This webpage contains information, news reports and commentary about Statehood Day 2007.
Actually, there was no celebration of Statehood Day at all.
"This is a big day for the palace," said Kippen de Alba Chu, executive director of 'Iolani Palace. "We are here celebrating the king's vision." [Honolulu Advertiser, August 18, 2007]
The terrorists won by intimidation and subterfuge.
There was an amazing attempt by Hawaiian independence activists to take over 'Iolani Palace from the inside. Led by the ever-present ruthless, cold, calculating leader of nearly all such events, Lynette Cruz, a small group of secessionists were accompanied by two reporters form the far-left pro-secessionist newspaper "Honolulu Weekly." Those reporters had obviously been invited by the secessionists and functioned as embedded reporters and co-conspirators. The secessionists invited these particular reporters because they all knew and trusted each other and had worked closely together in the past. One can only speculate whether the secessionists actively conspired with the management of the Palace. Lynette Cruz was on the board of the Friends of 'Iolani Palace for many years, and perhaps still to this day. So this attempt to "storm the Palace" was clearly a very friendly one, and might well have been the result of an "inside job" or conspiracy. Read the entire report from the Honolulu Weekly at the bottom of this webpage (saving the best for last).
Readers might recall that an attempted celebration of Statehood Day in August 2006 was was disrupted and prevented by wannabe terrorists threatening violence. They were present at the place for the celebration before the event was scheduled to get underway. They came prepared with banners, boom-boxes, megaphones, and about 50 Hawaiian independence zealots. The Kalani High School band was seated with their instruments, ready to play. But shortly before the announced starting time, the sovereignty zealots walked right up to the kids in the band, threatening them there would be trouble and they should leave. A megaphone broadcast the same message. Worried parents and friends removed the kids and escorted them back to their bus. Having picked on the weakest peple first, the wannabe terrorists then turned their attention to the adult celebrants, rushing to swarm them and surround individual, shouting at them in nose-to-nose confrontations. That went on for well over an hour, with individual "discussions" between supporters and opponents of Hawaii Statehood; until finally a truck arrived to remove the chairs that had been rented for the band; and everyone left. Like Statehood Day 2007 when she attempted to "storm the Palace" from the inside, Lynette Cruz was also a leader of that terrorist event on Statehood Day 2006, standing off to the side and directing her troops like a battlefield general not wanting to risk soiling her own uniform.
A large webpage contains photos, news reports, and commentaries about what happened at Statehood Day 2006. See
"Hawaii Statehood Day 2006 -- Celebration at Old Territorial Capitol Building (Iolani Palace) Disrupted by Hawaiian Ethnic Nationalist Wannabe-Terrorists" at
https://www.angelfire.com/planet/bigfiles40/statehoodday2006.html
For Statehood Day 2007 politicians, activists, and the "Friends of Iolani Palace" engaged in a conspiracy to prevent any attempt at a celebration of Statehood Day. They did this by organizing a public event on Palace grounds to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the founding of Iolani Palace. The date for that celebration was set for the official Statehood Day holiday, which this year was Friday August 17, and a full-page color advertisement for the event was published in the Honolulu Advertiser of Sunday August 12.
There is absolutely no connection between the founding of Iolani Palace and the date of August 17, or any other date in August. The date was clearly chosen for the sole purpose of occupying the Palace grounds with large numbers of people to celebrate the Palace, thereby preventing any celebration of Statehood Day. Thus the sovereignty activists hijacked yet another American/Hawaii holiday and (ab)used it for their own political purposes. See: "HAPPY HOLIDAYS -- NOT SO HAPPY ANYMORE! ETHNIC CLEANSING OF HAWAIIAN HISTORY" at
https://www.angelfire.com/hi2/hawaiiansovereignty/holidaysethniccleansing.html
News reports in the Honolulu Advertiser, and KGMB 9 TV, noted that it was Statehood Day but focused on the Palace celebration, and featured the comments of ethnic Hawaiians looking wistfully at the Hawaiian flag flying atop Iolani Palace and saying that should be the only flag that flies in Hawaii.
Two days after the non-celebration Richard Borreca, editorial columnist for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, wrote an editorial whose title was "Stirrings of unease mark holiday" (copied in full below) ""Hawaii = a sovereign nation occupied by America," read a sign held by one chanter. There is no denying it, as Lingle noted last Friday: "This was a sovereign nation and it was overthrown. It was a nation and then it wasn't.""
Even the ethnic Hawaiians celebrating the Palace had opposition from the radical secessionists, as shown by this photo taken from the "Free Hawaii" website: Original photo URL was
http://freehawaii.blogspot.com/2007/08/what-do-hawaiians-say-about-akaka-bill.html
This event was the first of two dress rehearsals (2007 and 2008) for the 50th anniversary of Statehood Day which will be "celebrated" on the third Friday of August, 2009.
Hawaii's Governor and politicians have clearly been intimidated into turning Statehood Day into a day of mourning for the overthrow and annexation of Hawaii. In fact, the Governor has been a zealous supporter of every race-based program in Hawaii, and of the Akaka bill. Is she also a secessionist? It's hard to know. She seems ready to do anything asked of her by Hawaii's racial supremacists.
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** E-mail received around August 10 from a supporter of Statehood Day 2006, who tried to organize another celebration for 2007.
Mahalo for your email and interest on Statehood Day.
I spent 9 months trying to get public support for this year's
event but frankly, too many people are scared.
FYI: The Mayor's representative last year volunteered the
Royal Hawaiian Band and participation in an event this year. However,
when contacted, they stalled and gave me no reply this year.
My [group] voted not to endorse a formal
event unless there was co-sponsorship; no one came forward.
The Governor proposed a 50th Anniversary Commission to plan
an event for 2009 and the Legislature passed it setting up a
25-member board. I [redacted] questioned the
sincerity of the intent.
Meanwhile, the Friends of Iolani Palace -- who are the good guys
in this -- planned to put together a 125th anniversary of the Palace on
that day (Friday, August 17) and I said I would support that event;
especially since those that protested us last year announced they
would protest even these Hawaiian groups this year.
