thought about it," he said. "And that's probably $7 million too much."
Blackburn has the endorsement of the Maui Chamber of Commerce.
read … Blackburn
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