"A SIDESHOW OF NO PRACTICAL CONSEQUENCES WHATSOEVER"

Neil Abercrombie On Mauna Kea Protectors

THE LETTER THEY DIDNʻT WANT YOU TO SEE!

ABERCROMBIE TO DOI - 
"HAWAIIAN KINGDOM DOES NOT EXIST"

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NO JUSTICE ON STOLEN LAND

Honolulu Star-Advertiser - July 9, 2014

KAHULUI - Dozens of Maui residents Tuesday night echoed the staunch opposition heard around the islands against possible federal recognition as US interior officials held their 15th and final meeting exploring the possibility of re-establishing a government-to-government relationship with Native Hawaiians.

"This time is yours. We are here to listen to you, and we are grateful for you allowing us in your communities,"said Rhea Suh, assistant secretary of interior for policy, management and budget.

Many of those who spoke before a standing-room-only crowd at Pomai­kai Elementary School expressed gratitude that the federal meetings have helped unite the Hawaiian community toward a common cause.

"Just you folks coming here, something good has happened. Around the islands we have never gathered like this. Never. My only hope is that when we leave tonight, we do not stop, we keep this canoe going," said Kaui Kahai­alii. "Look, Maui, look around you. … This is awesome to see all the kanaka in the room with one voice."

"E pa`a oukou (We need to), stay strong," Sydney Iaukea told the audience. "Look, Maui, this is amazing!"

Some 158 people had signed up to speak ahead of the meeting, but only about 80 people were able to voice their opinions before the three-hour meeting adjourned promptly at 9 pm to boos and complaints.

During the meeting, many shared the same arguments heard over the past two weeks, including that Hawaii remains a sovereign nation, that the US is illegally occupying Hawai`i and has no jurisdiction here and that any future Hawaiian nation doesn't need or want America's help to reorganize.

Wearing a Hawaiian flag draped over his shoulder, Jonathan Davis said "the people of Hawai`i are indigenous to Hawai`i, not indigenous to America."

People held signs that read,"We did not concede to this illegal deed" and "There could never really be justice on stolen land."

"You have no business being here because we are not American," Lesley Iau­kea told the federal panel. "We will always show resistance to your occupation. The question today is not what the (Department of Interior) can do for us, but what can we do for ourselves."

Clare Apana said her kupuna, or ancestors, "have been waiting for hundreds of years for us to come back and bring back the life to this land, and this is not the way to do it because this is not the correct process."

"You have to go back to the beginning, correct the wrong and recognize that you are in a country unauthorized and occupying it, and go from there," she said.

Kaliko Lewis sang her testimony while strumming an ukulele: "The questions for me you have laid, a simple answer to them: A`ole (No). We are the best and the brightest, and we will reach for the highest. And we will never stand down, 'cause we are the best and the brightest."

MAUI TO US OFFICIALS - "AMERICA, ITʻS TIME TO FREE HAWAI`I"

Honolulu Star-Advertiser - July 7, 2014

LAHAINA - All but one of the more than 100 people who spoke before a federal panel Monday night rejected the idea of possible federal recognition of a future Native Hawaiian government, arguing the U.S. has no jurisdiction over Hawai`i.
 
US Department of the Interior officials held the 14th of 15 public meetings statewide at Kame­ha­meha III Elementary on Maui. 

The group is posing questions about whether the department should initiate a rule-making process that could set the framework for re-establishing a government-to-government relationship with the Native Hawaiian community.

"We recognize that our presence here may be insulting to some of you," said Rhea Suh, interior assistant secretary for policy, management and budget. "We're asking you to consider an option, an option that does not exist for you right now. … It really boils down to that simple question: Do you want that option?"

As at other meetings around the state, West Maui residents overwhelmingly replied, "No."

"Hawaiians are not an Indian tribe,"said Dennis O'Shea. "We're a sovereign kingdom."

He called the process just another attempt to get the Akaka Bill passed.
 
Keeaumoku Kapu added, "When you go home to Washington, you tell those people up there that we want to be left alone to make our own decisions as kanaka. … This is our decision, this is our choice. We don't need people coming over here and trying to tell us this is the road we need to choose."
 
Many said the federal government should leave the organization of a Native Hawaiian government up to Hawaiians. Others expressed frustration that the U.S. has continued to occupy the islands since the 1893 overthrow.
 