So, I invite you to join me on the grounds of the Palace by
the gate at 12:30 pm. American flags are welcome. Immediately after,
I will begin planning for 2008 even if I do it alone.
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** The only newspapers to publish anything positive celebrating Statehood Day were a politically conservative alternative newspaper on Hawaii Island, and the politically Libertarian online newspaper Here are those articles.
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?68f176ac-4b56-419e-8312-12b66934c28e
Hawaii Reporter, August 17, 2007
Our American Triumph: Civil Rights and Hawaii Statehood
Special from Hawaii Free Press
By Ryan Yasukawa
American annually celebrates Black History Month in February, a time to reflect on the struggles and triumphs of man’s quest for equality of opportunity. A little-known piece of this history is the politics of the civil rights struggle has much in common with Hawaii’s path to statehood.
In 1959 the 85th Congress of the United States voted the Territory of Hawaii into the Union. Despite overwhelming support by 94% of Hawaii voters in a 1959 statehood plebiscite, and very strong support in two earlier statehood plebiscites, the U.S. Senate debated the admission of Hawaii and Alaska in a way that mirrored the then-burgeoning civil rights debate.
Hawaii's efforts to obtain statehood involved a long political struggle which had to overcome many obstacles and prejudices. In 1919, Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole (R), Hawaii's delegate to Congress, introduced Hawaii's first statehood bill in the 65th Congress. It, and another bill he submitted the following year, died in the House Committee on Territories. In December of 1931, Delegate Victor Houston introduced another statehood bill in Congress. It also did not get very far.
The statehood bill of Samuel King in 1935 also didn't make it; however it did prompt a Congressional committee to visit Hawaii in October, 1935. Their hearings brought out a number of reasons why statehood would be postponed--including prejudice against Hawai`i’s large number of citizens of Japanese ancestry.
Statehood bills were introduced again in 1947 and in 1950. It was only in 1959, during the first session of the 86th Congress that Hawaii statehood was finally acted upon with dramatic swiftness. After some debate, the Senate bill passed on March 11 by a vote of 76 to 15. The House bill reached the floor on the same day and the House substituted the Senate version for it and passed it on March 12 by a vote of 323 to 89.
The State of Hawaii being the 50th state and not 49th is no coincidence. With a Republican President Eisenhower and a Democrat majority in Congress, Democrats first sent an Alaska Bill to the President to see if he would sign the Bill admitting a state which at that time was expected to elect two Democrat Senators. If Eisenhower signed the Alaska Bill, a Hawaii Bill would be sent up thereafter.
But there was another factor. In the late ‘50s civil rights bills were being introduced to the Congress to overcome Southern Democrats’ suppression of the pro-Republican African-American vote. Hawai`i Statehood was expected to result in the addition of two pro-civil-rights Senators from a state which would be the first to have majority non-white population.
This would endanger the segregationist “Dixiecrat” Senate minority by providing two more votes to invoke “cloture” and halt a Senate filibuster, allowing Bills to come to a vote. These expectations played a role in creating the 50th State of Hawaii rather than the 49th State of Hawaii. (You can still find Hawaii 49th State memorabilia if you look hard enough.)
On March 18, 1959 the Hawaii Statehood Bill was signed by President Eisenhower. The New York Times wrote, “Until this year Hawaii statehood bills had passed the House three times in the last decade. On one occasion the bill passed the Senate also, but was tied to an Alaskan measure that brought death to both. Much of the opposition came from Southerners in Congress who took a dim view of the mixed racial strains of Hawaii's population. Southerners also fought its admission on the same ground they fought Alaskan statehood. That is, the additional seats would weaken the South's already diluted strength in the Senate.”
The opponents to the civil rights efforts who also opposed Hawaii Statehood included Senators such as then-Democrat Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, who earlier had waged a record twenty four hour and eighteen minute filibuster against a 1957 civil rights bill. Senate approval of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was held up by a fourteen hour and thirteen minute filibuster waged by Hawaii Statehood opponent Robert Byrd (D-WV), a former KKK “Kleagle”, until a bi-partisan coalition led by Senator Everett Dirksen (R-IL) and supported by Hawaii’s Senators, Hiram Fong (R) and Daniel Inouye (D), gathered 60 votes to invoke cloture, ending the filibuster.
The Congressional vote totals show a proportionally larger support for the 1964 Civil Rights Act by the Republican Party. The House of Representatives’ vote by party was 136 to 35 (80% support) by Republicans but only 153 to 91 (63% support) by Democrats. Prominent Senate opponents of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 who also opposed Hawaii Statehood included J. William Fulbright (D-AR), Albert Gore Sr. (D-TN), Sam Ervin (D-NC), and Richard Russell (D-GA).
Hawaii’s heritage shares a great deal in honoring the spirit of the struggle for the equality of opportunities. In 1959, when Hawaii elected Fong Senator, he became the first Asian-American to serve in the Senate. Hawaii also elected my own childhood hero Daniel Inouye (D) who in 1959 became was the first Japanese-American to serve in the House of Representatives. Patsy Mink (D-HI) and Pat Saiki (R-HI) were the first Asian-American women to serve in Congress.
The fight against racism and discrimination is one that does not belong to one party or group over another. Let our 50th State be a testament to the triumph of the American experiment of democracy.
Ryan Yasukawa is the former Chair of the Hawaii County Republican Party.
-----------------------
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?3036fea4-7b53-460f-850c-8721151b1eea
Hawaii Reporter (online), August 17, 2007
copied from "Small Business news."
State Turns 48
Hawaii Became a State on August 21, 1959
Thousands came out to celebrate Hawaii's admission to the USA as the 50th State on August 21, 1959.
Celebrations were huge at Iolani Palace (the territorial and state capitol until 1969). A colorful parade, patriotic speeches, music and a 21 gun cannon salute were part of the original festivities.
The photo is courtesy of the Hawaii State Archives.
