Queen of Hawaii demands independence from U.S.

BEFORE YOU LOLO (STUPID) NON HAWAIIANS VOICE YOUR NEGATIVE COMMENTS CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF HAWAII, HEAD OF STATE. MAHEALANI KAHAU AND THE LAHUI (PEOPLE) LEARN EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO HAWAII WHEN THE FIRST NON HAWAIIANS CAME TO OUR AINA (LAND) AND WHAT WE WENT THROUGH! HAWAII WAS NEVER A STATE. ANOTHER LIE. HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF SOMEONE STOLE YOUR LAND? THE HAWAIIAN LAHUI LOVES EVERYBODY IN THIS WORLD BECAUSE OF THE GOD WE SERVE TODAY AND FOREVER...YOU INTRODUCED CHRISTIANITY TO OUR PEOPLE OR DID YOU FORGET...JUDGEMENT DAY WILL COME...ALOHA...

moonloon: are you reading with your eyes closed? it seems like every time someone has something to say you ignore it and say what you want instead of responding.

They don't understand what the United States has done for them. We should let them be their own country.

Thanks to my esteemed colleagues on this topic, I re-read the history of Hawaii. It seems that the current claim of the "Queen", must be invalidated, as her family line are mere interlopers/invaders. The Marquesans settled Hawaii originally before being enslaved by the Tahitians, (Polynesians), therefore the current claims are not recognized. If a Royal line of Marquesans, can be established , there may be a point to this complaint. Otherwise, Polynesians have no more claim to Hawaii, than any other invader!
I will discuss Thor Heyerdhal's Theory if neccesary, thus weakening the Polynesians claims, even more.

I guess now that Paradise is lost somone must be blamed. Let's blame the U.S. because they have the most money! Every Non-Industrialized Society has been at risk for the last 400 years. Should we subsidise a culture in decline? It will not work. They will eventually decline, due to an inability to adjust to the Industrial World. It is inevitable. The strong overcome the weak, it is the way of the World.

The photo is not the Queen! Publish her real photo! And stop skewing the facts!

another stolen state...

I just noticed that this was a U.K. news release. Why doesn't the U.K. give the Falklands back to the original "owners"? If they support the U.S. giving Hawaii sovereignty, why not the Falklands?
People in glass houses should not throw stones!

Is there anyone on the site over 25 years old? Have you all forgotten WWII? Japan would have overrun Hawaii and murdered men, women, and children, just as they did at Nangking. I am willing to bet that the King or Queen of Hawaii would not be demanding sovereignty in the face of the Japanese War Machine. Every Island in the South Pacific owes the U.S. a debt of gratitude for defeating the Japanese. Pay back the U.S. for the war effort and lives lost and then ask for independence! The Pacific Islanders, Australians, and everyone else was terrified of the Japanese. They were brutal, they murdered, raped, and tortured at will, and every islander knew this to be true.

I think that they should be compensated by Dole company for what they did to them, overthrowing a government is wrong. But I hope they don't try to cede from the US because we all saw what happened with the civil war, once the US government claims something they will kill it to keep it. Truthfully if they could pull it off half the rest of the nation would bail on them too. Just think if we ended up like the EU. We wouldn't have to have a president screw us all over like Bush did, he would only be abel to screw the states he won in! Sounds better than the way things are, but just pipe dreams corporate America owns us all and has essentially stolen all of America and enslaved us all. We live to work and not work to live. We work longer hour than any other developed nation and we have less benefits!! What the US did to Hawaii sucks, so did the genicide committed against the Native Americans, and they have not and probably never will be punished for it!!!

I think that if the people of Hawaii wish to return to a monarchy, then they have the absolute right to do so. ESPECIALLY if they are direct natives to the island and not tourists or rich people who are just there for the scenery. The natives are the ones who's opinion matter. It was their islands before we took them. I think that people forget that there were a multitude of people in American BEFORE the Europeans arrived.

Puerto Rico reminds me of this. They are a part of the US in that, their chief of state is our President yet they refuse to become a state within our government. This is the peoples choice. They chose to only be selectively involved with the US. And I do not see why it would be a big deal for Hawaii to want to separate from the US. The fact is that America is very lazy and they would rather have unhappy people and not have to work to update text books and flags than to actually go about changing things for the better of this state. I say that if Hawaii wants to become independent, then go for it. I think that if the people are tired of US control, then they have the absolute right to change it.

As for the comment on the US needing to read its own history, sadly that will never happen. Children are still taught that Christopher Columbus founded America. Apparently they never thought to teach us where the name "America" even comes from (Try googling Amerigo Vespucci). And that's more recent history as opposed to the millions of Native Americans that lived throughout the continent that eventually were mass murdered by disease and due to fear that the settlers came with.

