House Bill 1627 Would Create a State-Recognized Hawaiian Tribe
BY KENNETH R. CONKLIN, PH.D. – HB1627 is a bill in the Hawaii legislature to create a state-recognized ethnic Hawaiian tribe. In view of the failure of the Akaka bill in Congress, HB1627 contains much of the worst language from that bill but brought over from the federal to the state level. The bill’s text is 37 pages long and can be downloaded from
http://tinyurl.com/4r2oy77
The hearing notice became available only Thursday morning February 3, with written testimony due by 9:45 AM Friday, for a hearing to be held at 9:45 AM Saturday February 5. How’s that for short notice! Do they really want to hear from us? The notice says decision-making will follow the hearing. But sometimes decisions are postponed. Testimony can be submitted “late” in case the committee does not make a decision immediately. See the hearing notice for details on time and place of the hearing, and how to submit testimony by way of the internet. http://tinyurl.com/4lc9eft
Here is the testimony I submitted on Thursday. Feel free to expand on any portions you like, or make your own points.
To the House Committee on Hawaiian Affairs:
HB1627 is fundamentally the same as the federal Hawaiian Government Reorganization bill, also known as the Akaka bill; except that instead of having the federal government recognize the Akaka tribe, this bill would have only the State of Hawaii recognizing that tribe.
The clear purpose of the bill is to authorize the creation of an entity with governmental powers, but restricted to people who have at least one drop of Hawaiian native blood.
That racist concept is unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Since all legislators have taken an oath to support and defend the U.S. Constitution, any legislator who votes in favor of this bill has thereby violated that oath and must resign from office.
The concept of this bill also violates the first sentence of the first Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii, sometimes called the “kokokahi” (one blood) sentence, which proclaimed “Ua hana mai ke Akua i na lahuikanaka a pau i ke koko hookahi, e noho like lakou ma ka honua nei me ke kuikahi, a me ka pomaikai.” In English, it can be translated into modern usage as follows: “God has made of one blood all races of people to dwell upon this Earth in unity and blessedness.” What a beautiful and eloquently expressed concept! HB1627 is an ugly and disgusting violation of that kokokahi sentence.
King Kauikeaouli Kamehameha III wrote the kokokahi sentence as the first sentence of his Declaration of Rights in 1839, which was then incorporated in its entirety to become the preamble of the Constitution of 1840. In making that proclamation the King exercised sovereignty and self-determination on behalf of his native people, and on behalf of all people of all races who were subjects and residents of his Kingdom.
Today’s Hawaiians are ethically bound to respect the wisdom of their ancestors. They are also legally and morally bound to respect the full partnership between natives and non-natives which enabled the Kingdom to be established and to thrive. All subjects of the Kingdom were fully equal under Kingdom laws, regardless of race, including voting rights and property rights. When partners work together in full equality to create and sustain a business or nation, it is morally and legally wrong for one partner to toss out or set aside or segregate other partners.
A zealous minority within the ethnic Hawaiian minority demands racial separatism. Should we allow that? Will you legislators be accomplices to such evil?
Consider the historical struggle for identity within the African-American
community. Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam, and the early Malcolm X, advocated racial separatism and portrayed the white man as a devil. Some radicals called for setting aside several southern states for a Nation of New Africa. Fortunately Martin Luther King used Gandhi’s spiritual tool of non-violence to appeal to people’s inner goodness, which led to full integration. After his pilgrimage to Mecca Malcolm X understood the universal brotherhood of people of all races, but was gunned down by the separatists when he tried to persuade them to pursue integration.
In Hawaii we see a similar struggle now unfolding. Some demagogues use racial grievances to stir up hatred, and leaders use victimhood statistics to build wealthy and powerful institutions on the backs of needy people who end up getting very little help.
The Akaka bill, and HB1627, would empower the demagogues and racial separatists. These bills are supported primarily by large, wealthy institutions; not by the actual people they claim to represent. Institutions like the $400 Million Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and the $9 Billion Kamehameha Schools, seek to entrench their political power. They want an exemption from the 14th Amendment requirement that all persons be given the equal protection of the laws regardless of race.
But Hawaiians are voting with their feet against the Akaka bill. After seven years and untold millions of dollars in state government money for advertising (and free T-shirts!), fewer than one-fourth of those eligible have signed up for the Kau Inoa racial registry likely to be used as a membership roll for the Akaka tribe. Sadly, if either the Akaka bill or HB1627 passes then the separatists will be able to create their tribe even though the majority of ethnic Hawaiians oppose the idea. And 80% of Hawaii’s people, having no native blood, will see our beautiful Hawaii carved up without even asking us.
