2aHawaii
General Topics => Legal and Activism => Topic started by: Funtimes on October 25, 2010, 07:08:25 PM
-
We received a response at Hawaii Concealed Carry today from Duke Aiona. Posted on the front page @ www.hawaiiccw.com (http://www.hawaiiccw.com)
Aloha Chris,
Mahalo for your message. As a former State judge, Duke Aiona understands the Second Amendment, which allows for the ownership of firearms and he has sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution.
To learn more about Duke and Lynn’s stance on a number of issues, we encourage you to visit their website at:
http://aionafinnegan.com/realsolutions (http://aionafinnegan.com/realsolutions)
Mahalo and warm aloha,
Team Aiona-Finnegan
It's not what I wanted, and it's super dodgy. Not sure they got it.
-
Sounds like your standard "I'm running for office and I don't want to piss anyone off" dealy.
-
I've heard Aiona is luke warm on the issue. Better than Ambercrumby tho. :P
-
That's a shame. I figured they'd give a better response than that.
-
Seems like your typical response, they teeter toter on the edge, so their reasoning for their actions can go either way.
Though compared to his competition (Abercrombie) it's better then nothing I guess.
-
This is from pastordennis who PM'd me by accident :D and asked me to repost it here.
To whom it may concern,
when duke was first thinking of running I personally asked him questions on the 2nd amendment. Duke does NOT support concealed carry but does support the 2nd amendment strongly. As for Lynn>>>> she is for concealed carry here but we couldnt discuss it in detail because of time restraints. Lynn is a fierce constitutional type person. She personally didnt think she would carry but would not object we the people from doing so is what I gathered from our conversation. Hang in there guys. If we elect different people in office, our chance of carrying is very good. My senior Pastor thinks Im nuts. Calls me a non-conformist, whatever the heck that is. I believe we can be people of God AND carry a gun at the same time. Not one or the other. Amen to that !!!!!!
Keep the faith,
Pastor Dennis
-
That's good to hear about Lynn. I just mailed my ballot in today.
-
I think Lynn will be good for our state! We need more strong Constitutional conservatives in office if we ever wish to get our rights to self protection restored.
-
Finnegan is indeed for concealed carry...Duke is not in favor, at this time, but is willing to listen to us and I believe, is open to changing his mind. That willingness to change is, again, in my assessment, a real openness and not just a political ploy....either way, a much better choice than Abercrombie!
-
This is from pastordennis who PM'd me by accident :D and asked me to repost it here.
To whom it may concern,
when duke was first thinking of running I personally asked him questions on the 2nd amendment. Duke does NOT support concealed carry but does support the 2nd amendment strongly. As for Lynn>>>> she is for concealed carry here but we couldnt discuss it in detail because of time restraints. Lynn is a fierce constitutional type person. She personally didnt think she would carry but would not object we the people from doing so is what I gathered from our conversation. Hang in there guys. If we elect different people in office, our chance of carrying is very good. My senior Pastor thinks Im nuts. Calls me a non-conformist, whatever the heck that is. I believe we can be people of God AND carry a gun at the same time. Not one or the other. Amen to that !!!!!!
Keep the faith,
Pastor Dennis
Sorry, but I've never understood this stance. "the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Seems pretty dang straight-forward to me, and for those who were confused, the Supreme Court even clarified it through Heller and McDonald. How can anyone claim to support the 2nd Amendment yet not support some version of carry?
Edit to add: I contacted the Aiona/Finnegan staff with this question and asked about it on their Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Duke-Aiona-for-Governor-2010/55664856526?v=wall (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Duke-Aiona-for-Governor-2010/55664856526?v=wall)). I doubt I'll get a response in such a public forum, but it's worth a shot.
- Alex
-
We received a response at Hawaii Concealed Carry today from Duke Aiona. Posted on the front page @ www.hawaiiccw.com (http://www.hawaiiccw.com)
Aloha Chris,
Mahalo for your message. As a former State judge, Duke Aiona understands the Second Amendment, which allows for the ownership of firearms and he has sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution.
To learn more about Duke and Lynn’s stance on a number of issues, we encourage you to visit their website at:http://aionafinnegan.com/realsolutions (http://aionafinnegan.com/realsolutions)
Mahalo and warm aloha,Team Aiona-Finnegan It's not what I wanted, and it's super dodgy. Not sure they got it.
You know, it's funny...I just read the link provided to Chris from the Aiona/Finnegan campaign and there is NOTHING in there discussing 2A issues. Not that I'm at all surprised, it's not exactly a hot-ticket item to the mainstream voter; however I still find it funny that they pointed him towards that link after giving such a vague, politically correct, BS answer.
Maybe I'll run as a last-minute write-in candidate...sheesh! :(
- Alex
-
They probably didn't include in their "agenda" since it's not a politically hot topic here like you mentioned. Though I'm sure if we lived in say Florida, Texas, etc. the politicians there will put it at the top of their agenda.
-
They probably didn't include in their "agenda" since it's not a politically hot topic here like you mentioned. Though I'm sure if we lived in say Florida, Texas, etc. the politicians there will put it at the top of their agenda.
It used to be a big topic in Texas. I don't hear my relatives (all pro 2a and carriers) complaining about the candidates or worrying about loss or infrigement of thier rights. I mainly hear them bitching about big government "the Prez" and how screwed we will all be on upcoming taxes.
-
Two updates:
1) I pushed a bit harder on Aiona's FB page to try to get a public response from Duke on the issue of 2A rights. I'm not holding my breath on that one...It sure would be interesting if a few others would chime in as well... :thumbsup:
2) In response to my email, I received a similar cookie-cutter response to the one posted in the OP.
