Posted on 02/23/2010 9:29:51 AM PST by 11th Commandment
A bill expected to pass the House today with overwhelming Democratic support would accomplish something peculiar for a liberal republic in the 21st century: It would partly disenfranchise a portion of one state’s residents, create a parallel government for those meeting a legislated criterion of ethnic purity, and would portend the transfer of public assets, land, and political power from those who fail to satisfy the standard of ethnic purity to those who do. For these reasons and many more, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act richly deserves opposition.
Strangely, though, it has met very little resistance. The bill is being hot-footed out of the House because one of its principal sponsors, Hawaii Democrat Rep. Neil Abercrombie, is leaving Congress to run for governor of his home state. The legislation is chiefly the work of Sen. Daniel Akaka, another Hawaii Democrat, who has proposed similar legislation in the past, without success.
(Excerpt) Read more at article.nationalreview.com ...
My wife and I love Hawaii and have been there several times, we are going again in April.
That said, they are some of the most racist people you will ever meet outside of the confines of your resort or hotel.
I suspect this is because a lot of folks don’t think of Hawaii as any more “American” than the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Fiji, or New York City.
“For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies”
imagine the attitude when Hawaii becomes one big reservation
WOW- what an awesome point.....
This is unbelievable. We have a Congress that believes they can create Sovereigns within the United State at its own pleasure. Imagine the tyranny congress can impose on a state by simply carving up segments of its population into sovereign political groups.
Do the proponents of this thing call themselves the “National Socialist Hawaiian Workers’ Party”?
I have been reading the declaration of Independence this AM.
It is quite enlightening as to how many of the original greivances are being forced on us today.
All we have to do is dust it off and start demanding redress of our greivances.
Republican Governor of Hawaii, Linda Lingle has endorsed the bill and she is term limited and done after November elections. The Republican Attorney General of Hawaii, Mark Bennett is also a supporter.
Unfortunately, the party does not matter but the constitution. Section. 3. New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.
Unfortunately, the party does not matter but the constitution. Section. 3. New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.
US Law allows for limited tribal sovereignty and federal law allows for commonwealth status such as that of Puerto Rico and The Virgin Islands.
The Supreme Court has never ruled sovereign tribal lands to be unconstitutional. In fact the US Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of old treaties that had been abrogated.
Pearl Harbor is the only redeeming quality of Oahu. The other islands are much nicer and safer. We prefer the Big Island, specifically Kona, but even it has shady areas.
Unfortunately the amendment doesn't prevent Congress from doing exactly that.
All true, but the historical criticism of this Bill (since its orgin in 2000)is that Hawaiian Natives are not Indians and congress has no authority regulate them. The court has upheld Indian sovereignty because of the history of Indian Nations, unlike the Hawaiian monarchy that had been over thrown.
Additionally, the territory argument does not apply because Hawaii is a State and congress can not carve out lands within a state.
One more time, courts give Indians additional land within states all the time due to abrogated treaties.
I got it, one more time, Native Hawaiians are NOT Indians...
The bill is to give Native Hawaiians similar status as indigenous peoples. If its unconstitutional, let’s let the US Supreme Court strike it down.
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