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The Pentagon acknowledges that patriotic "arrival ceremonies" for US war dead recovered from Vietnam, Korea and Second World War battlefields do not involve newly returned remains of the missing By Philip Sherwell, New York4:38PM BST 12 Oct 2013 The Pentagon has for years staged emotional but phony "arrivals ceremonies" for missing American war dead when tearful families and veterans were led to believe flag-draped cases on cargo planes contained the remains of service personnel returned home that day. The defence department has now acknowledged that the ceremonies did not involve newly-repatriated victims from foreign battlefields and that the planes involved...

My heart is just sick over this. The Pentagon just admitted that those heart-rending “arrival ceremonies” at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, wherein an honor guard carries off a cargo plane the flag-draped coffins supposedly containing the remains of soldiers killed in battle ARE ALL STAGED. The coffins are empty. Even the cargo planes are fake — they don’t fly. ~Eowyn (Just phony theater: An honor detail comprised of joint military members prepares to escort the remains of fallen servicemembers who died during World War II and the Vietnam War during an arrival ceremony April 26, 2013, hosted by...

The insurance exchange — a key component of President Barack Obama’s federal health care overhaul — hasn’t been able to sell any insurance in Hawaii because of problems with the software at the heart of the marketplace. Consumers can’t see plans, even though a variety of options from two insurers have been approved to be sold by the state’s insurance division. Hawaii’s health insurance marketplace is hoping to turn around a stalled start by providing plans and pricing to consumers by Oct. 15 — but there are no guarantees, its executive director said Wednesday. Coral Andrews, executive director of Hawaii...

Not a single resident of President Barack Obama's home state of Hawaii has signed up for Obamacare, reports CBS's D.C. affiliate. Hawaii officials say Obamacare's nationwide website failures have prevented the state's citizens from accessing even basic premium and healthcare plan information. Coral Andrews, executive director of the state's Obamacare "Health Connector" exchange, said she does not know when Hawaii will be able to relaunch its busted Obamacare exchange.

...........During an appearance on ABC’s Sunday program “This Week,” Boehner was asked what will happen if Obama maintains his position not to negotiate over raising the debt limit. “If he [Obama] continues to refuse to negotiate, the country is going to default?” a stunned George Stephanopoulos asked Boehner. “That’s the path we are on,” he replied. “I’m willing to sit down with the president, but his refusal to negotiate is putting our country at risk,” he added, reiterating it multiple times throughout the interview.......

Local organization finds way to allow visitors to experience memorial "It's sad. A lot of people are coming over and expressing their disappointment on not being able to view the memorial or walk on it," said Mike Carr, president and COO of the USS Missouri Memorial Association.

The Hawaii congressional delegation has called on Barack Obama to issue an executive order recognizing Native Hawaiians as an Indian tribe. This is an attempt to get around the 2000 Supreme Court ruling in Rice v. Cayetano that Hawaii's state-based law providing benefits and preferences to Native Hawaiians was unconstitutional.Four of the eight members of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission -- Peter Kirsanow, Abigail Thernstrom, Gail Heriot and Todd Gaziano have written a letter to the president urging him not to issue such an order (h/t Roger Clegg in National Review Online). It's an excellent letter, pointing out that Native...

<p>A Hawaii woman’s last name is a real mouthful, containing 36 letters and 19 syllables in all. And it’s so long that she couldn’t get a driver’s license with her correct name.</p> <p>The documents only have room for 35 characters, so Hawaii County instead issued her driver’s license and her state ID with the last letter of her name chopped off. And it omitted her first name.</p>

In a secret meeting on Tuesday morning, Senator Rand Paul (R., Ky.) hosted a bipartisan group of senators and House members in the Capitol’s basement. According to several participants, the lawmakers plotted ways to stop the use of U.S. military force in Syria. Since the diplomatic situation is fluid, there was no final consensus on how best to combat the administration, but potential legislative maneuvers, press appearances, and letters were discussed. Several undecided members asked questions. Aides say Paul planned the gathering over a week ago, and the list of attendees grew by the day. He is pleased, especially, by...