"The past 200 years, what you guys did for us?" asked Kalei Kau­hane. "What did America do to Hawaii? Kill our people, rape our land, steal our water and lie to the world. … That's all you guys did for us. You guys never do nothing positive for us. Nothing."
 
Several residents said it's unthinkable that the US is proposing a possible government-to-government relationship with Hawaiians.
 
"America, it's time to free Hawai`i. It's been enough already," said John Kini­maka. "According to international law, the only remedy to crimes of this magnitude is restitution and restoration. Time to pay up."
 
Several West Maui residents said they were offended that the federal government didn't consult Hawaiians before launching its listening tour.
 
"Unless you come to the table and start from the very beginning, that's all you're going to get: No, no, no," Ezekiel Kalua said.
 
The gathering ended with the crowd joining hands and singing "Hawaii Pono`i" and "Hawaii Aloha...."

MAUI SAYS "NO!" TO FEDERAL RECOGNITION

Honolulu Star-Advertiser - July 6, 2014

HANA, Maui - Testimony often turned confrontational Saturday as East Maui residents voiced strong opposition to the possibility of federal recognition for Native Hawaiians at the first of three US Department of the Interior meetings scheduled on the Valley Isle.

Many of the roughly 100 people who signed up to speak during the hearing at Hana High and Elementary School said they still feel wronged by the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom and demanded the United States deoccupy the islands rather than attempt to facilitate re-establishing a government-to-government relationship with Native Hawaiians.

Several people identified themselves as Hawaiian subjects, saying they are not American citizens. Others said they were motivated to speak on behalf of ancestors who had signed the 1897 petition against annexation.

Russell Kahookele, who identified himself as an elected representative of the lawful Hawaiian government, offered federal officials plumeria lei before taking them to task for what he called a host of injustices.

"Now that I got the aloha part out (of the way)," he said, "I object to this hearing. … You guys asking us if we should take the first step after 100 years and then some, now you like take the first step to do what? Recognize us as Indians?

"You guys represent the government that wen' apologize to us for the illegal actions. Now you going come and ask us if we still like your help? For what? More illegal activities? No!" he shouted.

As others spoke, audience members shouted in support:"Ku‘e!" (resist or protest) and "Hewa!" (mistake or crime). A few kupuna chanted forcefully in Hawaiian.

Amid signs that read "Deoccupy Hawai`i" and "Seized not Ceded," people argued that the U.S. has no authority or jurisdiction over Hawai`i.

"United States stole it in 1893 and didn't give it back," said David Kaeo Prais. "Just give it back. Plain and simple: Stop being criminals."

Sol Church added, "What you are doing here today is called potential racketeering. It is a war crime. The people who caused the problem are coming up with a fake solution. For the U.S. to facilitate anything is illegal."

HAWAI`I ISLAND SAYS "NO!" TO FEDERAL RECOGNITION

Honolulu Star-Advertiser - July 4, 2014

KAILUA-KONA » Hawaiians on Hawai`i island sent federal officials off to Maui with the same message they've heard for the last 10 days - Let Native Hawaiians determine their own fate.

"Our queen said no to your annexation," Robert Freitas Jr. told the panel Thursday night at Kealakehe High School. "Our kupuna have said no and we are saying no. So what part of 'no' do you not understand? ... Are you deaf? Don't you understand English? ... After 120 years of illegal occupation, it's time for you, the United States of America, to de-occupy our islands. ... Go back to the rock you crawled out from."

U.S. officials spent the last two days in Hilo, Waimea and Kailua-Kona listening to more than 400 speakers denounce a proposal to have the Department of the Interior begin a process that could lead to a government-to-government relationship with a future Native Hawaiian government.

Rather than discuss the details of such an idea, Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian speakers at the three sessions used the opportunity instead to excoriate the federal government's ongoing presence in the islands following the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy and to chronicle the subsequent 121 years of injustices and indignities in the islands for Hawaiians.

The tone for Thursday night's session was set when the first speaker, 77-year-old Hannah Wahinemaikai o Kaahumanukeliiulawioleokalama Reeves, told the panel of representatives from the US departments of Justice and the Interior that she will be watching their actions.

"I want our people to be free," she said. "I want America to respect us. I want America to let us be free like human beings. ... We are fighting for our people, for thousands of people."

