Serfs Up
This is an anonymous submission we got last week from someone who calls himself (or herself) 4A. . .
—
Billy is a modest home owner with a wife and two kids. His ancestry is 25% Irish, 25% Chinese, 12.5% Hawaiian, and 12.5% Unknown. He is reading the paper in his living room at 8:00am on Saturday sipping a cup of coffee. The rest of the family has gone shopping. He is interrupted:
Knock, knock.
Billy: Who’s there?
Voice: A sincere stranger to talk to you about the Akaka Bill on Capitol Hill.
B: What’s that?
SS: A proposed federal law which allows Native Hawaiians to move back to Alii owners and common serfs.
B: Are you kidding?
SS: Of course not. We can’t have commoners owning property.
B: Why not?
SS: That’s a dumb question but here’s the answer anyway…….They might sell it!
B: Then it can’t be sold?
SS: Don’t be silly Billy, of course it could be sold. But only by Alii.
B: Isn’t that a lot like Communism?
SS: Oh no, Billy. We call it traditional customs of indigenous peoples.
B: You mean going back to when life was nasty, brutish, dull and short?
SS: Well, not intentionally.
B: Gosh, I don’t like the sound of that! How could you possibly convince common people to accept that idea?
SS: We adhere to a principle, Billy.
B: What does that mean?
SS: We avoid discussing consequences and we avoid any vote by the people.
B: How do you do that?
SS: We remind ourselves by means of a slogan.
B: What’s that?
SS: We repeat, over and over: “Serfs up”, “Serfs up”, “Serfs up”, “Serfs up”
Billy takes the handouts that SS hands him, closes the door and goes back to his coffee but not the paper. He is thinking— and —-sipping — and thinking.
M. Kesa said,
November 23, 2005 @ 1:33 pm
Dear friends,
The web pages with October’s edition of “First Friday: Unauthorized News” have finally been posted. If you have not already watched the show on ‘Olelo (Honolulu’s public-access TV station), please click on the links below to view this very important show and please feel free to pass the links along to ‘ohana, friends and all others who support our endeavor. There are a total of seven (7) parts of the one-hour show to view. The links are as follows:
Part 1: http://homepage.mac.com/ke_kuokoa_ff1/iMovieTheater1.html
Part 2: http://homepage.mac.com/ke_kuokoa_ff2/iMovieTheater1.html
Part 3: http://homepage.mac.com/ke_kuokoa_ff3/iMovieTheater1.html
Part 4: http://homepage.mac.com/ke_kuokoa_ff4/iMovieTheater1.html
Part 5: http://homepage.mac.com/ke_kuokoa_ff5/iMovieTheater1.html
Part 6: http://homepage.mac.com/ke_kuokoa_ff6/iMovieTheater1.html
Part 7: http://homepage.mac.com/ke_kuokoa_ff7/iMovieTheater1.html
It is imperative that all Kanaka Maoli and our supporters who have access to computers with Quicktime view this show to learn the truth regarding the Akaka Bill and OHA’s support of said bill, S.147.
http://homepage.mac.com/ke_kuokoa1/iMovieTheater1.html
I hope this small use of technology helps us to reach a larger worldwide audience–especially to our ‘ohana living abroad. And I hope that the fellow Kanaka Maoli of First Friday, ‘Olelo, and Hui Pu will support our use of their TV production to help spread the word to the world of our opposition to the Akaka Bill for reasons that are “pono” (just).
We cannot allow the “negotiation of our surrender!” That is what the Akaka Bill is really about. Mahalo for all of your support. Aloha no.
Homepage: http://homepage.mac.com/ke_kuokoa1/iMovieTheater1.html
M. Kesa said,
November 23, 2005 @ 1:46 pm
If Billy has any knowledge of the true history, not missionary or revisionist history, of his Hawaiian kupuna, if Billy is a culturally aware Hawaiian (has de-colonized his mind), and if Billy acknowledges the fact that his everyday reality that directly affects him and his ‘ohana is what goes on here in Hawai’i and not in Ireland or China, then I would venture to say that Billy would NOT support the Akaka Bill. Instead, he would support independence… You didn’t see that one coming, did you?
Thank you for allowing non-bloggers to post our comments.
surfer chick from CA said,
November 23, 2005 @ 3:39 pm
Now wait a minute…….you want actual sovereignty? As in no more US? How would the Hawaiian people survive without the welfare our tax dollars provide to your ohana? Shall I send you a captialist Starbucks gift card so you can smell the coffee?
CollegeProf said,
November 23, 2005 @ 4:25 pm
Seems to me the Natives are running wild.
Malcolm Kesa said,
November 23, 2005 @ 7:00 pm
Yes, that’s right, my friends. No more U.S. And ask yourself that question: How did Hawaiians survive for hundreds of years prior to contact? You can keep your gift card, I prefer ‘awa instead, Dude.
Yes, the Natives are restless, but rather than running wild, we are arming ourselves with knowledge. Afterall, knowledge is power, right Prof?
If you haven’t visited my homepage yet, please do so. You might learn something…
Anonymous said,
November 24, 2005 @ 9:51 am
Are the ‘Pro-Sovereignty’ folks part of the Aloha Chapter of the hate America crowd? Their revisionist version of history sounds alot like the current ‘Bush lied about the pre-war intelligence’. This ‘Not Our America’ movement is kept alive by the leftist kook professors at UH that love to sit at the feet of their mainland hero Ward Churchill.
Connect the dots.
