Movement history, Akaka bill changes

A couple Akaka Bill related things today…

Jerry Burris has an commentary in the Advertiser discussing the revision to the bill that was passed through committee in the Senate version, and the differences between the two versions.

In short, the first version had Hawaiians enabled to negotiate self-government rights and powers with the state and federal government. The latest version set up a system in which Hawaiians might choose to negotiate away certain rights in pursuit of the larger good. For instance, it is likely that a Hawaiian “nation” would cede to the federal government certain powers of national defense.

How did this sea change come about? Some say the new, activist Department of Justice under the Obama administration was convinced by activists in Hawai’i that shifting the status of Hawaiians to something akin to an Indian tribe made good sense. Rather than negotiating for each and every aspect of sovereignty, the bill would accept sovereignty and contemplate Hawaiians granting back some aspects to overlapping systems of government. A side effect, not insignificant, is that this new version would set the Office of Hawaiian Affairs on the back burner as the default Hawaiian political entity.

Worth following Trisha Kahaulani Watson’s He Hawai’i Au blog at the Advertiser, where she has several recent posts related to the Akaka Bill. She published a long letter from Kawehi Kanui giving some history of the movement and her reasons for opposing the bill, a post on the anatomy of the bill and the amendments that Akaka made,  her stand on the bill which includes frustration with the process but not feeling like she can align with the radical right who oppose it. Her posts are generating some comments so go join the discussion.