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** Maui News published this editorial -- the only newspaper to mention Statehood Day on the day it is an official state holiday; and the editorial is clearly not a "celebration."
http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=33259
The Maui News, Friday, August 17, 2007
EDITORIAL
No celebration of isle holiday
State and county governments are closed today, which is a holiday that has not been celebrated officially since Gov. Ben Cayetano attended an Admission Day commemoration at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
At the time, Cayetano, the governor who preceded Gov. Linda Lingle, said celebrating the day Hawaii became the nation’s 50th state had become too controversial and might be seen as culturally insensitive by Native Hawaiian leaders.
Admission Day, also known as Statehood Day, was established as a holiday to be observed on the third Friday of August. The actual admission date was Aug. 21, 1959, the day President Dwight D. Eisenhower unveiled the new U.S. flag with 50 stars. Alaska had become a state earlier in the year.
For the first time, Hawaii had voting members of Congress. Previously the Territory of Hawaii had delegates who could lobby and take part in congressional proceedings but could not vote.
On March 12, 1959, Congress sent a bill to President Eisenhower recommending statehood for Hawaii, pending approval by Hawaii’s citizens. The June 27 vote was controversial since military personnel and dependents were allowed to cast ballots. At any rate, all but one of the 240 precincts in the islands voted in favor of statehood. The one holdout was Niihau where the population was almost exclusively Native Hawaiian. Some 140,000 votes were cast, less than 8,000 opposing statehood.
The first governor of the state was William Quinn. Sen. Daniel Inouye was a U.S. representative. The speaker of the islands’ House of Representatives was Maui’s Elmer F. Cravalho.
In addition to achieving direct representation in Washington, D.C., the major effect of statehood on the islands was further centralization of government, partly due to the fact counties could not apply directly for federal funds. Among other things, the state took over operation of schools. Highways were divided between county and state.
One other event occurred in 1959 that had a major impact on the islands. Airlines began to schedule regular jet flights, ushering in the modern tourism era.
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** Maui News also published this letter-to-editor
http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=33278
The Maui News, Friday, August 17, 2007
LETTERS TO EDITOR
History contradicts Hawaiians ’never’ wanted to be Americans
“Why is it so hard for Americans to believe that the kanaka maoli (Hawaiians) never, at anytime, wanted to be Americans” (Letters, Aug. 11)? Well, it is so hard to believe because it isn’t true.
King Kamehameha III tried to get full statehood for Hawaii in 1849, 49 years before annexation. Was he not Hawaiian? Price Kuhio introduced the first Hawaii statehood bill to Congress in 1919, 40 years and many more requests before the U.S. finally granted it.
When statehood was finally brought to a vote in Hawaii in 1959, the no votes were only 5.7 percent at a time when 20 percent of the people in Hawaii were Native Hawaiian – 20 percent going by the Akaka Bill definition of Native Hawaiian. Other definitions of a Native Hawaiian yield a larger number.
So, even if every single person that voted no was a Native Hawaiian then Native Hawaiians still supported statehood by a margin better then 2.5 to 1, and that is conservative.
To say Hawaiians “Never, at anytime, wanted to be Americans” is to slap reality in the face.
Max Gomes
Wailuku
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** Portions of Ken Conklin's e-mail to a supporter of Statehood, who expressed disappointment
Yes, I'm afraid the terrorists have won.
[Name redacted] says he plans to stand at the gate to the Palace on Statehood Day, with an American flag, while on the Palace grounds there will instead be a celebration of the 125th anniversary of the (new) Palace commissioned by Kalakaua in 1882. By doing that he will clearly show anyone with half a brain just how things are today in Hawaii -- the sovereignty activists and secessionists are in control while the American patriots are marginalized to a position on the outside looking in.
It seems the prevailing public sentiment about Statehood Day is that if we want to celebrate it, the event should take place at the new state Capitol building. Public sentiment seems to feel that 'Iolani Palace is sacred ground for ethnic Hawaiians, because it's where the Queen had her official residence and where many dozens of secessionist rallies and red-shirt protests have taken place during the past 20 years. That sentiment totally ignores the fact that the Palace was the Capitol of the Republic, Territory, and State of Hawaii from 1893 through 1968; that the American flag flew proudly there every day for 70 years (1898-1968); that the Palace is the place where there was a huge sendoff of a petition to Congress with 120,000 signatures in 1954 demanding "Statehood Now" -- a sendoff rally featuring the Royal Hawaiian Band, hula dancers, chanters, torch-bearers, and kahili. Most important, it is the very place where Statehood was officially proclaimed in August 1959, and where the Territorial Legislature held its meetings until 1968. And by the way, the ruling chief who had the longest tenure of using the Palace as government headquarters was Sanford B. Dole, President of the Provisional Government and Republic of Hawaii from January 1893 to August 1898, head of the caretaker government during the transitional period 1898 to 1900, Governor of the Territory from 1900 to 1903 when he resigned to become Chief Justice of the U.S. District Court in Honolulu. But there's no photo of Dole in the palace and no statue of him anywhere in Hawaii.
The sovereignty terrorists have created a manufactured mourning and pain about the revolution that overthrew a corrupt and ineffective Queen seeking dictatorial powers; and the public seems to buy into the notion that we somehow offend secessionists' sensitivities by celebrating the "theft" of "their" nation. And so in early September there will be another in a long line of celebrations of the Queen's birthday, at 'Iolani Palace, with prayer, music, "patriotic" (to the Kingdom) speeches; and no loyal Americans will try to disrupt the event out of respect for the Queen, whose spirit is said to still live in the Palace. No boom boxes, megaphones, or banners proclaiming "Good riddance to the evil Queen." No swarming and disrupting the speakers and musicians, as happened on Statehood Day 2006.
Have no doubt about it -- those who say we offend their sensitivities if we celebrate Statehood Day at the Palace are really saying this: The Palace is the Capitol of a still-living Nation of Hawaii, awaiting the evacuation of the belligerent occupation of Hawaii by the U.S. Nobody seems to care at all about offending the sensitivities of patriotic Americans who are glad Hawaii is part of the U.S., and who want to celebrate Statehood Day at the place where Statehood became a reality.
We clearly need a change of sentiment in Hawaii. Hawaii is in a civil war (although fought with velvet gloves), and the Evil Empire is winning.
