Thanks to important policies put into place after 9/11, America has been able to thwart at least 41 publicly known terrorist attacks....

Weakened militarily and ignored in the mostly peaceful Arab Spring revolutions, the organization, they say, is becoming irrelevant....

Former President George W. Bush gave a wonderful speech today in Shanksville, Pennsylvania for the 10 year anniversary of 9-11. It was one of his best. The audience including Vice President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton gave him a standing ovation.

The remembrance calls for governments and businesses, houses of worship, railways, fire and police departments, and others to ring bells and sound sirens for one minute on Sunday, Sept. 11, starting at 7:00 am Hawai'i Standard Time (1:00 pm EDT). Members of the public are asked to cease activity during that minute and reflect upon the events of 10 years ago.

For all of us across the nation, our thoughts are turned to the lives that were lost due to the tragic events that took place on September 11, 2001.

Seventy percent of Hawaii’s Medicaid budget is paid out to two publicly traded contractors, Unitedhealth and Wellcare. The two share a lucrative $1.2 billion a year contract to provide services to 40,000 children and adults with disabilities.

On August 22, Governor Neil Abercrombie admitted that the purpose of SB 1274 (Act 230) was to save the state’s Medicaid contractors money on legal fees. He never explained how that would benefit patients.

Even after correcting herself, Hanabusa still has it wrong. A reader has pointed out that the first native Hawaiian Congressional Representative was Robert Wilcox of the Home Rule Party....

Strangely, she was saying things that liberals might like, if not for Ms. Palin’s having said them.

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Massachusetts -- where state law requires all adult residents to have health insurance -- continues to have the lowest percentage of uninsured residents, at 4.7%. Connecticut, Minnesota, and Hawaii also have relatively low uninsured rates, with about 1 in 10 adults not carrying health insurance in each....

...last night in a speech to a joint session of Congress, the President demanded that it spend another $450 billion on more of the same "stimulus" that has left America with zero job growth and continued economic stagnation.

Bring your thoughts, your prayers, a lei, and a flag if you can. Bring your family, your children, place your lei with others on the display, and spend some moments with us.

Which of these will kill the most jobs?

...to make sure the money is properly spent and for good purposes, we're building on reforms we've already put in place. No more earmarks....

The Commission will be responsible for preparing and maintaining a roll of qualified Native Hawaiians as defined by the Act.... The roll is to be used as the basis for participation in the organization of a Native Hawaiian governing entity.

9/11 Remembrance Ceremony commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States: Sept. 9, 2011 at 4:30 p.m., Palm Circle, Fort Shafter

 The good news is that there is another way, and there are things the President can do to pave the way for businesses to create new jobs.

Hawaii went from 33 percent overweight or obese to 42 percent over the last 13 years....

... the four major measures Obama has taken to prevent job growth in America ....

The Council on Revenues (COR) today projected a lower economic forecast for the current and upcoming fiscal years.

When/Time: Monday, September 12, 2011 at 11 a.m.
Where: Honolulu Community College, 874 Dillingham Blvd.

... for many on the left, it's the only way they can think of to get the economy moving again, and they think some sort of new New Deal should be included in President Obama’s much-touted jobs speech on Thursday....

I Aloha Molokai has released two new videos … 

For 14 million unemployed Americans and their families, this Labor Day will not be a happy one....

...six DoE schools appealed, and after “putting misplaced students in the correct category” they have suddenly been transformed into DoE success stories....

Those who were not so fortunate to take advantage of many of these tax incentives can tip their hats to those who did take advantage of the tax credits and other tax breaks as they laughed all the way to the bank....

...to be held in Nanakuli at the Nanaikapono Elementary School from 6 pm to 9 pm on September 8, 2011....

... a July 3, 2008 memo from the US Embassy in Mexico—revealed earlier this week with the latest batch of classified Wikileaks documents—shows that the UFW had signed a contract with Global Horizons and was itself looking forwards to becoming a major labor contractor ....

SCPO Vickers, 36, was a 1992 Maui High School graduate. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 3, 2011 at the Maui Arts and Cultural Theater. SCPO Vickers will be laid to rest at Valley Isle Memorial Park in Haiku.

