www.starbulletin.com > News > Akaka Bill Foes Want Hearing
By B.J. Reyes
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Dec 15, 2009
Opponents of federal recognition for native Hawaiians are urging Hawaii's congressional delegation to hold hearings in Hawaii on the latest version of the Akaka Bill, which is being discussed in Congress this week.
"The only hearing on this bill in Hawaii was 10 years ago on Oahu," said Ehu Cardwell, a spokesman for the Koani Foundation, a sovereignty group that opposes the legislation.
"Since then there have been no hearings -- not one -- in Hawaii. There have been so many iterations of it we don't know what's in this bill," he added. "We want the opportunity to give him feedback."
The Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, better known as the Akaka Bill, is scheduled for a markup tomorrow in the House Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Indian Affairs Committee on Thursday.
The foundation organized a rally at the state Capitol yesterday to protest what it said was a potential "sneak attack" by U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye.
Opponents alleged that Inouye would try to insert the legislation into a separate defense appropriations bill, or some other piece of legislation, coming up for votes this week in Congress -- denying a proper public discussion of the proposal.
Inouye, in a statement released by his office, said he had no intention of attaching the Akaka Bill onto other legislation, calling the notion "nonsensical."
"I don't know where this nonsensical suggestion originated," Inouye said. "The Akaka Bill for the past many years has been considered under what we call the regular order. It has had hours upon hours of hearings, many, many revisions and amendments and has gone through the scrutiny of three administrations.
"We have had hearings in Washington and in Hawaii. It is not a measure that has been shepherded in the dark of the night. It has been fully transparent."
The Akaka Bill would allow for the formation of a governing body for native Hawaiians, similar to that of American Indians, to negotiate with state and federal governments over land and other resources.
Protest organizers said they still are hopeful to have the bill vetted further.
"We thank Sen. Inouye for his statement and accept his word the Akaka Bill will not be attached to any other legislation," said Leon Siu, one of the protest organizers. "Maybe now the senator will actually hold open congressional hearings on the bill in Hawaii in 2010 and find out what people really think about this legislation.
"I can tell you this: It will be an eye-opener."
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Public hearings for the Akaka Bill were only held on August 28 to September 1, 2000 (Monday to Friday) from 8:30am to 5:00pm at the Neil Blaisdell Center in the Pikake Room. Public hearings scheduled to be held on the neighbor islands were cancelled on August 26 due to Senator Akaka's hip replacement surgery on August 3, 2000. Those from the neighbor islands could fly to O'ahu to give oral testimony or submit written testimony. There was an over-whelming oppositiion to the Akaka Bill voiced by native Hawaiians and other Hawai'i residents. This tried the patience of the Senators who preferred the support of the native Hawaiians and the rest of the community before meeting with the Senate in Washington on September 3, 2000 in hopes of moving this bill forward toward enactment.
Since then, there have been a myriad of amendments; changes, re-titling of the bill, and concessions to make it palatable for Congress to accept. Each time we have opposed the bill and have asked for hearings on all the islands and would have to approve the final draft of the bill as written without any additional hidden changes. Hawaiian subjects/nationals not of kanaka maoli blood who have been snubbed by the U.S. are also in the national movement that oppose this disingenuous bill. Others who oppose this bill do it for different reasons. Many use imagined arguments to support their positions real or not. Blood quantum is a U.S. American thing that derives from their racist doctrines of Manifest Destiny as does the Akaka Bill. Since the year 2000, there has not been a public hearing held on all the islands and it should be done before the senators submit their bill; if there is to be one.
The over-all consensus was that the native Hawaiians rejected this bill and we refused to be labeled a "tribe". We made it clear that we were still subjects of the Hawaiian Kingdom and wanted our country back and under our control. It was very heated back then. Those who actually attended this hearing should step up and share their experience of those days of the hearings. People were also upset that they didn't take the hearings to the neighbor islands. One also had to jump through their hoops and guidelines to do oral testimony. News coverage show the senators at their wits end and frustration. Evidently, the didn't expect such resistance to the bill. The response I got from Akaka, much later, is that they took what we had to say and he collected certain people as representatives to suggest what the main concerns were and thus a revision of the bill to word it so it would be more acceptable to the native Hawaiians. This is why the title was changed to similate the restoration of the "governing entity" as a reorganization of the Kingdom's government. All semantics and dancing around with the words to give the impression that they were restoring the government for recognition. They are still trying to play with the words to trap the Hawaiians into believing that it is what they want but not really resolving the issues. Try as they might; we are not buying into their fraudulant actions. Unfortunately there are still those out their that buy into "it better than nothing" attitude or that "its a stepping stone for independence". I think of "Baa, baa, black sheep...have you any wool? Yes sir! Yes sir! three bags full... One for MY MASTER, One for HIS dame;... one for the little boy who lives down the lane....." The little boy who lives down the lane must be his illegitimate son. That leaves us with NOTHING!
The results of the hearing is in their "rule-book" and recorded. What they do with it will be reinterpreted by them as to what our issues are and how to address it in their advantages. Write to Akaka and he will explain how the revision of the original bill evolved. He gathered a handful of Hawaiians from specific organizations to identify the issues and they in turn proffered how to resolve those issues by putting in "feel-good" words to make it more likeable using trigger-words to create the illusion.
