Cynthia Thielen

KANU: nurturing the connection between environment and culture

As more voices join the conversation on Hawaii’s energy usage and its impact on our environment, more people are shifting from talk to action. Many of Hawaii’s schools are leading the way. From Kailua High School’s highly successful Project Graduation recycling fundraiser to `Aikahi Elementary School’s involvement in Kokua Hawai`i Foundation’s earth-friendly programs, students are exemplifying how each individual can make a collective difference in caring for the `aina. As a direct response to rising concerns over global warming, I’ve initiated Kanu (meaning “to plant; fig. hereditaryâ€): a native tree planting program for schools in my Windward district.

Under the Kanu program, native trees are planted to remove carbon (a major contributor to global warming) from the atmosphere, provide shade for playing keiki, support native plant growth, and give students a hands-on opportunity to study ecology, natural history, and Hawaiian culture. Kanu ultimately benefits the environment and community while providing a learning tool for students.

We currently have two schools participating in the Kanu program: St. John Vianney School in Enchanted Lakes and Kainalu Elementary School. On February 11 at St. John Vianney, the entire student body gathered for the introduction of the program and a representative of each grade (K-8) helped with the planting of a milo tree.

During the planting, we shared with students that every year as their tree grows, it will remove more carbon through the process of photosynthesis and help reduce global warming. Because milo is a native tree it will require less watering and maintenance and is more pest resistant, all of which is better for the environment. We also talked about the important role that milo trees have in Hawaiian tradition. While it was a valued plant carried by Polynesian voyagers to Hawai`i, it may have already been growing here. A beautiful shade tree often grown near homes to keep them cool, milo once surrounded the Waikiki home of Kamehameha the Great. Milo is used for woodworking, medicine, and lei, and has its own proverb: He milo ka la`au; mimilo ke aloha (“Milo is the plant; love goes round and roundâ€).

The younger children at St. John Vianney were especially interested in how fast their tree will grow, comparing their height with the tree’s and wondering what it will be like when they are older. In the few minutes between their morning pledge of allegiance and the start of their first class, these students already felt connected to and responsible for their tree. A similar planting is scheduled for Kainalu Elementary on March 7.

Eventually I hope to involve all schools in my district in the Kanu program, bringing together more students and native trees. By teaching our keiki to take an active role in environmental stewardship, we can honor tradition while creating a positive impact on the environment for decades to come.

With warm aloha,

Representative Cynthia Thielen
50th District (Kailua-Kaneohe Bay Dr.)

I owe so much to my family and supporters who helped me win more votes than any Republican since statehood, who challenged a democrat running for reelection to the United States Senate.

My daughter and Campaign Manager, Laura H. Thielen, worked tirelessly to get our message out, showing we were running a serious campaign to win this race. My youngest son, Greg, handled the difficult Finance challenges, raising over a third of a Million Dollars in five and one-half weeks! This amazing accomplishment allowed us to be on television and radio state-wide. His wife, Laura E. Thielen helped with affordable and low income housing issues. Peter and his wife Shannon Thielen led the Kauai campaign and pulled in a respectable showing in that democrat stronghold. My oldest son, Dave, had our campaign web site up and running on day one of our six week campaign, and he and my grand daughter, Winter Maile kept us out in the blogosphere. Mickey did all of the leg work, so necessary to keep our campaign running.

We started our campaign for U.S. Senate on September 25. with no money, no office, no campaign materials. And our inexperienced, but strong and dedicated family group, pulled off amazing results in just six weeks. The people heard my call to move our nation off dependency on foreign oil and to develop our nation’s clean and safe renewable energy. Voters responded, and I am grateful for their support.

To them, and to my family, I send my sincere aloha.

Rep. Cynthia Thielen
Candidate for U.S. Senate 2006

When John F. Kennedy said we would put a man on the moon in 10 years, everyone said it was impossible. We did it in 8½ years.

When Jonas Salk set out to eliminate polio, everyone said it was impossible. Polio is now a distant memory.

The work to find a cure for cancer has been going on for 30 years. Many times during the early work it was viewed as an impossible problem. Now every year cures for additional cancers are announced, the most recent being the immunization for HPV.

230 years ago a group of men proposed creating a country governed as a Democracy. A system that had not been successful for over 2,000 years and that had never been successful for an entire country (just individual cities). Everyone said it couldn’t work. However, here we are 230 years later living in the world’s longest established democracy.

When this country puts its mind and efforts and will to a job, it can accomplish things that are first considered impossible. Eliminating all use of foreign oil is not impossible. It is extremely difficult. It will take a large focused effort by this country. But if we make that effort, we will succeed.

And this is not an option. India and China are not going to slow their growth. The demand for energy is going to continue to increase dramatically. We must find alternatives to oil not just because it is a good thing to do, not just to stop the funding of terrorists through oil payments to the Middle East, not just to stop global warming, but because without alternatives we will face a serious energy crisis.

I know we can accomplish this if we set ourselves to do so. And this is why I want to go to Washington. This is what I will work to accomplish. And to those who say it can’t be done all I can say is don’t bet against what the men and women of this country can accomplish if we decide we must do so.

One of my children asked me the other day why the environment comes first with me. His comment was that there are 5 or 6 issues that are the largest issues facing us and while the environment is clearly one of them, why that one.

It was not an easy question for me to answer. I have been fighting for the environment from even before I was in the legislature and it has been what I have concentrated on these past 16 years in the house.

I have done so because I know it's so very important. But articulating the reasons – that took me a minute.