Thursday was a long day for the federal officials. In the morning, facilitator Dawn Chang told the overflow crowd at the Waimea Community Center that the series of three-hour sessions have left her "filled with an extreme heavy heart," adding, "I feel your pain. It affects all of us. We know we cannot take it away from you."

Rhea Suh, assistant secretary of the interior for policy, management and budget, has presided over similar hearings on the mainland involving American Indians.

But she called the Hawai`i sessions "some of the most professionally intense meetings that we've ever been a part of," adding, "Many of you may not want to see us here, and I respect that."

Still, she reminded the speakers, "Your voices are being heard."

Ski Kwiatkowski of Kohala was among the many who was offended that federal officials plan to discuss the Hawai`i proposal with Indian tribes from Connecticut to Washington between July 29 and Aug. 7.

"We are Hawaiians, not a tribe," Kwiatkowski yelled at the panel in Waimea. "We are a people."

Kwiatkowski, who served two tours in Vietnam, where he was awarded two Purple Hearts, told the panel, "I bled for this country but I'm Hawaiian first. ... It's about our lands, our sovereignty."

Laura Lahilahi DeSoto McCollough of Waimea wept as she remembered the discrimination she faced growing up on the Leeward coast of Oahu.

As a student at Makaha Elementary School, DeSoto McCollough told the panel that she was "paddled by the teacher for speaking Hawaiian."

"We're losing our lands now. We hardly got any," she said. "Give us back what belongs to us -- and that's Hawai`i. You guys gotta give us back our lives."

KAUA`I SAYS "NO!" TO US FEDERAL RECOGNITION

Honolulu Star-Advertiser - July 1, 2014

WAIMEA, KAUA`I - Supporters of an independent Native Hawaiian nation were out in force Monday night to reject the possibility of federal recognition of a native government in the first of two meetings on the Garden Isle.

Nearly 200 people filled the Wai­mea High School cafeteria after the meeting was relocated from the smaller Wai­mea Neighborhood Center to accommodate a larger crowd.

The US Department of the Interior hearing featured deep emotions, anger, yelling, cheering and booing as speaker after speaker lashed out at the United States and reached into history to support the Native Hawaiian kingdom, which was overthrown in 1893.

Kekani Pa blasted those who would propose such a concept, saying federal recognition is merely a deceptive way to deny Hawaiian rights and continue American "lies, deceptions, death and fraud."

"I tell you, if you give them federal recognition, they're going to take your land," Pa said angrily. "It's about your land and your money."

Kelanikumai Hanohano told the federal officials to take this message back to America: "Our nationality is Hawaiian. Hawaiians are not a race. We are not a tribe. We are not indigenous Americans. We are Hawaiian."

Gerald Markel of Kilauea said, "We don't need the help of the secretary of the United States. He should be helping out Americans and don't worry about us. We can take care of ourselves."

The federal government has not negotiated in good faith with the citizens of the Hawaiian kingdom, Randy Wichman said.

"It's not about being Native American. It's not about race. It's about the obliteration of (Native Hawaiian) citizenship," Wichman said.

Rozlyn Reiner of Kekaha, a 36-year Hawaii resident who said she is not a Native Hawaiian, said she is nevertheless an ardent supporter of Hawaiian independence. She said the existence of the Hawaiian kingdom is undisputed.

"The attempt to establish a government-to-government relationship with the Native Hawaiian community is interfering with the internal and domestic affairs of the Hawaiian kingdom and violates international laws, the laws of occupation, US constitutional laws and the laws of the Hawaiian kingdom," she declared....

WANT THE PROOF? HERE IT IS!

Please forward this to every Hawaiian and our supporters.

In December, 2012 we made you aware of a leaked email detailing plans of Robin Danner and the CNHA as well as Kamaki Kanahele and the SCHAA to achieve US tribal federal recognition status for SCHAA homesteaders through the US Department of Interior as well as a hoped for executive order from the White House.

At the time those named in this leaked email vehemently denied the contents. They maintained the information contained in it was false.

And yet now, almost two years later, itʻs exactly what theyʻre attempting to do.

Here is the leaked email from 2012. The “Senator” referred to in the last paragraph is of course the late Dan Inouye.
_____________________________________________

Aloha SCHHA Homesteaders,

This is a short update on our strategy for federal recognition of the SCHHA and the recent meetings the Roll Commissioners have held with OHA Trustees and the Hawaiian Civic Clubs.