The contradictions of terminology and definitions are intermixed in their legalese usage. It is riddled with double-speak words and phrases to pacify Hawaiians' objections. Nation within a nation equates with belligerent occupation. Self-determination is an illusionary trigger-word for determination within their box as they define. Restoration is a misnomer to give the impression that it is legitimate. It's good to know that legalese language is not the same as common language usage. Simple words do not mean the same as the definition and connotation within the legalese language. Entity as in government entity is never used to identify federal, state, or local governments. One can use a government entity as a boys' club governance, student-body government, boy scouts of America, an association or organization, and even the Hawaiian civic club.
All this reaffirms the U.S. racist doctrines of manifest destiny initiated by the Papal Bulls that gave its blessings to do what they do in subjugating non-whites. It's through this that the Akaka Bill has been borne out of as allowing their plenary authority. Jim Crow laws, Black codes, are still being applied to the native Hawaiians through their plantation mentality and pro-slavery mentality. It all blends into one. People who believe in the U.S. manifest destiny, imperialism, and expansionism will naturally support the Akaka Bill; indigenous peoples, the existence of third world countries, christiainity as defined in the western world, white ethnocentrism, and criminal behavior.
The U.S. may have a half-black president; but that's all part of the sales and marketing schemes of the corporate oligarchy to continue the illusion of a democratic republic. It's the same with redefining and using the word, "Aloha Spirit" to fit their agenda.
Replies
Since then, there have been a myriad of amendments; changes, re-titling of the bill, and concessions to make it palatable for Congress to accept. Each time we have opposed the bill and have asked for hearings on all the islands and would have to approve the final draft of the bill as written without any additional hidden changes. Hawaiian subjects/nationals not of kanaka maoli blood who have been snubbed by the U.S. are also in the national movement that oppose this disingenuous bill. Others who oppose this bill do it for different reasons. Many use imagined arguments to support their positions real or not. Blood quantum is a U.S. American thing that derives from their racist doctrines of Manifest Destiny as does the Akaka Bill. Since the year 2000, there has not been a public hearing held on all the islands and it should be done before the senators submit their bill; if there is to be one.
The over-all consensus was that the native Hawaiians rejected this bill and we refused to be labeled a "tribe". We made it clear that we were still subjects of the Hawaiian Kingdom and wanted our country back and under our control. It was very heated back then. Those who actually attended this hearing should step up and share their experience of those days of the hearings. People were also upset that they didn't take the hearings to the neighbor islands. One also had to jump through their hoops and guidelines to do oral testimony. News coverage show the senators at their wits end and frustration. Evidently, the didn't expect such resistance to the bill. The response I got from Akaka, much later, is that they took what we had to say and he collected certain people as representatives to suggest what the main concerns were and thus a revision of the bill to word it so it would be more acceptable to the native Hawaiians. This is why the title was changed to similate the restoration of the "governing entity" as a reorganization of the Kingdom's government. All semantics and dancing around with the words to give the impression that they were restoring the government for recognition. They are still trying to play with the words to trap the Hawaiians into believing that it is what they want but not really resolving the issues. Try as they might; we are not buying into their fraudulant actions. Unfortunately there are still those out their that buy into "it better than nothing" attitude or that "its a stepping stone for independence". I think of "Baa, baa, black sheep...have you any wool? Yes sir! Yes sir! three bags full... One for MY MASTER, One for HIS dame;... one for the little boy who lives down the lane....." The little boy who lives down the lane must be his illegitimate son. That leaves us with NOTHING!
The results of the hearing is in their "rule-book" and recorded. What they do with it will be reinterpreted by them as to what our issues are and how to address it in their advantages. Write to Akaka and he will explain how the revision of the original bill evolved. He gathered a handful of Hawaiians from specific organizations to identify the issues and they in turn proffered how to resolve those issues by putting in "feel-good" words to make it more likeable using trigger-words to create the illusion.
The contradictions of terminology and definitions are intermixed in their legalese usage. It is riddled with double-speak words and phrases to pacify Hawaiians' objections. Nation within a nation equates with belligerent occupation. Self-determination is an illusionary trigger-word for determination within their box as they define. Restoration is a misnomer to give the impression that it is legitimate. It's good to know that legalese language is not the same as common language usage. Simple words do not mean the same as the definition and connotation within the legalese language. Entity as in government entity is never used to identify federal, state, or local governments. One can use a government entity as a boys' club governance, student-body government, boy scouts of America, an association or organization, and even the Hawaiian civic club.
All this reaffirms the U.S. racist doctrines of manifest destiny initiated by the Papal Bulls that gave its blessings to do what they do in subjugating non-whites. It's through this that the Akaka Bill has been borne out of as allowing their plenary authority. Jim Crow laws, Black codes, are still being applied to the native Hawaiians through their plantation mentality and pro-slavery mentality. It all blends into one. People who believe in the U.S. manifest destiny, imperialism, and expansionism will naturally support the Akaka Bill; indigenous peoples, the existence of third world countries, christiainity as defined in the western world, white ethnocentrism, and criminal behavior.
The U.S. may have a half-black president; but that's all part of the sales and marketing schemes of the corporate oligarchy to continue the illusion of a democratic republic. It's the same with redefining and using the word, "Aloha Spirit" to fit their agenda.