Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman. Twenty-eight years--1988--that is how long I have known Mark. As long as I have known him, he always was the champion for the most vulnerable. We met at the University of Hawaii. He was the serious one--if you can imagine that--and focused. At the Ka Leo O Hawaii student newspaper where he was editor, he investigated sexual harassment at a time when victims were routinely blamed and disbelieved. Perhaps that is not too hard to believe because even today that is happening, but almost 30 years ago, he stood up for the victims. We were there watching him as he stood up and was sued by the very same union that later on became some of his biggest supporters for his stance on education. In fact, he brought millions back to Hawaii for education--work that took not months or years, but sometimes a decade of steady work. He was worried about the education of our military children who must follow their servicemember parents from base to base. He wanted to make sure that they got good, continuous education and did not lose out because their parents were serving our Nation. Mark had so many aspects to him. Some of it was funny, some of it was annoying, and some of it was so unique to him. But it was all part of what a great person--a great human being--he was. I remember the months of emails and conversations we would have long distance--I was in Illinois and he was in Hawaii--when he was about to get his first Nissan LEAF.…”