Years ago, with Robin & CNHA’s help we created a plan for federal recognition under the US Interior process. At that time we changed our name from the Statewide Council of Hawaiian Homes Association to the Sovereign Council of Hawaiian Homelands Assembly. Following this name change, Robin submitted to the US Department of Interior an application for Federal Recognition as an Indian Nation. Interior could not process our application because Hawaiians were not Indians.

Now that the Akaka Bill has been amended to say that Hawaiians are Indians, we can take the next step, getting Interior to move on our application. Although the Akaka Bill cannot move in Congress because the House is controlled by Republicans, we can go to Obama to have him issue an Executive ORDER to Interior directing them to move our application. According to Jade, the White House Indian staffers, including Kimberly Teehee have been supportive ever since Obama took office.

The Hawaiian Civic Clubs have approved the Hawaiian/Indian change in the Akaka Bill, and the Roll Commission has hired Aulani Apoliona and Soulee to facilitate with lobbying, we know that the White House will support our initiative. Inouye & Mazie will be assisting on the White House side as well. OHA Trustees have approved the approach and already voted weeks ago to give the Roll Commission about 2 million more dollars. The Kau Inoa registration has been turned over to the Roll Commission and they will send out letters to every Kau Inoa registrant to get their approval for the Roll Commission to use their data for the Roll Commission effort.

We should all be thankful to our sisters Robin, Jade and Mahealani. Jade has done an incredible job in getting Interior on our side, but the feds were happy to assist once they understood we do not need money or land from the USA, only help to move this along.

As SCHHA members we have DHHL land and we can get the funds in OHA set aide for our new nation. This is also a good way for our Hawaiians as well, no need to join one nation, the SCHHA Nation will be “recognized” first and any other Sovereign group can also apply. There are many Indian Nations and there can be many Hawaiian Nations too.

As Senator says, there are many ways to skin a cat. Please share this only with SCHHA members, do not distribute to others including Civic Clubs.We do not have to go to the Congress. There are other ways to get Federal Recognition, including the Indian administrative process. You can find it by googleing 25 CFR Part 83.

US FEDERAL RECOGNITION SCHEME RUNS INTO TROUBLE

By Malia Zimmerman | Watchdog.org

HONOLULU — A proposal by the Obama administration to create a new relationship with ethnic Hawaiians may have backfired.

The U.S. Department of Interior is holding a series of hearings about the plan, which, it said in a statement, would determine “the best path forward for honoring the trust relationship that Congress has created specifically to benefit Native Hawaiians.”

The vast majority of native Hawaiians who testified during a hearings were indignant, and even outraged, that the federal government would try to insert itself or side with any faction of native Hawaiians.

They scolded, shouted at and questioned the motives of Interior Department officials. Many want the Hawaiian monarchy restored to power and the US government out of Hawai`i....

...Hawaiian activist Bumpy Kanahele, who heads the organization Nation of Hawaii, told Interior officials: “We don’t need you to come in to tell us how to govern ourselves. Let us figure it out.”

University of Hawai`i Hawaiian studies professor Jonathan Osorio said the feds shouldn’t intervene and impose additional “aggression upon our nation.”

While the debate is stirring up an already racially divided community, constitutional experts argue President Obama and the Department of Interior have no legal right to create such a relationship and has no business holding these hearings in the first place.

Former Hawai`i State Attorney General Michael Lilly has said native Hawaiians have no tribe, and therefore the United States cannot enter into a treaty relationship.

“The current effort to recognize a separate ethnic tribe by the Department of the Interior is unconstitutional because, under the Constitution, it is the Congress that has the plenary power to recognize tribes and ratify treaties. That power does not reside in the executive branch of the federal government or with the various states. So the current effort aimed at creating a tribe of Hawaiians has no legal basis,” Lilly said....

MOLOKAI ALSO SAYS "NO!" TO US DEPT OF INTERIOR

Honolulu Star-Advertiser - June 29, 2014

The Native Hawaiian community on Molokai added its voice to the growing chorus of those who are rejecting a federal proposal that could lead to a formal U.S. relationship with a potential Native Hawaiian government.

More than 125 people attended a hearing at Kaunakakai Elementary School and the vast majority of the more than 40 people who testified offered a resounding repudiation of federal recognition.