Eric J. Seabury said,
November 25, 2005 @ 10:58 am
I do not have native-Hawaiian blood but my family has been in Hawai’i since 1855 (My great-great-great grandfather from my father’s side arrived in the islands from Portugal almost 20 years before the influx of Portuguese arrived and he was a supporter and friend of the monarchy. Another great-great-great of mine was Manuel Nuñez, the inventor of the ukulele).
In 1959, the majority of Hawai’i residents voted for statehood. I don’t deny the fact that many pro-sovereignty individuals back then were pushed aside and told to be quiet and I don’t deny the fact that many Hawai’i residents (Not just native-Hawaiians) who signed the petition to have the Queen restored to her throne in 1893 were disgracefully ignored (My ancestor being one of them), but the Akaka Bill will do nothing else but divide us even further and make native-Hawaiians a ward of the Federal government, which would have the final say on any decisions that the native-Hawaiians will want to make.
We are an island state and we have a rich, cultural history that no other state or country can match. We are the best example of how the rest of the world should be. The Akaka Bill will affect all of us in a negative way and it should be put to a vote by the people of Hawai’i before Congress makes any decision on “our behalf”.
As far as sovereignty is concerned. People are either “for” or “against” it. I think the best way to answer the question of sovereignty is to also put it to a vote. Ask the people of Hawai’i, “should the question of sovereignty be put to a vote by the people of Hawai’i?” If people vote “yes” in the majority, it should be discussed and voted on and if it is “no”, then the question should be dropped once and for all. I, for one, wouldn’t have a problem with this because I know in my heart that the majority of Hawai’i´s people want to remain with the United States of America.
While native-Hawaiian groups have many supporters who want to assist in maintaining the culture, language and the land, the pro-sovereignty movement is a minority. I have family and friends who have native-Hawaiian blood and they’re proud to be American.
Some people may say because I do not have native-Hawaiian blood that I do not know what I’m talking about and I’m only looking at this subject through blind, “colonized” eyes. That I wouldn’t know what native-Hawaiians are feeling because my “haole” ancestors arrived here through Ellis Island from America. Well, my ancestors didn’t go through Ellis Island, I was born and raised in Hawai’i, I have just as much a right to my opinion as anyone else does who either agrees or disagrees with me. And as for those “conservative” pro-Bush lovers, who believe that the pro-sovereignty members are only liberal-lefties who spend their time spouting the “blame America” mantra… Back off and stop being ignorant! I love my nation and I love it deeply but I also love it enough to know that many individuals and groups who have represented us in government have not always represented us in the manner that our Founding Father’s intended them to. They have committed crimes and atrocities in our name while saying it was for the benefit of the people while in reality it only benefited their campaign contributors.If we’re going to resovle this issue, we need to listen to each others point of view, even if we don’t agree or like it. Insults and demeaning each other won’t get us anywhere.
We need to bring the entire debate out to the people and put it to rest once and forever!
Anonymous said,
November 25, 2005 @ 11:04 am
Let the Hawaiians decide not the americans they have 49 other states they can worry about. As far as the welfare checks???? as the suffer girl said “How original the name” you already wrote one to Iraq
Anonymous said,
December 22, 2005 @ 12:36 pm
How did Hawaiians survive for hundreds of years prior to contact?
In servitude to a tiny elite, under physically wrenching conditions, in constant warfare, and with only stone age technology.
Iakeo said,
December 22, 2005 @ 5:54 pm
Eric J. Seabury said:
We need to bring the entire debate out to the people and put it to rest once and forever!
First, I’d like to commend Eric on his profound observations. Excellent work!
The problem with the quote (of Eric’s) above is that there is no “once and forever” with either side in this matter.
The “sovereignty” folks will literally die wanting what they want, and infect their offspring with their mania, regardless of any democratic process.
The “non-sovereignty” folks will never give in to what they see as a fundamental evil, which is the creation of a “nation” on a wholey racial (racist) basis.
Thus, we have a problem. Since neither side will give in, nature will decide the matter, and nature will do what it has been doing since the discovery of the land of Hawai’i by humans.
Those who find it, will use it for their cultural proclivities, and all cultures have a proclivity toward diminishing other competing cultures, and creating something new from the “clash”.
If you believe in the pre-tahitian menehune, the “invaders” from the south took their good lands and drove them into the mountains and less desirable places. They eventually interbred with the “invaders” and disappeared as a people, and enhanced the “invaders” culture.
These same “invaders” eventually (in short order no doubt) made war on each other, and displaced and incorporated the conquered. This wiped out lines of descent, but also enhanced the conquering cultures.
A particularly “great” invader, far down the timeline, decided that he knew best what the culture should look like, and united all the various people, by war and persuasion, into a great people with a wonderful culture.
Then another invader came from far away. Once again, the diminishing, incorporation and enhancement of culture commenced.
You can not stop time. The reason that “sovereignty” will never be granted is that those who want that don’t know what they are requesting.
What they want is for time to move backwards, and settle in some mythical “paradise” that never existed.
What they should be wanting is “cultural sovereignty”, which they’ve always had.
If you want a “genetics based” CLUB (fascia), create one, but don’t expect any assistance from outsiders, as they CAN’T have any interest in your club. And to become petulant in the frustration at not being able to do the impossible just shows your immaturity. This petulance is the most obvious feature of the “soverignty” movement that people who would otherwise help you expand your beautiful culture see, and it makes them not want to help.
If you want to create a beautiful society and culture, go ahead, and you’ll have as much help and assistance with it as you are inclusive.
Learn your language! Teach your ways! Show us how great we know you can be! Make US want to be a part of YOUR culture!
Your culture is not a product of your people’s genetics. It is a product of your people’s ACTIONS!
Show us you understand this, and you’ll get more than everythng that you desire.