Senator Daniel Akaka has stood up for the hard questions over the years (Coconut Wireless, Sept. 7, 2006). Peace for one thing—not committing our troops without real verifiable information. I have disagreements with the Senator on some issues like ANWR [the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge]—that’s the nature of things. He is a true Hawaiian, and has a real and proven commitment to the people of Hawai`i and as such, has my vote.
My mailbox has been swamped by a flood of ads for Ed Case that were bought and paid for by the Realtors Political Action Committee, Washington, D.C. Seems Case has the power to leap tall buildings in a single bound and will save Hawai`i from everything. And, get this—now he’s claiming he is fourth generation Hawaiian. Slick. Very slick. Until you stop for a moment and ask—why do all these well-financed outsiders want Case elected? This PAC money isn’t from around here, folks.
Powerful interests want a friendly face in Washington. Case has shown he is very friendly to large corporate interests, to President Bush, to the agenda of the invasion of Iraq—Patriot Act II, repeal of the ultra rich people’s estate tax, privatization of Social Security. The list is endless.
Can you be fooled by this campaign? Ed Case and his big money backers sure hope so. Just send the simple people of Hawai`i enough slick ads, and they will line up at the polls. What arrogance.
-Sean Lester, Haiku
Ed Case is backed by a million-dollar campaign from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and some members of the Hawaiian Association of Realtors. I am a member of the Hawai`i Association of Realtors and am voting for Senator Akaka. Why? Because I’ve been to his “talk story” events, heard his reasons for backing the war in Iraq, Patriot Act II and I don’t like it. I see the underlying truth that is so glaringly evident in Case’s voting record and his propensity to back the Bush agenda.
Ed Case is benefiting from millions of mainland dollars targeting Hawai`i. Those donors want to assure that the U.S. Senate stays sympathetic to the Bush Administration. Democratic control might raise the impeachment question. And the NAR has been doing an almost weekly mail campaign for Case because he supports repeal of the estate tax, favors reduction of capital gains taxes and he supports reforms to the Bankruptcy Code. I wonder: if Hawai`i were a Republican state, wouldn’t Mr. Case would be one of them?
Take time to look at Senator Akaka’s 30 years of work for the people of Hawai`i, our veterans, education needs and special health needs. Recently he opposed the war in Iraq and even now advocates diplomatic efforts to defuse the situation with Iran. Mr. Akaka has deep values and votes his conscience. Different styles of men, different styles of governing.
The choice is clear—if you like where we are going after six years of Bush, vote Ed Case. If you want a man of principle who reflects this in his life and voting record, vote for Senator Akaka.
-Andre Teuben, Haiku
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