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** Full-page advertisement on page A9 of the Honolulu Advertiser on Sunday August 12, 2007, paid for by Hawaiian Electric whose public relations director is Robbie Alm. Mr. Alm, Caucasian with no native ancestry, has long been a rabid supporter of every racial supremacist government program and of Kamehameha Schools' racially exclusionary admissions policy. He is also a newly appointed member of the Hawaii Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Apparently Hawaiian Electric paid for the newspaper ad and also for the shuttle buses and other facilities mentioned in the ad -- and probably made a substantial monetary contribution to the "Friends of Iolani Palace."
Here are the contents of the ad, which was printed in color and featured a photo of King Kalakaua wearing a Eurppean-style costume with blue sash, gold buttons, and 7 or 8 fancy medals which he was given or had created; plus a photo of the Palace from outside, and several interior photos.
Come celebrate
125th Anniversary
Iolani Palace
(1882-2007)
Friday August 17, 2007
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Official Processional Ceremony
(Led by the four Royal Benevolent Societies)
1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Iolani Palace Open HOuse (First Floor and Galleries)
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Entertainment on the lawn at the Coronation Pavilion by
*Ka La Onohi Mai O Haehae (hula)
*Hawaiian music featuring 'Ale'a and others
EVENT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
FREE OF CHARGE
There is also no charge to enter the Palace on August 17.
Hawaiian food will be available for purchase
($5 mini plate / $10 regular plate).
Parking is limited on the Palace grounds. Onstreet parking in Downtown will be free and additional parking is available at the Department of Health lot (corner of Punchbowl and Beretania).
Free shuttle buses will operate between Iolani Palace and the Made in Hawaii Festival in the Blaisdell Center. Buses will run approximately every 20 minutes starting at 12 noon until 5:45 pm in both directions. Shuttle stop near the Palace will be on Richards Street fronting the YWCA. Shuttle stop at the Blaisdell Center will be in front of the Galleria entrance on Ward Avenue.
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On Friday night, August 17 KGMB 9 TV ran a story in its 5 PM, 6 PM, and 10 PM newscasts. The news report ran about 3 minutes, showing film of events on the Palace grounds, and featuring brief interviews with some of the attendees. Nobody interviewed was unhesitatingly favorable toward Statehood. A couple of them said they understand why [ethnic] Hawaiians feel bad about history, but perhaps Statehood has delivered good things too. Maybe. Sort of. The longest interview was with a teary-eyed ethnic Hawaiian woman looking at the Hawaiian flag on top of Iolani Palace. Here's a transcript of that TV news report:
---------------
http://www.kgmb9.com/kgmb/display.cfm?storyID=12274&sid=1183
KGMB 9 TV, August 17, 2007 08:02 PM
Statehood Memories
Ramsay Wharton - rwharton@kgmb9.com
Hawaiian music surrounded Iolani Palace as visitors and residents gathered to celebrate the building's 125th anniversary.
It was here, nearly 48 years ago on August 21, 1959, that families heard officially -- Hawaii was no longer a territory, but America's 50th state.
"There were people honking their horns. There were fireworks. People were flying American flags," said Laara Allbrett.
Many who visited the Palace on Friday, during the Statehood holiday, remembered being here on the day news of statehood was announced.
Ione Nakasone remembers sitting on the grassy area lining the entrance road to the Palace.
"Oh yeah, a lot of excitement that we finally became the fiftieth state," said Nakasone.
Iolani Palace opened its doors to hundreds who got to see the inside of the Palace for free.
Executive Director, Kippen de Alba Chau, said they're trying to bring people back to the Palace to share in its history.
"It is in that spirit that we are trying to celebrate what is a sensitive date in Hawaii's history now," said Chau.
Allbrett, who is Native Hawaiian, is saddened at the day and said she's not here to celebrate. With tears in her eyes she peered up at the Hawaiian flag waving above Iolani Palace.
"That one flag that's flying there, that should be the only flag flying here," Allbrett said, "Our people have been forced to ensure the invasion of our land and things from the mountain to the ocean that were cared for properly are no longer."
Lani Akee, who is also Native Hawaiian, was nine years old when she and her family celebrated statehood on the grounds of Iolani Palace.
"I just had a good feeling like we were somebody," said Akee.
Akee said she understands the conflicts but is grateful for statehood.
"We wouldn't have been this far. Yeah, I know there's a lot more to do, and a lot more education is needed. But I think right now this is great," Akee said, "The best thing we did have is to get to be on the map and get to be recognized like the other states."
Nakasone said she understands the mixed feelings. Her 3-year-old granddaughter, Nanea, is part-Hawaiian.
"I mean it's sad, but in a way a lot of progress has been made," Nakasone said, "But we are happy about that, but we hate to see a lot of the old Hawaiian things disappear."
--------------
So much for the "celebration" of Statehood Day.
The director of Iolani Palace clearly stated that the day's events were not a celebration of Statehood Day [see news report below].
"This is a big day for the palace," said Kippen de Alba Chu, executive director of 'Iolani Palace. "We are here celebrating the king's vision."
===============
** The following two "news reports" were published side by side in the Honolulu Advertiser on Saturday August 18, 2007. The two articles are clearly related to each other. The first article includes a sub-article published on the newspaper's website consisting of a "flash-player" series of photos of the event.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070818/NEWS01/708180337/1001/NEWS
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Hawaii's palace marks 125th anniversary
By Will Hoover
An estimated 600 people attended ceremonies in honor of the 125th anniversary of 'Iolani Palace yesterday and watched the official processional ceremony from the palace gate to the royal throne room.
It was also Admissions Day, the holiday set aside to recognize the day in 1959 when Hawai'i became the 50th state.
The procession of more than 100 people was led by the four Royal Benevolent societies and followed by assorted dignitaries, including Gov. Linda Lingle, Mayor Mufi Hannemann and various state legislators and City Council members.
"This is a big day for the palace," said Kippen de Alba Chu, executive director of 'Iolani Palace. "We are here celebrating the king's vision."
Hannemann called that vision vital to Hawai'i's history and the occasion "momentous" to its present.
