Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 8, 1 August 2006 — Lt. Watada's stand is pono [ARTICLE]

Lt. Watada's stand is pono

Editor's note: Lynette Cruz„ an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Hawai'i Pacific University, is chair of the Democratic Party of Hawai'i's Hawaiian Issues Caucus. The views expressed in this community discussion eolumn are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views ofthe Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

By Lynette Cruz The Hawaiian Issues Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai'i is eompelled to respond to recent news stories about Lt. Ehren Watada and his decision to refuse participation in the war in Iraq. Courageous and brave are words that might be used to describe this man's actions, or perhaps he exhibits "courage under fire" as, for hini, the fire is still to eome and courage will be required to brave the battle at home, still to be fought. Pono actions have consequences that must, somehow, contribute to the betterment of the world, even as those who step forward to do what is right suffer for their boldness. As a caucus devoted to Hawaiian issues in a state that has, except for a few courageous individuals, turned a blind eye to how

"our way of life" has promoted theft, war and destruction on those who live far away, we say, with greatest respect and eoneein, mahalo to one man whose na'au has called hini, and caused him to put himself in hann's way, rather than to perpetuate more hann on others. What does this action have to do with us, members of the caucus, who have never met Lt. Watada, nor even heard of him before these articles appeared? He is the living proof that everybody is not "haole" — lacking the breath of life. His breath lives in his actions. The Hawaiian Issues Caucus is based on certain principles rooted in Hawaiian tradition and passed on to all of us who eall Hawai'i home: aloha, kuleana, niālama 'aina, ho'okipa, pono. We adopted these guidelines because we are OF Hawai'i. This land speaks to us. It calls us to care for all of

the 'āina, all of the kai, the lani, the people, everything in Hawai'i, and by extension the rest of the world, that nurtures us and helps us rise above the petty, tyrannical and pono 'ole behaviors that cause damage in somebody else's hale. These values eall us to replicate ancient ways of living in harmony with all things. And while neither our ancestors nor those of us living today were/are perfect, we strived then, as now, to live a life of respect toward all things, mindful of the hann our life choices may inflict on others. The ehallenge is to live the life that allows reflection at death that it was a life well-lived, and that we did not purposely do hann to others. What we practice here is carried with us to

all coiners of the world. If it is "ha'ole" here, it is definitely without breath or merit elsewhere. Lt. Watada may not yet be in a position to think about life's final review. He may not be at death's bed. But it is obvious to those of us who try to do what is right, to not blindly follow, to live a life of pono, that his ehoiee to do no hann puts hini in the seat of the ancients, whose love for all things of nature, of heaven and earth, allowed us to be here today, alive and choosing the proper path, aligning ourselves with what is pono. Lt. Watada is in synch with life. E mālama kākou me ka maluhia a me ka pono. E ku'u pono, 'a'ole pau. S

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