KA LEO KAIĀULU - LETTERS

Ka Leo Kaiāulu

OHA reserves the right to edit all letters for length, defamatory and libelous material, and other objectionable content, and reserves the right not to print any submission. All letters must be typed, signed and not exceed 200 words. Letters cannot be published unless they include a telephone contact for verification. Send letters to Ka Wai Ola, 711 Kapi'olani Blvd., Ste. 500, Honolulu, HI 96813, or email kwo@oha.org.

OHA trustees err in supporting CMP

The OHA Board of Trustees (BOT), rather than adopting its legal affairs staff's and Administrator's recommendations that called for greater protections of Mauna Kea, instead ignored those recommendations and voted to support the University of Hawai'i's "Comprehensive Management Plan" which, arguably, does not fully protect Mauna Kea.

The OHA staff did not support the UH plan because it would allow UH to: (1) restrict public access, (2) determine what is culturally "appropriate," (3) require Native Hawaiian practitioners to get permits to worship and (4) allow many more telescopes to be built on Mauna Kea.

To add further add insult to injury, the BOT even supported UH's continued practice for the observatories to pay only $1 per year in lease rent for the use of our lands. Mauna Kea is made up entirely of so-called "ceded lands," which the law (Section 171, Hawai'i Revised Statutes) requires ("fair market lease") rents to be collected from foreign corporations and nations using Mauna Kea's lands.

We are unclear why the BOT opts to diminish well-established laws including those laws that protect public access, Native Hawaiian gathering and access rights and the charging of fair market lease rent (which would also benefit OHA). These laws, no matter what promises the UH and its hired public relations firm, Ku'iwalu, claim, need to be complied with. We believe the BOT owes its beneficiaries an explanation for its recent actions.

Clarence Kū Ching
Cultural practitioner, OHA Trustee 1986-1990
Paul Neves
Royal Order of Kamehameha I
Kealoha Pisciotta and Keo Van Gogh
Mauna Kea Anaina Hou

Sai's ceded lands column is right on

I am continually astounded by the clarity of thought of Dr. Keanu Sai (Kūkākūkā, 'Apelila). The myth of ceded lands and the state's claim to perfect title. Right on, brother! This is required reading for all who love Hawai'i. Imua!

Brendt Berger
Walsenburg, Colorado

Reject the U.S. Supreme Court's ceded lands ruling

We, the Hawaiian people, who are born from the Hawaiian land and who have resided here for more than 100 generations, reject forever the decision of the Supreme Court of American injustice!

That court only has the "right" to rule because its military is illegally occupying our country, it does not have the moral right!

Remember that was the court that once found slavery legal, and that was the court that eventually had to find that slavery was illegal. They did so because of the moral outrage of the American people.

No doubt one day that same court will find that they have erred yet again, and that we as Hawaiians have a moral and legal right to deny sale of the "ceded" lands, as that land is our land.

Our sovereign rights to those lands were acknowledged and affirmed by the 1993 Apology Law and were even acknowledged by the 1959 State of Hawai'i Constitution that stated such lands were held in trust for two beneficiaries, the Native Hawaiians and the general public.

When the State of Hawai'i proposes to sell "ceded" lands, they are abusing that trust for both beneficiaries, as once land is sold, the public loses use of that land forever.

Over the course of time, history has taught us that wrongs committed against humanity in the name of law are wrongs forever, and eventually wrongs are righted by the overturning of bad law. Just as slavery and genocide have been overturned by human rights, so too will the decision of the American Supreme Court of Injustice be overturned. We Hawaiians will always have the moral right to our lands, now and for the next 100 generations.

As for Linda Lingle, who has stabbed us in the heart with her abuse of our trust, she has now earned her place in history with other mo'o niho 'awa'awa such as John L. Stevens, Lorrin Thurston and Sanford Dole. Too bad for her; she could have been remembered as our friend.

Lilikalā Kame'eleihiwa, Ph.D.
Professor
Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies
Hawai'inuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge
University of Hawai'i at Mānoa

Missed the rally

This is response to the Letter to the Editor ('Apelila) about the Feb. 25 rally at the state Capitol. Keala West is very fortunate for getting the chance to experience that power and strength that we can have when we stand together.

Well, I'm here on the Big Island and couldn't be there; I was hoping that we would have had a rally for the people on the Big Island at the state building, but there was nothing going on. The Honolulu rally attracted 300 people, but just imagine if someone had organized a rally on each of the Islands. We could have gotten maybe a total of 600 people who would be gathering for our lands.

The fight for our lands isn't over, so I'm hoping that the next time we need to stand together all of the Islands will be standing together.

Jo Ann Lee-Domen
Hilo, Hawai'i

Mr. Silva, what about the kapu?

In his column, Tyranny and iwi exposed, Mr. Silva criticizes the military as he writes about the Pililā'au Mākua Military Reservation in regards to desecration of land, of iwi, allowing religious activities to the god Lono in the valley of Kāne, etc. Is Silva telling us that our history books are wrong? That Kamehameha II did not order heiau to be demolished, god idols burned, and that the kahuna all agreed with him even to the extent that Chief Kahuna Hewahewa destroyed his own heiau?

If he believes praying to the god Kāne is a cultural practice of today then he must believe in the kapu. We Hawaiians of the Christian faith sin when we break one of the 10 Commandments but when we ask for forgiveness they are forgiven. What about the kapu? If Silva isn't just giving everyone a lot of "waha nui" he should dedicate his next Ka Wai Ola column on the kapu.

Regarding the sacredness of the iwi, does one have to be dead before their bones are considered sacred? What about the bones of our military 'ohana who have fought and are fighting to protect our freedom aren't they just as sacred?

Bill Punini Prescott
Nānākuli, O'ahu

'Be nice to the tourists'

I once overheard one of my wives local friends tell her children, "Be nice to the tourists, they bring the money to our island!" And with the economy being so bad, many companies folding and government employees losing their jobs, the importance of her words has begun to sink in.

But they really began to make sense while vacationing on the Big Island, when two groups of local adult males went out of their way to make known we were unwelcome there. Even though the people who worked at Hawaiian Airlines, Avis Rent A Car, Ken's House of Pancakes, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, the Sheraton Resort, the local supermarket, Rocky's restaurant, Subway, Longs and L&L Drive Inn were all very pleasant, I will not take my family back there again.

So now I understand. It is important to treat the tourists well because tourists support all of those jobs at the places we visited. And the resort taxes are used to fund the government employee jobs.

Maybe everyone can learn from one local mother's words to her children and "be nice to the tourists" because your friends, neighbors or family members might be depending on them for their livelihood.

John Ingrahm
Honolulu

Notice to Readers Ka Wai Ola o OHA will accept for consideration news releases and letters to the editor on topics of relevance and interest to OHA and Hawaiians, as well as special events and reunion notices. Ka Wai Ola o OHA reserves the right to edit all material for length and content, or not to publish as available space or other considerations may require. Ka Wai Ola o OHA does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. Deadline for submissions is the 15th day of every month. Late submissions are considered only on a space-available basis.