Gov. Neil Abercrombie on Monday called for a special legislative session to move forward on a bill that would legalize gay marriage. If lawmakers pass a bill, Hawaii would join 13 U.S. states and the District of Columbia in allowing gay marriage. The special session is scheduled to begin Oct. 28. The bill is the culmination of 20 years of discussion, Abercrombie told reporters during a news conference at the Hawaii Capitol. … Abercrombie acknowledged that some people will be against the bill because they disagree with the concept of gay marriage, but he said it includes provisions—including a religious...

A new analysis of federal health data shows that Medicaid paid for nearly half of all births in the United States in 2010, a rate that continues to increase. The federal health care program covered 48 percent of the 3.8 million births that year, jumping from 40 percent in 2008, say researchers from the George Washington University School of Public Health. In only two years, the government entitlement covered 90,000 more women giving birth, as states expand the federal-state health coverage plan. Medicaid coverage varied greatly state by state, ranging from a low of one-quarter of births in Hawaii to...

HONOLULU (AP) - Historians hope to solve one of the remaining mysteries of the Pearl Harbor attack and discover what happened to 29 Japanese airmen and four sailors missing in action. Most are believed to have been lost at sea around Hawaii and in Pearl Harbor. But four aircrew members may still lie buried in unmarked graves in Ewa Beach and in the hills above Aiea. "For a long time, we didn't even know the names (of the Japanese losses)," said Daniel Martinez, chief historian for the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument. "And I can be...

Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie, who once participated in a 1960s anti-Vietnam War rally where a U.S. soldier was hung in effigy, has dropped the ball on getting Veterans Administration mortgages in Hawaii. This is happening because water coming from catchment water systems was deemed non-potable by a state bureaucrat in 2011, and veterans whose homes have such a system or who want to buy a home with such a system cannot get VA loans. Abercrombie has had the power to change this since 2011 but has refused to do so.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has launched a review of whether it should take North Pacific humpback whales off the endangered species list. NOAA Fisheries is responding to a petition filed by a group of Hawaii fishermen saying the whale should no longer be classified as endangered because its population has steadily grown since the international community banned commercial whaling nearly 50 years ago. There are more than 21,000 humpback whales in the North Pacific, compared with about 1,400 in the mid-1960s.

there's no reason to believe the Honolulu's rail project will do anything to improve traffic congestion. In fact, it's likely to divert resources from more-affordable solutions. "The one thing about these projects [is that] they are very inviting politically," says former Hawaii Gov. Ben Cayetano. Along with Cliff Slater of Honolulutraffic.com and University of Hawaii's Roth, Cayetano has filed a federal lawsuit against the rail project that's held up construction. They claim the city misled the public about the total cost of the project and didn't deliver fully on a required review of alternative solutions to a rail line. Panos...

The state of Hawaii has a brilliant plan to rid itself of homeless tramps while saving millions. How will they achieve this? By deporting the homeless back to the continental U.S. The “return to home” program is set to launch this fiscal year — the state will purchase one-way plane tickets, and eventually even beds on cruise ships, to send homeless people back to their families in other regions of the country, reports MSN News.

Unwisely taking a page from the NHL All-Star Game, the National Football League announced today that it will further cheapen its annual Pro Bowl by scrapping the AFC vs. NFC format adapted in 1971. Players will be selected without regard to conference in voting by fans, coaches and players. Deion Sanders and Jerry Rice will serve as alumni team captains for the teams. The league is crediting (read: blaming) NFL Players Association president Domonique Foxworth for the idea. Players will be assigned to teams through the Pro Bowl Draft, in which two leading vote getters will join two NFL.com fantasy...

