Survey Results on the Akaka Bill
GRIH commissioned a state-wide phone survey on the Akaka bill. You can see the results at these links.
Press Release on Survey Results
Archive for Uncategorized
Retire the Akaka bill & the gracious senator who wrote it.
After 7 years, numerous hearings, testimony, debates, wrangling and zero progress it’s time to retire, both the bill and the gracious senator. I hate to see the loss of several decades of political capital, the personal loss to senator Akaka’s dignity and the wrong headed effort of the entire Hawaii congressional delegation continuing, yet that seems to be what the cost is apt to be.
The 1893 replacement of a monarchy with a republic was the best thing for Hawaii, When, after the representative form of government was dissolved by the various monarchs for the 4th time that century It was the only choice for a population that desired to protect itself from the absolute & arbitrary authority of a dead form of government, namely a monarchy. The shot heard around the world was finally heard in Hawaii.
The loss of federal help to the state as a whole has been grievous. Concentrating benefits on 1 racial group and 1 doubtful cause is just plain wrong. It’s been said that if one finds himself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging. The U.S. civil right commission has urged rejection of S 147.
The Senator from Tennessee, Lamar Alexander, spoke on May 8, 2006, on the floor of the senate saying “Akaka Bill Should Be Opposed by U.S. Senate.” His words seem to sound the death knell for the Legislation. However, I still sense an ongoing effort to ignore the fact of the existence of our U.S. Constitution.
The creation of a nation within a nation as proposed by S 147 or the Akaka Bill is absolutely unconstitutional and this wasteful effort must stop.
The constitution makes no provision for the dissolution for neither any state nor any part of any state. These back door contrivances to subvert the law only disgrace the whole state, and bring shame on us all.
Bud Ebel
Correcting Mark J. Bennett (about the Akaka Bill)
Please see an analysis of Hawaii State Attorney General Mark J. Bennett’s reponse to the USCCR report here:
2006-05-17 Mark J. Bennet Fact Check
He desperately tries to fend off the conclusions of the USCCR, but falls short in making a legitimate case for the Akaka Bill.
Also see the pdf article, “Why Congress Must Reject Race-Based Government for Native Hawaiians“
Correcting Akaka
Senator Akaka has promised daily speeches regarding the Akaka bill. We will endeavor to provide daily corrections to the errors he makes. See the details at the Grassroot Institute Wiki.
Update 5/12: The latest corrections for Akaka’s 5/12 speech are here. Also see the “Hawaii on the chopping block” presentation.
Update 5/14: For an examination of the redacted USCCR findings, which although alleged to contain “historical inaccuracies” did nothing but state the truth, see this article.
Update 5/15: Apparently Akaka gave up on his promise of daily speeches. See this article for more details.
Peace and Freedom
Dick Armey’s book Armey’s Axioms contains his observations from a lifetime of experience both in Congress and outside of it. Axiom Number 6 “If you love peace more than freedom, you lose” addresses both the 2nd and 3rd points from the previous post entitled Let Us Vote-Hawaii, namely intimidation and appeasement.
No matter what the relationship, whether it’s within a family, social, professional, or among nations, it is impossible to appease people who hunger for power and control.
People with a lust for power inevitably see appeasement as submission and are, thereby, encouraged to pursue an ever-increasing desire to control.
Submission only invites more intimidation, which in turn leads to more lust for power and control.
This is significant because Senator Inouye has written that the Akaka bill is only a “first step.” In other words the Akaka bill is merely a beginning stage for ever more intimidation and calls for appeasement. In the modern era it began with the creation of OHA, led to the Apology resolution and now has moved on to the Akaka bill. But it is a process that will never end, short of despotism. In this case a separate government that will make 2nd class citizens of everyone else.
Capitol Report on Townhall.com on Akaka bill
This is an excellent summary of what is happening in the Capitol on the Akaka bill right now. It covers a number of aspects and facets of the issue.
White Guilt
We had planned to take each of the items listed in the previous post and it just so happens there was an excellent op-ed at OpinionJournal.com by Shelby Steele yesterday May 2, 2006 on our first subject. We offer it up and hope you will join the debate that is bound to ensue.
Op-ed here.
Let Us Vote-Hawaii
We at Grassroot Institute of Hawaii have as our mission, the analysis of public policy, then making appropriate recommendations and conducting related education programs.
When we first looked at the Akaka Bill (S.147/H.R.309 The Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005) we puzzled over how such a top down, citizen choice ignoring bill could possibly be seriously considered. The more we looked, the more we also realized that something (or some things) were providing an abundance of nourishment for it.
We considered:
-White man’s guilt
-Intimidation
-Appeasement
-Follow the money
-Ignorance of U.S. Founding Principles
-Opportunism
-Attractive avenue for personal political power for a self-selected few
-Dual Allegiance
-Racism
-Subject US citizens
-Personal US groups Property Rights
-Personal US Group Power
Needless to say, we had some interesting discussions.
Our conclusions stand today:
-The federal government should have no right or power to create another government in Hawaii absent the permission of the people of Hawaii.
-The people of Hawaii, the U.S. and many, many elected representatives at all levels are completely uninformed about the possible real world results if the Akaka Bill were to pass. Education is essential.
Leading to our position:
Hawaii must have a plebiscite approving the Akaka Bill before it is even considered for passage by the U.S. Congress.
Incidentally, the important will fall into place once an election is scheduled.
We call our campaign:
“LUV-HAWAII”
That stands for “Let Us Vote”
A Glimpse of the Future?
The Chumash tribe wants to take 6.9 acres from the citizens of Santa Ynez Valley and put it into “trust” for their “cultural center.” Jon Bowen, president of Preservation of Santa Ynez notes:
When the community that is affected the most by tribal expansion is not even considered in the tribal land acquisition process and is basically being ignored by the Interior Board of Indian Appeals and told they are not protected under the law despite clear legal precedent to the contrary, there is something very wrong, and this community has the right and a responsibility to demand that our rights be protected.
And:
To allow land to be taken into trust and out of state and local rules and regulations that have been set up by this community and our elected officials to protect our community and the environment is wrong.
Circumventing fair and equitable land-use rules and regulations by any individual or government is wrong. Telling a community they cannot be heard is wrong. Not aving an open and transparent government process is wrong. Different land-use rules and regulations for individuals or groups, tribal and non-tribal, living in the same community, is wrong.
Is this the end result of having a separate “soveriegn nation” intermixed with our community?
What will happen here? Whole article here.
Akaka Talka
Akaka Talka
Have a look at www.Townhall.com for “E Pluribus Unum” http://www.townhall.com/opinion/column/markalexander/2006/04/07/193038.html by Mark Alexander. Your comments as to how this essay relates or does not to the proposed Akaka Bill are requested. Read to the fourth paragraph where he quotes Arthur Schlessinger. “Will the melting pot give way to the Tower of Babel?”
Richard O. Rowland