Race, Unity and Disunity in Hawaii

1) There were rallies in Hawaii defending Kamehameha School's one-race admission policy.

Why can't everyone just learn to integrate already? This is the 21st Century!

2) Honolulu Advertiser had an article on Samoan and Micronesian ministers trying to get the kids to get along. There have been fights between Samoan and Micronesian kids, and the ministers are trying to stop that.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050806/NEWS01/508060328/1001

I think both groups have been impacted by the wider, dominant groups, or cultures, in Hawai'i," said the Rev. To'o'olefua Paogofie, who heads the Nu'u Ministry, a special ministry sponsored by the Hawai'i Conference, United Church of Christ.

"They are having difficulties readjusting and, out of that frustration, I think they've got to vent out their frustration," he said. "And sadly, they've taken it out on each other's immigrant groups."

Paogofie said he has seen tensions rise between Micronesian and Samoan youths during the past two to three years.

The rivalry came to a head last October with a fatal stabbing near Mayor Wright Homes. A 21-year-old half-Samoan man was stabbed to death during a fight between Samoans and Micronesians.

[skip paragraphs]

"There was apprehension and trepidation among the pastors whether this was going to work, but then they decided that it was their responsibility as community leaders to take this initiative and to bring these youth groups together, to find a point of reconciliation," Paogofie said.

Kamehameha School Ruling

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Kamehameha Schools admissions policy is illegal.

To be admitted to Kamehameha Schools, one must have some Native Hawaiian ancestry.

People already think that policy is a joke. Why?

Just check out the Kamehameha Schools yearbook (you can check it out at the main state library in downtown Honolulu, just go to the Hawaii-Pacific section and ask the reference desk)

You can find many students who look 100% Asian or 100% Caucasian. So it appears not many people take the Kamehameha admission policy seriously.

Plus, the state already has charter schools that emphasize Native Hawaiian culture but is open to students of all races.

When I was at UH-Manoa, I had friends and acquaintances who graduated from Kamehameha Schools. So I 'm not against the students there! I just don't think the admission policy was a good idea to begin with.

By the way, I don't like those one-gender schools either! My greatest times in adolesence including flirting with some girls in my class. Every teenager should have such similar opportunities.

So if I have children, I'd send them to a school that is multi-cultural and co-ed.

Forget one-ethnicity schools. Forget one-gender schools.

I was Right - Reverend Bill Graham was just joking!

On my 7/1/05 post on Reverend Billy Graham, I mentioned that some conservatives were upset that Graham said the following

"I told President Clinton that when he left office, he should be an evangelist because he has all the right gifts for it, and he should leave his wife to run the country."

I mentioned that I think Graham was just joking with Bill Clinton, not making an explicit endorsement for Hillary Clinton as President.

I was right!

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/7/1/101106.shtml

Rev. Billy Graham said Friday that he didn't intend to endorse Hillary Clinton for president when he told her husband at a massive New York City revival meeting last weekend that she should "run the country."

His son Franklin Graham, who heads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, tells the Charlotte Observer:"For a long time, my father has refrained from endorsing political candidates and he certainly did not intend for his comments to be an endorsement for Senator Hillary Clinton."

"My father, of course, was joking," the younger Graham said, when he hosted the Clintons onstage and told the crowd of 90,000. "They're a great couple... He should be an evangelist because he has all the gifts and he could leave his wife to run the country."

Although Billy Graham has called himself a Democrat, Franklin said that didn't mean he supported the former president, saying, "His political views, as well as mine, are quite different than the Clintons." The Clintons, however "remain good friends," he added.

London bombed

Yesterday, the subways of London was bombed. Total dead is not yet known.

There are several possible motives for the bombing.

1) To intimidate the G-8 summit taking place in Gerthshire, Scotland. The G-8 summit is the meeting with the leaders of the 8 wealthiest nations on Earth (USA, Great Britain, France, Japan, Canada, Germany, Italy, Russia). The G-8 summit was to discuss topics like Islamic terrorism, poverty in Africa, and environmental pollution.

2) It was only days earlier when it was announced that London was to host the Olympics in 2012. Other cities that were considered for hosting the 2012 Olympics included New York, Paris, Madrid and Moscow. It is possible that whatever city was announced to be a host for the Olympics was to be bombed. Meaning if Moscow won the hosting rights, it would've been bombed. If it was New York, we'd be hearing about another attack on NY.

