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As it has for America's other indigenous peoples, I believe the United States must fulfill its responsibility to Native Hawaiians.

Hawaiians want change, and if the Democrats don't offer change, Hawaiians are going to vote for the Republican who offers change.

I remember saying to the chairman after serving the first year, 'Why are we doing this? Why don't the Hawaiians have control?' 'Well, we have no mechanism to do it,' I was told.

I go to an all-Hawaiian school, and we learn everything about being Hawaiian. We have a really deep respect for the water and the land. We say, 'mauka to makai,' mountains to ocean. I believe if you take care of the ocean, the ocean will take care of you in return.

We need Hawaii just as much and a good deal more than we did California. It is Manifest Destiny.

It saddens me to know that I jeopardized the welfare of the kind people of Hawaii, a community that I love and call my home.

I can't even speak Hawaiian, but if you go there and listen to a Hawaiian song, you get captured because it's so beautiful, like the melody is just gorgeous and you know Bob Marley is on the radio every single day. It's very reggae-influenced down there. Basically, you haven't been to paradise if you haven't been to Hawaii.

It's a blessing to be paid to be in paradise. The Hawaiian people are so friendly.

I can't speak for all Hawaiians, but the reality is that we depend on tourism. Locals might not want to go to the spots like Waikiki, but we do want tourists to experience more of the islands.

Good schools, good jobs, good government. These are not unreasonable demands. But sadly, some of our people have already lost heart and have left Hawaii to look for these things elsewhere.