Faculty concerned about UARC

The Advertiser reports:

A group of University of Hawai'i faculty members has examined a proposed research contract with the Navy and issued a report yesterday that reiterates a number of faculty and community concerns.

The report reaches no conclusions and makes no overall recommendations.

"We were not a committee that was convened to necessarily deliver a verdict," said Calvin Pang, a law professor and member of the committee. "We tried to accumulate facts for the senate to consider."

It looks at whether the proposed military research center fits with the university's philosophy and mission, and includes concerns whether a military affiliated research center is appropriate, "given the U.S. military involvement in the overthrow of Hawai'i's sovereign government ... " the report states.

The report was posted online yesterday.

"Insufficient outreach has been done to listen to Native Hawaiian concerns about the establishment of a UARC (the Navy acronym for University Affiliated Research Center) at UH Manoa," the report reads.

It suggests the university administration work with the Center for Hawaiian Studies, the Hawaiian language program and the Kualii Council for help in identifying issues of concern to Native Hawaiians.

Star-Bulletin also reports.

Update 11/10: Grant Jones comments on the report in his new Dougout blog, calling the concern I have highlighted above "one of the most absurd reasons listed." I do find it somewhat odd and amusing that the faculty would include this as a reason to oppose the UARC, but it is just one example of how much the awareness of the history, and the military's nefarious role, is still very much real and relevant in the mind's of Hawaii's people today.

But Jones then goes on to turn history upside down by claiming:

Actually, the Marines prevented the Queens Royal Guard from slaughter if it had been foolish enough to march against the Honolulu Rifles.

Ha! Unbelievable. Just make stuff up often, Grant? I can appreciate honest disagreement, but you can't just rewrite history.

First off, the very reason the traitors requested the marines to land was because, according to a letter they conveyed to Minister Stevens, as later cited by Secretary of State Gresham: "...we are unable to protect ourselves without aid, and therefore hope for the protection of the United States forces." It is well documented that these were false pretenses, as they were actually under no threat from the government forces. But it is patently ridiculous for Jones to claim that the U.S. troops protected the queen's guard from "slaughter" by the traitors, when they had been landed at the request of the traitors for exactly the opposite reason. Hello?

Gresham also says:

They relied upon no military force of their own, for they had none worthy of the name.

Here's President Cleveland's version:

[The Queen] had possession of the palace, of the barracks, and of the police station, and had at her command at least five hundred fully armed men and several pieces of artillery. Indeed, the whole military force of her kingdom was on her side and at her disposal, while the Committee of Safety, by actual search, had discovered that there were but very few arms in Honolulu that were not in the service of the Government. In this state of things if the Queen could have dealt with the insurgents alone her course would have been plain and the result unmistakable.

I also love this quote from Gresham's letter:

The earnest appeals to the American minister for military protection by the officers of that Government, after it had been recognized, show the utter absurdity of the claim that it was established by a successful revolution of the people of the Islands. Those appeals were a confession by the men who made them of their weakness and timidity. Courageous men, conscious of their strength and the justice of their cause, do not thus act.

Late Update: I'm continuing to debate this with Grant and cite a number of additional supporting statements over in the comments at his post.

Posted: Wed - November 9, 2005 at 11:47 AM

getBlogName(); > getCategoryName("C1769281028"); >

Faculty concerned about UARC

> >