... "We were the only two people in the room so you have to reach your own conclusions."....

The strongest part of the tourism recovery is now behind us, and further industry gains will be more incremental.

The circuit court dismissed HSTA's appeal from HLRB's Order No. 2573 (Order No. 2573) for lack of appellate jurisdiction, determining that Order No. 2573 was not a final decision and order within the meaning of Hawai`i Rules of Civil Procedure (HRCP) Rule 72....

The Judgment filed on December 16, 2009 in the Circuit Court of the First Circuit is affirmed.

...The study includes its first state-by-state analysis of methamphetamine positives, based on more than 4.5 million urine specimens collected from the general U.S. workforce from January-December 2010....

... for the first time since 1945, no new jobs were created—Zero....

HHB can now move ahead with its engineering design, construction and refurbishing of the former Hilo Coast Power Company power plant at Pepeekeo into a modern biomass facility.

• 16% of Hawaii’s Rural bridges are structurally deficient –10th in nation
• 29% of Hawaii’s rural roads rated poor—5th in nation

When we examined the public file documents shortly after Mayor Carlisle made the award announcement on March 21, 2011, we were shocked to discover that the disqualification of our proposal swept away what would have been the winning bid.

On Aug. 2, 2011, Safeway Director of Public Affairs & Governmental Relations Susan Houghton and other Safeway officials met with KCFA Board member Paul Uster at Safeway headquarters in Pleasanton, California, to review the concerns of Kona coffee growers....

...inaccurate statements by the owner notwithstanding, occupancy rates at the Waikiki EDITION were 67 percent in July and were running in excess of 80 percent in August prior to the illegal raid and seizure of the hotel ....

• REP. CYNTHIA THIELEN AMONGST PRESENTING DIGNITARIES AT INTERNATIONAL WAVE ENERGY CONFERENCE
• Walk Wise Hawaii with Representative Corinne Ching
• Hawaiian Chariots with Gil Riviere and Daniel Ward
• Robotics with 'The Hawaiian Kids' from Waialua High
• Plant Theft Robs Us All by Representative Cynthia Thielen
• Representative Gene Ward Discusses Kamiloiki Elementary
• Would You Have Been Ready? Virginia earthquake a startling reminder for Hawai‘ i
• REP. KYMBERLY PINE LAUNCHES “INBOX”

Eliminating $380 billion in subsidies to industries that damage the environment could go a long way toward resolving U.S. budget challenges, a coalition of groups from across the political spectrum said in a new study, reports the Environment News Service.

Among dozens of “green” schools in Washington state, only two use less energy than traditional schools built in those same districts. In more than one instance, the “green” schools use 30 percent more energy per square foot ....

...four federal agencies known as the Interagency Working Group (IWG) have delivered a plan to drastically censor food advertisers with products deemed to be “too high” in sodium, sugar, or fat that cater to any viewing audience between the ages of two and 11. These advertisers would lose key slots during some of America’s most popular shows, like American Idol, America’s Got Talent, and Glee....

"...the Owner has filed for bankruptcy protection, which will permit it to continue the operation of the hotel under its present management with Modern Management Services."

"A serious run for U.S. Congress will require more than $1 million in campaign funds. Your early support will help us to kick this campaign off right."

Hawaii Right to Life is excited to announce that we have adopted a new trade name, Aloha Life Advocates.

After an overnight raid last Sunday seizing control of the Waikiki EDITION from Marriott International, Inc., the owners of the hotel were ordered by a New York state judge to return the hotel to Marriott's control as of 8:30 p.m. today eastern time, which is 2:30 p.m. Honolulu time.

A U.S. government gun-trafficking investigation gone horribly wrong has resulted in the death of a U.S. Border Patrol officer, some 2,000 firearms in the hands of criminals, and the dismissal of a 24-year veteran law enforcement official. This is the story of Fast and Furious....

We don't know if HGEA was threatened by the Governor's negotiators as we were. We were told that if we didn't go along with the Governor we would face the layoff 800 teachers and "nasty things would happen" to teachers at work.