Barack Obama's home state of Hawai`i launched the general-election campaign this week with a rally featuring Congressman Neil Abercrombie (HI-01) on Maui:

Islanders rally for Obama

Retired workers, Upcountry artists and college students joined a rally Tuesday night in support of Barack Obama's presidential campaign held at Maui Waena Intermediate School.

More than a hundred people, representing a cross section of Maui's voting population, turned out for a bento dinner and speeches by Hawaii Democratic Party leaders, and to sign up to be involved in the summer campaign activities for the Hawaii-born Obama.

"He's great," said retiree Louise Corpuz. "I think he knows what he's talking about."

Although Hawai`i is one of only two states Sen. Obama hasn't campaigned in yet (Alaska is the other), the Aloha State has played an active role in his quest for the presidency.

Below the fold, I'll provide a few notes about what Hawai`i's residents have done - and more important, what they will do - to put Barack and Michelle in the White House.

Freshman Reps. Betty Sue Sutton (OH-13), Mazie Hirono (HI-02), Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01), John Yarmuth (KY-03), and Steve Cohen (TN-09) have joined 16 other Congressional Democrats in introducing legislation that, according to the Army Times, "is at least a symbolic sign of support for giving extra cash to people whose military service is involuntarily extended by stop-loss orders."

The Army Times story continues:

The bill, HR 6205, is an exact duplicate of the Stop Loss Compensation Act of 2008 that was introduced May 22 in the Senate.

The bills hold the promise of $1,500 for each month of extended service for anyone whose retirement or separation was delayed by stop-loss orders since Oct. 1, 2001.

More information follows below.

For anyone who's going to be in the D.C. area on June 10, here's a wonderful opportunity to have a good time and support a great cause:

THE ASIAN AMERICAN ACTION FUND AND THE AAA-FUND HONORARY BOARD

Invite you to our annual Celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander American Political Empowerment

Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Reception and Dinner at 6 pm
Program at 7 pm

Democratic National Committee
Wasserman Room
430 South Capitol Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003

Mistress of Ceremonies:  Actress Kelly Hu

Tickets can be purchased for just $75 (or $50 for young professionals) by May 23. More information follows below the fold.

Over Memorial Day weekend, thousands of visitors will be enjoying Hawai`i's beautiful natural environment and even more beautiful native culture. Meanwhile, local Democrats will be hard at work on some major business - deciding who will lead the party and helping to decide who will be the Democratic Party's nominee for President. The state party's convention at the Hilton Hawaiian Village will be highlighted by the election of three new superdelegates: the party chair, the party vice-chair, and an at-large superdelegate.

Illustrating the significance of these decisions (as well as showing a natural concern for his native state), Barack Obama has taken time away from campaigning in Pennsylvania to announce his endorsement of Brian Schatz for Chair of the Hawai`i Democratic Party.

Brian Schatz

I think Sen. Obama has made a wise decision, as I'll explain below.

It was 65 years ago today when Louise and Harold Harrison welcomed George to the world in Liverpool, England.

I hadn't realized how much I missed George until I listened to Mana`o Radio's tribute today. The guy just had a knack for playing sweet melodies and singing with a sincerity that really made you believe in peace and love.

As a Maui resident, I feel a special sense of pride. George lived here on the Valley Isle for most of his post-Beatles life. To celebrate George's birthday and his life, I've posted some videos below.

Mana`o Radio, by the way, is the best commercial-free eclectic music station in the world and can be heard online live from Maui 24 hours a day:

http://manaoradio.com

Hawai`i's presidential caucus is just two days away, and Barack Obama's sister Maya Soetoro-Ng is drawing big crowds as she island hops in support of her brother's campaign.

This is the first time Hawai`i's caucus will actually play a role in choosing the Democratic Party's nominee. And it's the first time a Hawai`i native has run for President. So, the enthusiasm for Barack's campaign that's been seen in so many places on the Mainland is especially strong here. Maya has proven to be an excellent spokesperson for the campaign, and her well-received appearances on Kaua`i, Maui, and O`ahu are helping to fuel predictions for a record turnout on Tuesday night.

Yesterday, I had the honor of hearing Maya speak for the second time. Some notes about her talk and links to video and news reports follow below.

Maya on Maui, Feb. 16, 2008 (photo by Sara Kimura).

Aloha,

Barack Obama's sister Maya Soetoro-Ng is an educator in Honolulu. A native of Indonesia, Maya teaches empathy and nonviolence at a high school and multicultural education at the University of Hawai`i. I had the pleasure of meeting her earlier this year at a small gathering on the Island of Maui, where she gave a brief speech in support of her brother's presidential campaign and informally talked with local residents.

My impressions follow below the fold.

Plastic bags are an environmental disaster.

For related background information, please see these two excellent diaries:

"Take your canvas bags ..." viral videoing to change the world

The Largest Man Made Thing on the Planet?

One thing we can do to mitigate this disaster is to get our towns, cities, and counties to simply ban plastic bags. It's already happened in the City & County of San Francisco. Why don't we ask our local officials to follow San Francisco's lead?

A link to San Francisco's ordinance - which provides a great template - follows below the field.

