One-way ticket to leave Hawai`i
Aloha mai kākou!
On May 5, 2009 our newspaper The Garden Island [www.kauaiworld.com] published a letter ("Off the shelves") from John Hoff, former Kaua`i mayoral candidate. The letter was bloating about the freedom and democracy spread around the world by the United States of America. I responded to the letter and my response was printed next day under the title "The last refuge of a scoundrel".
This sounds very familiar and not only from John Hoff's letter in TGI on 5.5.2008 ("Off the shelves") but from government sources as well. Strangely enough I have heard the same words for 28 years from the Russians, who occupied Eastern Europe while I was living there. And the poor Russian forest worker or farmer in Russia, whose son serving in the Army was killed in one of those occupied countries, was given a flag of the Soviet Union and a medal and consoled with the words that their son had fallen for the freedom of the people of other countries. They did not say anything; their grief overwhelmed them when mourning their offspring who died in vain for a lie.
Don't be surprised, but these are the words the occupying forces are required to use to justify their aggression of other countries. They have to say something to the taxpayers who have to foot the bill of the military adventures of their leaders.
The writer listed 39 countries plus an entity called Hungry (a little geography would help – the country is Hungary, and Hungarians are offended when their country is called Hungry) who – according to him – are capable of enjoying freedom and democracy at the courtesy of the United States of America. How ironic! And the people of these countries think that they achieved the freedom and democracy themselves. Let's straighten them out! By the way during the 1956 Hungarian revolution the Hungarians were desperately waiting for the help of the United States that had constantly encouraged the Hungarians through the airwaves to revolt and promised help. And when they did, the USA chickened out.
By now the world map has changed. There are no Russian troops in those countries. There are US troops in many of them. But don't entertain the thought that they are much more popular than the Russians were. Before bloating about our freedom and democracy export perhaps we should ask the presumed beneficiaries about their feelings and their opinion. And I will do just that and forward John Hoff's published letter to the leading newspapers of the countries he mentioned to probe the opinion of the public there. Maybe they'll reprint it and there will be some reaction. Until then, let's just review our current achievements in the area of freedom and democracy in the USA.
Then today one of the most active Bush supporters, Gordon Oswald, came out with an attack against me and offered in his letter published under the title "Which America is it?"me and my family a one-way ticket to leave Hawai`i. The usual bloating and bragging about the "most wonderful country in the world - the United States of America" was inseparable part of his letter.
I just responded to it, and sincerely hope that they will publish. This was my short response:
Thank you for the offer
It was a generous offer, namely a one-way ticket for me and my family to the country of my choice by the letter writer (Which America is it? - TGI 5-8-2009, who accused me with "railing against America" in my letter he referred to. There was no such railing and not even the hint of disliking the country. It was simply a criticism of the foreign policy of the United States, which seems to be in line with the teaching of many great philosophers, who said that "without criticism there is no progress".
The answer to the letter writer's question "Why I not live in another country?" is very simple: because I like it here and I am Hawaiian in my heart, and I prefer to live in this sovereign state of Hawai‘i, even if it is currently occupied by the United States of America. Therefore only the native people of Kō Hawai‘i Pae ‘Āina may ask me to leave, but so far they only extended their most sincere aloha to me and my family. So, I stay.
If anyone cares, can send his/her mana`o to the editor by clicking on the link at the newspaper's website www.kauaiworld.com.
Me ke aloha
János Keoni Samu
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Mahalo a nui loa e Keoni for both of your submissions to the Garden Island Newspaper's Letters to the Editor. You address these two regular commentators well and I commend you for that. You remain respectful and intelligent in the face of Oswald's indignant rant. Both letters were annoying when I read them. I am so tired of hearing how the US is ":the most wonderful country in the world". I say, ask the black man in the ghetto if he feels that way, or a native American on the reservation, if he is so generous in thought about the good old USA. What of the Kamaka family of Waikane Valley whose land was so contaminated by the US Marines it was unsafe to live on and so condemned by the federal government. What do they think of the so-called "land of the free"? Again, mahalo for continuing the dialogue even though it is lost on their ears. Others are paying attention.
Replies
And it has been published today along with another good letter from Ed Coll.
Me ke aloha
János Keoni Samu