The environment is what we leave for our children. How we treat it, what we take from it, what we leave – that is our legacy to our children. All of these other problems – we will fix them one way or another and move beyond them. But when we destroy the environment, that destruction is then passed on to our children, and their children, and their children. That is what we are leaving them.

I think living in Hawaii makes this even more clear. We have been given such a beautiful land by those that came before us. And when we destroy the land in places, it creates such an ugly scar. But the problem, and the required solutions, are worldwide.

WHEN OUR NATION CONTINUES TO DEPEND ON FOREIGN OIL, WE SEND MONEY TO NATIONS THAT HARBOR TERRORISTS. WHEN OUR NATION CONTINUES TO DRILL FOR OIL AND RELY UPON FOSSIL FUEL FOR ENERGY NEEDS, WE DAMAGE THE ENVIRONMENT.

We have the solutions available to us: CLEAN, RENEWABLE ENERGY, TAPPING OUR NATION'S ABUNDANCE OF WIND, SOLAR, AND OCEAN RESOURCES. I BELIEVE IN AMERICAN INGENUITY. WE CAN CHANGE AMERICA'S ENERGY POLICY AND CREATE A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT AND A SAFER WORLD.

Our great great great grandchildren will not know of us other than a name occasionally mentioned. Iraq will be in the history books, healthcare will be resolved, and our educational system will be improved. All these things today will have no effect on them. But what we do to the environment, that they will be living with. This is our legacy.

Nine days ago when the Republican Committee selected me to run this race, I started from scratch. We didn’t have a sign, an office, a bumper sticker, a scheduled speaking engagement, a volunteer outside my own family, or a campaign account, much less a dime to put in it.

Now, nine days later, we have all those things and more. We have our headquarters. We have a calendar full of campaign appearances, including invitations to AARP, Rotary Club and more. The phone has been ringing off the hook with people wanting to help in any way they can. And in the few days our campaign account has been open, we’ve received an outpouring of donations, with pledges of tens of thousands more to come. We have hit the ground running, and we are going to keep ip the pace all the way to November 7.

I want to speak directly to the over one hundred thousand Ed Case voters out there. I know that to many of you Ed Case was a fresh voice of moderation, independence, and change from the status quo. Many of you are deeply disappointed at the result of the Democratic primary, and even more disappointed at the message that the Democratic machine sent, loud and clear, that it is not interested in moderation, or independence, or change.

I am here to tell you that your chance to change politics in Hawaii is not lost. My message and spirit is much closer to that of Representative Case than the incumbent’s is. That’s why so many Ed Case supporters have already offered support for my campaign. That’s why I am asking you not to give up hope for bipartisanship and moderation in Hawaii

This time last week, I was not a U.S. Senate candidate. And now, there are only 40 days to run a campaign. I am excited and ready to take on the challenge. With a lot of support from family and people throughout Hawaii, we are ready to go.

I am putting my heart, soul and passion into this race, because it is the chance to represent the State of Hawaii and its citizens. This is about helping their voices be heard in Washington D.C. and about making a difference in their lives and the lives of their children. It's about standing up for the issues I feel so strongly about and changing our nation for a better tomorrow. The issues I stand behind, especially that our country must replace its oil dependency with renewable energy alternatives, are critical in ensuring a bright future for all.

I will not be a passive candidate. As I have done as a State Representative for 16 years, I will be talking personally with voters, working to improve our schools and facilities, addressing the key renewable energy issues with groups and thanking the large number of people who are calling and emailing with their support.

There are signs to be made. There are media interviews to be conducted. There are press releases to be written. There are events to be organized. There are lots of people to meet. There are phone calls to be made. There are many hours to be put in.

I have the energy and experience and am up to the challenge. This is a race we can win!

I am honored and humbled that the Republican party has chosen me to pick up the mantle of that great American, Jerry Coffee. This race between Republican and Democrats for the United States Senate is just beginning. I’m not a place holder — I’m in this race to win.

I am running to be a Senator in a Republican congress and administration. I want to change our nation's energy policy and use my bipartisan skills to do this. I want to push our nation into energy self-sufficiency and energy security. There is an obvious link between oil and terrorism, and terrorism is the biggest threat to democracy our nation has ever faced.

In my 16 years in the legislature, I’ve been elected by Republicans, Independents and Democrats. I’ve proved I can work with both sides of the aisle. In the last four years alone, I’ve co-sponsored 38 bills which became law. Hawaii needs and deserves a Senator who puts people before party. We must use a less partisan way to move our nation forward.

Here’s 90 seconds about Cynthia Thielen. After finishing my freshman year at Stanford University, I dropped out to marry Mickey. When our fourth child started pre-school, I went back to school and finished my undergraduate work at University of Hawaii. I then obtained my law degree from U.H. William S. Richardson School of Law. I was a founding member of law review.

Ten days after being sworn in to practice law in 1979, I was in federal court representing the Protect Kaho’olawe ‘ohana. I succeeded in gaining access to the island for Native Hawaiians, na kupuna and supporters. My roots go deep with them.

In 1990, I challenged a Democrat incumbent and won and have been re-elected nine times to the State House.

I co-chair the bipartisan House women’s caucus and co-founded the kupuna caucus. I can work with both the local Democrat majority and stand up to fight them when I feel they are wrong.

Back to the campaign. I call for a debate with Sen. Akaka---not a fixed forum---but a real debate to be shown on all channels.

I invite 106,968 independent-minded Ed Case voters to support my candidacy. My web site is www.cynthiathielen.com.

Mahalo again, to the Governor and the Republican party. Let the race begin.