"It has become painfully obvious from these hearings that those Hawaiian leaders who have called you here in hopes of protecting our entitlements and federal funding have done so without consulting their people," declared veteran Molokai activist Walter Ritte. "The majority is in no mood to continue a subservient relationship with the United States."

The hearing featured raised voices, anger and tears but, for the most part, audience members and speakers were courteous in contrast to last week's O`ahu hearings, which were punctuated by intimidating testimony, boos and jeers.

The same relatively cordial tone was seen at Friday's hearing on Lāna`i, where about 50 people attended and a handful testified primarily against federal recognition.

With Saturday's hearing, the Department of the Interior panel has reached the halfway point of its two-week, 15-meeting Hawai`i tour in which it is asking whether the department should launch a rule-making process that could set the framework for re-establishing a government-to-government relationship with Native Hawaiians.

Eight more hearings remain in Hawai`i, starting Monday night on Kaua`i. Additional meetings will be held in Native American communities on the mainland, and the department will take written comments well into August....

...But many of those who did come to the hearing took the opportunity to vent, often angrily, about the 1893 overthrow of Queen Lili`uokalani, about stolen lands and injustices. Many said they didn't want to settle for being an Indian tribe, and others said they were standing up on behalf of the deposed Hawaiian kingdom.

"I'm not an American," Hanohano Naehu declared repeatedly. He then turned to the panel and said: "Shame on you guys for perpetuating the illegality. Shame on you for perpetuating the fraud."

Kanoe Davis of Kaunakakai said Native Hawaiians need "clarity and truth" about the federal-recognition issue.

"How do we establish government-to-government when we are in fact supposed to be our own nation?" she said. "We're settling for crumbs when we actually own the cookie."

Many who testified described the process as rushed and pushed forward without allowing those affected to examine the issues and formulate opinions.

Lynn DeCoite, a third-generation Hawaiian homesteader, blasted the department for not doing enough to inform and educate the community.

"In my opinion, you have put the cart before the horse," DeCoite said. "We should know the benefits beforehand and not create the government to find out the benefits later. It's as if you, this department, has put a choke chain around our Hawaiian people. You guys keep us at arm's length and try to use us as puppets."

Sam Kealoha, a third-generation Army veteran, raised his voice in frustration: "The river of justice may be flowing (for tribes on the mainland) but the river from mauka to makai -- the free flow of justice, there is no water.

"You guys are getting beat up on every island," George Aiwohi told the panel. "But -- you know what? -- this is our chance to speak. We waited 121 years for this...."

HAWAIIANS TO US DEPT. OF INTERIOR - "THIS IS OUR COUNTRY"

Huffington Post - June 23, 2014

HONOLULU (AP) — Dozens of Native Hawaiian speakers expressed anger and mistrust with the federal government Monday during the first of a series of meetings that could lead to the group being recognized similarly to an American Indian tribe.

Interior Department officials hosted the public hearing, prompted by a push to include the ethnic group among the more than 560 tribes that hold such status, with federal considerations on issues from land management to social services.

The discussion didn't cover potential benefits of federal recognition for Hawaiians, as department officials said it was premature to discuss specifics. The main purpose of the hearing Monday, they said, was to listen to Native Hawaiians about whether they want to pursue an official relationship.

"I'm hearing a lot of 'No's' so far," said Sam Hirsch, an Interior Department spokesman.

About 140 speakers opposed the move, with many saying it would be a barrier to their goal of returning the Hawaiian Islands to the indigenous community that ruled before Hawaii became the nation's 50th state.

"We do not need you here. This is our country," said Ao Pohaku Ku, of the Spiritual Nation of Ku Hui Ea Council of Sovereigns.

The emotional hearing at the Hawaii Capitol was punctuated by outbursts from those shouting that representatives from the Department of the Interior weren't welcome.

For more than a decade, former U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka pushed in Congress for federal recognition. And many Native Hawaiians have urged for such status, to protect locally established school and land rights.

Colette Machado, chairwoman of Hawaii's Office of Hawaiian Affairs, spoke to "strongly urge the federal government move forward with a process" of recognition. But, she said while detractors shouted over her, "I also urge that it be a pathway that is open to us, but that the decision of when and how to walk down that path is left to our people."

Other speakers, however, voiced suspicion and called for autonomy.

