AP story carried in Fresno Bee and KRSO Sonoma County among others…
President Barack Obama arrived in Hawaii on Thursday for a holiday vacation in the state where he was born and lived as a child.
The president, first lady and their daughters came to the island of Oahu for a more-than-weeklong vacation away from Washington. The Obamas have no public schedule and are expected to celebrate the holidays in private at a rented compound in Kailua.
A crowd of about 75 military servicemen and women and Hawaii politicians including Gov. Linda Lingle greeted Air Force One when it landed at Hickam Air Force Base. Obama took several minutes to greet military personnel and their families before getting in a black SUV for the ride to his vacation home.
People carrying cameras, dogs and children lined the streets along the road as his motorcade made its way to Kailua from the air base.
Some flashed the shaka or “hang loose” sign at the nation’s first Hawaii-born president. Others held placards wishing the Obama family a Merry Christmas.
A group of Hawaiian sovereignty activists standing near Pinky’s restaurant in Kailua spelled out “End US Occupation of Hawaii.”
I only hope he saw it!
“I only hope he saw it!”
He grew up in the islands. He already knows the issues. Is there a political advantage to restoring the Hawaiian Kingdom? Will it help get Obama elected again? In retrospect, how does he feel about growing up in Hawaii and how does that impact his perceptions on Hawaiian issues?
A clear path to a second Nobel Peace Prize would be to work for the restoration of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Does he believe that this is the right course and then does he think he has the political strength to pull it off? If either answer is anything other than a strong yes, he will not do it.
Obama may be the most knowledgable and sympathetic President to Hawaiian issues in American history. However, I have difficulty seeing him change anything. The best hope is that he gives quotes and makes small legislative tweaks that allow people 30 to 150 years from now a basis for continuing the struggle and maybe having an independent nation.
In the meantime, hold up the signs. It will probably do little good but you never know when those “bingo” moments happen in the head of a leader. But it will probably not be Obama.
I am sure most Americans will support a free Hawaii; however, hardly anyone knows about the movement, if you want something bad enough you have to be loud not quiet, otherwise everyone will think everything is fine and will not do anything. I have been to Hawaii once and i support free Hawaii, i feel the president does also but knows that the issue will be used by the right wing to attack him and say he is not patriotic, perhaps we should get loud if he is elected again, maybe we could get him to do something.