Abercrombie to Lingle: don't disparage Obama's Hawaii ties

KHNL Hawaii ^

[Chet 99]

HONOLULU (KHNL) - Congressman Neil Abercrombie lashed out at Governor Linda Lingle Friday, after statements she made recently on the mainland.

While campaigning in Colorado and Nevada for Republican presidential candidate John McCain and running mate Governor Sarah Palin, Abercrombie says Lingle questioned Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's Hawaii ties.

Born and raised in Hawaii, and a graduate of Punahou School, Barack Obama has always cherished, and embraced his connection to the islands.

But this past week on the mainland, Lingle told reporters Obama has never voted in Hawaii, nor has he owned a business here.

"Senator Obama likes to say he's from Hawaii. But, the truth is, I've never met him in my life. He's never called me on the phone. Ninety-five percent of the people in my state had never heard of him before he ran for president" said Lingle.

"To have the governor of the state of Hawaii disparaging someone who is after all born and raised in Hawaii and has carried on a campaign at this high level is a very, very sad day" said Abercrombie.

A spokesman for Lingle, who returned to Honolulu Friday morning, says the comments were taken out of context, and were in no way meant to disparage Senator Obama, or his family members who still live here.

Abercrombie disagrees, saying the comments appear to mirror the negative tone set by Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

"When Hawaii is in your heart as well as in your mind then wherever you go Hawaii is always with you, everybody, everybody who has ever left Hawaii for whatever reason always carries Hawaii with them".

Abercrombie also says Lingle missed a perfect opportunity to promote Hawaii around the world.

"People love Hawaii and the idea of Hawaii and what it means. It's a rare and beautiful thing, and to knock it down in the process of trying to knock someone else down is a very sad approach"

A spokesman for Lingle says Lingle was only responding to a reporter's question about an Obama statement, where he indicated he understood western issues because he's from a western state.

[Boiling Pots]

Democrats give me the creeps.

How does this vagabond win elections?

[BIGLOOK]

Abercrombie was an assistant prof of Poli Sci at the time I'd met him. Never took his course though; I met him at Hannah Banana's and the Kuhio Grill during Friday nights after school blowing off steam and trying to pick up chicks. Lots of profs would join in and the company was congenial and argumentative.

Abercrombie was a regular fixture on Fridays and among the students were a lot of returning vets, getting a start on the G.I. Bill. Good Old Hippie Neil was particularly offensive towards the vets. And if they'd served in VN, he was venomous.

Our intellect was challenged, our sensibilities disparaged and our conduct and efforts were assaulted. It was his game.

I took a Political Science course as a matter of core requirements then, never really understood it well but my instructor told me 'Never mind .....it's a process'. He had us read C. Wright Mills, Ayn Rand and George Orwell as well as a few other texts. I have no idea what Abercrombie's reading list was.....but I saw it's results in his behavior.

[BIGLOOK]

That's conspiratorial. She's an old lady and if Andy Martin is trying to make contact with her, I find his efforts as low as Obama's efforts to silence her.

It's called politics.....if you get my drift.

[John Valentine]

When I knew him he was an undergraduate. And the Friday night venue was Charlie’s Tavern on Beretania Street. Charlie’s is long gone now, maybe it was gone by the time you were at UH. I’m not familiar with Hannah Banana’s, and times do change.

But leftist bile never seems to.

[BIGLOOK]

I think Charlie’s became Hannah Banana’s . Directly across the street was Islander’s stadium, right?

[John Valentine]

Right across the street from Charlies was a small park whre King and Beretania cam together just west of University Avenue. There was a market across and to the right from Charlie’s, as I remember, it was a Star Market.

One night in the early 1960’s when we were at Charlie’s, there was a terrible armed robbery at this Star Market complete with hostages, a failed police assault, a sniper taking out a bad guy holding a hostage and major loss of life all around, police, hostages and perps.

The robbers were bragging about their plans in some bar in Kakaako, and when they left the bar to commit the crime, the cops were called. The police arrived at Star Market right in the middle of the robbery in progress, and things went downhill from there. The robbery was foiled, but at considerable human cost.

[BIGLOOK]

OK....I remember the place of the Star market on McCully. Shopped there. King and Beretania came together in Moilili and the Islander’s stadium was in the park you remember. Attended school in ‘72 so I don’t have any recollection of the robbery.

[John Valentine]

No, the stadium you recall was down the street a ways. I uesed to go to high school football games there. It’s long gone now.

And the Star Market I’m talking about was not on MCully, but who knows, maybe there was one there too. The Star market I am talking about was right across from the where Hausten Street meets King Street. I used to live on Hausten Street for a time in 1969. And the Star Market was still there a year ago as I bought some gardening supplies in the nursery section.

[BIGLOOK]

I was last in Honolulu in '76. Lived over in Kailua for a couple years before moving to Hilo. Been back a few times and while I could get around as we all can since landmarks never change that quickly, businesses and watering holes do.
I did shop at the Star market....since it was in the area close to where I lived. I do remember that the Islander's were shut down not that long after I graduated and that was a loss. We used to go to night games and actually they were pretty good. It was a relief from studies and just plain old small kid time.