A L O H A !
Article Six
of the U.S. Constitution
includes the guideline,
"no religious test
shall ever be required
as a qualification
to any office or public trust
under the United States."
In 2006, a Muslim, Keith Ellison, D-Mich.,
and two Buddhists, Johnson, D-Ga.,
and Hirono from Hawaii,
were elected to the US House.
Mazie Hirono,
my former Leutenant Governor,
and fellow University of Hawaii grad,
has now been elected
to be MY next US senator!
She will be the Senate’s first
Japanese-born Asian-American,
as well as the first Buddhist
to hold that position.
courtesy: MauiFeed
Born in Fukushima Japan,
the 65-year-old Hirono moved
with her mother
here to Hawaii
as a shy eight-year-
old speaking no English.
Mother was escaping
an abusive marriage;
Her snug little barber shop,
where Mazie did homework,
was a fixture for many years
here in our Honolulu.
Mazie attained US citizenship
in 1959,
the very year our Hawaii
became a U.S. state.
31-year-old
female Iraq War vet
Tulsi Gabbard
will succeed Hirono in Congress,
as one of 2 (see below)
"first female combat vets"
to serve as US Representatives.
Tulsi will also be
the first Hindu
in our Congress as well,
likely to take her oath
over the sacred Hindu text
the Bhagavad Gita.
Born in American Samoa
to a Catholic father
and a Hindu mother,
Tulsi was brought to Hawaii
at two years of age.
In 2002, at age 21,
she was elected
to the Hawaii state legislature.
The next year,
The next year,
she joined the Hawaii National Guard,
and in 2004 was voluntarily
deployed to Baghdad
as a medical operations specialist.
After completing officers’ training
she deployed to Kuwait in 2008
where she trained counter-terrorism units.
Tulsi was the first woman
in the history of the
Accelerated Officer Candidate
School
at the Alabama Military Academy
to be designated a
‘distinguished
honor graduate’
!
Her name 'Tulsi'
refers to a tree sacred to Hindus,
and a healing herb.
Embracing her mother's Hinduism
as a teenager, Tulsi is a devotee
of the Vaishnava branch
[ believing in the Supreme Lord Vishnu,
and his 10 primary incarnations.]
"Her primary scripture is the
Bhagavad Gita,
whose themes include
selfless action,
spirituality, war,
and serving God
and humanity. "
Our new Congressional
representative
hopes her faith will help
to encourage stronger ties
with India.
'It is clear
that there needs to be
a closer working relationship
between the United States
and India.
How can we have
a close
relationship
if decision-makers in Washington
know very little, if
anything,
about the religious beliefs,
values, and practices
of India's
800 million Hindus?'
Ms Gabbard quoted by: Religion News
Service.
TULSI GABBARD'S FAVOURITE VERSES FROM THE BHAVAGAD GITA:
'That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul.' (2:17)
The soul can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor can he be burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.'(2.23).
Gabbard said her faith
helped her through military service in Iraq,
where there were daily reminders
that she could be killed any time,
according to the Huffington Post.
Newly elected US Representative
Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois)
was nominated by President Barack Obama
to serve as
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Assistant Secretary and
confirmed by the Senate
on April 22,
2009.
Interestingly, she was sworn in
by ANOTHER Hawaii guy,
and favorite son:
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs,
Eric Shinsek.
A decorated and disabled
combat helicopter pilot
and veteran,
Tammy is biracial, trilingual.
She is also a Hawaii gal,
graduating from McKinley High
a mile away from where I write this
in Honolulu!
For a tiny group of islands,
once an independent kingdom
that joined the USA
under troubling circumstance,
Hawaii has contributed
much to our nation!
Did you know
that our President Barack Obama
was born here in Honolulu,
went to Punahou School here,
buried his family members here,
and brings the First Family
'home' to this island
every Christmas?
His re-election
has made me SO proud
of our country!
God Bless America,
all our friends
ALL
around the world;
Especially, Y O U!
How does this
make YOU feel?
Share in comments.
Warmly, cloudia