Hawaii is hoping to take the burden off its welfare system by saying aloha to its 17,000 homeless residents. The state will offer one-way tickets home to any eligible homeless person to anywhere in the continental United States. Hawaii has allotted $100,000 for a three year trial run of the so-called 'return-to-home' program, which could also even offer participants beds on cruise ships bound for their homes.

Hawaii is hoping to take the burden off its welfare system by saying aloha to its 17,000 homeless residents. The state will offer one-way tickets home to any eligible homeless person to anywhere in the continental United States. Hawaii has allotted $100,000 for a three year trial run of the so-called 'return-to-home' program, which could also even offer participants beds on cruise ships bound for their homes.

The Department of Emergency Management advises residents to follow the progress of Tropical Storm Flossie as it approaches Hawaii. The National Weather Service Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu advised the Department of Emergency Management this afternoon that on its present track Tropical Storm Flossie may bring strong winds and torrential rains and possible flooding early next week.  Tropical Storm Flossie is anticipated to cross the 140° longitude and into Hawaiian Waters around noon Saturday. Posted: Jul 26, 2013 4:41 PM HST Updated: Jul 26, 2013 4:41 PM HST

Six wall-sized original paintings that formerly hung in a World War II-era theater on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge arrived by ship in Honolulu on Wednesday.The murals will be on loan for at least four years to the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor, preserving and making them available for the general public to enjoy for the first time in their history.“Being a Navy veteran myself, I am excited they will be in a venue at Pearl Harbor that tells the story of World War II in the Pacific. Now, thousands of people will be able to enjoy the murals...

As George Zimmerman’s second-degree murder trial for the killing of Treyvon Martin crawls to a close in Florida, Hawaii is in the midst of its racially charged murder trial. Claims of self defense and the right to bear arms are central in both cases. Zimmerman, a 29-year-old Hispanic who headed the neighborhood watch patrol in his Sanford, Fla., community, maintains he shot and killed the 17-year-old Martin, who was black, in self-defense. Immediately after the shooting, Zimmerman was accused of targeting Martin because of his race, and Florida’s conceal-carry law came under intense scrutiny. In Hawaii, U.S. State Department Agent...

Honolulu -- An Hawaii Island minister in jail for three years on drug charges is treated more like a terrorist than a free-spirited minister whose religious beliefs include the cultivation and use of marijuana, some lawmakers and civil rights advocates say. The minister, Roger Christie, is being held in Honolulu's Federal Detention Center, without bail and, as of yet, without a trial. Roger, his wife, Share Christie, and 12 others -- the "Green 14" -- in 2010 were charged with the sale and possession of cannabis, but only Roger Christie has been held at the jail since July 8, 2010....

It’s the latest addition to its expanding international network and seventh Asian gateway destination. The departure of HA 807 followed gate side festivities that included Hawaiian music and hula, performance honoring the Taiwanese culture, traditional Hawaiian blessing, and presentation of lei to passengers boarding the inaugural flight. “The demand for service to Hawaii from the Taiwan market has been growing and we are delighted to respond to the strong interest by delivering our new non-stop service to and from Taipei,” Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Mark Dunkerley said. “The Hawaiian Islands are the ideal midpoint destination, perfectly situated to offer...

The Talk Shows June 23th, 2013 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Mike Lee, R-Utah; Gabriel Gomez, Republican nominee for Senate in Massachusetts.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; Reps. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., and Mike Rogers, R-Mich.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.THIS WEEK (ABC): Gen. Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Agency; Reps. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas; Mike Kelly, R-Pa.; and Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii.STATE OF THE UNION (CNN): Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky.,...

Honolulu (HawaiiNewsNow) - A military jury has found a Schofield Barracks officer guilty of illegally possessing and passing classified national defense information. Military prosecutors say Army Maj. Seivirak Inson, 43, attempted to hand over a number of military secrets to members connected to the Cambodian government between 2009 and 2012. Prosecutors say that Inson -- who is of Cambodian ancestry -- took classified U.S. intelligence reports about the Cambodian military and gave it to unauthorized personnel. The military jury on Friday evening sentenced Maj. Inson to 10 years in prison, forfeiture of pay and dismissal from the Army. The jury...

