FEDERAL RECOGNITION WILL NOT BRING JUSTICE TO HAWAIIANS
Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Monday, April 11, 2005
The Akaka bill -- will it pass? Likely.
A hundred years ago the Congress of the United States of America, deciding there was a need for a foothold in the Pacific, authorized the invasion, occupation and overthrow of the kingdom of Hawai'i.
Never mind that Hawai'i was a sovereign nation; the United States wanted the foothold and took it.
This action was an illegal act, which demands an accounting.
The Akaka bill provides for monetary compensation and segregated status, which, if accepted, could bring a form of legal closure. While acceptance may be considered an economic windfall, it is certainly not justice.
I say to the people who represent these islands, if you persist in believing that money is more valuable than justice, or that segregated status is a worthy substitute for nationhood, you are not being true to Hawai'i and, as important, and with vastly greater consequences for the future, not true to America.
Kelly Greenwell
Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i
