Lucas --
Jeff Sessions, the attorney general of the United States, appears to need
a reminder: Hawaii was granted statehood in 1959.
I'm happy to tell him where I was when Hawaii became a state. I was
in sixth grade at Koko Head Elementary School in Honolulu, and was chosen
to pin the 50th star on the American flag in front of my teachers and
classmates at a special assembly to celebrate statehood.
And like my fellow citizens in Hawaii, I am a proud American.
But when Sessions was discussing Donald Trump's executive order that
banned travelers from several Muslim-majority countries -- an order blocked
by Hawaii judge Derrick Watson -- Sessions told an interviewer:
"I really am amazed that a judge sitting on an island in the Pacific
can issue an order that stops the President of the United States"
I expect the top law enforcement officer to remember Hawaii residents are
Americans, and to understand the independent role of the judiciary.
Will you join me in denouncing Jeff Sessions’ biased and prejudiced
attack on our independent judiciary, a Hawaii judge, and in effect, Hawaii's
history, culture, and values? Add your name >>
In spite of the Justice Department's attempt to walk back the attorney
general's comments, his words reflect this administration's discriminatory
attitude. In Trump and Sessions' vision of America, diversity is a
weakness, not a strength. Hawaii is a living reminder that they are dead wrong.
While outrageous comments from the President and members of his administration
are all too common, I expect the Attorney General to remember that all
federal judges are confirmed by the US Senate.
And Judge Watson was indeed unanimously confirmed by the Senate --
including by Sessions, then a senator.
As a senator representing Hawaii, a state that stands for diversity and
inclusion, I am determined to fight this administration's prejudicial
words and actions. We must stand up for our independent judiciary and
the important role it plays in defending our democracy.
The Trump Administration's outrageous rhetoric cannot be the accepted
norm. When this administration resorts to alternative facts or makes comments
that compound division in our country rather than bring us together, we
must challenge it.
Add your name to denounce Sessions’ unacceptable and prejudicial rhetoric:
http://dscc.org/denounce-sessions
There are fights worth fighting. This is one of them.
Thank you,
Senator Mazie Hirono