A state analysis of U.S. Census data released today shows Hawaii has by far the largest share of Asians and the smallest share of whites in any U.S. state's total population. The research division of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism said the data shows 56.9 percent of Hawaii's population identified as Asian, either alone or in combination with one or more races as of July 1 last year. That's by far the highest share of any state, with California ranked second at 15.8 percent. Despite a population of just under 1.4 million, Hawaii ranks fifth in the...

Waipahu, Hawaii –  A Hawaii real estate agent says Edward Snowden and his girlfriend moved out of their home in a quiet neighborhood near Honolulu on May 1, leaving nothing behind. . . . . . Snowden is a 29-year-old contractor who says he's the source behind reports about the U.S. government's secret surveillance programs. The Guardian newspaper reported Sunday that he was working in a National Security Agency office in Hawaii. He left for Hong Kong on May 20 and has remained there since. . . . . .

USGS map showing where the earthquake was located HILO, Hawaii – East Hawaii was shaken after 2 p.m. on Tuesday, after a 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck the Big Island. The United States Geological Survey later upgraded the quake to a magnitude 5.6, before being lowered back to a 5.3. The USGS centered the earthquake in the Pacific Ocean, 33 miles southeast of Pahala in the southern Ka’u district. Emergency officials say no tsunami was generated. The temblor was felt across Hawaii Island. The quake shook homes in Hilo for a few moments before settling down. The incident sent local users of social...

Earlier today, Mediaite brought you Time magazine’s exclusive photo of an adorkable 1979 prom foursome that included a 17 year-old Barack Obama. The photo was provided by Kelli Allman, prom date of the young future POTUS’ best friend, Greg Orme. Along with the prom photo, Allman gave Time a shot of the yearbook page that Obama inscribed, which raised this observer’s eyebrows, slightly, by suggesting “I hope we can keep in touch this summer, even though Greg will be gone.” I didn’t really look at the picture that closely, though, and only read the quote from the Mediaite post. Upon...

More than 30 years after he graduated high school, President Obama's senior prom pictures have emerged in public, featuring the president when he was 17 years old, clad in a white sport coat and a lei, posing for pictures with his friends. The photos, obtained by TIME, show Mr. Obama, then a student at Punahou School in Hawaii, hanging out with his date Megan Hughes, his friend Greg Orme, and Orme's date Kelli Allman (then McCormack), according to Allman, who provided the photos to TIME. "It was a really fun, happy time. We were all cracking up, and everyone was...

Posted by Jim Hoft on Sunday, May 19, 2013, 2:50 PM The hits keep coming… Two independent IRS offices targeted Hawaii conservative leader Dylan Nonaka last year at the same time. hawaii gop Dylan Nonaka is former executive director of the Hawaii GOP The Daily Caller reported, via FOX Nation: In what former Republican executive and activist Dylan Nonaka is calling a massive invasion of privacy that suggests a coordinated effort to target conservative groups, two IRS offices last year independently and simultaneously conducted costly audits and sought tea party-related training materials that they apparently believed could be tied to...

Honolulu - Police in Hawaii are looking for a Mt. Hood Community College student who went missing in Waikiki Thursday. Ivanice "Ivy" Harris, 29, traveled to Hawaii for her birthday with a group of friends including her boyfriend of eight years. She is a graduate of Jefferson High School. "We talk every single day and I hadn't heard from her, and I sent her a text. I didn't hear back but that's when I got a text from her boyfriend. She was ready to do Hawaii for her birthday today," her mother Patricia Harris told KGW Saturday Harris was last...