Do the racial separatists have a right to go off in a corner and create their own private club for members only? Perhaps. But should the rest of us give them our encouragement and our resources to enable them to do that? Absolutely not.
It’s time for this legislature to stop encouraging racial separatism. It’s time to stand up in support of unity and equality. Just say no to HB1627 and all other bills motivated by the same mentality.
Replies
We shouldn't buy into Conklin's manufactured points of argument.
Let's stick to the issues of:
U.S. conspiracy to destabilize the Kingdom of Hawaii's government;
U.S. collaborated 1893 invasion, setting up a puppet Provisional Government and belligerent occupation;
Queen Liliuokalani and U.S. President Cleveland Executive Agreement;
the Ku'e Petitions of 1897 protesting U.S. Annexation and the ipso facto Republic of Hawaii, and the Turpie Resolution of 1894;
the U.S. Congress' twice rejected of the Provisional Government/Republic of Hawaii treaties of annexation;
the infamous, illegitimate, and unlawful passage of the U.S. Newland's Resolution - a proclamation for passage of an illicit annexation contrary to international law, U.S. law, and Hawaiian Kingdom law;
the ipso facto Organic Act of 1898 proclamation;
the implementation of the U.S. WASP racistt doctrines of Manifest Destiny and double-standard justice;
the ipso facto Statehood Act of 1959 proclamation;
the continuous violations of the law of occupation and the law of neutrality;
the forced assimilation to the U.S. racist WASP dominant society.
These are the factual, pertinent issues and not the made-up issues expounded by the Conklin-ites of the hypocritical United States of America.
The Kingdom of Hawaiin was a modern, progressive nation-state recognized internationally and an active participant internationally embraced by the "family of nations". The Hawaiian monarch was the boss in a democratic constitutional legislative government. It consisted with an executive branch, house of nobles, and a legislative branch. It had a bill of rights and a constitution and laws. It was a multi-ethnic citizenship in a Hawaiian Polynesian dominant society.
In the 1890 census, the citizenship had 15.6% of foreign origin who were naturalized or born of naturalized parentage. During that time, 49.9% of the residents were foreigners who were there by work contracts, foreign businessmen, and foreigners in general from throughout the world. The U.S. Americans were sent to Hawaii to tip the scale of population and influence because they were afraid of British influence or other world influences that would diminish U.S. influence and possible control.
The U.S. needed naval dominance in the Pacific Ocean to further its agenda of Expansionism, Imperialism, and Hegemony. It sent spies to survey the Kingdom of Hawai'i toward that goal and with its racist doctrines of WASP christianity that they were ordained by God himself to rule the world. It employed the double-standard of justice, freedom, and its interpretation of democracy. This included its economic-capitalistic advantage, extortion, and anti-socialism foreign policies that favor its ethnocentric Manifest Destiny doctrines.
Recognize these facts that are the real issues and stand proud as Kingdom of Hawaii patriots that demand justice and freedom. Know that we love our country, the Kingdom of Hawaii, as much as any citizen of any other country.
Tane
I relived thirty five years a few hours ago at the Capital today. It was like being in a worm hole only going backwards and forward within seconds.
Although a few missing players, we had the main voices speaking for the Kingdom of Hawaii. John clearly spelled out the failing system, my point of view, and where we should take this moment which was culture. I agree that we can manage our own Hawaiian Kingdom--our country.
I concurred with this until he used his contrived arguments from, "...Today Hawaiians..." to the end of his reversed-racist discourse, all of which is repugnant and disingenuous.
His dismal attempt to shift and spin the self-created issues and calling the pot black is sinister and sly as a fox. Now if he started with, "Today, White Americans...", this spin-master would be more in line with the truth.
It's common knowledge that racism is a white man's problem imbued in their society spored from the Papal Bulls to create the doctrines and tenets of Manifest Destiny in which they firmly believe it is their God-given rights to subjugate all non-white/non-Christian people and nations, all of which stems from their theocratic society which is known today as the United States of America. To top it all, even white women were not considered equal to white men in their society.
Over a hundred years after the creation of the U.S. was slavery abolished and still racism was not eradicated. The Klu Kllux Klan, Jim Crow Laws, double-standard justice, Indian Affairs, Interior and Foreign policies, The Massie Case in Hawaii, etc. all reaffirm this national behavior.
