This is the text of a speech I gave at the ACLU of Hawaiʻi’s 3rd Annual Community Iftar Dinner: Cultivating Peace and Refuge, on February 28, 2026.
A Word on Resistance
On the Murder of Charlie Kirk…
Let me start by saying this; I’m a pacifist. I don’t support war. I don’t support the death penalty. I don’t condone murder. There is no justice in any of it. There is no righteousness. It is not a solution to any problem.
Violence begets violence.
I will not, do not, condone the murder of Charlie Kirk. Nor do I mourn his passing.
The rhetoric he spewed was hateful. And it incited violence.
Let’s Finish The Work That Began 30 Years Ago
As we stand at the precipice of the 2024 General Election, we have clear choices on the Hawaiʻi ballot. Hopeful and inclusive visions on the one hand and a return to a darker, mean-spirited time on the other. I am confident in Hawaiʻi’s inclusive and forward-looking spirit. Particularly as it relates to moral battles like abortion access and same-sex marriage.
Testifying in Support of a Ceasefire in Gaza
Friday, March 8, 2024
SCR13 / SR6: Urging Members of Hawaii’s Congressional Delegation to Support the Ceasefire in Gaza Resolution Introduced by U.S. Congresswoman Cori Bush
Testifying in Support of a Ceasefire in Gaza
Aloha Chair Wakai, Vice Chair Elefante, and Members of the Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs Committee:
I am Jewish. And I acknowledge the goal of Hamas is the eradication of Jews and the Jewish State. But my Judaism will not and cannot excuse Israel’s vengeful over-reaction and retaliation against Hamas for their attack on October 7th.
3 Good Reasons to Ignore Denby Fawcett
Opinion Devoid of Evidence
It’s good that Civil Beat labeled as opinion Denby Fawcett’s 2/13 inaccuracy-ladened diatribe against cannabis legalization for responsible adult use. As it relates to the issue itself, I can count on one hand, with fingers to spare, the number of factually accurate statements that can be found in her piece, “3 Good Reasons Not to Legalize Marijuana.”
Rather than conducting a fact-based investigation of her own, she chose to rely on the talking points of self-admitted prohibitionists, however well-respected they may be.
For starters, she, like many confounded opponents, asks, “why now?” Why the big push this year? I might ask, “why not?” Yes, it cannot be denied that our state faces a myriad of serious and complex issues. Is there a time in recent memory when it didn’t?