Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 21, Number 4, 1 April 2004 — Pipe dreams [ARTICLE]

Pipe dreams

The rabid opponents of the Akaka Bill and federal recognition cause me to wonder where reality ends and fantasies begin for them.

Hallucinogenic pipe dreams about international aid bringing back independence for Hawaiians are so absurd and unreal that I want to laugh out loud, but am too saddened by the delusionary world that some kānakas are living in. It is unrealistic to believe or hope that our rightful independence will be restored through the aid of international agencies or powers. We need only look at the most recent example of the contempt that the U.S. has for the collective opinion of humankind, namely the invasion and occupation of Iraq, to determine that any hopes for international intervention to aid us in regaining our independence are seriously misplaced. We ean only hope to regain our independence through a gradual process that must first begin with federal recognition and the establishment of a Native Hawaiian governing entity. Leialoha " Rocky " Kaluhiwa Kāne'ohe