As a registered voter of the second congressional district of the State of Hawaii, I was absolutely delighted to hear that Tulsi Gabbard has decided not to run for reelection.
Although I admire her military service, she has absolutely abandoned her responsibilities to her district to pursue her delusions of grandeur in seeking the highest office in the land. She stood about as much chance as a snowball in a lava flow. The downside is that we are stuck without representation until the next election at the end of the year.
Now we have Neil Abercrombie stepping in to call for her removal and to hold a special election. You remember Neil, the first governor since 1962 to not win reelection due to poor job performance and a bad attitude. Of course Neil wants to rush this process. He wants his boy, State Sen. Kai Kahele, to be able to run for this seat before any actual legitimate candidates step forward and get their campaigns up and running. This must not be allowed to happen.
Of the current candidates, one is an unknown. The other is a political neophyte in Sen. Kahele. Again, I respect his military service. Now I am pretty sure that every elected official in the State of Hawaii makes a pledge to uphold, defend, and protect the Constitution of the State of Hawaii.
Kai has made his devotion to, and support of, the group of protesters currently occupying the access road to Maunakea clearly known. This group is trying to destroy a project that has passed all the legal hurdles and will provide countless benefits to the people of the island and State of Hawaii as well as all of the people of planet Earth.
Members of this group are also trying to resuscitate the sovereignty movement, which seeks to try to overthrow the State of Hawaii and reestablish the Nation of Hawaii. So in other words, Kai Kahele supports lawlessness, supports anarchy, and supports a group that includes members that seek the overthrow of the State of Hawaii. Now he wants us to send him to Washington. Seriously?
The second congressional seat is one of the most important seats in the state government. The governor and our four Washington officials are vital to the state in bringing federal funding and emergency support. We can only hope and pray that someone, who is actually qualified for this important position, steps forward and that the political insiders don’t steal the process from the people.
Personally, as far as I am concerned, Kai is not the guy.
Doug Herkes is a resident of Waikoloa.