July 10, 2021

Aloha, HFRW Members and Fellow Republicans:

TWO WORDS: MAUI! WOWIE! But, of a different kind.

Since becoming President of the Hawaii Federation of Republican Women (“HFRW”), it has always been a dream to grow the organization to include Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai. I am so proud to announce that our first neighbor island club, the Maui Federated Republican Women, was chartered by the National Federation of Republican Women (“NFRW”) on June 24, 2021, and a second club, Aloha Maui, may be forming soon. The process to become chartered by the NFRW is rather lengthy: Ten members must join the HFRW to become a club; the annual dues of $35/member and the $15 club fee must be paid; a potential club’s application and Bylaws must be reviewed by both the NFRW’s Membership and Bylaws Committees.

As I noted before, all members of the HFRW belong to the National Federation of Republican Women (“NFRW”), the most influential Republican women’s group in America. Currently, NFRW members include 3 U.S. Senators and 20 U.S. House of Representatives. So many others have leadership positions in their own states.

Here in Hawaii, prominent Republican women Miriam Hellreich, Shirlene Ostrov, Laura Nakanelua, and Signe Godfrey are all members of the HFRW. The HFRW Board of Directors include Mary Smart, Susan Hughes (Big Island), Tiana Elisara, Fern Mossman, and Rita Kama-Kimura.

With that in mind, I am extending an invitation to conservative women to join us! If you are reading this, our Join/Donate/Renew Membership tab is readily available. I do ask, however, that you review the HFRW website’s Home Page to make sure your beliefs fall in line with ours.

For those reading my newsletter for the first time, I usually discuss a particular issue. With that in mind, on June 17, USC put on a regional webinar (Hawaii, California, Nevada, and Arizona) intended for the general public rather than tekkies as part of their Election Cybersecurity Initiative. The motto on the flyer said: “Our candidate is democracy.” I found it interesting, and while I wish the recording was available, it is not, so here are some of the notes I was able to take:

• We are responsible for protecting our elections. But, there are ways to hack the voter rolls and spread dis- and mis-information.
• There are 3 ways to disrupt elections:
  • manipulate the voter via micro-targeting ads that create confusion; send out disinformation; release unflattering data.
  • discourage and prevent people from voting by manipulating voter rolls and sending out incorrect poll locations; and manipulate vote tallies.
  • create distrust of the outcome.

There was evidence found of several incidents when Russian, Chinese, and Iranian government affiliates materiality impacted the security of networks. In Red China, they have a network numbering 20 million citizens that just send out disinformation.

When a corporation is hacked into, it is normally because of: (1) Poor pins; (2) there was a malicious code embedded; (3) there was unprotected data; and (4) VPNs are not updated. Things you can do to protect yourself:

• Use strong passwords (this is the 1st security gatehouse).
• Do not reuse passwords between accounts.
• Use passphrases which are more difficult to hack.
• Do not use simple passwords.
• Use a multi-factor authentication tool (after your password, you will get sent a code which you need to get into a website).
• Be aware of phishing which is a method of gathering personal info. This is the number one method hackers gain access to systems. How to detect phishing:
  • Check the sender and destination of any embedded links. Often a change in one letter’s font will determine phishing. But, once you click on the link and provide a password, you are unable to stop the phishing.

Other useful information:

• Malware/ransomware: Contents of your system are locked and held for ransom; hackers then threaten to leak your data.
• Always keep a disconnected backup of your data.
• Download apps ONLY from trusted sources. Each new app is a potential risk.
• Be conscious of where you store your sensitive data. Cloud service may/may not be as secured as you think.
• DON’T use free VPNs as they are used by intelligence and the mafia.
• Do not use same systems for entertainment.
• Use sites that have end-to-end encryption and SSL/TLS.

How to tell if an article is disinformation (false information intended to look credible):

• “Breaking news” will get info wrong.
• The article is unverifiable because it will not name the author, but it just says from staff.
• The piece elicits strong emotions (usually fear or outrage).
• If in doubt, do not share the article.

Miscellaneous info:

• Disinformation is strategic.
• There are 6,000 tweets every second.
• 30 million photos are shared every day on Facebook.

Before I forget, here are changes to the website:

1. The NFRW Human Trafficking drop sheet (which I helped co-author) is on this webpage.
2. My July President’s Newsletter.
3. The current Imprimis article has been included.
4. A short video from Heritage Foundation on Critical Race Theory.

I hope your family is well and enjoying the summer months. Jack and I travel once a week to Kapiolani Park to walk, and it is very encouraging seeing our tourist industry thriving, again. This means jobs for many small businesses and families, food on the table for our keiki, and our economy is getting back on track. With that said, enjoy this beautiful state of ours; go walking, swimming, hiking, snorkeling, diving. But, get your Vitamins C and D.

Until my next newsletter, may God bless you, keep you safe, and healthy.

My warmest regards,

Donna P. Van Osdol

President, Hawaii Federation of Republican Women
Leader, Task Force on Human Trafficking, National Federation of Republican Women
HD36 Delegate, Rules Committee