We should all claim independence from the U.S. so we can govern ourselves. It couldn't be any worse than how they are running it now...

Just goes to show us that people want change.
They need it. The current systems are failing everyone.
God bless the people with light and love and the understanding that good change can take time. And that it is each and every person on the planet who is responsible for that change.

peace love light and unity.
h

I'm come from one of the royal chiefly lines of Am.Samoa. I feel like just because our land mass is small in comparison to the U.S. , doesn't mean that we like the Hawaiians shouldn't be respected.Look at Israel All the drama over what they consider to be holy grounds. I'm saddened by the fact that any and all should think that we Polynesians don't feel the same about our own lands.I saw a comment on T.V. where some idiot mentioned all the great things America has done for Hawaii. Does that include wiping out their population, getting Pearl Harbor bombed, and placing a Queen under house arrest. I must say as an American if you don't know your history, pls. keep quiet it's shameful. Especially when the rest of the world knows our historty and geography better than some people (i.e. the person that mentioned all the great things the U.S. has done for Hawaii). Ohh did I also mention the destruction of an 1700 yr. old culture?

Give it back... Give all the countries we have stolen back...
If you have not been to this beautiful country and seen it most distinctive "Non-American Cultural" then you don't really understand that it does not really belong to us...
Surly America can see the value in freedom... America was built on freedoms... Why do we still not understand we are not free till all people are free?
Free the poor bloody Hawaiians...

If this the route we are going we should give the rest of the US back to the Native Americans. No matter what is done someone is always going to be pissed off somewhere.

wonder why their bitches to tourists? good for you Hawaii.

funny, we'll give kosovo it's independence but not our own little occupied territory.

on the flipside, i've heard hawaiians are bitches to tourists....so f'em.

To anyone who says "They deserve to, we took their land for commercial gain!" and isn't a Native American is a hypocrite.

There would be no USA if England didn't want there whacky tabbacy... While manifest destiny doesn't apply to Hawaii, simply seceding for "national identity" is selfish and illogical.

They should be a soveriegn nation, America stole their land and lives from them. They should however, allow all residents of Hawaii to stay there and be citizens of Hawaii.

I think that this is a wonderful idea. I am not from Hawaii but do know many natives that feel their way of life has been stripped from them for a tourist destination. Maybe we should leave the islands located almost 2000 miles away from the mainland.

Oklahoma wants out, and now Hawaii. The US ain't what it used to be. Thanks W, u f n a hole.

Hawaii has 132 islands! I didn't know that.

I would be happy with this, as we stole Hawai, but then the south might get ideas, and only bad ones.

I was born, raised and currently live in Honolulu, Hawaii. I am not native Hawaiian.

Hawaii has no Queen. The last ruling monarch Queen Liliuokalani passed in 1917.

Mahealani Kahau and her group claim to have lineage to last ruling monarch Queen Liliuokalani, however, there are many pro-sovereignty groups in the State who all make the same claims.

It certainly is a travesty what happened to the Hawaiian people and their culture. However, this situation is not unique to Western civilization. It's an age old story of colonization.

What this group is out for is money, land and power. The focus should really be on addressing the social and economic problems that are consuming the native Hawaiian people.

This is where the attention should be. Not on this group and their false claims.

What if we dropped Hawaii and took up Puerto Rico. Then Puerto Ricans could take part in the occasional, purely symbolic, participatory act of voting. I wonder if they would vote Republican, Democrat, or, ehh, well those are our only choices.

Furthermore, we wouldn't have to change the flag - still 50 states.

power to the people i suppose

I was born and raised in Hawaii. It is my "home" and always will be. But, I am not native Hawaiian by blood. Being born in Hawaii does not make you Hawaiian - I am considered "local", but that's not the same as native Hawaiian.

So if sovereignty movements like this one succeed...I would not be allowed back to my home. The house my parents built themselves and have lived in for 35+ years would, I suppose, be taken from them.

I agree that it was crappy for the US to overthrow the monarchy. I am also fairly certain that if not the US, some other country would have done the same later on down the road, and better to be part of the US than any other likely candidate. I also know that there are many more Hawaiians who are very very proud to be part of the United States than who hope for the state to secede, and I wish they received as much press as the vocal minority.

Maybe they're just trying to let them have casinos like the other Natives have?

