Posted on 08/28/2008 4:39:33 PM PDT by Altura Ct.
DENVER » Recognition of native Hawaiians is back in the Democratic Party's national platform.
The wording is a bit different from the plank adopted in 2000, but the emphasis on some form of native Hawaiian recognition by the federal government runs on the same track. This year, Democrats said: "We support the efforts for self-determination and sovereignty of native Hawaiians, consistent with principles enumerated in the Apology Resolution and the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act."
Eight years ago, the Democrats, meeting in Los Angeles, said: "We will work to pass legislation establishing a process for native Hawaiians to reorganize a governing body, freely chosen, expressing their rights to self-determination."
Although Hawaii Democrats in Denver cheered the adoption of the plank by the entire convention last night, the native Hawaiian sovereignty bill, dubbed the Akaka Bill for its sponsor, U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, has failed to move in Congress.
Larry Sabato, director of the University Center for Politics, said the platform plank could be important.
"Several studies have shown that party platforms are more significant than most people believe. Presidents and congressional leaders at least try to fulfill the vast majority of the pledges.
"So Hawaiians can take heart that the Akaka plank is in the platform. This doesn't guarantee passage by any means, but surely if a Hawaiian makes it to the White House, then there's a chance for this," Sabato said.
Last night, Akaka said he would again pitch the bill during the fall congressional session and, if that doesn't work, he would bring it up next year.
"Should the clock expire on this session of Congress, I am pleased to know that my Democratic colleagues, as well as the many Republican co-sponsors and supporters of the bill, will again support our efforts to federally recognize native Hawaiians and provide parity with American Indians and native Alaskans," Akaka said last night. Although the native Hawaiian portion of the national party is only a few lines in a 75-page document, Hawaii delegates are cheering the inclusion.
"It lays out the connection very well," said state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, a delegate to the convention. "It refers to the apology resolution, which is an apology for an illegal overthrow, so it is a major recognition. It tells us all that it was Democrats who took this step for the state of Hawaii.
"With this and Barack Obama going to be president and Senator (Daniel) Inouye in an extremely important position, Democrats are stepping forward and doing what is right," Hanabusa said.
If he becomes president, Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill if it passes Congress.
In a statement released in January, Obama said he supports federal recognition for native Hawaiians because they are an important part of the local culture.
The bill would fulfill the promise of "liberty, justice and freedom'' for native Hawaiians and ensure they are not left out of the state's progress, he said.
Last night, Akaka lauded the inclusion of native Hawaiian recognition in the 2008 platform.
"This is a great day," he said. "Native Hawaiians deserve federal recognition like the other indigenous cultures across the United States."
State Senate Vice President Donna Mercado Kim, also a national convention delegate, said she thinks the native Hawaiian plank will benefit the Democratic Party.
"When you look at all kinds of controversial issues at the time they were taken up, they looked dangerous, but when you look back, the question is, 'Why did it take so long?'" she said. "Look at women's right to vote or segregation. This is just one more in that process."
This is how the gaming money sells casinos in Hawaii to white liberals.
Invoke racism and an supposed equivalency between Native Hawaiians and Native Americans. Hardly.
Harry Reid is big into this, I guess Nevada gaming interests think they’ll get a lock on casino rights. Reid always fights against Native casinos.
As usual. ANYTHING for votes. Anything.
Back in the 1960’s there was a girl in my college class who was from Hawaii. She was relatively easy to recognize.
49 states works for me. Hawaii has a hell of a lot more to lose than we do.
When I was in HI during the early 70s there was a bigtime lefty there named Abercomby who ran as governor on a platform of Hawaiian independence and turning the new nation into a nuke-and-military free zone. He got a sizable percentage of the vote, about 10%, as I recall. So this kind of nonsense is not new.
Why not give Hawaii independence—or give it to Japan?
Well said. If HI doesn’t want to be a state, then that’s their loss. Personally, Hawaii should have never been a state to begin with. Maybe a territory treated like Guam, IMO.
A big dittos to what you said.
Oh really! Do tell?
I wouldn’t be a bit surprised. What else would two Marxists do, but sit around for late night bull sessions smoking weed and waxing eloquent about Das Kapital, while listening to Jefferson Airplane. The only way the Marxist horsecr@p expoused by those two nitwits could possibly make sense would be under the influence of canabis.
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