Monthly Archives: June 2008

On Saturday, June 14, 2008, my friend Lori had a farewell party at her house.  She will be moving to Philadelphia to join her husband.  In the back of her house, I relaxed a little.  It was very picturesque.  The full moon was shining a dim light onto the Oahu Country Club Golf Course; the tall trees were swaying in the wind; and a shooting star fell from the South.  I am going to miss her, as she is a genuine person.

Aloha Everyone!

This website is my new headquarters for Friends of Jon Riki Karamatsu on the World Wide Web.  I have been sharing with you a part of my life since the Fall of 2002.  It has been a great journey.  I have had successes and good times.  I have also made mistakes and understand that I need to keep improving myself. 

I will continue to share with you my policy ideas, legislation, legislative appropriations, speeches, philosophy, creative writing, events, and personal life.  I also want to share with you my pictures, videos, music, and business ventures.  I have continued posting information and issues.  However, I decided to share with you my artistic side.  I want to encourage critical thinking and public service, but I also want you to have fun.  It is my hope that this website attracts a wide range of demographics.  Therefore, I decided to move to WordPress.com to diversify my communication to you.  My archives from livejournal.com has been inputted here as well.

I have noticed that journalism has changed since 2002.  They report on gossip and sensationalize the lives of entertainers and politicians.  Journalists even have their own blogs now!  In the recent past, the Honolulu Weekly and Honolulu Star Bulletin has quoted me from my Internet journal for a couple of their news articles.  In 2006, I was inteviewed by Time Magazine because of my Internet journal and featured in their December 18, 2006 issue. 

I look forward to sharing with you many more exciting things!  I hope my life ventures impacts you in a positive way or at least inspires your constructive thoughts.  My ultimate quest is to be compassionate, happy, and at peace.  Likewise, I hope I can play a small role in helping you and others to be compassionate, happy, and at peace as well.

With Warmest Aloha,

Jon Riki Karamatsu

Meeting with Enterprise Honolulu Through Senator Nadao “Najo” Yoshinaga

On Wednesday, May 28, 2008, I had a 1:30 P.M. meeting with Michael Fitzgerald, CEO of Enterprise Honolulu, Former Senator Nadao “Najo” Yoshinaga, and my former office manager of 5 1/2 years, Baron Gushiken at my office.  Baron set up the meeting at the request of Sen. Yoshinaga.  We discussed Hawaii’s current economic climate and some of the legislation I introduced in the past and ideas I have for the future to help better Hawaii’s economy.  The following are some of the subjects we covered: renewable energy, technology, film, digital media, long-term care, workforce development, education, mass transit, and agriculture.  We discussed further into the subcategories within these subjects.  I am working on a dozen of bills relating to these subjects, and if I get re-elected, I will introduce them for the 2009 Legislative Session.  Our meeting ended after an hour and a half.  Sen. Yoshinaga stated, “This was a good meeting.”  I agree, it was a meeting that I will cherish forever.

Sen. Yoshinaga did great things for equality, labor rights, infrastructure, and much of what we see as modern day Hawaii in his twenty years in the Hawaii State Legislature.  As best as I can, I am going to help him fulfill one more goal, to make Hawaii an economic power.  When I was a teenager, it was a dream of mine to have a mentor who was a member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and politician from the 1954 Democratic Revolution, thus, I am lucky to have become friends with Sen. Yoshinaga.  On top of his many credentials, the senator is also an attorney.

Sen. Yoshinaga has mentored a number of great leaders: State Administrator and Businessman, the late Pundy Yokouchi, Former State Senate President Norman Mizuguchi, State Senator Carol Fukunaga, Former State Representative David Hagino, Attorney Jim Stone, Attorney Kerry Komatsubara, and the list goes on.  These proteges of Sen. Yoshinaga have many years of knowledge and helped to shape Hawaii as well.  If I am the last of the senator’s proteges, I have big shoes to fill, a lot of information to learn, many dreams to accomplish, and an obligation to pass on the knowledge I gained from my elders and ancestors to many generations following me.  I am no where close to the leaders before me, as I have already made the biggest mistake in my life last October, but I have to keep doing my best in the public sector and private sector to “make Hawaii the best place in the world” as Sen. Yoshinaga likes to say.

From the middle of the Pacific, I dream of Hawaii impacting the world as a leader of renewable energy, technology, healthcare, tourism, art, culture, entertainment, diversified agriculture, and of course, peace and happiness by December 21, 2070, the final year of the tiger for whoever is alive from my generation.