"This is the icon of Hawai'i," said the mayor. "We're the only state in the nation that has ties to a kingdom. So we must never forget that that's our past."
At the head of the procession was a small contingent of red-shirted Honolulu Fire Department Honor Guard members. That team wore the crest of King Kalakaua in recognition of the fact that the monarch himself had been a member of the old volunteer Honolulu Fire Department.
The firefighters got an impromptu chance to exhibit their skills after the royal party entered the palace and the chant, prayers and hula dancing ceremonies were under way. About 40 minutes into the festivities one member of the party collapsed.
Most of the invited party were not aware of the incident, but the men in red took charge — calling in an Emergency Medical Services team and tending to the victim, an elderly gentleman, until the ambulance arrived.
The man, who was awake and alert when he was wheeled into the ambulance, was taken to The Queen's Medical Center.
"The gentleman just fainted," said firefighter Alden Santos of HFD Engine 28, following the incident. "He seems fine."
Otherwise the celebration went off without a hitch. While the public listened to the Royal Hawaiian Band perform on the lawn at the Coronation Pavilion, the royal party and invited guests attended closed ceremonies inside.
Sporting an 1862 English crozier, or bishop's staff, Episcopal Bishop of Hawai'i Robert Fitzpatrick gave both the opening and closing prayers.
"King Kalakaua and Queen Kapi'olani would have been members of the Anglican Church," said Fitzpatrick, explaining the importance of the role of the bishop in Kalakaua's time. "So they would have been members of St. Andrew's. And the bishop acted as their chaplain, as he did for Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma."
It was an occasion that was worthy of a king, according to EiRayna Adams of the Daughters and Sons of the Hawaiian Warriors.
"There was chanting, hula, pomp and ceremony — you had it all," said Adams as she left the palace after the hourlong observation.
Adams was greeted by hundreds of members of the public who had made their way to the back of the building and were lining up to take an inside tour.
"I came to give my aloha," said Adams. "And I was given a lot of aloha in return. There's quite a number of people here today. And look at their faces. They're all happy."
Lingle agreed, and added that she was intrigued by de Alba Chu's comments about King Kalakaua.
"It was most interesting to hear about the king's circumnavigation of the globe, and that 'Iolani Palace is made up of doors that came from England and tableware that came from France.
"He had a very global outlook. And that was interesting to me — especially today for Hawai'i."
** The photo was included in the article, with the following caption:
An official procession led by the four Royal Benevolent societies makes its way from the 'Iolani Palace gate to the throne room.
GREGORY YAMAMOTO
--------------------
** Accompanying photo gallery (flash player required)
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Aug/18/ln/palace.html
Honolulu Advertiser, Saturday, August 18, 2007
Photo gallery: Iolani Palace 125th anniversary celebration
Photos by Gregory Yamamoto
Advertiser Staff Photographer
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http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070818/NEWS23/708180338/1173/NEWS23
Honolulu Advertiser, Saturday, August 18, 2007
Native Hawaiian groups form history coalition
By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Some of the state's largest and most influential Native Hawaiian organizations have formed a coalition aimed at educating the broader public about what it believes are the truths and misconceptions of Hawai'i's history.
The Hawai'i Pono'i Coalition will start its efforts with a celebration of the 169th birthday of Queen Lili'uokalani at 'Iolani Palace from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 2. The event, which is free, will include exhibits on Native Hawaiian history and culture, as well as all-day entertainment by Hawaiian musicians and hula halau. Families are encouraged to bring their own lunches, although there will be food booths.
The formation of the coalition and the Sept. 2 event come just as Native Hawaiian institutions and programs are facing new challenges. Most recently, a group of non-Hawaiians said it wants to become part of the Kau Inoa Native Hawaiian registry process.
Meanwhile, opponents of Kamehameha Schools are seeking students who have been denied admission to the institution that gives admissions preference to Hawaiian youths. And recent changes to the makeup of a key advisory committee dealing with civil rights and the Akaka bill has shifted in favor of those opposed to federal recognition.
Hawaiian activist Vicky Holt Takamine said she and other organizers of the coalition have been meeting since earlier this year.
"I think there's some misunderstanding about the history of Hawai'i," Takamine said. "I think there's a lot of effort by (opponents of Native Hawaiian rights) to share their interpretation of what happened during the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy. .
"A lot of people don't really recognize that the overthrow was illegal by the United States, and that there is a trust relationship that exists there," she said.
While Hawaiians have different interpretations of what constitutes Native Hawaiian rights, they are unified when it comes to the notion that they are entitled to some rights as the indigenous people of the Islands, Takamine said.
"I think there's a consensus among most of the groups that we should be entitled to have our own programs and use our own lands to educate our own people."
For some opponents, "it's not enough just to take our government and annex us illegally to the United States, but then to take away our resources that can provide economic and educational benefit for Native Hawaiians on top of that," she said.
Among those listed as members of the coalition are Kamehameha Schools, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Alu Like Inc., the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, the Friends of 'Iolani Palace, the King William Charles Lunalilo Trust, the Queen Lili'uokalani Trust and Learning Center, the Queen Emma Foundation, the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. and Takamine's 'Ilio'uokalani Coalition.
Materials issued by the group say participation in the coalition is "open to any group or individual who supports Native Hawaiian rights."
The Hawai'i Pono'i Coalition gets its name from the Hawai'i national anthem written in 1874 by King David Kalakaua. Literally translated, Hawai'i Pono'i means "Hawai'i's own." For more information about the group, call 224-8068.
The Sept. 2 event is the first of several events that the coalition expects to put on. Free parking will be available at the nearby Kamehameha Schools' Kawaiaha'o Plaza parking structure through 6 p.m.
------------
** Here's the press release from which the Advertiser's Gordon Pang wrote his "news report." Gordon Pang is not primarily a news reporter, even though that's what the newspaper calls him. He is primarily a cheerleader for the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, and the newspaper allows (encourages) its pages to be used as a propaganda rag.
