Ka`u News Briefs Saturday, Feb. 11, 1017

Big Island Video News and John Tarson of Epic Lava Tours are not only documenting this monster "lava fire hose" near a boat in the shadows, they report a new lava breakout upslope from the base of Pu`u O`o. See www.bigislandvideonews.com and epiclava.com

CONSULT THE STATE DEPARTMENT, JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, HOMELAND SECURITY: Sen. Mazie Hirono, a member of the U.S Senate Judiciary Committee, recommended this to Pres. Donald Trump yesterday during an interview on MSNBC.  Hirono, herself an attorney, called Trump's attempted ban on visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries an "unconstitutional executive order" and said, "so far President Trump has lost in the courts and I think the wise thing for him to do is to rescind the order because the order created chaos."
       When asked about the administration rewriting the ban to make it more in line with the U.S. Constitution, Hirono suggested that if "President Donald Trump wants to go down that path again, he really should involve the State Department, the Justice Department, the Homeland Security - these are all people who have something to say and something to bring to the table."
       The reporter asked her, "Would you support basically any version of this immigration travel ban if the administration would go back and revise it?" Hirono replied, "I look at any further steps by this administration really, really carefully because we know where they're coming from. It's basically a ban on Muslims and that is unconstitutional in my view - that is not what our country stands for.... if it singles out certain groups for discriminatory treatment, it will be challenged."

Judge Neil Gorsuch will be interviewed by Sen. Mazie Hirono next week for the position of U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Photo from Wikipedia

      Hirono also talked about Trump's national security official Michael Flynn's alleged discussions with Russian officials, including the Russian ambassador, before Trump took office. Hirono said, "I'm not comfortable with the relationship of this administration and some of the individuals in this administration - their relationship with Russia because we know that Russians tried to interfere with our presidential elections. There are a lot of concerns of what President Trump's relationship is with Russia. These are valid concerns. So frankly, I would hope that the President would listen to people like General (James) Mattis, who is now the Secretary of Defense, who brings a lot of mature experience on national security issues."
     Concerning the Trump administrations' connections with Russia, Hawai`i Sen. Brian Schatz tweeted yesterday, "It's weird that no one has been fired yet.," then quickly followed up, tweeting. "I stand corrected. There was Sally Yates," the Acting Attorney General whom Trump fired when she warned him on the unconstitutionality of the travel ban.
     Concerning the pending appointment of Trump's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch, Hirono said she "will be very focused on such issues as the woman's right to choose, civil rights, voting rights, the balance of how he views corporate interests versus individual rights." She said "Judge Gorsuch has written hundreds if not thousands of decisions. I'm reviewing some of the more important decisions to see where he comes from."
     About Gorsuch, whom she will meet next week, Hirono also said, "I have some pretty serious concerns - because I think President Trump said he wanted a Justice who would overturn Rowe v. Wade. This is not a President who likes to have people who have different opinions because he did fire the Acting Attorney General, for example, when she stood up to him on his executive order (travel ban)...."
    Hirono said she plans to question Gorsuch. "I am really concerned that Judge Gorsuch is really going to have the kind of perspectives that do not support individual rights, voting rights, civil rights - the issues that should concern the American people."

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KA`U'S REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS TULSI GABBARD, Bernie Sanders and Nina Turner are the only ones who could defeat Pres. Donald Trump in the 2020 election, according to H.A. Goodman of CounterPropa.com. The political writer, whose assessment was carried in the Huffington Post and other publications this week, writes that "President Trump's latest legal defeat prevents him from banning immigrants from seven Muslim majority nations. However, this is a political win for Trump. Many conservatives are already blaming the next attack on Democrats.

Goodman's widely published opinion piece calls Gabbard the "antithesis of Trump" and said she went to Syria and met with Assad "to find a solution to the bloodshed, not to promote Assad or Putin's view of the world." He contended that she "put her value system ahead of the Democratic Party." Photo by Abraham Williams

    "Media, and America's political establishment, can't seem to accept the fact that Trump will not be defeated by indignation and outrage. For every angry liberal, there's a happy conservative who likes Trump's executive orders or policy objectives. Whether or not they work is another story; loyalty is what Trump voters crave."
     "Trump's base of voters love him more than ever, because unlike Democratic politicians (who vote against affordable medicine like Senator Cory Booker), President Trump abides by the Republican Party's purest ideology. Trump wants a border wall, immigrant ban, and many other policies that might never become reality, but millions of people don't care; they voted for someone who isn't compromising 'pragmatism' for ideological purity.'"
     Goodman writes that Democrats "need the antithesis of Trump." He names Sanders, Turner and Gabbard as "the antithesis."
     Regarding Gabbard, Goodman writes, "Congresswoman Gabbard, for example, has already been attacked by The Daily Beast and Washington Post, so we know she’s a threat to the Democratic establishment. In terms of the world’s greatest threat, American regime change is linked to the estimated deaths of 500,000 people in Iraq. As for Obama sending soldiers to Syria and repeating Bush’s failed policies, Congresswoman Gabbard took matters into her own hands," writes Goodman, pointing out that she went to Syria, met with its president and released the following statement:
     “My visit to Syria has made it abundantly clear: Our counterproductive regime change war does not serve America’s interest, and it certainly isn’t in the interest of the Syrian people.
     “As I visited with people from across the country, and heard heartbreaking stories of how this war has devastated their lives, I was asked, ‘Why is the United States and its allies helping al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups try to take over Syria? Syria did not attack the United States. Al-Qaeda did.’ I had no answer.

Gabbard claims that America's involvement in regime change has led to such situations as the war in Syria. Photo by Abraham Williams

     “I return to Washington, DC with even greater resolve to end our illegal war to overthrow the Syrian government. I call upon Congress and the new Administration to answer the pleas of the Syrian people immediately and support the Stop Arming Terrorists Act. We must stop directly and indirectly supporting terrorists—directly by providing weapons, training and logistical support to rebel groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and ISIS; and indirectly through Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, and Turkey, who, in turn, support these terrorist groups. We must end our war to overthrow the Syrian government and focus our attention on defeating al-Qaeda and ISIS. 
     “From Iraq to Libya and now in Syria, the U.S. has waged wars of regime change, each resulting in unimaginable suffering, devastating loss of life, and the strengthening of groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS.
    “Originally, I had no intention of meeting with Assad, but when given the opportunity, I felt it was important to take it. I think we should be ready to meet with anyone if there’s a chance it can help bring about an end to this war, which is causing the Syrian people so much suffering.
     “The U.S. must stop supporting terrorists who are destroying Syria and her people. The U.S. and other countries fueling this war must stop immediately. We must allow the Syrian people to try to recover from this terrible war.”
       Goodman writes that "Tulsi Gabbard met with Assad to find a solution to the bloodshed, not to promote Assad or Putin’s view of the world. For centrist Democrats, they simply can’t understand why anyone would break with protocol, for the greater goal of peace. Tulsi Gabbard put her value system ahead of the Democratic Party, and for this reason, will be able to defeat Trump in 2020."

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‘Ōhi‘a Lehua, Sunday, Feb. 12, 9:30 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Participants learn about the vital role of ‘ōhi‘a lehua in native Hawaiian forests, the many forms of the ‘ōhi‘a tree and its flower on this free, easy, one-mile walk. nps.gov/havo