September 30, 2005

The Akaka Bill, Hawaiian secession and... bingo? Follow the money!

The Akaka Bill - from Senator Daniel Akaka, Democrat Hawaii - seeks to give that state some self-determination. Unfortunately, their self-determination stops at the point where our property could fall into the hands or sphere of influence of China or some other country.

Phyllis Schlafly doesn't mention that country in "Does Hawaii Want To Secede From The Union?", but she does have some interesting info on the possible ulterior motives:

Does Hawaii want to secede from the Union? That sounds like a preposterous question, but the official Office of Hawaiian Affairs advertises on its website that the legislation scheduled to be voted on soon in the U.S. Senate will give Native Hawaiians "self-determination" to choose "total independence" or any other form of government.

Hawaii is asking the U.S. Senate to create a Hawaiian race-based government for persons with Native Hawaiian blood living anywhere in the United States. I'm not making this up; it's real...

So, to be a Native Hawaiian, you don't need to have lived in Hawaii or ever had any affiliation with Native Hawaiian culture, language or politics. You just need to have one drop of the right kind of blood.

That reminds me of the greatest musical ever written, Jerome Kern's "Show Boat," where an essential part of the story line is that one drop of Negro blood made a man an American Negro. I thought we had put all those racial notions behind us and moved on, but S. 147 is trying to bring them back.

S. 147 would create a racially separate government that would operate like an Indian tribe with its own laws and racial voting restrictions anywhere in the United States. This new "tribe" would include about 20 percent of Hawaii's residents plus some 400,000 Americans nationwide, making it the largest Indian tribe...

Now, recall that Akaka is a Democrat. So, you've got the race-based rights. And, you have this very interesting information as well:

Follow the money to search for motives behind this odd-ball legislation. The clue to the mystery is Section 8(b) of S. 147, which ensures that the new Native Hawaiian government can negotiate gambling rights with the state of Hawaii and the federal government.

It appears that some politically well-connected Hawaiians want to cash in on the profitable casino privileges that have been given to American Indian tribes. Another possible motive is that a small group of Native Hawaiians is trying to grab some of the high-priced real estate in the beautiful islands and claim it as their tribal heritage...

Previously: "Hawaii governor lobbies for Akaka Bill; tell your Senators no".

Posted to Politics at September 30, 2005 07:24 AM

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