It's when we care for each other - choosing inclusion and love over division and hatred - that this great country is at its greatest.
Tulsi Gabbard
The cause of peace is too great for us to allow political disagreements or partisanship to stand in our way.
Some Republicans are good, and some Republicans are bad. Some Democrats are good, and some Democrats are bad. There are good police, and there are bad police. There are good black people and bad black people. There are good white people and bad white people.
Let's care for the land and water, heal our cherished planet, and promote wellness for all of her people. Water is life. Let's protect the natural resources that our lives depend upon.
The divisiveness that threatens the fabric of our nation - whether due to race, religion, political ideology, gender, sexual orientation, or other - must end.
I chose to take the oath of office with my personal copy of the Bhagavad Gita because its teachings have inspired me to be a servant-leader, dedicating my life in the service of others and to my country.
No matter where you're from, no matter what religion you practice, your ethnicity, race, or anything else - what is it that can bring us together as people? It is, what we call in Hawaii, aloha... sincere, deep love and respect for other people as children of God.
This commitment to equality and justice for all are the ideals that our country was founded upon and what we continue to aspire to as people. We cannot be complacent, and must vigilantly affirm this again and again, as bigotry and hatred have an insidious way of seeping into our society.
Finding common ground means reaching out with respect and aloha - despite the issues that divide us, despite the hurt, despite the fear - and recognize what unites us as human beings.
As a soldier, I stand ready to serve and protect and defend this country. And as a soldier, I know the cost of war. And as president and commander-in-chief, I will end these regime-change wars.
When a person thinks, I am a Christian, this other person is a Muslim, therefore he is my enemy, or I am a Muslim, this other person is a Hindu, therefore she is my enemy, they reveal their own lack of spiritual depth. No religion teaches this, and any understanding of any religion that adopts this divisive attitude proves itself false by doing so.
I volunteered to deploy to Iraq. I was one of the few soldiers who were not on the mandatory deployment roster - close to 3,000 Hawaii soldiers were.
If we want to preserve the foundation of our democracy, it's vital that we find common ground that allows us to work for the greater good of this nation. This does not mean giving up our values. This does not mean swallowing a bitter compromise.
When I walk around my neighborhood, the grocery store, or the farmers market, I don't see Democrats or Republicans, Progressives or Conservatives. I see my brothers and sisters - living, breathing human beings with diverse and complicated stories, views, and desires that can't be packaged neatly in a box.
Every person has the freedom to choose to give their heart and give their life to God or not. You can't force someone to love God - or to love anyone.
Unfortunately, sometimes our leaders, for their own political purposes, want us to think in terms of categories and groupings. Our group vs. this group vs. another group. This must end.
I am deeply honored and humbled to represent the people of Hawai'i and will continue to do my best to bring the spirit of aloha to our nation's capital.
The best of our nation is exemplified by our nation's veterans who embody what it means to put service above self. Who have sacrificed their own personal interests out of a greater love for our people and our country.
It is clear that there needs to be a closer working relationship between the United States and India. How can we have a close relationship if decision-makers in Washington know very little, if anything, about the religious beliefs, values, and practices of India's 800 million Hindus?
I am a military police officer and I have served on two deployments; my first was to Iraq, in a medical unit, and my second deployment was to Kuwait, as a military police platoon leader.
We have to understand that in this country, it's unacceptable for anyone to be sick and in need of care and not able to get that care simply because they don't have enough money.
One reason I'm grateful to call Hawai'i home is that the people of these islands embrace diversity and celebrate the colorful fabric of race, ethnicity, and religion that make up our people, place, and culture.
My siblings and I grew up studying from both the Bhagavad-Gita and the Bible, going to Mass, and then coming home to a yoga kirtan.
We cannot afford to walk down that dangerous path of government overstepping its boundaries into the most personal parts of our lives.
Growing up here in Hawaii, I loved swimming, surfing, and having fun in this paradise we are lucky to call home. But I gradually realized that I was actually happiest when I was doing things for other people, doing things to protect our water, oceans, and beaches.
Nothing is more important to me, and nothing was more important to our founding fathers, than freedom of religion.
I believe we can make progress on bringing true equality and fairness back to our government if we continue to work together and make our voices heard.
I am privileged to be able to work for the people of Hawaii in whatever capacity.
No member of any 'grouping' should be judged by the activity of some other individual in that same grouping.
In short, I will never allow partisanship to undermine our national security when the lives of countless people lay in the balance. If that earns me enemies in Washington or at the State Department, then so be it.
Every single American deserves to be treated equally by their fellow Americans and under the law.
We need to end our country's counterproductive regime change war policies that have undermined our national security, destroyed so many countries, and taken so many lives. We must instead focus on investing in and rebuilding our communities right here at home.
There is no denying that the interventionist wars in Iraq and Libya that were propagated as necessary to relieve human suffering actually increased human suffering in those countries - many times over.
We must remember that this nation was founded by people fleeing religious persecution, risking everything to find a place to be free to worship as they chose or not to worship at all.
In the military, I learned that 'leadership' means raising your hand and volunteering for the tough, important assignments.
We have to put an end to the culture of selfishness and corruption that allows greedy Wall Street banks and executives to rip off working people without any consequences.
Each of us wants to be free. But if we want to be free, we also need to appreciate that others also desire the same thing.
Our nation was founded on the principle that our government should be of the people, by the people, and for the people - where all people are treated equally, and with respect, in these United States of America.
As a combat veteran, I know the cost of war.
I am proud to be the first Hindu American to have been elected to Congress and now the first Hindu American to run for president.
Our actions to overthrow secular dictators in Iraq and Libya, and attempts now to do the same in Syria, have resulted in tremendous loss of life, failed nations, and even worse humanitarian crises while strengthening the very terrorist organizations that have declared war on America.
In my past, I said and believed things that were wrong and - worse - hurtful to the LGBTQ+ community and their loved ones.
We must stop arming terrorists.
If we want to change this culture of hate and bigotry, every one of us must stand up and speak with one voice to condemn it, because an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.
I am a practicing Hindu and have made no secrets about it.
People in the Middle East, people everywhere, want peace. But unfortunately too many fail to recognize that that lasting peace can only be found with pluralistic, secular government.
To maintain order after Assad's fall would require at least 500,000 troops in a never-ending occupation.
My mom was a practicing Hindu, and my dad was a Catholic who practiced yoga meditation and karma yoga. My earliest memories are of the bright colors, beautiful sounds, and fragrant aromas of both Christian and Hindu celebrations.
The Taliban didn't attack us on 9/11 - Al-Qaeda did. That's why I and other people joined the military - to go after Al Qaeda. Not the Taliban.
Sadly, the system in this country is rigged in favor of wealthy elites who have purchased tremendous influence in our government.
