Dan, 
your comment here is a breath of fresh air and a great dose of needed rationality to these proceedings.
Very good points.
If I were writing an article simply on the positive aspects of Hawaii, I might very well note these points.
Point 2 is certainly salient to me-I attended and graduated from McKinley High School, one of the oldest public high schools in the state.
Point 7 is also important. I took an astronomy class while attending college in the UH system.

My great thanks for your excellent list.