Whether or not I believe that is right or not doesn't make think this is ever going to happen. The US is not going to support this. The most they may do is set up a "Hawaiian Reserve" on part of an island. Look at our track history with the Native Americans. And Hawaii is one of our biggest money makers when it comes to tourism. Sorry. Your stuck in the US...

flyingkick, not all monarchies are dictatorships, by any measure. Many monarchs were excellent leaders who cared about their people and worked hard to improve their living conditions. There is absolutely nothing wrong with constitutional monarchies.

A monarchy ruling Hawaii would be way worse than US sovereignty. At least people can somewhat participate in US government. A monarchy is a dictatorship.

It'll never happen anyway; why would the US policy makers hand over a $billion economy when they won't even give citizens affordable health care.

If they leave it would only be 49 states..
:( which is not as cool as 50 states...

i hope they get what they want. next it should be the native americans. its about time the government pay for all the robbing and stealing they did 2 get what they have

I believe that though it is the native peoples right to the land, it would not be in the their better interest to separate and alienate themselves from a lot of the income generated by tourism and to disconnect themselves from other benefits offered by the greater USA.

The islands should belong to the indigenous people, but there is no way in the world that will happen anytime in the near future. The only way they will get there land back is if they take physical action, and I doubt many people will take part in that. Land has always been taken by force and the hands of power are way stronger than a few thousand people who say they want there land back. Most of the people who live in Hawaii and think that the land should be in control of the indigenous probably aren't actually willing to do anything about it. I just hope that whatever the outcome of this situation is works out for the best.

I think this movement is important for the message it brings about America's history of manifest destiny. Fifteen years ago, the Native Hawaiians were promised more benefits under a Senate joint resolution, also known as the Apology Bill. But to this day, they have seen little compensation for the illegal overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

When will the U.S. government stop trying to solve problems and injustices with only words? Where are the ACTIONS to support these admitted wrongs?

Seeing as the island chain was taken due to corporate interest, I think it's only fair. And we never truly "annexed" them, as some would like you to think.

The Republic of Lakotah and Hawaiians should get together for strength in numbers. Some Japanese people still think it belongs to them though. I hope I can still visit. What upset me in hawaii were the signs that said "government property". No respect to even say what leg of the "government" State, city, who knows. Wealth is not in dollars, its in fresh air & clean water. They should stick around so the U.S government can pay for all the Californian trash thats about to hit them.

If Hawaii can pull that off, the rest of America will be in one ugly power struggle for lands that they've 'taken over.' Hell, Puerto Ricans may even be able to vote!

interesting this comes about with the government standing on Lakotah land they gave up in a previous treaty.

http://current.com/items/89061792_lakotah_nation_black_hills_sovereignty

i hoe they try to uprise and fight they wont even make it to the big island, and army airforce navy and marine corps base all on one island and they all hate being there, ya see what happens if you try to fight them

It was wrong of us to forcefully take their land away from them because of greed. Hope they get this.

First Oklahoma, then Hawaii, next California.

This article comes across kindof biased... I would reconcider rewriting it for tone.

Native Hawaiians make up 1% of the total population. Is she really going on majority rule or her rule? Because if she does get what she wants she could have civil war on her hands by the people that want Hawaii to stay a state that are not part of her 1%.

1,000 Indigenous and Indigenous-minded people united in their right and determination to reclaim governance of their ancestral homeland is very different from 1,000 "followers" on myspace.

Another great Indigenous Hawaiian is Po Louis who we met when my husband and Po and her husband were legal aid attorneys for the Dine at DNA People's Legal Services in Navajo Nation together in the mid-1980s.

wow. 1,000 followers.
i have more followers on myspace

Good for her.

The story of how American corporations stole Hawaii from the indigenous people should be more known to Americans.

Two of my favorite people are Hawaian Indigenous Activists Meilaini Trask, a dedicated attorney, and Luanna Busby, an indigenous activist who learned the ancient art of sacred hula dance from Hawaiian elders.

Um....i'd give this "direct descendant" more credence if she labled her self the "direct descendant" of the last queen. The last queen ruled after the last king.....soooo any descendant of his really has no claim to the throne....plus i don't think the majority of people living there will go for it. Sure Hawaii makes alot of money, but it is really expensive to make new government and currencey and such, and how many old tourists and other touristy people are going to want to go there when they need a passport and have to get all their money exchanged (more of ours for less of theirs)? And finally, does this mean all the white americans living there would need to leave? that shrinks their population, and their whole country would be one giant resort much like the cities such as cancun and puerto vallarta in mexico where all the white vacationers there look down on them and patronize them. Yea...this is a bad idea

Maybe they'll adopt a new currency and it will be cheap as hell to travel to Hawaii. The dollar ain't lookin so hot right now. Hawaii always looks good though.

interesting concept but no dice .sorry Mahealani Kahau. wonder how you say that.