Japan Maritime Self Defense Force warships JS Atago, foreground, and JS Shimokita, at Pearl Harbor naval base, Hawaii. The superstructure of a third Japanese warship, the helicopter carrier JS Hyuga, can be seen at right. On the deck of Shimokita are ground vehicles and helicopters – shrink-wrapped to protect against salt air -- that will take part in major amphibious warfare training in southern California.Warships from Japan’s Maritime Self Defense Force have making stops at the American naval base at Pearl Harbor for more than two decades. But it’s going to seem strange, indeed, when Japanese ground troops clamor aboard...

In the last few weeks, numerous Hawaii healthcare industry leaders have stepped forward to create deniability for themselves in the upcoming Hawaii Health Connector/Health Exchange disaster. Those who are implementing Obamacare in Hawaii are now putting themselves on the record explaining that Obamacare will mean higher insurance premiums, fewer doctors and nurses, and shuttered hospitals. Here are their statements, accumulated in one place so that it can be clearly seen that many of those who are in charge are predicting failure: HMSA Chief Predicts Obamacare 'Rate Shock' for Hawaii Maui News May 9, 2013: If Hawaii consumers think health care...

Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have broken through a symbolic mark. Daily measurements of CO2 at a US government agency lab on Hawaii have topped 400 parts per million for the first time. The station, which sits on the Mauna Loa volcano, feeds its numbers into a continuous record of the concentration of the gas stretching back to 1958. The last time CO2 was regularly above 400ppm was three to five million years ago - before modern humans existed. Scientists say the climate back then was also considerably warmer than it is today. Carbon dioxide is regarded as the...

I cannot sit silently after reading “Census Calling on Kaua`i” (April 29, 2013). The article is counter to my personal experience and I feel compelled to share my experience with you. In the article the statements made by Mr. Gene Henry of the American Community Survey are counter to fact. This is not a letter representing one party or another. It is not an attempt to sway you to opt out of the American Community Survey. It is simply a recitation of fact. In 2010 my wife and I received a letter demanding that we participate in the ACS. The...

HONOLULU (AP) -- A group of Hawaii fishermen is asking the federal government to remove northern Pacific humpback whales from the endangered species list, saying the population has steadily grown since the international community banned commercial whaling nearly 50 years ago. Hawaii Fishermen's Alliance for Conservation and Tradition Inc., a coalition of fishing clubs and groups from across the islands, filed a petition to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last month. There are more than 21,000 humpback whales in the North Pacific today, compared with about 1,400 in the mid-1960s. (snip) The fishermen say they don't want whaling to...

Weird. I just received a phoned in threat from a "hacker group" in Hawaii. Missed the name and he wouldn't repeat it for me, but he says, "If FR does not immediately start moderating our forum and quit our racist attacks on Hawaiians and their flag, they are going to shut us down." Have no idea what this is all about but I politely informed the little punk that he could KMA!! Also used some salty language and for that I ask the Lord's forgiveness.

The Hawaii Democratic Party has a long history of primaries split along racial lines, with contests often coming down to an Asian-American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander candidate and a white one, referred to as ”haole” in Hawaiian. And if it wasn’t Hanabusa challenging Schatz, it was likely to be another Asian-American Democrat, because Asian candidates often win in a state that is just 26 percent white. Over the last 20 years, there have been 10 major Democratic races that pitted a white candidate against an Asian-American one, including four out of six Honolulu mayor’s races and three out of...

A newly released memo revealed that President Roosevelt was warned that Tokyo was focused on Hawaii days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Washington Whispers reported: Three days before the Dec. 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt was warned in a memo from naval intelligence that Tokyo’s military and spy network was focused on Hawaii, a new and eerie reminder of FDR’s failure to act on a basket load of tips that war was near. In the newly revealed 20-page memo from FDR’s declassified FBI file, the Office of Naval Intelligence on December 4 warned, “In anticipation...

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs announced Thursday the launch of a website designed to bring new attention and a strong voice to critically important issues. More than a year in the making, Kamakakoi.com was introduced by OHA's top leadership as a bold, new platform designed for key audiences to get informed, take action and spread the word on policy issues that are front and center in the Native Hawaiian community. The new website features videos and articles that give a voice to community leaders, who are outspoken about such issues as waters rights, the loss of ancient burial sites to...