What Conklin will skirt and ignore is the national issue which is what we are fighting for today; it was never an ethnic or racial issue. It is Conklin and his U.S. American ilk that introduce this reverse-racist arguments into our issue.
Let's be very clear about this strategy they are using. They are white-washing the issue (pun intended).
For one thing, this is a national issue and not an ethnic/racial issue which is why many Hawaiians initially protested the Manifest Destiny bill introduced to us in 2000 which was known back then as the Recognition Bill.
The initial proposal was to make us a tribal American indigenous people. We protested that we are a nation which the U.S. already recognized and that we are illegally occupied by the "U.S.A. Masters" bent on redefining us and who we are. We wanted our country back which means the U.S. would have to de-occupy our nation-state which was already recognized as a peer throughout the world nations.
What people fail to see is that the Kingdom of Hawaii is a mainstream Polynesian Hawaiian society created by the Kanaka Maoli people; just as the United States of America is a mainstream racist WASP society created by the Euro-American colonists from Great Britain who subscribes to the doctrines of the Christian Manifest Destiny tenets.
Conklin is applying his white-American "hang ups" to and in Hawaii as an argument to the U.S. application of their racist Manifest Destiny doctrines on Hawai'i, the Kingdom of Hawaii. The foundation of the U.S.A. is WASP theocracy and not democracy. The U.S. original Declaration of Rights stated, "...All men are equal..." referred to all white men are created equal as attested in the manifest destiny doctrines; white women were not considered equal in this declaration.
Notice also during that period in time, that was the predominant thinking of the Western European thinking. If they meant ALL people, they wouldn't have used "all men", they would have used, " all man" as in mankind.
The Federal Akaka Bill and the state of Hawaii's facsimile continues to force its racist documents to regulate a free people to be subjugated under its control. The U.S. has already admitted to its crime, conspiracy, violations and recognizes the status of the Kingdom of Hawaii ande its people. What is doesn't want to do is reparation and restitution for its crime and to de-occupy the Kingdom of Hawaii. This is why it wants integration into its country voluntarily rather than give up its advantage and control of what it stole. The U.S. is showing no remorse of its felonious crime and wants to keep what it coveted.
Now this is what anyone can use in part or in whole of what I have stated because these are backed by researched facts. You have my permission to use it.
Tane
Mahalo Tane for taking the time to read my posting,
I am a bit tired from the funeral and did not read and compare and see what we are saying as oppose to what the slithering and side winding, I know that the author was saying.
I will get back to this and reread your earlier version and this one again. I sent the Bill to some of my friends and they seem to know nothing yet. Or, maybe they do now Much love and aloha to everyone
Good grief, his KKK axis of evil is hardly worth the time and energy to read, KKK is just a follow up to the Freddie Rice, Jon Van Dyke and Bill Patty Regime only it's written with a low life mentality. First it was just us being attacked --those that live on homestead. Now it's the whole race that the Anglos are after no thanks to those that ran for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. I am just as guilty too, I helped to register people for that stupid all Hawaiian entity.
Forgot to mention the 1920s Organic Act and all it's land stealing that went on during that time. The Rehabilitation Act gave us guys 200 thousand acres--so to speak, but it was nothing but a land grab for the Anglo missionary corporation. Talk about unequalibrim--Kaka in and Kaka out!
Did anyone actually read all 37 pages of HB 1627, whose the authorship of that crap?
This is archived in Pono Kealohas blog, so go there too and write ones comments and then send an opposing argument to the legislatures.
Do not duplicate this white trash in opposition of 1627. One needs to oppose this Bill 1627 through originality and principles.
He is attacking principles! I don't have a problem with it, I just don't want to read birds parroting this creeps work of evil. It make me so very cranky! Especially with the ideology of occupation, is there a de in occupation?
I walked the talk here in Hawaii with Native Hawaiian State and Federal Task Force and did the battles with Bob Fukuda and the duplicate New Deal (Obama commended Robert and Gary Allen in his 2011 State of the Union speech for their pioneering work in solar shingles — made possible thanks to $500,000 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (a.k.a., the stimulus), which Obama signed into law in 2009.).
Social Programs and universites keeps Na Kanaka entrenched in humuliating poverty. It's time to muster up a 'sense of place' and move on away from this 'axis of evil'.