"We're not subservient," said Leona Kalima, who has challenged the state over Native Hawaiian land rights. "We're not stupid anymore. We cannot trust."

Federal officials said after the meeting the feedback was important. They encouraged more participation through written comments and attendance at hearings over the next two weeks.

"We want the broadest possible public input," Hirsch said. "This is just the start of a long and extensive public input process."

HIGHLY EFFECTIVE US DEPT. OF INTERIOR TESTIMONY TIPS


Please forward this email to every Hawaiian and our supporters.
 

“I am an American politician” -  OHA Chairperson Colette Machado at DOI hearings Monday in Honolulu

“The overthrow was illegal. The annexation was illegal. Itʻs all true. But so what?” - OHA Trustee Oz Stender interviewed on KGMB TV

 
Mahalo to everyone (including the two individuals above) who have made known whatʻs in their hearts during US federal DOI testimony over these last few days.

As the hearings go forward please keep three important things in mind -

First, at the very beginning of your testimony be clear and concise that you oppose the rule changes, otherwise your testimony could reinterpreted as supportive.

Second, please remember to answer “NO!” to all five questions being posed by DOI.

And third, try to keep a cool head. Spoken testimony is much more effective when delivered without shouting or using profanities.

One of the best ways to have your testimony be effective is to write it down on a card and read from the card when testifying.

If you do chose to do this, hereʻs a great way to start your testimony -

“I, (your name) say NO all five questions and NO to the proposed Amendments to the Administrative Rules and Regulations in Proposed Rule - Federal Registry, Vol. 79, No. 119 dated Friday, June 20' 2014.”
 
Mahalo to each and every one of you for so publicly supporting a Free Hawai`i.

HAWAIIANS REJECT US FEDERAL INPUT

 



Honolulu Star-Advertiser - June 24, 2014

The vast majority of people who testified before a federal panel Monday soundly rejected any attempt by the Obama administration to pursue federal recognition of a future Native Hawaiian governing body.

In often passionate, sometimes heated testimony, dozens of speakers said they opposed any effort by the Department of the Interior to start a rule-making proc­ess that could set the framework for re-establishing a government-to-government relationship with Native Hawaiians.

At the first two of 15 public meetings scheduled over the next two weeks, most of those testifying said the department does not have the authority to re-establish that relationship and implored the agency to halt the proc­ess and not interfere in Hawaiians’ right to political self-determination.

“We don’t need you folks to come in and tell us what to do,” Hawaiian activist Dennis “Bumpy” Kana­hele told the panel Wednesday morning at the state Capitol auditorium.

He expanded on those remarks at an evening meeting in Wai­ma­nalo, where 154 people signed up to speak.

“You gotta realize that a crime has taken place,” Kana­hele said. “And the United States essentially came back to the crime scene. We need to decide how to govern ourselves. We don’t need the federal government.”

At the evening session he was followed by Brandon Maka­‘awa­‘awa of Wai­ma­nalo.

“In the past the Native Hawaiian people have suffered the manipulation of our rights to self-determination on numerous occasions,” he said. “Once again our inherent sovereignty and rights to self-determination are being undermined by these DOI meetings. It is our political right to govern ourselves. The Native Hawaiian people have already begun the proc­ess and should be allowed to finish it without the interference of the U.S. government.”

Many of the speakers said they are not interested in seeing Hawaiians attain a tribal status similar to American Indians, which was what backers of the so-called Akaka Bill in Congress unsuccessfully attempted to do for more than a decade.

They said Hawaii is an illegally occupied sovereign nation and that any government-to-government dealings should be between a kingdom government and the U.S. secretary of state, who deals with foreign nations on behalf of the United States, not the interior secretary.

DeMont R.D. Conner of Nana­kuli used the analogy of a car theft and the federal government’s 1993 apology for the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy to question the department’s current actions: The thief apologizes to the owner but keeps the car.

“Go back and tell your boss, ‘Give ‘em back the car!’” Conner told the panel.

More than 140 people signed up to testify at the Monday morning session, which was attended by an overflow crowd of more than 200 people and lasted more than three hours.

“It’s very simple: You don’t have jurisdiction here,” said testifier Remi Abellira, adding, “We don’t need recognition. We know who we are.”

