This afternoon, the view from my home was filled with contrasts. The clouds, rain, mist and fog, created a wall of white obscuring the view of the mountains. Looking toward the setting sun, the skies were clear, the sun bright. It was a picture worth capturing, but there are some images that should not be captured but rather emblazoned into memory, to fade with age, and perhaps forgotten. Somehow, it seemed to echo the future of Hawaiʻi with the death of our senior senator, Daniel K. Inouye, a man who served in Congress for as long as Hawaiʻi was a state.
He was a true hero. His actions in World War II and thereafter, were statements against discrimination. The path that he and the rest of the fighting Nisei took was to prove people wrong by never giving up, by doing the dirty work that was set before them in such spectacular fashion that nobody could question their honor— and they would never have to feel shame or disgrace at their actions.
His actions in the halls of Congress has been equally important, fighting for what is right for Hawaiʻi and the nation, blurring the lines between the right and the left, Democrat and Republican.
In the grand scheme of things, he has shaped the modern political face of Hawaiʻi in ways that no one will truly be able to fathom. I think the only political figures in the history of Hawaiʻi with comparable or greater legacies are Kamehameha and Prince Kūhiō.
The effects of his loss will not be isolated to Hawaiʻi. Congress has become increasingly partisan with uncompromising stances being taken that can only lead in the long-term to untenable situations. A good example is what we face today, a budgetary impasse with ramifications that will be felt in the world economy. At a time like this, we need to have examples like Senator Inouye to shine the light, hold the line, and move forward, despite the odds. In Italy, with one arm taken out by a grenade, he continued to fight to protect his fellow Americans even when they’re very Americanism was questioned. Our leaders have lost their way and are too embroiled in ideology that has become more akin to theology.
The man that we lost today was a true statesman. We need more men and women like Dan Inouye, not less but the fire that created such remarkable individuals is a fire that seems to have disappeared. The fire that tempers and molds are leaders seems to burn less bright, less intense and as a result, our leaders are much diminished.
The world has lost a great man. A Hawaiian. A patriot. A statesman.