Aloha Alex,
Mahalo for your message. As a former State judge, Duke Aiona understands the Second Amendment, which allows for the ownership of firearms and he has sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution. He is also open to further discussions regarding open and conceal issues.
To learn more about Duke and Lynn’s stance on a number of issues, we encourage you to visit their website at:
(http://aionafinnegan.com/realsolutions)http://aionafinnegan.com/realsolutions[/url][/u]
Mahalo and warm aloha,
Team Aiona-Finnegan
Here is my response:
Aloha,
Thank you for the response. However, I was hoping for a more precise answer to this very important issue. My concern is that the both the Constitution of the United States of America and the Hawaii State Constitution are explicitly clear in regards to our God-given Right to bear arms, yet Mr. Aiona is not an advocate for any version of carry for the purpose of self defense.
I am truly hoping that Mr. Aiona is willing to further explain his position to not fully support either open or concealed carry at this time. As stated in the previous email, Mr. Aiona "has sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution," in which case, he has no option but to support the recent SCOTUS decisions and implement a "shall issue" carry program immediately upon his election as our next Governor. After all, as Article I, Section 17 of the Hawaii Constitution tells us,"the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." The current "may issue" program has only approved 3 concealed carry permits to private citizens since 2001; this is a clear demonstration that the current policies are, indeed, infringing on our God-given Right.
One final thought: I find it extremely disconcerting that we, the citizens, are expected to TRUST our elected officials to do the right thing when deciding on countless issues that truly affect the lives of everyone around them, yet those same elected officials clearly do not TRUST their constituents enough to allow them to properly defend themselves and their loved ones. When one does not give trust or respect, he can not expect either in return.
Again, thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.
Sincerely,
Alex Europa
I'm curious to see what the next reply will say since they certainly can't use the cookie-cutter reply again...
Any guesses? :popcorn:
- Alex
-
They might not reply at all? :shake:
-
They did...kinda.
Aloha Alex,
Mahalo for your follow-up message. We have forwarded your concerns to our political director at keoki@dukeaiona.com.
Mahalo and warm aloha
Team Aiona-Finnegan
I will pass on their response once I get it. On a side note, I'm very impressed by the speed of their responses.
- Alex
-
For those of you concerned with the "vague" or "canned" response from Aiona's campaign about your inquiries on his stance on open or concealed carry. I understand your concern and appreciate you wanting to know where he stands prior to voting or supporting him. But, with that being said, let me suggest that we all take a deep breath and look at some other factors to consider.
First, what are our choices? Duke or Abercrombie. We all know Abercrombie is anti-gun and would use whatever opportunity that presents itself to further restrict our rights in this area. Duke, on the other hand has already stated he supports firearms rights as a general premise and would be open to further discussions about the issue. Now, I don't know about you, but I would much rather have someone who tells me they are open to the idea of discussing firearms rights than someone who either tells me owning/having/using them isn't an individual right or that he supports firearms rights when we all know he doesn't.
Second, it is late in the campaign. Issues have been researched and positions defined. I doubt any politician is going to stray far from the talking points they have developed in the course of their campaign. So, while I know you all what answers, and you want them right now, getting upset or calling a politician unresponsive at this point is really a waste of energy. I don't mean that in a condesending way, just that there is likely little "return on your investment" at this point if you keep asking that question.
Third, and final point is that I have had some contact with the Aiona campaign. And, while I am familar enough with politics to know that all promises are suspect, I am confident that when elected Duke will do as he says. He'll sit down and talk to "us" and if we do it wisely, we just may be able to sway him if he hasn't already been swayed by his running mate or his staffers.. Will he change his mind? I don't know and I cannot make any guarantees. But, I can guarantee that between the two candidates only one has said he's willing to talk to us about changing his position, and it isn't Abercrombie.
So, if I can be so bold as to make a recommendation: If you want to "do something" this election, work to get Duke elected. At least we can work with him and his staff, some of which are staunch Second Amendment and concealed carry supporters. It really is our best bet.
Thanks for listening.
-
I understand what you're saying. To me this isn't about supporting him...as you said, he is a far better choice than Abercrombie. I consider this more of a greasing the skids type of exercise. However, with the current tide in America, the people are looking for candidates who are willing to be completely honest and forthright, especially when it relates to Constitutional issues.
Your point is well taken regarding "doing something" in regards to getting Duke elected, I will be contacting his campaign people to volunteer some time this weekend.
- Alex
-
I understand what you're saying. To me this isn't about supporting him...as you said, he is a far better choice than Abercrombie. I consider this more of a greasing the skids type of exercise. However, with the current tide in America, the people are looking for candidates who are willing to be completely honest and forthright, especially when it relates to Constitutional issues.
Your point is well taken regarding "doing something" in regards to getting Duke elected, I will be contacting his campaign people to volunteer some time this weekend.
- Alex
I understand the "greasning the skids" concept and am working on that as well....As I said, I offer no guarantees, this is politics after all. Thanks for your help and support.
-
I agree w/ you HiCarry. My vote goes for Aiona regardless as he's our best "overall package" so to speak compared to his competition.
As far as what they have to say on the matter, you're also right. It's to far into the campaign to start changing/adding what they have already built upon. In the least bit at least we have the satisfaction of knowing that he's going in w/ an open mind rather then a completely closed mind.
-
I too voted for Aiona, went on the Republican ticket straight down the line. I hope Kim Pine get s re-elected in my district :shaka: