Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 6, 1 June 1993 — Ka Wai Ola O OHA Letters Poiicy [ARTICLE]

Ka Wai Ola O OHA Letters Poiicy

Letters to the editor are gladly accepted for publication on a spaceavai!able basis. Letters shai! be: specifically addressed to Ka Wai Ola O OHA and legtbly signed by the author and accompanied by an address and/or telephone number(s) for verification purpopses. OHA reserves the right to edit all letters for length, defamatory and iibelous material and for profanity and other objecttonable contents. Length shall not exceed 2CX> words and let!ers shall he typewriften and doublcspaced. Send letters to: Editor, Ka Wai OlaO OHA, 711 Kapi'olani Blvd. Suite 500, Honolulu, Hawaī'i 96813

Editor; Hawaiians and their loyal supporters are to be congratulated for increased participation in the Legislature, City Council, various board meetings, special seminars and symposiums. Any victories will be hard-won as the political (insiders) do not want to tranfer their power to the Hawaiian nation. Hawaiians need to be jealous of our indigenous rights and our rights as Americans. We cannot be discouraged, as the government and institutions respond to numbers and to legal and knowledgeable arguments. But who is responsible for the insult to Hawaiians in the state Legislature? We are the only group who face guns and undercover poliee at our hearings. On April 23 there were more than 20 muscular officers in the halls, standing in the packed meeting room and occupying chairs usually available to citizen lobbyists. April 28 officers greeted participants at the elevator, in the hails — only on the 12th floor. Why? Does the Bill of Rights, the right to assemble peacefully, the right to freedom of speech and the right to petition the govemment for redress of our grievances not apply to Hawaiians? We Hawaiians are participating peacefully in the political process. We expect the respect and not the intimidation we face at the state office tower. Lela Hubbard Aiea, O'ahu

Editor: Someone please say it isn't so. Our first native Hawaiian governor and senator, of whom we are justly proud, intend to petition Congress for $120 million to clear live ordnance from Kaho'olawe so that it ean be used for "spiritual and religious" purposes. Has anybody asked the thousands of Hawaiian families on the long list for homestead land how they feel $120 million should be used? Shouldn't we focus on establishing what is necessary to help us remain native Hawaiians? Shouldn't our first priority be to stop the flight of Hawaiians to the mainland because they eannot afford to live in Hawai'i? One third of our native population has already been lost — victims of economics, politics, and the failure of the mission of DHHL over the past 70 years. Could prioritizing our needs equal the survival of our race? For instance: #1, homes; #2, health; #3, education; #4, eulture; #5, spiritual/religious. Before our respected leaders, Gov. Waihe'e and Sen. Akaka, appeal for $120 million from our fellow citizens, consider: are you contributing to the survival of the Hawaiian race or bowing to the high-flown rhetoric of a tiny, but clamorous group of "activists?" Let's take a vote, shall we? Marisa Mia Plemer Hale'iwa, O'ahu