Posted on 08/23/2009 2:03:27 PM PDT by Libloather
Muted commemoration as Hawaii turns 50 as a state
By MARK NIESSE
Associated Press Writer
Sunday, August 23, 2009
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii welcomed its entry as the 50th state with a new postage stamp Friday but independence supporters marked the day with passionate protest — including an effigy of Uncle Sam being beaten and Hawaii’s star cut out from the U.S. flag.
State leaders called Friday’s events a “commemoration” of Hawaii’s 50 years of statehood rather than a “celebration” out of respect to Native Hawaiians and their unresolved claims since the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom.
A few hundred Native Hawaiians marched through the street of downtown Honolulu with an effigy of a 15-foot Uncle Sam holding machine guns and riding in a tank made of cardboard. They chanted in Hawaiian, blew on conch shells, waved ti leaves, carried upside-down Hawaii state flags and yelled, “We are not Americans! We want our country back!”
“Genocide” and “imperialist” were written across the cardboard machine guns.
At the end of the march, protesters knocked off Uncle Sam’s hat, which contained a U.S. flag from which they cut out a star that represented Hawaii. They lit the star on fire and held it up to a crowd yelling “freedom.”
“We were never the 50th state,” said Kaleo Farias, one of protesters that cut the U.S. flag. “It was an illusion, fabrication, something that was told to us that never happened. ... We’re not part of the United States.”
The events commemorating Hawaii’s 1959 admission into the union have been light on flag-waving and parades. Instead, they have focused on the state’s economic future with panel discussions on tourism, alternative energy and Hawaiian rights.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailyjournalonline.com ...
Fine. But before you go, please hand over all birth certificate documentation. The nation you aren't a part of thanks you in advance.
Sure gonna miss cheap pineapple.
IMHO, they can have their “kingdom” back and Abercrombie can be their king. I’ve always thought “kingdoms” and “kings” was a goofy idea anyway.
Big deal. One of the most liberal states in the union that relies on the big tit of government wants to split off. Good riddance....
Glock’s good but I like Kimber.
So, they burned the star that represents Hawaii? LOL
Any freepers know the process of statehood? I thought that both Alaska and Hawaii had drawn up state constitutions, and approved the request for statehood in public votes and/or through their legislatures.
Then, the U.S. Congress had to approve admitting them as states.
They can protest the sins of the past and all that, but, are these people part of the lunatic fringe, or is there serious opposition now to Hawaii being a state?
And, is it possible to rescind their statehood if people voted for it in Hawaii, or any state, for that matter? I heard that some groups in Vermont wanted to secede from the union.
Others spoke about how the rest of the country should look to Hawaii as a model for how people of different backgrounds can get along, preserve their natural resources and develop renewable power.
&&&
Yeah, it sounds like it....
And, is it possible to rescind their statehood if people voted for it in Hawaii, or any state, for that matter?
This was experimented with in a number of southern states around about 1860. Didn't work out.
They’ve been doing this stuff for YEARS. I think, if you boil it down to brass tacks, these protestors want something for nothing. I truly think they envision themselves taking over all of the homes, businesses, and other improvements that private investors and taxpayers paid for. I bet if you were to as a hypothetical tell them, “Ok, you can have the land but first we’re knocking down and taking all of our stuff!” they would positively freak out.
A long time ago I had some sympathy, but they lost me 100% when I saw a large group of them protesting the United States at the airport just a few days after 9-11. I’ll never forget that ugliness.
“We were never the 50th state,” said Kaleo Farias, one of protesters that cut the U.S. flag. “It was an illusion, fabrication, something that was told to us that never happened. ... We’re not part of the United States.”
Really, Dumba$$? So, those congressmen and senators you got in Washington aren’t really there? Moron.
If we let Hawaii secede, does that mean that Obama is disqualified to be President?
I say let Hawaii secede...& Alaska, or any other state, for that matter.
U.S. domination of Hawaii as a territory became critical during World War II. The territories key location as an outpost during the war became obvious to the world when the Japanese attacked the majority of U. S. navel forces moored at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Dec. 7. 1941. This attack was the catalyst which thrust the United States into the war. After the war various factions which held economic interest in the territory blocked the attempts for the territory to become a state. Finally in March of 1959 Congress introduced the Hawaii admission Act into session and it was approved by both houses then signed by President Eisenhower. On June 27, 1959 Hawaii residents were able to vote to accept the application to become a state and by August, the territory had become recognized as the 50th and to date final state of the union of the United States of America.
It all fits, doesn't fit.
Funny, you can get thousands of people outside an Obama townhall protesting him but nary a word from the MSM.
I’ve been there a few times, my bro lives there, and I vote “lunatic fringe.”
OK. Make it harder for US citizens to supply tourist dollars; take away federal infrastructure funds; remove military protection. I don’t think too many mainlanders will care.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.