Mazie Hirono, BadAss Senator

If you’re like me, you may be feeling pretty raw right now, about the talk about the sexual assault by then 17 year old drunk Brett Kavanaugh, on 15 year old Christine Blasey, now Dr. Blasey Ford.  All the people opining about how “if it was a real assault, she’d have reported it right away,” and other ignorant comments and political maneuverings… yech. (But if you really want to get into it, I’ve moved my personal rape experience blog posts here, and also shared them on Medium.)

So here’s a palate cleanser: the junior Senator from Hawaii, Mazie Hirono, who is proving to be quite a badass. Rather than treating the old white men on the R side with the soft, ladylike deference they are accustomed to receiving from women, she’s calling things like she sees ’em.

I am experiencing a major crush.

So who is this uninhibited woman? Mazie Keiko Hirono was born in Japan, in 1947 (yes, I know, she could pass for 30 years younger), the middle of three children, and only surviving girl. Because her mother, Laura, was born in Honolulu, and her father was an abusive alcoholic, the family (sans dad) moved back to Hawaii, where Laura had been born, in 1955. In 1959, Mazie became a naturalized citizen – which is coincidentally the same year Hawaii became a state.

The family had little money, with Mom sometimes borrowing from the kids’ piggy banks to buy food. Mazie worked in the school cafeteria and had a paper route. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa (oldest academic honor society in America), with a BA in psychology and later received a JD in law, and practiced law, until she entered politics in 1980.

She served at the state level, in Hawaii, in many different positions, becoming Lt. Governor in 1994, which terms lasted until 2002. She began serving in the US House of Representatives in 2006, was elected as Senator in 2012, and was sworn in, in 2013.

Mazie Hirono, official portrait, 113th Congress.jpg
By United States Senate – http://bioguide.congress.gov/bioguide/photo/H/H001042.jpg, Public Domain, Link

She has an “F” rating from the NRA, and sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee (hence her remarks on frat boy nominee). She’s the one of the first Buddhists seated in Congress, though she considers herself non-practicing.

On May 17, 2017, Mazie (I’m thinking that’s short for AMAZING) underwent surgery for stage four kidney cancer. On May 22, 1017, she returned to the Senate.

At her age and with her history, she is DONE with mincing around the delicate feels of old white men. I’m sure she presents a challenge to broadcast news, since she not only calls out bullshit as bullshit, but has been known to drop the F-bomb.

But these are trying times. We are putting kids in concentration camps and contemplating putting someone accused of sexual assault on the Supreme Court. Also, the current US president looks like he is indebted to the Russian mob and is the unindicted co-conspirator in like, election malfeasance, and probably a lot more. If you are paying any attention at all, the word fuck is the most appropriate vocabulary choice.

Especially if you don’t give a fuck who you offend.

Your thoughts?

4 Replies to “Mazie Hirono, BadAss Senator”

  1. I love this new breed of cool, badass democratic women. Okay, Dianne F. is hardly new to this, but between her, Kamala, and now Mazie… damn, girls. I agree. Its wonderfully refreshing.

  2. Great Post. I love Mazie and Kamila, because they have the newer edge to them in dealing with all these OWM. It has to be hard to sit in the senate and listen to BS on a regular basis. Thanks for her background info.

  3. I am part of the Mazie Appreciation club. I wanted her to run for president but she has made it clear that is not her ambition also citing her age!

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