Over the next two months, the department is taking public comments at the Hawaii sessions and at additional meetings in Native American communities on the mainland. It also is soliciting written comments.

The feedback is meant to help the Obama administration determine whether it should propose a federal rule that would facilitate the proc­ess for re-establishing a government-to-government relationship.

It also is soliciting comments to determine what form that proc­ess should take — if the administration decides to pursue that path — and whether the federal government should assist the Native Hawaiian community in reorganizing its government.

“Be clear. This is only a first step,” Rhea Suh, the Interior Department’s assistant secretary for policy, management and budget, told those at the morning session.

Suh was one of six officials from that agency and the Justice Department to sit on the panel.

Sam Hirsch, a Justice Department attorney, told the crowd that the federal government does not have procedures in place to pursue administrative recognition of a Native Hawaiian government.

That’s why the meetings are needed should the Interior Department decide to pursue that path, Hirsch said.

But he emphasized that the sessions will not address what structure the yet-to-be-formed Hawaiian government should take.

“That’s a matter for the community” to decide, Hirsch said.

To the main questions asked by the panel, University of Hawaii law professor Williamson Chang offered these comments: “I want to say no, no, no. No to federal recognition, no to occupation, no to the United States.”

Walter Ritte of Molo­kai testified that the department’s timing couldn’t be worse, particularly as Hawaiians are engaged in a controversial nation-building effort.

“You’re bringing confusion,” he said.

Of the several dozen who testified at the morning session, only a few supported the department’s plan.

Office of Hawaiian Affairs Chairwoman Collette Machado was among those, and her time at the microphone eventually turned into a shouting match with members of the audience.

Davianna Pomaikai McGregor, a UH ethnic studies professor, also offered supporting testimony, saying the proc­ess should not interfere with the re-establishment of the kingdom government.

“We should be supporting both efforts,” McGregor told the Hono­lulu Star-Advertiser after she testified.

Other than occasional jeers from the audience and a few profanity-laced comments, most of the morning session was civil. Some participants came decked in traditional garb or carrying signs, such as “What Tribe Has a Palace.”

Several expressed frustration that the federal government has solicited similar feedback about recognition over the years, yet nothing came of it.

“It’s the same old garbage,” one speaker said.

FREE HAWAI`I TV
THE FREE HAWAI`I BROADCASTING NETWORK

SENSATION ABOUT OCCUPATION  


Want To Find Out What The US Department Of Interior Hearings In Hawai`i Are Really All About?

Filled With Glee, Neil Abercrombie Admits What Used To Be Free Is Really Now The Key.
 
Watch This Blast From The Past & Youʻll Understand Fast Why The Move For Federal Recognition Is Happening At Last.

Then Share This Video With A Friend Today.

PLDC - ABOLISH & START OVER

Honolulu Star Advertiser - December 12, 2012

By Jon K. Osorio

Governor Neil Abercrombie and House Speaker Calvin Say have wisely said that they will consider a repeal of the Public Land Development Corp.

Say has tried to defend his approval of a waiver that gave the public less than two hours notice for a public hearing on the bill that established the PLDC ("PLDC bill hearing waiver was not unprecedented or premeditated," Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Nov. 29).

He also said he does "not believe that the PLDC would abuse the exemption authority."

The reality, however, is that government does not operate on personal beliefs. There is no mechanism in the PLDC law to ensure it upholds its constitutional obligation to protect the public's interests,

The public response that originally Abercrombie described as "hysteria" was actually a widely diverse resistance coming from environmentalists, farmers, labor unions, Hawaiian sovereignty and independence groups, schools, counties and individuals — all united against a law that would have allowed a small group of individuals to spur the commercial development of public lands, including the "ceded lands," without input and opposition from the public or following the state's own land-use, zoning or construction laws.

Here is the reality - Better management of state-controlled lands is a necessity. Hawai`i has incredibly rich resources, many of which — like fisheries and agricultural lands — have been wasted or hustled into development because it provides short-term jobs and revenues for the state.

For example, sacred lands have been leased to the university for multimillion-dollar telescopes on Mauna Kea for $1 a year, without considering the environmental costs and the insult to Native Hawaiian cultural beliefs.

Yet, Hawaii's resources are part of a "public trust," originally created by the Hawaiian monarchy and adopted in the state Constitution.

The government is mandated to properly manage and balance the use of these lands, in conjunction with the people.

