Hawaii County Republicans, meeting Saturday at Waimea have proposed changes to the way that State Republicans select their candidates.  The proposals are contained in two resolutions adopted unanimously by the 50 delegates present after extensive discussion.  One calls for a shift to a Presidential Caucus System for Hawaii Republicans who now select their Presidential delegates at the State Party convention.  The other resolution urges the State Convention vote to shift Republicans from an Open Primary system to a Modified-Closed Primary System and then file a federal suit against the State to overturn provisions of the Hawaii State Constitution which require the open primary system.

This background file includes news articles, and letters to the editor by leading Democrats, regarding a possible shift to a closed primary system.  Also included US Supreme Court rulings on two relevant cases.

Omidyar worries that a pandemic could cut Hawai'i's lifelines and leave it with an 11-day supply of food (or is that 12?).  To that end, he has made pivotal donations to local nonprofits dedicated to building sustainable local food supplies.  At the same time, he has stockpiled several months of food for his personal use at storage facilities on O'ahu....

34 teams representing 24 Hawai‘i high schools from O‘ahu, Maui, Kaua‘i and the Big Island, eight teams from the mainland (California, Louisiana and Wisconsin) and two international teams from Mexico and the Philippines who will converge on the UH Mānoa campus to compete in what is called the “varsity sport of the mind.” The winning teams will advance to the FIRST Championships – called the “Super Bowl of Smarts” – in Atlanta, Georgia, April 15 -18.

In a stunning development, Sen. Christopher Dodd said that Obama administration officials asked him to add language to last month's federal stimulus bill to make sure the controversial AIG bonuses remained in place. 

Although the Senate Judiciary Committee ended with a tie vote (3-3), there is still ongoing discussions happening at the capitol in regards to a potential pull of the bill from committee for a vote on the Senate floor.

If the Supreme Court refuses to reconsider its SuperFerry decision, Councilmember Djou’s legal affairs committee will examine voiding all state laws that apply to just the City and County of Honolulu. 

What of last year's legislative attempts to smooth the way for Aloha Airlines as it lurched into insolvency? Under the court's equal protection analysis propounded in the Superferry decision, any such legislation could well be contrary to the court's new reading of constitutional restraints on the legislature's power to act.

The decision today by Hawaiian Telcom to ask the bankruptcy court to approve $6 million in bonuses for its employees is unconscionable, and we will oppose it in court.

Karen’s Law is now in the Senate, referred to Chair of Human Services, Suzanne Chun Oakland and Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Brian Taniguchi. It will be hard to get a hearing for Karen’s Law hearings without ample public support.

We are going to have to go out and find other employment for Alakai, for now.

Environmental and community-action groups such as the Sierra Club and Maui Tomorrow now find themselves in the crosshairs of many residents frustrated by recent developments with the Hawaii Superferry.

ACORN, which claims to be a non-partisan grassroots community organization of low- and moderate-income people, came under fire in 2007 when Washington State filed felony charges against several paid ACORN employees and supervisors for more than 1,700 fraudulent voter registrations. In March 2008, an ACORN worker in Pennsylvania was sentenced for making 29 phony voter registration forms. The group's activities were frequently questioned in the 2008 presidential election.

The estimated impact on disposable household income due to rising energy prices would then reach anywhere between $4,022 and $6,752. And because an energy tax is regressive, it will fall heaviest on poor and lower middle class folks who spend more of their income on energy.

Obama:  "Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket... whatever the industry was, uh, they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money. They will pass that money on to consumers."

Statehood was achieved through the dedication and perseverance of these great leaders, along with the people of Hawai‘i – who in 1959 voted 17 to one in support of statehood.

They voted for basic rights and privileges of American citizenship. 

They voted to have a voice in Washington.

And, as Governor Ariyoshi said so well in his 50 Voices of Statehood piece, they voted for “control over our own destiny.”

The Disabled American Veterans today commended the Obama administration for backing down from a controversial proposal that would force private insurance companies to pay for the treatment of military veterans who suffered service-related disabilities and injuries.

"VA's sacred duty is to care for veterans injured in honorable service to our nation, and the department should not turn to wounded warriors' private insurance to pay for combat injures.  Under my Chairmanship, the Veterans' Affairs Committee will not advance any such legislation," said Akaka. 

