In politics it appears that timing is everything, except when it's not.
Hawai`i's senior Sen. Dan Inouye knows the legislative calendar better than most. So last year when he started saying now was the time to move the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act—dubbed the Akaka Bill after its sponsor, Sen. Dan Akaka—people were wise to start circling dates on the 2010 calendar.
It now appears that it is time to pull out the White-Out because those circled dates are passing.
The fumbling started when Senate Democrats lost an assured 60-vote majority when Massachusetts voters put Republican Scott Brown in the U.S. Senate.
Even arithmetically challenged reporters know there are 100 senators and a simple majority is 51, so the question is, why does it takes 60 votes to pass most bills in the Senate?
The reason that sloths and glaciers move faster than the U.S. Senate is because any senator can stop any piece of legislation by putting a "hold" on it. To end debate and force a vote, 60 senators must sign on. In its 10-year history, the Akaka Bill has had so many holds placed on it, it must have grown handles by now.
Part of common Hawai`i political folklore is that Dan Akaka is the nation's most beloved senator. Next to him in the pantheon of Hawai`i senators is Inouye, rippling with legislative might as chairman of the Appropriations Committee and bulked up with more seniority than any of the other 99. Regardless, neither has ever been able to get 60 votes to push the bill for a floor vote.
The Akaka Bill is rapidly becoming like the famous Norwegian Blue parrot in the Monty Python comedy sketch.
"He's a stiff! Bereft of life, he's resting in peace ... His metabolic processes are now history! He's off the twig! He's kicked the bucket, he's shuffled off his mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible!" says John Cleese.
"No, no, he's not dead, he's, he's resting! Remarkable bird, the Norwegian Blue ..." argues Michael Palin.
Today the Senate is inching toward its August recess. All this year Inouye has predicted the Akaka bill cannot be taken up in the fall because there is too much to do before the November elections.
Now the Senate GOP minority may still be able to block the bill. If Akaka and Inouye try to delay the vote until next year, things will be more difficult because there will likely be more Republicans in both chambers after the election.
Although the Akaka bill would fundamentally change Hawai`i, it is on no one's Washington radar. Only on slow days will conservative alarmists such as Michelle Malkin give it a toss; for the rest, it is a matter of whether Inouye and Akaka can find 60 votes and time in the next two weeks to conclude a decade-long debate.
The Senate is looking at starting the August recess either Aug. 6 or 13. If the bill has not cleared the Senate by then and moved back to the House for a second vote, this exercise may be pau.
Comments
"No Treaty of Annexation" says it all. Senator Inouye and others says that the AKaKa BILL will give Native Hawaiians recognition as native Americans. Which is a Lie and HEWA.
Many of the Native Americans have Limited Governmental Powers. Powers to control their Domestic Native status with the United States. Based on documents that the 550 more Native American Tribal nations had signed Treaties with the United States.
It is these Treaties that the Congress of the United States recognizes the Limited Governmental Powers of the Native American Domestic Nations.
The AKaKa BILL does not gave any type of Governmental Powers to the Native Hawaiians. In fact the AKaKa BILL continues to control the Governmental Powers of the Native Hawaiians in relation to Gaming.
Kaulana Na Pua O Hawaii was written during the time of Queen Liliuokalani. Once more Native Hawaiians needs to understand the Kaona in Kaulana Na Pua O Hawaii. That once more, the United States is offering the Native Hawaiian people another "Greedy Document" for the sale of their Civil Right as the Kanaka Maoli people of the Hawaiian Kingdom nation of Queen Liliuokalani.
Queen Liliuokalani and our ancestors and many Hawaiian Nationals of the Hawaiian Kingdom who signed the Anti-Annexation Petitions of 1897-1898 did every thing to protect the Sovereignty and Independence of their Island Kingdom nation, the Kingdom of Hawaii.
The AKaKa BILL does not correct the wrongs that was done to Queen Liliuokalani and her people, it perpetuates the HEWA of the United States. The HEWA of the United States in its dealing with the Indigenous Peoples of the World. Not only the Kanaka Maoli people of Hawaii, but all Maoli Peoples of the World.
I strongly believe that the Spirit of Queen Liliuokalani and her subjects of the Hawaiian Kingdom nation are in opposition of the passage of the AKaKa BILL.
Long Live The Hawaiian Kingdom, o Pomaikaiokalani, Hawaiian Kingdom National Royalist 1993