The Washington Post published an extensive article about Senator Inouye. This fairly straightforward article reveals the kind of power Inouye wields in Hawai’i, how he has skillfully used the military to funnel federal spending to Hawai’i and amass his power:
“In certain circles,” said Inouye, grinning in his apartment as he lifted a water glass off a U.S. Senate coaster, “I’m the godfather.”
In some ways, Inouye’s challenges are similar to those in peace and justice movements here. He wants to convince people on the continent to pay attention to what goes on in Hawai’i:
He sees the money as necessary to ensure that Hawaii, once a remote territory, matters. He wants the state to be central in the nation’s defense strategy…
But he uses military money to get their attention and loyalty. We have a vastly different vision of the kind of future we want to live in. We value Hawai’i more than that.
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