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle along with Castle & Cooke, First Wind Hawai‘i and Hawaiian Electric Company today announced an agreement that could lead to large wind farms on both Lāna‘i and Moloka‘i providing clean energy to O‘ahu. These wind farms would feed into an inter-island cable system currently being discussed that could ultimately interconnect the major Hawaiian islands for increased grid reliability, security and consumer and business cost savings through access to renewables.

“After reading the alarming tract, I wanted to know whether Albertini -- who went to prison for a year (many years ago) for trying to block a Navy vessel in Hilo Harbor -- will be putting his life and/or freedom on the line along with the novice activists he is counseling.

“The answer? No. Not only is Albertini not going to protest the Superferry, he claims he didn’t even know his “non-violent” call to arms was even published."

As Pacific Business News editorialized January 12, the Superferry opposition and obstruction, “continues to perplex us as yet another group of politicians, this time senators from Neighbor Islands, make noise….”

"It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan," said Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion. "He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it."

The Certificate of Need for the proposed West Maui hospital was officially approved by Ron Terry, Executive Director of SHPDA....

Malia Gray, legislative office manager for Rep Lynn Finnegan, faced former Ron Paul Hawaii campaign leader Dan Douglass in the contest for County Chair.  Both candidates recruited new Republican Party members and mobilized supporters for the event.  Gray reported her team recruiting 300 new Republican Party members and identifying 20 Legislative candidates to run in 2010 during the last few weeks of campaigning.

In observance of the 50^th anniversary of the signing of the Hawai‘i Admission Act, both houses of the Hawai‘i State Legislature will convene a joint session in the State Capitol House Chambers on Wednesday, March 18, 2009, from noon to 1:30 p.m. 

Because I have also met with and will continue meeting with union leaders, the counties and my cabinet, as well as social service agencies and other organizations in the community, the process of developing a new financial plan takes time, but I believe it is time well spent.  I remain committed to balancing the budget without raising taxes or laying off employees.  Either of these actions would further weaken our economy.

Looking for happiness—it's family-friendly communities for some, tropical paradise or the rugged West for others. A survey of Americans' well-being, conducted by Gallup in partnership with Healthways and America's Health Insurance Plans, gives high marks to Utah, which boasts lots of outdoor recreation for its youthful population.  Speaking of outdoor recreation, the islands of Hawaii took second place and Wyoming was third in the poll that rated such variables as mental, physical and economic health.

Sen. Sam Slom, (R-Hawaii Kai): this is the premier bill presented by the “criminal lobby.”

"They are low-lives," Charles Freeman writes of his dad's critics. "And if you're among them and by chance read this: I still want to punch you in the face. You'd deserve it, you schmucks."

"Karen's Law", HB819HD2, passed out of the House today un-amended.  The measure passed with the exception of no votes placed by Representatives Lyla Berg, Roy Takumi, Faye Hanohano, Sylvia Luke, Hermina Morita, Mark Nakashima and Scott Saiki.

EarmarkWatch is an experimental distributed research project that contains data for Fiscal Year 2008 earmarks from the House and Senate Labor-HHS-Education bills and the 2008 House Defense Bill. It does not contain 2009 earmarks.

Thanks to you, Karen’s Law will finally be heard on the House Floor tomorrow...a select few members will be trying to kill the bill.

It was such a simple question. Debating earmarks on the Senate floor, John McCain demanded of Dan Inouye: "We're going to spend $2 million for the promotion of astronomy in Hawaii….Why do we need $2 million to promote astronomy in Hawaii when unemployment is going up and the stock market is tanking?"

Reporters soon determined the $2 million was for the Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo, Hawaii. But the usual liberally deficient commentators have proven completely unable to answer the question “why”?

Earthquake location: Along Hamakua coast, about 10 miles NNE of Laupahoehoe.

On Thursday afternoon March 5, Oscar Kamau Kingara, director of the Kenyan based Oscar legal aid Foundation, and its programme coordinator, John Paul Oulo, were shot at close range in their car less than a mile from President Kibaki's residence. The two were on their way to a meeting at the Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights. Both had been investigating extrajudicial assassinations by the Kenyan Police.

President Obama's rise caps forty years of building new 'nations' from one America, as America's left adapted to the rise of civil rights, and built a power base from fanning discontent.

