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The Hawaii House of Representatives acted decisively last week  to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

and , introduced by the vice chair of the House Culture, Arts and International Affairs Committee, Rep. Adrian Tam, not only rebukes Russia for its aggression against Ukraine,  with “the Russian Government or Belarussian Government, or contractors of either government.”

In addition to passing the resolution with near-unanimous support, multiple representatives also dressed in blue and yellow outfits, showing their solidarity with the people of Ukraine, even as Russian forces continue to worsen the humanitarian crisis with their attacks against civilians.

While this year’s session has had many contentious moments, the way that the House came together for the people of Ukraine last week was an uplifting epiphany of what our elected leaders can do when we all look at the big picture together.

For those not familiar with the legislative process, the passage of a resolution, without a hearing, on the floor of the House on a topic as controversial as the crisis in Ukraine is rare. When I was the committee clerk for International Affairs in 2007, the genocidal  in Darfur, Sudan, was at one of its worst moments, and  as a means to express Hawaii’s solidarity with the innocent people impacted by the war.

Typically, even when one is the lead subject matter chair of a committee, resolutions must still be referred to standing committees and go through the screening of multiple hearings and several readings and votes on the floors of the House and Senate.

In the case of my resolutions, I had to first introduce through my chair a milquetoast, watered-down draft that addressed the humanitarian crisis in generic terms to evade a bad committee referral by the Speaker of the House, and then use our first hearing as a pretext to drop in the actual, more aggressive language that I desired in an amended draft – in that case, a call for the establishment of a United Nations no-fly-zone to stop the war.

So extreme was my rewrite of the Darfur resolution that even our committee’s House Majority Staff Office analyst warned, “This is serious. A no-fly-zone? You’re going to start an international incident!” I replied, “Good, that’s exactly what I want!” And while my resolution was later adopted by the House, I wish that we could have had the legislative enthusiasm behind us at that time to introduce and pass it on the floor without a hearing.

We now find ourselves, years later, facing another crisis where the whole world’s attention is on . It was a great act of initiative and clarity by Tam and his colleagues to show support for Ukraine and its embattled president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and while critics might wrongly dismiss this as a waste of time for our Legislature, the fact of the matter is that knowing that people as far away as Hawaii support the people of Ukraine might just be what it takes to hold out another day against Russia.

Tam, speaking to me by phone, also explained that he is extremely concerned that China can easily do to Taiwan what Russia is doing now to Ukraine, and this resolution puts the world on notice that we have a responsibility to protect freedom. Motivated by not only an understanding of historical events but also a moral imperative, Tam wants local residents to know that these kinds of resolutions should educate us about what kind of world we live in.

“We are doing what is necessary, and if that is not enough, then we will do more,” Tam explained. “What I am hoping is that it sends a strong message to China that the international backlash will come if China were to touch Taiwan. I was talking to Speaker and several members and the Ukrainians, and I said that this issue hits close to home, because my family’s from Taiwan, and if China even steps foot into Taiwan – and they’re doing the exact same thing leading up to this, which was holding military exercises by the border – I’m going to be the one out on the streets waving the flag and protesting. So I know what (the people of Ukraine) are going through.”

Rep. Adrian Tam wants local residents to know that these kinds of resolutions should educate us about what kind of world we live in.

Vice Speaker of the House Rep. John Mizuno likewise shares Tam’s assessment of the dire precedent that Ukraine could have for the world.

“Tam is precisely right,” Mizuno said. “What happens in Ukraine will impact what happens with Taiwan, and what happens in Taiwan could impact our safety here in Hawaii.”

Recalling the way  from defeat during the 1973 Yom Kippur War with vital supplies, Mizuno believes the West should back Ukraine completely 

At a time when many people want to retreat and hide themselves from political controversy or taking sides, it is extremely refreshing to see Tam and his colleagues being so bold in showing their support for Ukraine. Americans don’t run from bullies, we resist them.

When Kuwait was invaded by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 1990, then-president George H.W. Bush , “Iraq will not be permitted to annex Kuwait, and that’s not a threat, that’s not a boast, that’s just the way it’s going to be.”

That’s what we need to be saying today with Ukraine. My hope is that President Joe Biden, NATO, and the entire Western world will read Rep. Tam’s resolution and have similar moral courage to prevent Russia from annexing Ukraine. The battle for freedom is just beginning.