Do not laugh. 50 states may become 49 again, or even fewer. The cause of this mischief (as with much else): Bill Clinton, ever eager to apologize for past US sins, did so for the alleged participation of the US in the overthrow of the Hawaiian government in 1893, on the centenary of the event. The 1993 Joint Resolution was secured by a promise from Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) that no special class privileges would be bestowed on native Hawaiians as a result. The Resolution was littered with falsehoods, say former Senators Hank Brown (R-CO) and Slade Gorton (R-WA): (1) the US did not help toss Queen Liliuokalani, but remained neutral in 1893, offering neither guns nor money nor diplomatic support (a naval craft was in the harbor, but lay silent); (2) the Islands were not governed only for Natives pre-1893, but rather governed for benefit of a fused social polity; (3) sovereignty was not separate in Natives, but rather rested with all the people of Hawaii, who ultimately voted for statehood in 1959. Further, the Queen had sparked the uprising by attempting to re-assert by her own coup royal powers lost to democratic tides.
Never mind. Spurred on by the 1993 Apology, Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) has introduced the Native Hawaiian Government Authorization Act of 2005 (S.147), to create a tribal government for his state's Native population (20 percent of the total, using a "one-drop" test) modeled along Indian tribal government law. But the Senator concedes his bill, which opens many subjects for negotiation with minimal specifics, could well lead to an ultimately independent national Hawaiian government. Consider this exchange with an interviewer from the Hawaiian Reporter, on 8/17:
Senator Akaka: "It creates a government-to-government relationship with the United States." KASTE: "Democratic Senator Dan Akaka, himself a native, wants
Congress to let Hawaiians re-establish their national identity. He says
his bill would give them a kind of legal parity with tribal governments
on the mainland, but he says this sovereignty could eventually go
further, perhaps even leading to outright independence."
Sen. AKAKA: "That could be. As far as what's going to happen at
the other end, I'm leaving it up to my grandchildren and
great-grandchildren."
Later, another guest is interviewed:
KASTE: "But for some native Hawaiians, the Akaka Bill doesn't go far enough."
Mr. BUMPY KANAHELE (Native Hawaiian): "My Hawaiian name is U'u Koanoa(ph). Of course, the American name I've got, it's Bumpy Kanahele."
KASTE: "Kanahele is a burly man who calls himself the head of the
Nation of Hawaii. At the moment, his domain consists of a small village
nestled in the shadow of green mountains on Oahu. The village also
flies the flag of Hawaii, but it flies upside down as a sign of
distress over what residents see as the illegal occupation by the
United States. Kanahele is a prominent figure in the independence
movement, which received a boost in 1993 when Congress formally
apologized for the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Kanahele says
that apology opened what he calls a can of worms for the United States."
Mr. KANAHELE: "They never thought that Hawaiians would take the
road to restoring their independence. Well, what do you expect? You
just admitted to a crime -- Right? -- the crime of the overthrow." KASTE: "After the congressional apology, Kanahele says, native
Hawaiians started to think seriously about independence, and he says
the Akaka Bill is an attempt to divert natives toward more tribal-style
sovereignty."
NRO's Rich Lowry sees two differences vis-a-vis the Indian tribe situation: geographic separation and existence on US soil prior to legislation. Native Hawaiians are intermixed geographically and intermarried as well, with half of Natives marrying non-Natives. How's a different set of laws for neighbors for Balkanization? Besides, the statehood vote, by at least a 2-1 margin, effectively by implication discounted the significance of earlier acts. The Union Hawaii joined in 1959 was a perpetual Union--whose permanence is what Abe Lincoln fought to preserve. The Akaka bill is given a good chance of passage, with 43 not standing in the way.
Flying from the old palace roof is the Native Hawaiian flag, but not the American flag. The two former Senators and Lowry warn that Hispanic claims on the American Southwest are next. Might Hispanics wait until the bicentennial of the US-Mexican War (2045) or might they start sooner? Or will the Supremes rescue 43 by using the Fourteenth Amendment to declare Hawaiian racial separatism unconstitutional? Stay tuned to see if 42's "can of worms" spills over all of us.
Joint Congressional Resolution of Acknowledgment and Apology
Text of S. 147: Two Versions
S.147: CRS Summary
Senator Akaka Interview
Two ex-Senators Warn: Secession Could Happen
Lowry: An Idea Jeff Davis Could Love
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