** This is NOT merely the anouncement of an event at the Palace. It's a "coming out" of a BIG new organization. Read the section called "About the HAWAI'I PONO'I COALITION" and note the institutions belonging to it and heed my alert about the meaning of "Hawai'i pono'i."
http://www.hawaiiankingdom.info/C1126750129/E20070816130953/index.html
Hawaiian Kingdom blog
Birthday Celebration for Queen Lili'uokalani 9/2
Rec'd via email...
MEDIA RELEASE
ALL ARE WELCOME TO
'ONIPA 'A: A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FOR QUEEN LILI'UOKALANI
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2ND * 10AM~4PM * 'IOLANI PALACE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
CONTACT:
Mona K. Wood, IKAIKA Communications
Tel./Cell. (808) 218-5546
e-mail: ikaikacomm@hawaii.rr.com
HONOLULU - HAWAI'I PONO'I COALITION presents 'ONIPA'A: A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FOR QUEEN LILI'UOKALANI, on Sunday, September 2nd, as follows.
WHO: Kama'aina and visitors - ALL ARE WELCOME!!!
WHAT: 'Onipa'a: A Birthday Celebration for Queen Lili'uokalani - A day of learning and sharing the history of Hawai'i, featuring educational information and displays, all-day entertainment, and a special multi-denominational Sunday service from 12 noon to 1 p.m., representing various churches from around the island. 'Iolani Palace will also be open and provide free tours to everyone during this event.
WHEN: Sunday, September 2nd, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WHERE: 'Iolani Palace grounds
HOW: The event is FREE to the public. You may bring your own food and beverages (no alcohol allowed), but there will also be food booths selling lunch, snacks and drinks throughout the day, including Hawaiian food.
INFO: For more information, please call (808) 224-8068, or visit huiohawaiiponoi.org.
This special event is dedicated to the memory of Lydia Kamaka'eha, Queen Lili'uokalani (September 2, 1838 - November 11, 1917), and all that she means to Hawai'i.
The event will feature educational materials and exhibits on Native Hawaiian history and culture. All-day entertainment will feature Hawaiian music and several halau hula.
A special Sunday service at noon will be conducted by a Native Hawaiian kahu and include church leaders from various religions and denominations. Esteemed choral director Nola Nahulu will lead the large choir made up of various church choirs, choral groups from the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, University of Hawai'i Hawaiian Chorus, Hawai'i Youth Opera Chorus, Ka Wai Ola O Na Pukani Leo, Kamehameha Alumni Association and community choral groups.
'Iolani Palace will offer free admission all day long, limited groups at a time, as an educational public service provided by Friends of 'Iolani Palace and Hawai'i Pono'i.
Some on-site and street parking will be available, as well free parking for event attendees only from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Kawaiaha`o Plaza parking structure at the corner of South and Kawaiaha`o Streets. Cars must vacate the lot by 6 p.m. Other downtown parking lots also offer low flat rates on weekends.
Organizers would like to stress that everyone is welcome to the event - kama'aina and visitors, alike, and this is an ideal event for the whole 'ohana!
This is the first of several events throughout the year supported by Hawai'i Pono'i Coalition. More information on the other events will be coming soon.
About the HAWAI'I PONO'I COALITION
Hawai'i Pono'i is the title of the Hawai'i national anthem, written by King Kalakaua in 1874. Literally translated "Hawai'i's own," Hawai'i Pono'i connects us to the history of the islands and the heritage of its Indigenous people, a heritage that enriches us all. The Hawai'i Pono'i Coalition was formed to educate those who live in and visit these islands about Hawai'i's true history, its Native Hawaiian people, and the culture that makes Hawai'i a place like no other.
** Ken's note: Hawai'i pono'i could mean "Hawaii's own" but in fact it goes deeper than that. As used in the song, Hawai'i is NOT the name of the place -- it is the name of the people, as in the very simple phrase "He Hawai'i au" which means "I am [native] Hawaiian." Pono'i means "true" or "rightful" Thus the song is directed to "True Hawaiians" ( with obvious racial implications.)
'O ka po'e i aloha i ka 'aina - the people who love the land - come join us!
** Ken's note: The above phrase is the closing line in Kaulana Na Pua [the "stone-eating" song composed in 1893 protesting the overthrow]
Participation in the Coalition is open to any group or individual who supports Native Hawaiian rights. Founding organizations include:
ALU LIKE, Inc.
Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs
Department of Hawaiian Home Lands
Friends of 'Iolani Palace
'Ilio'ulaokalani Coalition
Kamakakuokalani
Kamehameha Schools
King William Charles Lunalilo Trust
Na Pua A Ke Ali'i Pauahi, Inc.
Native Hawaiian Bar Association
Native Hawaiian Legal Corp.
Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA)
PA'I Foundation
Queen Emma Foundation
Queen Lili'uokalani Trust and Children's Centers
All media inquiries should be directed to Mona K. Wood at (cell.) 218-5546, or via e-mail at ikaikacomm@hawaii.rr.com.
# # #
IKAIKA Communications...a powerful little pr company.
Mona K. Wood
P.O. Box 61448
Honolulu, HI 96839-1448
Tel./Cell. (808) 218-5546
E-mail: ikaikacomm@hawaii.rr.com
-------------------
http://starbulletin.com/2007/08/19/editorial/borreca.html
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, August 19, 2007
Editorial column
On Politics
Richard Borreca
Stirrings of unease mark holiday
The very real tension that is part of Hawaii's ethos came neatly into play Friday at Iolani Palace.
Statehood Day, a little- celebrated state holiday, happened at the same time as the 125th anniversary of the opening of Iolani Palace by King David Kalakaua.
During the same month in 1960, toward the end of his campaign for president, Vice President Richard Nixon stood on the steps of Iolani Palace to happily welcome Hawaii into the union.
Although as historian and reporter Tom Coffman noted: "To say that Hawaii went happily into the American fold is one of the great manipulations of history."
While Gov. Linda Lingle, Mayor Mufi Hannemann and a collection of representatives of the royal benevolent societies and the Free Masons gave gifts to honor King Kalakaua last week, a group of 35 Hawaiians chanted in front of the statue of Queen Liliuokalani, the nation's last monarch.
