Akaka Bill

Contrary to popular opinion, Indian reservations have a history in Hawaii. An Oct. 12, 1999, article in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin describes the efforts of Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate (KSBE) trustees in 1995 to evade oversight of their corrupt doings. The Trustees’ self-serving investments caused losses of $264,090,257 in 1994 alone. To avoid scrutiny, they considered moving KSBE corporate headquarters out of Hawaii to the windswept plains of the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian reservation in South Dakota.

  ‘LAVA DOGS’, the 1st Battalion 3rd MARINES, and other forces deployed into Helmand Prov. AFG.  Lava Dogs are from Marine Corps Base, Hawaii and trained for Afghan combat at Pohakuloa last July. 

Video of Ed Case speaking to Big Island GLBT group.

Laupahoehoe has voted to convert Laupahoehoe High and Elementary School (LHES) to a public charter school. League of Women Voters’ past president Sue Irvine and volunteers Margaret Drake, Marianna Scheffer were kept busy all day collecting secret ballots from parents and staff of LHES. One hundred forty five out of 180 voters cast their ballots in favor of charter conversion.  Only 35 opposed.

Hawaii Legislature's own papermill.  Built by feeeel-goood fake environmentalism.

Initiatives on the County level have included: Kauai Ohana in 2006-2007 attempting to use the initiative process to defeat high property taxes, Stop Rail activists who won the opportunity to vote on rail, and others who have used initiative for various causes on the Big Island.  Hawaii citizens do not have any statewide initiative and referendum rights. A majority of state citizens do enjoy local initiative and referendum rights. 

HONOLULU – Duke Aiona today announced five county chairs and co-chairs and 13 regional chairs for his growing campaign. The leadership team will provide grassroots support to mobilize and turn out voters for Duke Aiona in the 2010 gubernatorial election.

“From San Diego to Clear Lake, 57 tribes are cashing in on the annual $7.7 billion California Indian gambling boom, and some are throwing out many of their own members - all, critics say, so those remaining can pocket more cash. In many cases, that amounts to monthly allowances of up to $30,000 per person."

Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) denies there is an "Akaka Bill Sneak Attack".  He claims that the Akaka Bill process is "transparent."  Yet only now--as the US House Committee on Natural Resources is debating Abercrombie's proposed Akaka Bill rewrite--has a complete copy of Abercrombie's proposed rewrite been made available to the public.  Clcik here to read the full revised bill being proposed by Neil Abercrombie. 

These changes, taken together, change the bill from one where the status quo and the relations between the United States, the State of Hawaii, and the Native Hawaiian governing entity can be changed only after negotiations and after passage of implementing legislation, to a model in which the status quo immediately changes, pursuant to an Indian law model.

Meheula’s memo says: “In the late 1990s, when Ed Case was chairman of the State House Committee on Hawaiian Affairs, he repeatedly acted to reduce Native Hawaiian benefits, rights and revenues…. In the 1998 legislative session, Mr. Case proposed the 123-page ‘Native Hawaiian Autonomy Act.’ The Act would have terminated OHA and the Hawaiian Home Lands program, denied Native Hawaiians the right to self-determination and federal recognition, and reduced State liabilities to Native Hawaiians. The Act stated that its purpose is to stop the ‘continued dependence by native Hawaiians on others which prevents the development of the full potential of the native Hawaiian people.’”

Dr. Frank Sayre and Laura Mallery-Sayre experienced first-hand the heroism of the Hawai‘i Fire Department when they lost their son in a hiking accident in Polulu Valley.  The Hawai‘i Fire Department did not have rappelling ropes long enough to reach the bottom of the valley, so firefighters flew a helicopter into the narrow terrain at great personal risk.

Since then, Frank and Laura, motivated by the bravery and heroism of the firefighters, began the Daniel Sayre Foundation to raise money to buy equipment for the Hawai‘i Fire Department. Their efforts have been met with resounding success in the community, as they have raised more than $400,000 to provide essential life-saving equipment and training for our firefighters.

Baisa's motion is not mere symbolism.  Section Nine of the proposed ordinance reads:

"The transition of the County of Maui from the jurisdiction of the United States to the reinstated Kingdom of Hawaii will occur over a term of four years, having commenced on February 1, 2009.  All county officials and employees shall retain their positions during this transition period."

Speaking in Turkey, April 6, President Obama claimed: "We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation."  This is not new.  Obama has delivered similar remarks going back to at least 2008.  These are usually coupled with "we are not a (or--We are also a) Jewish nation, Muslim nation, Buddhist nation, nation of unbelievers, etc"  

But in Germany June 3, as he prepared to travel to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Obama changed his meme--announcing "The US is one of the largest Muslim countries in the world.”

Toby Harnden of the UK Telegraph writes:

As ABC's Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller astutely outline here, the Obama administration is embracing the new president's inner Muslim, as it were. Deputy national security adviser stated that Obama had "experienced Islam on three continents...growing up in Indonesia, having a Muslim father -- obviously Muslim Americans [are] a key part of Illinois and Chicago".

So that's once, twice, three times a Muslim?

The high court’s reading of legal precedent gives special protection to a state’s Admission Act. And in the case of Hawaii this means special protection for Hawaiian Homelands and the designation of ceded lands revenues for five specific purposes. The high court thus undermines two of the three key public arguments for the Akaka Bill.

Here's a complete round up of all the legislative moves and all the lies being told today...a day when almost every "not surprised" Hawaii Democrat is admitting they have been lying through their teeth for the last 15 years...and not a single interviewer is calling them on it. 

How wrong is the Hawaii State Supreme Court?  Their unanimous decision just got unanimously reversed by the US Supreme Court....How did this case begin?  With OHA suing to block construction of affordable housing.  Why are Hawaiians leaving Hawaii?  Lack of affordable housing. 

If the language imposed by the Bush Justice Department in 2005 is written out of what will become the 2009 version of the Akaka Bill, the changes could impact the dynamics of Senate debate.  

News Release from Governor's office responds to December 6, 2008 Honolulu Advertiser article. The Advertiser quotes Bill Meheula, a key player in Dan Akaka's 2006 reelection campaign and Lilian Kame'eleihiwa, of the UH Hawaiian Studies Dep't who ague that OHA has a claim to ceded lands and seem to imply that the State has taken a new position in its appeal to the US Supreme Court requesting the Court overturn the Hawaii Supreme Court ruling blocking the state from selling ceded lands.

In a Feb­ru­ary 28, 2008 letter, Hon­orary Vice-Consul of Italy in Hawaii, Car­men Di Amore-Siah, purports to grant the Hawaii King­dom Gov­ern­ment group recognition by the Gov­ern­ment of Italy.

Big Island Rancher Larry Mehau, resplendent in a dazzling white “Akaka for Senate” campaign T-shirt, welcomed over 100 Hawaii County Democratic activists to a campaign rally at his Big Island ranch on Sunday, Aug. 27, for U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-HI.  Several of Hawaii’s Political Candidates Show Face Including Congressional Candidates Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz and Gubernatorial Candidate Randy Iwase....