Aloha,

My Representative in Congress, Mazie Hirono, has introduced the PRE-K
Act to strengthen early childhood education throughout the country. This
legislation is intended to help states reach the goal of voluntary pre-k
for all families that want it.

Here's what Rep. Hirono told her colleagues last week:

The PRE-K Act will help more children enter school ready to succeed. It creates a new federal-state partnership to provide better preschool opportunities for our country’s children.

Research shows that participation in a high quality early education program can improve success in school and later in life.

More information follows below the fold.

Aloha,

I just came across a great resolution, introduced by California Congresswoman Barbara Lee:

H. CON. RES. 10
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the tax giveaway since 2001 to the wealthiest 5 percent of Americans should be repealed and those monies instead invested in vital programs to relieve the growing burden on the working poor and to alleviate poverty in America.

More information follows.

Aloha,

The Republican minority in Congress continues to use dirty tricks to fight programs that benefit Native Hawaiians.

For the second time in just a few months, quick action by Reps. Neil Abercrombie and Mazie Hirono of Hawai`i was necessary to save an important program.

The story continues below the fold. Mahalo for following me there.

I'm referring to:

Woman in Progess: Christine Daniels on Life Changes Big & Small
http://latimesblogs.typepad.com/...

Below the fold, I'll provide a little background on Christine Daniels and why I enjoy her blog.

A wide range of legislation to advance gay rights is on the agenda of the 110th Congress.

For more than a decade, the gay rights debate has focused on the thus-far-unpopular cause of same-sex marriage. That's largely been at the behest of Republicans eager to activate their conservative base at election time.

Congress hasn't enacted any legislation providing protection against sexual-orientation discrimination since the early '90s. But without much attention, several bills were introduced in recent years to address important concerns of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and intergendered (GLBTI) community.

With new leadership in Congress and the bills being re-introduced earlier this year, some of the legislation appears poised for passage. The 2006 mid-term elections created "a gay-friendly Congress," in the words of Joe Solmonese, President of Human Rights Campaign.

Still, the GLBTI civil rights bills face uncertain futures. President George W. Bush has been resolute in his opposition to almost all gay rights legislation. A rundown of the legislation's status follows below.

One fourth of the way into her first Congressional term, freshman Rep. Mazie Hirono is making her mark as a strong progressive, as reported last week by the Honolulu Advertiser:

In her first six months in office, Democratic U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono of Hawai'i is earning a reputation as one of the House's more liberal members, with votes against Iraq and Afghanistan war funding and for creating a new Department of Peace and Nonviolence.

The former Hawai'i lieutenant governor, one of only two Buddhists in Congress (Hank Johnson, D-Ga., is the other), also is supporting a host of social programs aimed at beefing up federal backing for education and taking care of Hawai'i's priorities.

More information about Mazie's Congressional tenure so far is below the fold.

Freshman Congresswoman Mazie Hirono (HI-02) has introduced H.R.2618 - "To direct the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating certain lands along the northern coast of Maui, Hawaii, as a unit of the National Park System."

This is part of an effort to establish the Patsy Mink North Shore Heritage Park. The late great Patsy Mink for many years held the seat currently held by Mazie Hirono (covering all of Hawai`i except urban O`ahu), and Patsy was born and raised on the North Shore of Maui. Preserving the coastal areas of the North Shore of Maui - which are under intense development pressure - would be a great legacy to Patsy.

Below, I'll provide a few ways you can help to preserve coastal land throughout Maui.

Freshman Congresswoman Mazie Hirono (D-Haw.) last month introduced a resolution to both honor Title IX and acknowledge the need to make further progress on gender equity in education.

The official title of H.Res. 406 is: "Celebrating the accomplishments of title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, also known as the Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, and recognizing the need to continue pursuing the goal of educational opportunities for women and girls."

More information on Title IX follows below.

Here are Progressive Punch's rankings for the 110th Congress so far (based on percentage of progressive votes cast) -

99.12% - Clarke, Yvette (D - NY)    
98.70% - Ellison, Keith (D - MN)    
98.70% - Johnson, Hank (D - GA)    
97.89% - Grijalva, Raul (D - AZ)    
97.82% - Hirono, Mazie (D - HI)

Source:
http://www.progressivepunch.org

Below the fold, please read a little about each of these excellent Members of Congress.

From the Asian American Action Fund:

We at the Asian American Action Fund are proud to
invite you to this historic APA Heritage Month reception.
Read on for more details.

********************************************************************

DNC VICE CHAIR CONGRESSMAN MIKE HONDA
DNC APIA CAUCUS CHAIR BEL LEONG-HONG

Invite you to an

ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN
HERITAGE MONTH RECEPTION

Featuring

GOVERNOR HOWARD DEAN

and

Special Guest CONGRESSWOMAN MAZIE HIRONO

Thursday, May 17, 2007, 6:00 p.m.

DNC Headquarters
Wasserman Conference Room
430 S. Capitol Street, SE
(Capitol South Metro)
Washington, DC  20003

R.S.V.P. by 12:00 pm, Thursday May 17, 2007, to:
Betsy Kim, Deputy Director
American Majority Partnership
(202) 863-8134
kimb@dnc.org