"Hawaii = a sovereign nation occupied by America," read a sign held by one chanter.
There is no denying it, as Lingle noted last Friday: "This was a sovereign nation and it was overthrown. It was a nation and then it wasn't."
As much as Hawaii can easily be the most American of places, where stories of immigration and opportunity are celebrated in kitchens graced with musubi, adobo and Spam, Hawaii is never really comfortable saying "We are 100 percent USA."
If America's business and military have always coveted the Hawaiian Islands, politicians have not been as enthusiastic. Hawaii became a state despite the worries of southern Senate Democrats who didn't want non-white U.S. senators and representatives voting on civil rights.
Today, politicians worry that inaction by Congress in passing a native Hawaii self-governance act, the Akaka Bill, will lead to civil unrest.
The issue is land. Rep. Neil Abercrombie told Star-Bulletin editors and reporters last week that something must be done with nearly 200,000 acres of Hawaii belonging in some form to native Hawaiians.
"There is a group of people that are going to insist, damn it, that if we don't get control of this, somebody is going to pay, there is going to be occupation of land ... there is going to be a civil disobedience movement, I guarantee you," Abercrombie warned.
Even Lingle acknowledges that if the federal courts rule to take away Hawaiian Homes or ceded land revenues, "it would create great bitterness."
Perhaps the wisest counsel comes from a speech by former Gov. John Waihee, who welcomed both opposition from within because it moved "forward the limits of possibility" and opposition from without which "clarifies the issues":
"The enemy is not opposition, the enemy is indifference."
Continuing the debate is the way Hawaii will define itself.
==============
http://jpmuntal.blogspot.com/2007/08/wrong-place-wrong-time-milking-iolani.html
J.P. Muntal blog
Friday, August 24, 2007
MILKING IOLANI PALACE (WRONG PLACE,WRONG TIME)
Keep your stars and stripes under wrap or be a Yankee doodle dandy fool. Every year, Iolani palace, symbol of nationalist rebirth, plays host to anti-American grievances by activists with a thing for Hollywood and Cecil B. deMille .
The Queen was once held under house arrest here by the US-backed provisional government. But it's old Union Jack flapping today, louder than a chorus and verse of "Rule Britannia", testament to the submissiveness of the monarchs to British rule and today's nationalist movement's obsession with nobility.
It is subconscious inherited behavior going back to the dawn of Polynesian aristocratic thought. If, as Hawaiians are told from birth and reminded through life, the "white man" brought disease and pestilence, he also helped create the royal icons revered today throughout the Pacific by those who call for its decolonization.
In Tahiti, Wallis enabled Pomare to crush Te Fana, his arch rival . Here, it was the English flint that put Kamehameha on the throne. Without instructions from Isaac Davis and John Young the "great" warrior whose first glimpse of a wheel was of one under a canon wouldn't have known which end of the fuse to light. The British gun helped a self-appointed "descended-of-the-gods" marauder subjugate a people under one iron fist and proclaim himself absolute ruler. In Hawaii, history books call that "unifying". Even Julius Caesar writing about his victory over Vercingetorix called it a "Conquest". The one responsible for the deaths of six thousand Oahu warriors in one day as they tried to push him back is worshipped by school children today, many of who, under his rule, would have been infanticized for being of the wrong gender or lineage.
Yet, the British flag waves as a symbol of Hawaiian pride; Hawaiian royalty, of benevolence and wisdom. Noblesse oblige. One doesn't question the logic of icons. Nevertheless, whatever inexplicable sense of national fervor the royal abode may stir in the common man, it's a curious choice as symbol of redress for the destitute, displaced and marginalized.
Iolani Palace is about privilege and power, ordained by God, unquestioned by man. It still resonates with pomp, circumstance and the fatal consequence of sleeping with the enemy. Here, portrayed in full Masonic regalia is "Merry Monarch" King Kalakaua; There, the echo of crystal toasts to wolves in sheep skins, the frivolity of the ruling classes, the curse brought down on a voiceless people.
It can be argued whether or not, with or without the back-alley shenanigans orchestrated by the US, the monarchy would have ended. It can be disputed whether during her visit with Victoria, Lili'uokalani failed to grasp the distinction between reigning and ruling. One may speculate that not enough effort went toward establishing a constitutional monarchy and thus prevent the overthrow. We will never know. The guilty and the innocent are long gone.
One thing is certain about today though: the poor, destitute and displaced bussed in from Waimanalo and Wainae to worship the ground monarchs once trode are used as poster child by those who know or should know better.
The hapa Hawaiian grandiloquent and tenured elite behind the sovereignty movement is obsessed with caste with good reason. It too, is privileged, self-aggrandizing and aristocratic.
Let them eat cake.
Posted by JP Muntal
==============
Honolulu Weekly, Vol. 17, No. 34, August 22-28, 2007, page 6
The storming of 'Iolani Palace goes unnoticed
The revolution must be televised
CHRIS HAIRE
For the small group of sovereignty supporters, stormIng 'Iolani Palace was easy. While hundreds waited in line in the midday sun to enter the former home of kings and queens on the 125 anniversary of the palace, this group of native Hawaiian activists led in part by Lynette Cruz simply bypassed the line and entered through a basement door, uninvited and unannounced.
There were no windows to break. No doors to jimmy. No security guards to evade. In fact, the only thing hindering their entrance was the short amount of time each one of the sovereignty advocates spent taking off their shoes prior to entering the basement floor of the palace.
But once inside, getting to where they wanted to be was not nearly as easy. The group was stopped by a palace staffer at the stairs leading from the basement to the floor above, as a handful of nervous palace employees looked on, the men in aloha shirts, the women in white mu'umu'us. Not long after, a team of security guards arrived, prompting the activists to discuss what steps to take next: Should they leave, should they rush the stairs, should they take the offer from the staff to be escorted upstairs?
Standing in the hallway, I looked around to see if any other media were in the crowd. But there were no television cameras, and there were no reporters holding aloft micro cassette recorders. The way it appeared to me at the time, Honolulu Weekly staff writer Travis Quezon and myself were the only members of the media witnessing this subdued showdown in the basement of the palace. The way it looked at that moment, this event would go unreported. And it did.