So why attack the Olympics. The Olympics was supposed to be about bringing people together through athletic competition. Islamic terrorists don't like that. So they could've bombed London for the purpose of intimidation.

3) Al Quaida's retaliation for the USA and the UK for fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. But remember, the USA and the UK are the good guys in the War on Terror. So we shouldn't use the London bombing as an excuse to back down!

Remember all this stuff about the Guantanamo Bay prison. Some wanted it to be shut down. I say this bombing reminds us why we need Guantanamo Bay prison!

4th of July

As I'm typing this, it's less than a hour from the 4th of July. I wont have time to update the blog tomorrow so I'm writing it now.

While some use this day as an excuse to pop fireworks, I avoid doing so. But I will watch a fireworks show near Ala Moana Beach Park.

July 4th is the day the USA declared independence from Great Britain. It is the birth of a nation, that while flawed, is the symbol of worldly progress.

The Founding Fathers understood even then, that while things aren't perfect, there is room for improvement.

The Founding Fathers weren't consistent on the concept of freedom. Some were slave-owners. But their words on freedom is what inspired Martin Luther King to tell America to start being more consistent and practice what it preaches.

There have been tragedies of the USA. There was slavery of African Americans, genocide of Native Americans, Jim Crow, the military draft. That's the only part of US history the Radical Left wants to talk about. But US history is more than that.

US history is also about inventions. Stuff like telephones, light bulbs, cars, television and the computer were invented in the USA. Music like jazz, country, blues, rock n roll, and hip-hop is American.

US history is also social progress. An African American woman Condoleeza Rice is the Secretary of State. That means the US President (with the approval of Congress) trust her in dealing with foreign relations. A Mexican-American man (Alberto Gonzalez) is in charge of the federal law enforcement system. This is a sign that non-whites are getting into ranks of great power. This is progress.

USA is the destination of many immigrants. Mexicans aren't moving to Guatemala (no offense), they're moving to the US. People worldwide are waiting in long lines for visas to the US. Meanwhile, millions are saying "screw the lines, I'm coming illegally". It's proof that the USA lifestyle is attractive to millions worldwide.

Tobin Jones (remember him?) will continue to bitch about how bad things are in this nation! Tell him the great news and he'll act like all the bad news erase the good news. It doesn't.

But we can look back on the progress made, then continue on for more progress.

God Bless the USA!

Luther Vandross 1951-2005

The legendary R&B singer Luther Vandross has passed away

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/02/arts/music/02vandross.html?ei=5094&en=43b2b988cd9558b2&hp=&ex=1120363200&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print

When I was younger, I wasn't into his music. Back then, I was more into heavy metal, and gangsta rap.

As I matured, I have gotten more into the slower forms of music. I started to appreciate the songs by artists like Luther Vandross a lot more. Songs like "Dance with My Father", "Here and Now", and few other songs I can't list in my head at this moment.

So it is with great sadness that I hear about the death of Luther Vandross. My heart goes out to his family and friends at this difficult time.

Reverend Graham endorsing the Clintons?


Reverend Billy Graham, a famous evangelists, had what is possibly his last speech (he is aging and in ill health) in New York City.

At the speech was ex-Prez Bill Clinton and his wife (and possible Presidential candidate in 2008) Hillary Clinton.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45083

Dr. Graham said, "I told President Clinton that when he left office, he should be an evangelist because he has all the right gifts for it, and he should leave his wife to run the country."

The way I interpret that statement, Graham was probably joking with Bill Clinton. I mean people like to joke with each other by saying "you should be president" or "you should be a star".

In fact, at my job, one of the senior staff members joked to one my colleagues (who is still in college) that she should be in charge of the entire program next year. Everyone in the room know it was friendly joke.

Back to Graham, he noticed that Clinton has the gifts of speaking to audiences, so Graham joked to Clinton that he should be a preacher. Being that Hillary has political aspirations, he joked that she should be president.

Yet, Reverend Rob Schenck couldn't get the joke.

Now don't get me wrong, I didn't leave in a huff. I was more in a daze. I couldn't believe that I had just witnessed the Clintons manipulate their way to a quasi endorsement by the leading evangelical of the last half-century. It was shameless exploitation of a sacred platform by the most powerful, cunning and recklessly ambitious political duo in American history.

Nevermind that Graham had friendly relations with a lot of Presidents, both Democrat and Republican. He had invitations to the White House from Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, the Bushes and Clinton.

So I doubt Graham was making an explicit endorsement at his last speech in New York