US Recognition of Native Hawaiians: Don’t Waste the Opportunity

[ellisonz]

A rule in the making would create the basis for a relationship between the federal government and a Native Hawaiian governing body.
AUGUST 18, 2015·By THE CIVIL BEAT EDITORIAL BOARD

The generations-old push to re-establish U.S. recognition of the sovereignty and government of the Native Hawaiian people reached a milestone last week when the Department of the Interior announced it will soon publish a draft rule that would allow Native Hawaiians to leverage that recognition.

As Interior spokeswoman Jessica Kershaw told Civil Beat’s Chad Blair last week, Interior “will propose a rule that establishes an administrative procedure that the secretary would use if the Native Hawaiian community forms a unified government that seeks a formal government-to-government relationship with the United States.”

The rule language hasn’t yet been made public, but its title has: “Procedures for Reestablishing a Government-to-Government Relationship With the Native Hawaiian Community.”

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This news comes on the heels of notices sent by the Native Hawaiian Roll Commission earlier this month to thousands of voters certified to take part in elections this fall for delegates to a Native Hawaiian constitutional convention for self-governance. The filing deadline to run as a potential delegate for the convention is a month away, with election results to be released Dec. 1. Convention dates haven’t been set.

http://www.civilbeat.com/2015/08/u-s-recognition-of-native-hawaiians-dont-waste-the-opportunity/

While I understand the arguments against a compromise on sovereignty, anything that would lead to the betterment of Hawaii for Hawaiians ahead of the current poor status quo is a positive.

[msongs]

1. the return to independence people do not like this proposed status nt

[ellisonz]

2. No they don't, there's all kinds of crazy following the article.

My remarks posted in the comment section:

I would hope that no matter what we could all agree on the importance of the freedom of the press. Clearly, that's a high hope! To anyone who's observed the state of journalism in Hawaii over the last decade or so, I think we can all appreciate the forum that Civil Beat provides for free thought and expression in Hawaii. Without it, the leading voices of journalism in Hawaii would be the Star-Advertiser, the local television and the local outer island newspapers. To those criticizing the publication of a consensus opinion of an editorial board, a widespread practice in journalism worldwide, I would challenge you to submit your own opinion to Civil Beat for publication and I would challenge Civil Beat to publish it provided it meets the basic standards for decency in publication. I don't agree with everything that gets posted by Civil Beat, but I will defend free discourse in the press until the very end.