• Superferry permission • Hopes KIUC board chooses Ben Sullivan • Age of imperialism ends when? Superferry permission Which high school child on a surfboard who participated in the protests can I get permission from to take my ailing wife
• Superferry permission
• Hopes KIUC board chooses Ben Sullivan
• Age of imperialism ends when?
Superferry permission
Which high school child on a surfboard who participated in the protests can I get permission from to take my ailing wife to Honolulu for critical medical tests on the Superferry? She is afraid to fly. Maybe one of the rough guys who flashed the middle finger at our governor could help me?
Don Paul
Kalaheo
Hopes KIUC board chooses Ben Sullivan
Lend your support by attending the upcoming board meeting tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. at the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative administrative building (near Home Depot).
One of the board members recently announced his retirement from KIUC. It was sudden and unanticipated.
According to the bylaws of the co-op, the board can choose to leave the seat vacant or choose someone to join them.
One of the advantages of being a cooperative is that the customers have a say in how it is run. In the recent election of new board members, Ben Sullivan was the next runner-up in votes. He received 3,116 votes, just 61 votes short of being made a member.
We are prevailing on the board to do the right thing and choose Ben to join them as a director. The co-op members have already demonstrated strong support for him. We need Ben’s energy and progressive vision now.
Those who support a sustainable energy program and open co-op governance need Ben Sullivan’s voice on the board. We urge you to let the current directors know how you feel. Most effective is to come out to the meeting. For those of you who can’t possibly make it to the meeting, write or call KIUC by noon, Tuesday.
Linda Harmon
Hanapepe
Age of imperialism ends when?
In response to Jason Nichols’ letter to the editor (“Strength of Hawaiian Nation in spirit, not land,” Letters, April 20):
When does he suppose the age of imperialism ends? In dealings with Kosovo, it is apparent that American imperialism is still alive. In Hawai‘i, imperialistic acts started with the plot to overthrow a peaceful Kingdom but did not end there. People need to understand that citizenship is based on allegiance, not race or culture. The lawful government of Hawai‘i was never formally dissolved in an official act of law.
In 1945, at the end of World War II, the United Nations was established. In the Charter of the UN, a special provision was made for certain areas of land, including Hawai‘i, which was placed under Chapter XI, Declaration Regarding Non-self-governing Territories.
Hawai‘i, under Article 73, was a part of the UN system, and was placed under the administering authority of the United States, which, as a member of the UN agreed to “develop self-government, to take due account of the political aspirations of the peoples, and to assist them in the progressive development of their free political institutions…” with “due respect for the cultures of the peoples concerned…”
Did the United States fulfill this “sacred trust obligation”? In 1959 Hawai‘i’s plebiscite vote was held, and again, the United States government in its “imperialistic” fashion, bent the rules. The plebiscite ballot only had the choice between statehood and remaining a territory. No option for independence appeared on the ballot as was required under the UN charter.
Who voted for statehood? Any U.S. citizen who had resided in the islands for a year was allowed to vote, which included large numbers of American military servicemen and their families, who were essentially the occupation force that had illegally held Hawai‘i since the admittedly unlawful annexation in 1898. Native Hawaiians and immigrants were not allowed to vote unless they vowed their allegiance to the United States. The island of Ni‘ihau, which was almost totally Native Hawaiian, and was relatively free from the propaganda of statehood, voted overwhelmingly against statehood, as did the island of Lana‘i.
By passage of U.S. Public Law 103-150, the United States Congress and President have acknowledged that the Hawaiian national population still maintains their birthright to control the land and natural resources of all of Hawai‘i as an independent country, despite the statehood vote.
You are wrong Nichols, a nation exists in part because if its land base. While it is true, “The spirit of aloha that emanates from a unified Hawaiian Nation can never be stolen” and that “it can be a guide for the rest of the world on how to treat each other.” The U.S., as self proclaimed champions of justice can likewise be a guide to the rest of the world by correcting the wrongs that it itself has done.
An educational conference regarding Hawaiian national issues will be conducted on all islands soon. If you have any questions or might be interested in attending you can e-mail kahu@yahoo.com
Kupa‘a Acain
Kekaha