The next morning, there was no mention of the storming of 'Iolani Palace in the daily papers, however minor that storm was. And judging by the web pages for our local television news stations, there was no mention of the incident on the previous night's newscasts. If the purpose of this bold act was to bring attention to the sovereignty movement, it was a failure. And in some ways a failure that is symptomatic of the failures of the sovereignty movement as a whole.
See, for an act of civil disobedience to matter, it must be witnessed. It must be reported in newspapers. It must be shown on television screens. It must be debated on talk radio. People have to know it happened. But more importantly, local exposure is simply not enough. For the sovereignty movement to ever succeed, it's going to take more people than the combined viewership of KHON, KITV, KHNL and KGMB and the number of readers the Honolulu Advertiser and Honolulu Star-Bulletin can provide. This story must go national. The sovereignty movement must appeal to the American public.
If you can convince them that the native Hawaiian people have been wronged and you earn their sympathy, then you will eventually win over the people they elect. And only then will you have change.
That said, those in the sovereignty movement have their work cut out for them. Quiz the average American on Hawaiian history, from Captain Cook's arrival to the overthrow of Queen Lili'uokalani, and you'll find that the history you know so well, they don't know at all.
For them, Hawai'i is something they've seen only in Elvis movies, and two-part episodes of the Brady Bunch, Growing Pains and Saved by the Bell. In fact, they have no idea that they've been pronouncing Hawai'i and Honolulu wrong for all of these years.
Laugh at their ignorance if you want to. Curse them if you like. But the key to Hawai'i's freedom lies with that family of four in Topeka, Kan., that simply can't get enough of Dog the Bounty Hunter. The only problem is, you have to get their attention first. Hiring a PR agent would be a good way to start. •
--------------------
Honolulu Weekly
Vol 17, No. 35, August 29 - September 4, 2007, page 3
We're not in Kansas anymore
Chris Haire's puerile assertion that the news media should plan their day around the rants of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement denotes a fundamental misunderstanding of what news is about ("The revolution must be televised," 8/22). It explains why the Weekly is reluctant to print opinions remotely critical of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement and begs the question: Where the heck have you been al the years while luminaries like Haunani-Kay Trask, Daviana McGregor and others have been routinely consulted by the adoring media on everything from 9/11 to Hawaii 5-0?
In his pathetic argument, of all places he has to pick Kansas as the one that could use some edifying on the topic of native Hawaiian issues. It happens to be one of the most economically challenged regions in the U.S. with that family of four probably in the process of losing their farm right now.
Yep, they give a hoot about the sovereignty movement's obsession with historical reenactment halfway around the world. In an interview prior to coming to Hawai'i in 2005, Mr. Haire claimed to be tough on sacred cows. Ya think?
J.P. Muntal
Honolulu
---------------------
Honolulu Weekly
Vol. 17, No. 36, September 5-11, 2007, page 3
It was supposed to be quiet
Chris Haire's article on the direct action at Iolani palace on its 125th anniversary ("The Revolution Must Be Televised," Aug. 22-28) simply exposed the failure of independent journalism. If Haire had done his homework, he would have at least known the context in which this quiet action took place. Rewind back to the same date in 2006: 'Iolani palace grounds were occupied by those celebrating "statehood," organized by the Grass Roots Institute, whose mission is to oppose Hawaiian sovereignty. Hawaiian activists, including the youth, confronted this act of insolence in order to retain the proper meaning of the palace as a seat of governance of the Kingdom of Hawai'i, which still legally exists. With a gradual but steady growth of awareness among kanaka maoli regarding the continuing existence of the Hawaiian nation in international jurisprudence, the Hawaiian sovereignty movement has ushered in the phase of reconstructive forum in lieu of a revolution. Some other actions in this forum go unnoticed by the mainstream media because the latter has no access to their significance other than through the matrix of "civil disobedience" and "protest." The quiet act of reclamation Haire was fortunate to witness seems to have been intended primarily for a purpose of invoking the ancestral spirits in the seat of governance. The fact that that the standoff occurred in the basement -- where sprits can be sensible -- could have been a rich context for Haire to launch a "thick description" of the movement as a whole. Instead, he misattributed his own deficiency of comprehension to the "failure of the sovereignty movement" which "must appeal to the American public" through the mainstream media. In other words, he inadvertently admitted the failure of independent journalism in an ostensibly independent weekly newspaper.
M. T. Kato
Kane'ohe
---------------
Honolulu Weekly
Vol. 17, No. 36, September 5-11, 2007, page 3
Two years on, and still clueless
Chris Haire reveals his ignorance of local custom and people in: "The Revolution Must Be Televised (Weekly Reader, Aug. 22-28)."
The actions of a few Hawaiians he describes at 'Iolani Palace was not intended to challenge, but rather to offer ho'okupu, and give cultural respect to Hawai'i's queen.
Had he taken the time to educate himself on our customs he would know that asking permission is an important component of Hawaiian ritual and ceremony, as was done by participants that day.
What Mr. Haire mistook for civil disobedience was simply Hawai'i Nationals paying respect and tribute to our queen and her palace that is still to this day, the only legitimate seat of government in Hawai'i.
His misinterpretation of events clearly reveals after two years of residency, he still thinks like a foreigner.
Anybody who has been in Hawai'i for even a day should know local custom dictates shoes are removed before entering someone's home.
Furthermore, our movement is not, as Mr. Haire asserts, a wellkept secret, nor are we incapable of media strategy and tactics.
Our achievements have received extensive coverage by the likes of the Washington Post, US News & World Report, National Geographic, NPR, CNN as well as most major newspapers and all television and radio networks in the U.S. and throughout the world.
We can assure Mr. Haire when we desire media coverage or choose civil resistance, it will be on our terms and media throughout Hawai'i and the world will know it.
The Hawaiian Independence movement does not, as he suggests, require the services of a Hollywood public relations firm.
What we do need are people who move here taking a position of authority as Mr. Haire has done, to have sensitivity enough to notice what's really going on right under their noses.
Andre Perez
Honolulu
==============
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