Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 20, Number 9, 1 September 2003 — Conklin wrong [ARTICLE]

Conklin wrong

How ean anyone but Hawaiians understand the pain and the rage of learning how, through deception and collusion, their sovereign nation was overthrown by the United States — and, adding insult to injury, read an article written by Ken Conklin, a right wing malihini (Advertiser, Aug. 10)? Lrightened that the native people of the world are now exposing the egregious injustices perpetrated against them under the facade of "liberty and justice for all," Conklin brazenly suggests we should now live with "Aloha for ALL." In fact, "Aloha for ALL'" was the result of a Hawaiian attitude of openness and cordiality toward others and a sense of who we are that gave birth to the phenomenon that radiated throughout the world and drew millions to these shores. So now comes Conklin spewing his Rodney King rhetoric and asking, now that we have stolen everything, can't we all just get along? Conklin needs to understand that there will never be a rebirth of "Aloha for ALL" in these islands until the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian nation is mediated and the differences between Hawaians and the U.S. are reconciled. We all grew up proudly reciting the pledge of allegiance whieh ended with "liberty and justice for all." Lrom a Hawaiian perspective, it is a hollow pledge! Rod Ferreira Waimea