“Judge Leonard was more than qualified, as evidenced by her unanimous approval as appellate judge and the outpouring of testimony from the legal community in support of her appointment to Chief Justice.

“I call on my potential opponents and Hawai‘i’s other candidates to join me in strongly objecting to this misguided decision.

“The people of Hawai‘i deserve principled decision-makers, not political partisans.”

Here's the real reason: "Sen. Clayton Hee, in opposition, raised concerns about whether Leonard would be open enough to Native Hawaiian rights. A court that strictly follows the rule of law may not have led to the recognition of customary Hawaiian rights, he said."

Shapiro: "First senators try to embarrass Lingle by criticizing her for not appointing enough women judges, then they try to embarrass her by rejecting the most prominent woman she does appoint.  Shame on them for polluting our Judiciary with their bush league politics."

Mufi to Neil:  "You can't know the private sector...."

Neil on Mufi: "...name-calling and finger pointing there..."

Neil on Birthers: "(Obama) was born yesterday in Kapiolani Hospital in 1961, I can assure you...."  (Defeating birthers to become Gubernatorial priority???)   ...  and much, much more....

Congressman Djou articulated his concerns about the impact of Micronesian immigration to Hawaii on the City and County of Honolulu and the State of Hawaii's social service programs. Congressman Djou and Ambassador George both acknowledge that the status quo is not working.

Washington- The Obama White House promised this would be a summer of economic recovery, but after another disappointing month of high unemployment it is evident that is simply not the case. Now, Hawaii families can add another false promise to their growing list of grievances against Colleen Hanabusa's out-of-touch Democrat friends, whose runaway spending addiction has led the economy astray. With unemployment standing at 9.5 percent and over 130,000 jobs lost last month, Hawaii families are feeling burned by Hanabusa's Washington friends, whose trillion-dollar stimulus has failed to bring them out of this jobless recovery.

“To ignore the Hawai‘i State Bar Association’s rating for Judge To‘oto‘o, but not for Judge Leonard makes no sense and creates a double standard. 

“Judge Leonard is eminently qualified, as evidenced by the overwhelming testimony and support from the legal community. 

“Both the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office and the State Public Defender’s Office – who take opposing sides in the courtroom – testified in her favor, saying she is fair.  That’s exactly the type of chief justice that should be on the bench – someone who both sides consider fair." 

“Democrats in the Senate have tried every trick in the book to prevent Governor Linda Lingle from appointing the next Chief Justice. They put a question on the ballot to change the retirement age for judges which was voted down by voters and now they are trying to vote down an obviously qualified judge, with Judiciary Chair Brian Tanaguchi telling the media after the hearing that the five men on the list were all qualified. This is height of hypocrisy."

But Pelosi agreed to offer her support when the Abercrombie camp sought to counter a tough ad that attacked Abercrombie’s attendance record in the House, his March resignation from Congress to run for governor, and calls him a “follower.”   (Gee. I wonder where they got THAT idea?)

“His early resignation cost President Obama critical support for healthcare and Wall Street reform,” the ad says. “Neil says to look at his record. We agree.”

Three months after Rep. Charles Djou (R-Hawaii) won a key special election in one of the blue state's two House districts, the RGA is signaling that it thinks it can win that state's governor's race too.

The TV and radio ads are 100 percent positive and don't mention Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona's (R) Democratic opponents. They feature Aiona himself and talk about his efforts to control drugs in the state.

“In these tough economic times, people want ideas and solutions.  Duke Aiona’s creation of the Drug Court is an example of finding a better way to improve lives.  People want their leaders to be positive, not divisive and negative.  That’s what Duke’s whole life has been about.” 

This Tuesday voters in Missouri, by a 40-point margin, approved a ballot measure rejecting the individual mandate at the core of President Barack Obama's health care law. Asked what the vote meant to the White House, press secretary Robert Gibbs said: "Nothing." Yesterday in San Francisco, federal judge Vaughn Walker gave the exact same weight to a California ballot measure that affirmed marriage as an institution between one man and one woman. Specifically Judge Walker overturned the California Marriage Protection Act after concluding, as a matter of fact, that the majority of Californians who voted to protect marriage were bigots who had no rational basis to define marriage on their own terms.

JUDGE: THE RIGHT TO MARRY PROTECTS AN INDIVIDUAL’S CHOICE OF MARITAL PARTNER REGARDLESS OF GENDER...

DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS DO NOT SATISFY CALIFORNIA’S OBLIGATION TO ALLOW PLAINTIFFS TO MARRY...

"The achievements in Hawaii's public schools this year are truly remarkable and inspiring, and we are especially pleased with the results coming from the 14 schools in our Alliance partnership that achieved AYP targets," said Babette Moreno, EdisonLearning's Regional General Manager for Hawaii.  "The outcomes are a solid testament to the work done in the schools by the principals, teachers, students, and our dedicated partners at the DOE – who are all helping students to learn."

...among the various concerns facing us today, the most important one is the right to life. Without this most fundamental and “unalienable” right, we need not worry about any other issues. Accordingly, we must identify who among the candidates running for office will stand firm in defense of this right, for all people at all times, regardless of the circumstances.

Hawaii Right to Life PAC has researched the candidates (and when applicable, ballot questions) and provides the following information to assist you, the voter, in choosing life with your vote. By each of us taking a principled stand with our vote, we can make a real difference to save countless lives and improve Hawai‘i Nei for generations to come.

Could Sen. Dan Inouye be next?  The US Senate equivalents of the Waters charges could easly be brought to bear against him if the political will exists.  While Waters was allegedly seeking help for her husband’s bank, Inouye allegedly sought help for Central Pacific Bank.  At the time, CPB stock made up an estimated 66% of Inouye’s personal net worth.

On Sunday, August 1, at approximately 6:39 a.m., two video cameras captured a Caucasian male, approximately 60 years old, stealing one of Arakawa’s campaign signs from privately owned property in Wailuku town. The suspect’s silver Nissan vehicle had a license plate identification ending with “722.”

“The Hawai‘i State Bar Association’s (HSBA) ‘unqualified’ ratings of Judge Katherine Leonard and Judge Faauuga To‘oto‘o are outrageous and are clearly not based on the legal experience and qualifications of these two highly qualified nominees,” said Governor Lingle.

“The State Bar Association’s review process was unfair, flawed, and conducted under a veil of secrecy, with no accountability to the public.  The HSBA has refused to state its reasons for its ratings.

“It is impossible to know whether there is political, gender or ethnic bias on the part of the HSBA, since they refuse to state their reasons. 

Adoption of national standards by states appears to be only an attempt to gain federal grants—not real reform. But in taking Washington’s money, are states sacrificing their educational autonomy for short-term budgetary security?