Save Hawaii from Separatism

To:  U.S. Congress & President George W. Bush

Please say no to the Native Hawaiian Recognition Bill ("Akaka Bill")

With the nation facing unprecedented threats, as the 108th Congress begins its work and President George W. Bush calls for unity and strength and to stimulate the economy, the forces of Hawaiian separatism are expected to once again introduce the Native Hawaiian Recognition Bill ("Akaka Bill").

This bill would divide, not unite, the people of Hawaii; weaken, not strengthen, the nation's and Hawaii’s economy; and it would encourage those in Hawaii who view themselves primarily as something other than Americans.

A RADICAL CHANGE IN EXISTING LAW. This bill would grant members of one group, defined by ancestry, the right to organize a new government. It would thereby give Native Hawaiians something no American Indian has: the right to create the equivalent of a tribe where none now exists. Congress may recognize tribes which have existed continuously from historic times to the present but it has no power to create tribes out of thin air (U.S. v. Sandoval, 231 U.S. 28 (1913)). There are no tribes in Hawaii. Since 1810, when Kamehameha the Great unified the islands and established the Kingdom of Hawaii, there has never been a government exclusively of, by or for Hawaiians. The “nation” the Akaka bill proposes to “recognize” has never existed.

TAX-FREE BUSINESSES & CASINOS. The Akaka Bill would turn anyone with a drop of Hawaiian blood into a new kind of American Indian. It would allow Hawaii to be carved up into separate sovereign enclaves, like Indian reservations, that could have businesses free of federal and state taxes competing unfairly with those that pay them. While the bill says it does not authorize casinos, it does not prohibit them either, and every state that has Indian reservations also now has casinos that pay no taxes. Since there also is no limit on what the Indian tribes can contribute to political campaigns, Hawaii certainly would soon have casinos.

REJECTION OF ALOHA AND DEMOCRACY. This bill would violate both Aloha and the American ideal of equality under the law. It would elevate one racial group to the status of a hereditary elite to be supported by citizens who are not of the favored race.

NO HISTORICAL JUSTIFICATION. Contrary to the claims of the bill supporters, the U.S. took no lands from Hawaiians at the time of the 1893 revolution or the 1898 Annexation (or at any other time) and it did not deprive them of sovereignty. Upon annexation, (unlike American Indians and Alaska natives) Hawaiians became full citizens of the U.S. with more freedom, security, opportunity for prosperity and sovereignty than they ever had under the Kingdom. As part of the Annexation Act, the U.S. provided compensation by assuming the debts of about $4 million which had been incurred by the Kingdom. The lands ceded to the U.S. were the former government and crown lands under the Kingdom held for the benefit of all citizens without regard to race. In 1959 the U.S. transferred those public lands to the new State of Hawaii subject to the same public trust. The State still holds them in trust for all citizens of Hawaii. Hawaiians today are no different, in any constitutionally significant way, from any other ethnic group in Hawaii’s multi-ethnic, intermarried, integrated society. Like all the rest of us, some do well, some don’t and most are somewhere in between.

KEEP HAWAII ONE STATE, INDIVISIBLE. Carving up Hawaii into separate sovereign enclaves would hurt all of us, our children, homes, schools, pocketbooks and the tax base of our state, city and county governments. A house divided against itself cannot stand. The Constitution “looks to an indestructible union, composed of indestructible States.” Texas v. White, 7 Wallace 700 (1869).

FURTHER INFORMATION. For further information about the Akaka bill see: http://www.angelfire.com/hi2/hawaiiansovereignty/OpposeAkakaBill.html or email spburgess@hawaii.rr.com.

THE PEOPLE OF HAWAII CHOSE STATEHOOD. Over 40 years ago, in keeping with the principle that a government should be created only with the consent of the governed, the citizens of Hawaii chose American statehood by an overwhelming margin. (Over 94% voted Yes to Statehood in 1959.) The same choice would doubtless be made today.

We thank our lucky stars to be living in Hawaii with the freedom, security, equal opportunity and Aloha for all that comes with being citizens of the United States.

We love Hawaii and respect all its people, including Hawaiians. We do not want to be divided and we do not want to secede from the United States.

Please say no to the Native Hawaiian Recognition Bill ("Akaka Bill"). Mahalo and
Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Save Hawaii from Separatism Petition to U.S. Congress & President George W. Bush was created by Aloha for All, a multi-ethnic group, including Hawaiians, who are residents, home owners and taxpayers of Hawaii and believe Aloha is for everyone whatever his or her ancestry and written by H. William & Sandra Puanani Burgess.  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no express or implied endorsement of this petition by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. The petition scripts are created by Mike Wheeler at Artifice, Inc.  For Technical Support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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