A VOICE OF HAWAIIAN INDEPENDENCE SPEAKS -
"The independence people haven't figured everything out, but the same can be said of those who advocate nation within a nation and so forth.
In response to comments one thing I can say is that I believe it is ok for Hawaiians to dream big - Americans at some point in their history dreamed big and look what happened, the settlers broke away from England and formed their own nation. Why should Hawaiians have limited dreams? If there is such thing as the "American dream" why not the "Hawaiian dream."
My father, was an advocate of Hawaiian Independence. His beliefs were the same as Queen Lili'uokalani's. He believed that America would someday correct what they had done wrong. They took Hawaii; they should return Hawaii. For him it was that simple.
Can cite all you want about all the different pieces of legislation that have come forth since 1893 but when you think about it, all that matters is what was stolen. An entire country - how can America be so arrogant so as to think they could just get away with what amounts to 19th century piracy?
Let me also add that how can we afford to not support independence? If you look at all the different pieces of legislation that have come forth since 1893, all have done little or nothing to forward the progress of Native Hawaiians. Moreover, it is my understanding that many of programs were never really made so that Hawaiians can succeed but made with the hope we would perish within the next generation or so - systematic government-supported methods of doing away with Hawaiians.
Just look at the statistics - prison, health, education - take your pick. No matter what kind of statistics, you will find that we are usually at the bottom of the socio-economic demographics and at the top of all the "social-ills" demographics: Highest percentage of homeless, high school dropouts, aids cases. This is all happening within current American framework of society.
Obviously I don't know history as well as [others,] but I do know what it is to be a Hawaiian struggling with and in today's American society. It's not that easy to be one Hawaiian attempting to be one practicing Hawaiian - know what I mean, right? So when I think about independence I think about all the possibilities, not the hardships. I don't know about [others], but I going continue to keep my dreams alive and the dreams of my kupuna."
