"This would appear to leave the door open for Professor Osorio to bring a claim once there is state action under Act 176 to sell or otherwise transfer ceded lands."

First-class and priority mail for servicemembers stationed in Afghanistan should be sent by Dec. 4 for arrival by Christmas. The deadline for parcel airlift mail is Dec. 1, and space-available mail bound for Afghanistan should be sent by Nov. 21.  Officials recommend that parcel post mail to all military overseas locations should be sent by Nov. 13.

The undersea cable, which would connect the islands into one electrical grid to allow the integration of renewable wind power generated in Maui County for transmission to O‘ahu is part of a comprehensive energy agreement signed one year ago between the State of Hawai‘i and Hawaiian Electric companies to move the state away from its dependence on fossil fuels for electricity and ground transportation.

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle announced today she will travel to China to build on the State’s strategic efforts to strengthen Hawai‘i’s economic base by tapping China’s growing outbound tourism market as well as developing opportunities and partnerships in clean energy and international trade. 

In poll, after poll, after poll, the American people have clearly expressed their preference for prioritizing economic growth over global warming. This is a major problem for those on the left who want to reorganize our entire economy under the guise of cap and trade climate change legislation. Tacitly admitting they have lost this argument, the left has shifted gears and is trying a new tack: global warming is a threat to national security.

Americans who like making their own health care choices received welcome news yesterday when Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) said he would be willing to block final passage of Obamacare if the government run health insurance program Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced Monday survives the amendment process during the Senate debate. Lieberman explained: "I think that a lot of people may think that the public option is free. It’s not. It’s going to cost the taxpayers and people that have health insurance now, and if it doesn’t, it’s going to add terribly to our national debt.”

This morning the City Council voted not to advance Bill 51 relating to a homeowners tax class.  After the vote, Mayor Mufi Hannemann hauled Council Chair Todd Apo into his office for several hours.  Late this evening, after all media had left the building, Apo, along with Councilmember Gary Okino, suddenly reversed their votes and voted to pass Bill 51.  Councilmember Apo had consistently been a leading opponent of establishing a homeowner tax class since it was first proposed last year.

As a practicing attorney, Nacino had the opportunity to prepare appellate briefs to the Hawai‘i Supreme Court, Hawai‘i Intermediate Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.... He worked for two-and-a-half years at the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office where he tried jury and non-jury cases involving misdemeanor and felonies at the District, Family and Circuit Court levels.... Before beginning his legal career, Nacino was a police officer with the Honolulu Police Department for approximately eight-and-a-half years.

Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced that the health care legislation he is drafting will include a government-run health insurance plan, or as many on the left like to call it “the public option.” The new wrinkle that Reid has thrown into the proposal is an “opt out” clause which would require states to pass legislation by 2014 rejecting participation in the federal government run plan. None of the committees in the House or Senate ever even voted on this new opt out scheme. But that does not really matter. Whether it is first implemented through a co-op, or a trigger, or an opt out, the end goal is the same: government-run health care for all Americans.

The event will feature a presentation by national spokesman and former NFL football star, Riki Ellison, Founder and Chairman of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA) a non-profit organization which advocates the deployment and development of a missile defense system.  Mr. Ellison has is an expert in the field of missile defense.

Republicans have their best candidate in a decade running for this seat. Djou has been fundraising for this race since early 2008, when it was correctly rumored that Abercrombie would leave his House seat open to run for governor. National Republicans already have taken note of Djou and aired advertisements in the heavily Democratic district.

In the HSTA/Kanu Hawaii playbook, Furlough Friday, October 23, 2009 was supposed to be the day they seized control of the debate on how to solve the Hawaii budget crisis.  The Legislature was supposed to announce that they had a majority of both houses lined up to demand a special session.  But other government employees' unions got in the way. 

Since energy is the lifeblood of the American economy, 85 percent of which comes from CO2-emitting fossil fuels, the Waxman-Markey bill’s arbitrary and severe restrictions on the current energy supply and infrastructure will not only have direct impact on consumers’ budgets through higher electric bills and gasoline prices, but also cause unnecessary inefficiencies at virtually every stage of production. CDA estimates that Waxman-Markey legislation would cost the average family-of-four almost $3,000 per year, cause 2.5 million net job losses by 2035, and a produce a cumulative gross domestic product (GDP) loss of $9.4 trillion between 2012 and 2035.

As volunteer sign wavers arrived, they noticed an angry man shouting at them about “F***ing Republicans!” The man picked up the TEA Party signs that were set up near the sidewalk and started to walk away with them. Hodges, called after the man, repeatedly asking him, “Friend, please bring back those signs – they are private property,” but the man continued storming off. Finally, Hodges called out that he would summon police if the man did not return the signs. The man then turned around, marched up to Hodges still carrying the signs and yelled "I'm gonna kick your a**!!".

Hodges, a former Maui police officer, notified the man that pursuant to Hawaii law, Hodges was placing the man under citizen's arrest for the theft of the signs and the physical threat. The man grew angrier and threw the signs, which are made of heavy wood, at Hodges's feet, cutting Hodges’ right leg through his jeans. Hodges stood by with the man until police arrived, accepted Hodges' citizen's arrest, and took the man to the police station for processing. Police reports were generated against the man for theft in the fourth degree and assault in the third degree.

Grabbing the political high ground on a day union operatives had sought to shape debate as a choice between tax increases and cutbacks, Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle this morning announced her intention to propose a constitutional amendment which would transfer control of the State Department of Education from the existing Board of Education and make the DoE into a cabinet-level department headed by an appointed Superintendent.  Promisingly, her proposal was immediately endorsed by Rep Neil Abercrombie, the leading Democratic gubernatorial candidate.

Yesterday the United States Department of the Treasury Special Master of Compensation Kenneth Feinberg announced a wage control scheme for the 175 executives of the seven companies that have received the most funds from the taxpayer funded Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). At first the Obama administration denied any involvement in Feinberg’s decision....

Editor's Note: This is what happens when one accepts the framework artificially created by the DoE and HSTA. 

You have to read all the way to page A-25 in today’s New York Times to learn about it, but the Senate took its first floor vote on Obamacare yesterday and the White House lost. Big. The NYT reports: “Democrats lost a big test vote on health care legislation on Wednesday as the Senate blocked action on a bill to increase Medicare payments to doctors at a cost of $247 billion over 10 years. The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, needed 60 votes to proceed. He won only 47. And he could not blame Republicans. A dozen Democrats and one independent crossed party lines and voted with Republicans on the 53 to 47 roll call.”

The Department of Education has not had a comprehensive audit of their entire organization, management practices and personnel administration since 1973.  The DOE always complains about lack of funds and yet, because the DOE has not been audited, neither they nor the taxpayers know where the DOE's two billion dollar budget gets spent!

Having announced his Afghanistan strategy last March, President Obama now seems afraid to make a decision, and unable to provide his commander on the ground with the troops he needs to complete his mission....  It’s time for President Obama to make good on his promise. The White House must stop dithering while America’s armed forces are in danger.