I already posted my opinion of the idiotic effort to form a "native Hawaiian" government by passage of a wrong-headed bill now pending in the Senate. There's a paper out by the Heritage Foundation that really lays out the problems with this idea in detail.
The U.S. Senate is scheduled to begin debate as early as June 7, 2006, on the misleadingly named “Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005” (S.147).[1] The proponents of this bill, some motivated by seemingly benign purposes and others by a desire to benefit from special preferences, argue that it redresses ancient wrongs done to early Hawaiians by various powers, including the United States. The bill purports to authorize the creation of an exclusively race-based government of “native” Hawaiians to exercise sovereignty over native Hawaiians living anywhere in the United States. This “Native Hawaiian Government” could allegedly exempt these Hawaiians from whatever aspects of the United States Constitution and state authority it thought undesirable. Not only is this a terrible idea; it is also unconstitutional.
The United States Supreme Court ruled decisively that this approach violates the Constitution in Rice v. Cayetano (2000). Yet the proponents of S.147 believe they can bypass this ruling simply by enacting a law that calls the descendants of so-called “aboriginal” Hawaiians an American Indian tribe. The bill would require the federal government to create a database of persons with one drop or more of “aboriginal” Hawaiian blood, organize elections for an “interim government” of this alleged “tribe,” and finally recognize the sovereignty and privileges and immunities (or lack thereof) that the new government establishes for its “tribal members.” Although Hawaii correctly argued in the Rice litigation that descendants of aboriginal Hawaiians are not an American Indian tribe, state officials have changed their minds—because that is the only way they can practice racial discrimination on behalf of a favored interest group. Hopefully, the United States Constitution is not so easily circumvented.
It goes on from there detailing even more reasons that this appalling piece of legislation should be killed.
UPDATE: If you need any proof that this is a stupid and wrong-headed idea, look no further than the New York Times. They have endorsed it.
Man, when are we going to stand up for our tribal rights? I mean, what about the pale-faced, slightly overweight, balding European-descended monkey tribes? Who’s looking out for us? I didn’t ask to come to America…my great-great-grand folks made that decision without any of my input. I demand a recount. And NO, I am not going to move out of America just to prove my convictions. Why should I be inconvenienced? If you feel so strongly about it, why don’t you move out? Just leave behind the Krispy Kreams. Oo-oo-oo…and the Starbucks. Oo-oo-oo-oo…and the White Castles in case I get the munchies.
Also, I demand compensation from any country/ethnic group/religion/gender for any real or suspected offenses against the following countries based on my ethnicity:
France, Germany (dad’s side, something about Alsace/Lorraine and skipping the continent around WWI), Poland, Ireland (mum’s side, ah, when Catholics meet in the new world) and a touch of Chippewa (one of those little secrets on my mum’s side…no one wants to confirm it…). I am sure the Hawaiians are guilty of offending one of those groups at some time.
I had high hopes during the Clinton years that I could retire early and live the dream…I had thought the rampant excesses of uncontrolled political correctness had died off when Bush v2.0 got elected. Thankfully, they have not. I want my money. I mean justice. Just cough up the dough, Mac.
Why do all these scams sound like ways to provide kickbacks to the politically connected?
Oh – because they ARE.