Hawaiian national tax protestor trial
The
Advertiser
reports:
"A Kane'ohe man who says he is a citizen of the Hawaiian kingdom is in jail
awaiting trial this week in a legal battle over whether he owes the state $6,170
in income tax. The case of John P. 'Pilipo' Souza, a retired Honolulu fire
captain and private insurance investigator, is the latest action by
sovereigntists who assert their Hawaiian citizenship by disregarding certain
U.S. and state laws they say don't apply to them. ... Like many sovereignty
activists, Souza maintains the kingdom was never legally terminated and that its
laws still apply — including laws that make anyone born in Hawai'i
eligible for citizenship at birth. ... Unlike most sovereigntists, however,
Souza is of Portuguese, not Hawaiian, ancestry. But he and supporters... say
Souza may claim Hawaiian citizenship, pointing to the multi-ethnic makeup of the
Hawaiian nation before the monarchy was overthrown in 1893." A trial is set for
tomorrow.
Posted: Tue - August 3, 2004 at 06:50 AM