"...SB1, is the epitome of the 1st Amendment in action." - Abercrombie at Signing of SB1 HD1

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

These lyrics, sung by Anytime Amy and Willie K (reunited for this "historic day"), opened the ceremony for the signing of SB1 HD1 into law by Governor Neil Abercrombie today 11/13/13.

Throughout the half-hour ceremony Attorney General David M. Louie, Senator Clayton Hee (Senate District 23), and Representative Chris Lee (House District 51) spoke about how this would "change the world".  Governor Neil Abercrombie went as far as to equate the legislation to changing "another universe for all time".

His quote in full follows.

"It never, ever occurred to me, that I would one day have both the opportunity and the responsibility to do something that is as profound as the change that is about to come in a few moments as Patsy Mink was able to accomplish with Title IX that literally changed the Universe for women for all time.  Another Universe is about to change for all time..."

(For those unfamiliar with Title IX, it was a part of the Education Amendments of 1972, nicknamed the Patsy Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, which attempted to ensure women could enter the collegiate setting and any other federally funded institutions.)

It seems of interest that there was so much discussion throughout the proceedings of the Special Session of the very focused nature of SB1.  That it would do nothing but legalize same-sex marriage and protect religious freedoms.  One would wonder how this comports with the "profound" and Universal "change" spoken of in the Governor's (and others') speech.

As well as the Universal "change" prophesied by the Governor, it is also worth noting that he said moments later, after reading the 1st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States,

"I submit to you, that SB1, is the epitome of the 1st Amendment in action."

If Hawaii News will be posting select (but long play) audio to the Youtube page as soon as possible.

In the meantime, what follows are a few other quotes spoken by Governor Abercrombie in his speech, which may be of interest:

"This is, in fact, the result of a legislative process which had as its fundamental premise fidelity to support for upholding and defending the constitution of the United States and of the state of Hawaii..."

And quoting British Parlimentarian Edmund Burke:

"Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion...Parliament is not a congress of ambassadors from different and hostile interests; which interests each must maintain, as an agent and advocate, against other agents and advocates; but parliament is a deliberative assembly of one nation, with one interest, that of the whole; where, not local purposes, not local prejudices, ought to guide, but the general good, resulting from the general reason of the whole. You choose a member indeed; but when you have chosen him, he is not member of Bristol, but he is a member of Parliament."

Lastly, of note to readers, might be the next sentence in that quote, which the Governor omitted in his speech:

"If the local constituent should have an interest, or should form an hasty opinion, evidently opposite to the real good of the rest of the community, the member for that place ought to be as far, as any other, from any endeavour to give it effect."

the full passage may be found here

-IHN