For those who thought that the change in Congress meant a respite from the imminent threat of the Akaka Bill, think again. In what might be something of a desperation move, the legislature has introduced a bill that purports to recognize a Native Hawaiian tribe through the state. (Essentially, a state version of the Akaka Bill–you can read the full text here (House version) and here (Senate version).)
I can pick on all sorts of things in this–the historical revisionism, the doubtful claims, the questionable legislative findings–but we’ve been down this path many times before. And you may be thinking that there’s little chance it would pass, or that it would likely fail a test of constitutionality. But that’s not the point. This is pure politics at work. If the legislature can pass the bill, then it operates as a powerful argument in Washington that Hawaii is united behind the Bill–and frankly, the Inside-the-Beltway types tend not to pay much attention to what we are doing out here, so they would likely take that at face value. (And OHA is going to be spending far more money telling them that’s the case than any opponents to Akaka would be able to raise.) There is, however, a bright side. If the state bill were to fail, that would make Congress less inclined to take up the Akaka Bill again. So, if this is an issue you care about, this is a good time to contact your state legislator and share your views.
More take from the top and give to the “Poor Hawaiians”
I think not.
We all live here in this fabulous state and should share equally in the benefits of Hawaii.
To pick out one racial group is so discriminatory.
What would the Hawaiians have if the King were still here?
No land, no welfare, so unemployment, no food stamps, no section 8, no help to families with dependent childred!!!
Kill this discriminatory bill PLEASE!
I am just an impartial observer with no Hawaiian blood but plenty of part-Hawaiian friends and acqaintances.
This is my view point….
The problem stems from the tendencies of the people that lived in the 1700 and 1800. Hawaiian men love white women and white men loved Hawaiian women. Don’t forget about the Chinese men who migrated to Hawaii as labors and married the Hawaiian women. Proof of the pudding is the small amount of pure or half Hawaiian blood decendents. What we actually have is a lot of 1/64, 1/32, 1/16 and 1/8 Hawaiian blood and that will be diluted more and more as time passes. The white men tended to marry the Hawaiian royalty or Alii daughters to empire build. Their descendants inherited all their land and established trusts to benefit the Hawaiian nation. The Hawaiian men who married the white women did not have the where with all to save, preserve and grow like the white men did. Therefore, you might say that the white men that married Hawaiian women saved the Hawaiian people’s lands. Who doesn’t know a Chinese Hawaiian person?
So who are the Hawaiians?
All of you who obviously are not Hawaiian may as well pack your bags and head back to your countries, even if you were born here. As you all can see what’s going on around the world, everyone’s fighting for their own right as a recognized people, not who another race wants them to be. We Hawaiians did not ask you guys, who-ever or where-ever you came from, or where your family roots are from, to run our lives. You can talk smack all you want but the bottom line is this: this is Hawaii, and we are Hawaiians. Whatever we choose is our choice not yours. Whose races here, you or us?
As far as “Lawson” goes, your opinion is just that, an opinion. It carries no weight but a typical anti Hawaiian opinion. Those white men who married into royalty, then established trusts for the Hawaiian people, did what they did out of Aloha. They knew that the unjust that were done to the Hawaiian Kingdom and it’s subjects, were wrong. They did what any just person would do. As far as all the unjust and greedy haole’s that came to Hawaii, they did what any unjust or greedy person is expected to do. So why do you worry about us Hawaiian people. Our race was almost wiped out from foreign diseases; our Monarch was overthrown by american loyalist; our lands were stolen by american and foreign powers, and missionaries; and now we face foreign influences in the name of racism. Are you guys jealous of us Hawaiians? Do you want us to just bow down to you guys as if we were your slaves? Think not! One day us Hawaiians going make things right. Look around the world. What makes all those other countries fighting for independence any different from us Hawaiians? After all, we are “Hawaiians by blood.”