Management requires intelligent consultation that is not simply a wholesale genuflecting to business and commercial interest.

Proper management must include input from cultural practitioners, farmers, fishermen, environmentalists, labor, business people, educators, planners — a wide body of the community that can help the government make balanced decisions about our special places in the context of future use of Hawai`i's lands.

And all of this must be done with the recognition that Hawaiian political claims to these lands could result in a profound change to that management.

Handing the storehouse keys to developers and real estate agents will not ensure prosperity. Wider consultation and participation is a far better alternative.

Repeal the PLDC and start over.

ABERCROMBIE SUPPORTER OPPOSES PLDC

Dear Governor Abercrombie,

I am writing to voice my strong support for repeal of Act 55 for establishment of the Public Land Development Corporation. I am not remotely hysterical, and I most definitely not one of the “usual suspects,” as you characterize opponents of the PLDC. 

I have never been overtly involved in an issue like this. I have been subtly involved in some issues, for instance, I wrote and recorded the music for the “Town Hall” campaign ads in your gubernatorial race, and I wrote a series of articles for the Honolulu Weekly regarding Act 221 related legislation a number of years ago. I have never, however, been an activist by any stretch of the imagination. This issue has moved me to become actively involved.

This legislation is dangerously written and could affect life in the islands in perpetuity. The PLDC is being handed carte blanche control to develop some of the most treasured lands in Hawai`i with no mechanism of accountability and only weak, toothless avenues for public input. 

The only responsibility of the PLDC is to generate revenue, which is a tragically short-sighted purview for a group tasked to steward public resources. In reading the law, I actually find no mention of accountability regarding even how lucrative revenue generation might be. There is certainly no provision for competitive bidding or planning review. At its core, Act 55 grants absolute authority to the PLDC to streamline any activity by any developer who can convince three of five appointed officials that they have a good idea, however they want to define “good idea.”

It is this massive scope of powers over a million acres of land that is most disturbing. The authority is absolute, and the law eliminates previous checks and controls, especially for neighbor islanders who lose any real mechanism for control of their lands and resources. 

Wording of the legislation is so vague that there is no onus on the PLDC to provide anything more than cursory notifications, and there is no recourse if the PLDC acts entirely against community interests. This sets several dangerous precedents, and there is no assurance that future governors will appoint boards with any interest at heart but that of developers. Indeed, the only beneficiaries of this act seem to be developers who are given a fast-tracked route to have their way with the land.

This measure passed quickly and was drastically rewritten without public input. I do not believe that even you or the legislators have thought this through thoroughly. Hawaiian Homesteads land is included, as well as many culturally and ecologically sensitive areas. 

The 1993 apology the 103rd Congress, Joint Resolution 19 regarding the overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy actually casts the entire issue of state control over these lands into some question, and irresponsible decisions will provide impetus and opportunity for litigation. These are federal issues that will supersede State legislation. An interminable string of legal challenges on many fronts will be your legacy if you allow this law to stand.

I am not an alarmist. I am, however, able to read and evaluate evidence, and what I see in this Act is not in the interest of the people or `aina of Hawai`i. 

We are asked to trust that the rules, when established, will protect us, but the PLDC is already in practical negotiation with developers and has an established track record for ignoring public input. The entire law was passed with an unusual disregard for public process. My distrust is so strong that I am now reluctantly moved to become involved.

Governor Abercrombie, I have been a quiet supporter of you for many years. I now must be vocal, and it pains me that I must find my voice in opposition to you on this issue. I and many like me who have had your back and given you our votes will not stand for this abuse of public resources and trust. 

I fear that this will be your Waterloo, because it is important enough that we will not forgive or forget if you let the law go into effect. I hope you will change your position on this quickly, before too much damage is done across your constituency. This is my first letter to a public official, but it will not be my last.

I wish you well,

Stephen Fox, PhD

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"IN RETREAT & FACING DEFEAT"
 
Heʻs Having Second Thoughts, Now That His Plans Are Coming To Naught. 

The Oppositionʻs On A Mission Which Is PLDC Abolition. 

Itʻs Neat Heʻs Feeling The Heat, But Donʻt Stop Until This Defeat Is Complete. 

So Watch This To See Why Their Worst Fears Are Becoming Real & Hawaiian Kingdom Lands They Might Not After All Be Able To Steal.
 
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