Judge Rules In Favor of Lesbians Suing Hawaii B&B By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER HONOLULU (AP) — A judge has ruled a Hawaii bed and breakfast violated the law when two women were denied a room because they're gay. The Hawaii First Circuit Court judge ruled in favor of a Southern California couple who sued Aloha Bed & Breakfast for discrimination in 2011, Lambda Legal announced Monday. In 2007, Diane Cervelli and Taeko Bufford tried to book a room at the bed and breakfast because it's in Hawaii Kai, the same east Honolulu neighborhood where the friend they were visiting lived....

Witness Cesar Pena [Pic] A woman suspected of holding a knife to her 3-year old daughter’s throat was in court Friday, listening as her husband described what happened. Cesar Pena told the court his wife Stephanie discovered that he was planning to take a trip. She got upset and grabbed their daughter, holding a knife to her throat, and demanding he change his travel plans.

The massive Thirty Meter Telescope will be able to image objects 13 billion light years away, near the beginning of time. Set atop Mauna Kea, the Thirty Meter Telescope will be able to observe planets outside our solar system. (Credit: Courtesy TMT Observatory Corporation) If you love eye-popping images of space, here's welcome news: the Hawaiian Board of Land and Natural Resources has backed building what's to be the world's largest, most powerful optical telescope above the clouds atop the volcano Mauna Kea. The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) will have a primary mirror of 492 segments measuring some 100 feet...

The Hawaii Health Connector announced today that it has received a $128 million Level 2 multi-year grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services.This award makes the Connector fully-funded through December 2014. This particular award will fund the customer service call center, consumer assistance program and general maintenance and operations of the Connector through December 2014.“This federal grant will help to inform the people of Hawaii about the Hawaii Health Connector and how it will provide greater access to health care coverage,” Gov. Neil Abercrombie said in a media announcement.“The Connector continues to be an important part of...

The United States and Japan on Friday announced plans for basing troops in Okinawa that will result in Marines from there being moved to Hawaii and Guam. ... “Under the plan, the United States will consolidate our forces over time and reduce our impact on the most populated parts of Okinawa,” U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in a statement. “Together, our plan calls for the immediate return — upon the completion of certain necessary procedures — of certain facilities and areas on Okinawa.

Wailuku, Maui (HawaiiNewsNow) - A 58-year-old man visiting from Marina Del Rey, California was bitten by a shark Tuesday morning, in waters fronting 110 Ka'anapali Shores Place, officials say. The incident was reported at around 8:30 a.m. Surfers were evacuated from the water and the beach is closed for a mile in both directions from the area where the shark bite took place. Maui officials say the victim suffered two deep lacerations on the right thigh, above the knee. Video

Honolulu (HawaiiNewsNow) - A new civil lawsuit accuses a former Damien Memorial School chaplain of sexually assaulting two former students in the early 1980's. Father Gerald Funcheon worked at the school from 1982 to 1984. He is accused of molesting the alleged victims, identified as John Roe No. 9 and John Roe No. 10, multiple times. The plaintiffs' lawyers are also representing another former student, Kory Oakland, who filed a sex abuse lawsuit last year. The attorneys released excerpts of Funcheon's testimony filmed under oath in September 2012 for that case. Attorney Jeff Anderson asked him about reports that there may...

A reporter from Colorado asked White House spokesman Jay Carney how President Obama justifies "lavish vacations" and golf trips, and whether he plans to cut back:(NB: video at link)Bringing up high unemployment in minority communities and government furloughs, the reporter started, as well as "millions of Americans unemployed, and family budgets that have been cut. How does the president justify lavish vacations and a golf trip to Florida at taxpayer expense? And does he plan to cut back on his travels?"Carney responded, "I can tell you that this president is focused every day on policies that create economic growth and...