Newsweek cheers, "We are all socialists now!"  MSNBC's Jim Cramer calls Barack Obama's budget a "radical agenda" and points out "This is the greatest wealth destruction I've seen by a President."  None of this should be a surprise to anybody who was paying attention to Obama's Hawaii links to the Communist Party, USA or his years of Chicago work with the Democratic Socialists of America.  But many voters -- and most of the media -- aggressively avoided paying attention.  Now they are literally paying the price. 

One Obama mentor who did get some media attention was ex-Communist Saul Alinsky.  Alinsky, a harsh critic of Johnson's "War on Poverty," is not usually tied to gigantic federal spending proposals such as Obama's mis-named ‘stimulus' package.  Alinsky's claim to fame stems from gritty street-level community organizing.  His books on the subject guided a generation of leftist activists. 

But there is a connection.  Alinsky died in 1972.  Towards the end of his life, American society changed in ways which tore apart the stable communities necessary to Alinsky's community organizing model.  For Democrats these changes necessitated the use of federal power to create the entirely new forms of consciousness-based ‘nationalism' which now envelop American culture. 

It appears at least 41 Senators object to the massive increase in spending -- 8% over last year's budget – and the larding in of 8,500 earmarks totaling $7.7 billion. 

A senior Senate aide told me this morning that many Senators do not want a repeat of the Stimulus battle where their offices were literally shut down with telephone calls and their email was swamped with messages going after the wasteful spending.

You see, they’re talking about Americans like you.

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle today submitted to the State Legislature recommended amendments to three bills that would provide statutory changes needed to help meet a projected $650 million revenue shortfall for the remainder of the current fiscal year (FY09) and biennium budget fiscal years 2010 through 2011.

The Hill: Yes, Hawaii could field a competitive general election race in 2010.

“I commend the HTA for having the wisdom to reconsider their previous decision and return the Pro Bowl to Hawai‘i where it belongs.
“Let us now move forward and work closely with the NFL to make the Pro Bowl’s homecoming the best possible.
“I am excited to continue working with Commissioner Goodell on what I believe could be an enhanced all-star weekend of festivities.”

An official familiar with Abercrombie's plans says the 10-term congressman will make his announcement through an Internet video to be released Sunday.

"Karen's Law", HB819HD1, passed out of the Finance Committee today at 4:36pm un-amended. All members present voted yes.

The range of North Korean ballistic missiles has increased five-fold since 1990.  The two-stage Taepodong-2 missile, if successfully developed, could travel thousands of miles to strike Alaska, Hawaii and "parts of the continental United States," intelligence experts estimate.  By testing and perfecting a third stage, the North Koreans could reach anywhere in North America with a nuclear warhead.

In November 2002, the Governor underwent a similar breast biopsy, which tested negative for breast cancer.

San Francisco State University:  "[T]he College Republicans must be punished or sanctioned for throwing shoes at the Hamas flag; pending charges should be dropped against the two protestors who assaulted the College Republicans and seized the Hamas flag; and, most ominously for defenders of free _expression on campus, a forum should be created to 'educate' students about what forms of speech the 'offended' students deem acceptable or unacceptable, including what the Left regularly tries to proscribe as 'hate speech.'"

Kimo Apana, a former Maui County Mayor, testified that he brought a friend into MMMC with a stroke this week and although they needed to admit the friend, there was not a bed....

The bill was drafted as a compromise to get House approval and to encourage talks with the state Senate, where many senators are opposed.

Governor balances budget with no tax increases, no layoffs, no significant cuts in essential services -- Act 215 spending cut 50% -- $320 in Federal 'stimulus' funds covering Medicaid expenses -- renegotiate State employees health benefit cost sharing %

A former "Blue Dog" Democrat Congressman speaks out as Congress considers Obama's profligate budget.

....On May 25, 2007, Karen Ertell was brutally raped and murdered in her home in Ewa Beach. Karen Ertell was the only real mother that her foster daughter, Malanie McLellan had ever known.  Your immediate action is needed to keep "Karen's Law" (HB819) alive.  It appears that the House Finance Committee may not hear Karen's Law.  This would kill the bill with no explanation.  As the law currently stands, juvenile crime offenders, charged with 1st or 2nd degree murder can face two trials, one to determine which court to try them in and then another trial to decide guilt or innocence.  We need to start protecting the people of Hawaii and stop making excuses for defending people that break the law.

I am glad to see that the HTA board will reconsider the NFL’s proposal so we can begin working on making the Pro Bowl even better.