June 2006 Home   Newsletters

August 2006

Winter 2006

President's Message: Convention Highlights
League Receives ABA Award
Hawaii Coalition Against Legalized Gambling (HCALG) (Grace Furukawa)
National Convention (Marianna Scheffer)
League Attends Special Drug Policy Forum Event (Suzanne Meisenzahl)
Whither Goes Our Republic? (Jean Aoki)
Sad News (Carol Whitesell)
Explanation Worth Considering (Valere McFarland)
Voter Owned Elections (Kory Payne)
On Voting and Not Voting (Carol Bain)
Other Voting Facts
BOE Election (Mary Anne Raywid)
Report of Convention 2006 Action (Sue Irvine)
Growing Movement for National Election of President (Jean Aoki)
Chapter Report - Kauai (Carol Bain)
Chapter Report - Honolulu (Piilani Kaopuiki)
Chapter Report - Hawaii (Marianna Scheffer)

League Receives ABA Award

In early August, the American Bar Association met in Honolulu. At one of its many sessions, it honored the League of Women Voters of the United States. Hawaii League President Sue Irvine was asked to accept the award on behalf of the national League. We thought Ka Leo readers would be interested in her acceptance speech:

"I would like to thank the ABA Coalition for Justice for honoring the League of Women Voters of the US with the Justice Burnham 'Hod' Greeley Award.

"I am delighted to accept the award on behalf of national President Mary Wilson who was unable to be here this evening. It is quite fitting that League accept this award here in Hawaii, as Hod worked with great enthusiasm on these issues with our state League until he flew away from Hawaii for the last time. (I said it this way as Hod had a massive stroke in the Denver airport having just left a meeting with League here.)

"For the last several years, throughout the country, League has worked to provide information about the judicial branch of government in order to promote a national understanding of the importance of an independent judiciary.

"At our Convention in June, League took a strong stand on the importance of the separation of powers and the checks and balances among the three branches of government. We made the protection of the checks and balances system a part of our 'Democracy Agenda,' a group of issues forming the League's top priorities for advocacy and education.

"Please be assured that the League will continue our aggressive work to educate the public about the importance of the judicial branch of government to our democracy and, in particular, its importance to the protection of our civil liberties."

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