Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 25, Number 12, 1 December 2008 — ʻTis the season for reflection [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ʻTis the season for reflection

The holiday season is weh underway and 'tis the tnne to remember the reason for the season. The birth of the Savior, the most perfect man to be born on earth, is commemorated worldwide and is celebrated by Christians and non-Christians alike. It is a time to give more and a time to care more and a tnne to appreciate more. I love this season and the spiiit h brings whh h. My sincere wish is to all of you that your famihes and your friends wiU be blessed through

your continued efforts to choose the iight, to be civil whh others, and to remember Him in all your decisions. Whh that kind of power, steeped in humiUty, surely no adversary wUl be able to prevail. And so, God bless you all this sacred time of the year. Thanksgiving is pau now and I know we all ate enough for 2008, so let me say mahalo nui to you folks who work in the trenches out there, you who are the haekhone of our economy and community, to you who donate tnne and money to worthy causes, to you who feed the hungry and clothe the naked, to you who just take the time to Usten, to you who sacrifice for the benefh of others, to you who comfort the sick and assist the needy, to you who are patient, humhle, caring, respectful, kind, diUgent, giving, virtuous, and who stand fmn in your faith; may you be rewarded richly whether in this life or the next. Also in November we elected a new president of the United States and defeated the Con Con. Both decisions have signifi-

cant benefits to Hawaiians and may result in historic changes for the betterment of our people. The trust is protected until another day, absent a U.S. Supreme Court ruling otherwise. The Akaka Bill has a mueh better ehanee of succeeding, thus allowing Hawaiians to finally have some say in their own future and a focus on our own problems as well as secure our ceded lands. Any governing entity that is created will be as close as we ean get to full self-detennination and still remain Americans. Any other government creation would not allow us to have all of the benefits, opportunities, freedoms and protection provided by the United States. To the opponents of federal recognition, from whichever side you may eome, remember that our uniqueness as a people and our bond to the land of our ancestors are important matters that ean eonhnue to exist with recognition and will not be abolished by any court. Why risk legal extermination to preserve pride and anger? No make sense.

Finally, mahalo to all of you who chose wisely and voted for Trustees Apoliona, Machado, Lindsey and Cataluna to return to this board whieh has worked better together than any other OHA board before and whieh, but for perhaps one trustee, stands united in seeking to preserve, protect and secure the trust and to fulfill our fiduciary duty to you, the beneficiaries of the trust and all of the people of Hawai'i. The campaign rhetoric and misleading statements did not blind you from the bottom line: OHA is now respected and has done more for Native Hawaiians in the past few years than all the years prior combined. But for one, there is little or no internal strife and OHA is run as a first-class operation by first-class leaders and staffs. Hawaiians need this stability and expertise to guide and assist them as we sail toward a new horizon while the sun begins to slowly set on OHA. Again, thank you for your votes, thank you for your support, thank you for your trust. E3

Boyd P. Mossman TrustEE, Maui