Gregorio Sablan: “I thank Congressman Honda for yielding. It is a great sadness to lose a neighbor, and Mark Takai was my neighbor. He was…”

“I thank Congressman Honda for yielding. It is a great sadness to lose a neighbor, and Mark Takai was my neighbor. He was a man of the Pacific, an islander. And though our islands are thousands of miles apart, for the people of the Pacific, distance does not separate. Distance and the knowledge that we have the stamina, the ability to read sea and sky and the courage to trust in our own capacity--distance connects us. Distance makes us neighbors. Mark Takai was my neighbor. As islanders, our foothold is trimmed by the vast sea, but our vision sweeps beyond the horizon. Look at the legislation Mark Takai brought out in his brief time here. We can see the islander's breadth of vision reflected in his concerns: veterans, students, small-business people, homeowners. Mark Takai took them all to heart, wanted to help them all. As an islander, he cared too. He cared a lot about the natural environment. We who have so little land cherish it all the more. We take seriously our responsibility to steward the land, to pass it on to the next generation whole and thriving. We honor the deep wisdom that the land is inseparable; my land and yours are one. We know the union of neighbors. Mark Takai was my neighbor. Here in Congress as well, Mark's office stands across the hall from mine in Cannon. We could have opened both our doors and, seated at our desks, seen each other at work. We would pass in the hall, share a word, feel the connection of our shared experience.…”