Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 10, 1 October 2010 — WILLIAM MYERS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WILLIAM MYERS

1. Get 30 million issues confronting our people, so whieh one do I piek? If I piek the most obvious one, Governance, I just crossed out heahh issues. Now if I piek ceded lands issues, I crossed out the Akaka bill! And, if I piek housing, what ahoiit self-snfficiencv nnll-

ing ourselves up by the bootstraps? Do we all go back on welfare, like me? So what issue do I piek! ! ! ! ! Water rights, fanners will get mad. Gathering rights, DLNR will blow a fuse! What about burials, iwi kupuna!?! Developers going get mad!!! NAGPRA laws, state laws, county laws, preservation laws. Then, what happens . . . you guys, the beneficiaries, going get all mad ! ! ! ! So what issue is the most important issue? "To be sovereign, or not to be sovereign . . . is that the issue?" And what about overnight camping at Ka'ena Point? (don't worry you outer island kanaks, this is an issue coming to an beach near you, just wait). And what about the issue of revenue from bottled waters? Did you ever think of that one? Remember the Stryker force brigade? Well, they're here on Hawai'i Island! ! ! Let's see, did I leave any issues out? Government issues, state issues, county issues, zoning issues, native Hawaiian rights issues? Did I leave any out? Oh wait, what about DHHL and the waiting list . . . oh wait, wait, that's a separate issue, I thought they were the same, I getting mixed up. Oh, yea, what about the voting issues . . . should I bring that up? Do we all vote, or just kanaka vote?! Ok, get too many worms coming out of the ean . . . betta close da kavah! So, here's my answer . . . All these issues are related, one is not more important than the other. It's like saying to me, you have five children, you ean piek one to live, and the rest are going to die. Piek one . . . No way, I will not piek just one, they are all important! ! ! They are all one issue. We are all one issue. We're One big issue. Thank you, and remember, SEE MEYERS ON PAGE 6

MEYERS Continued from page 5

no get silly, vote for Willy ! ! ! 2. Yes, I think the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act should be law and that OHA should stay out of the issue, and let the beneficiaries make the decisions. OHA should financially support the process. 3. First I see OHA finishing the ceded lands inventory, at whieh point we will know our exact assets, locations of lands, and we ean access their value. Then, I see the state eontinuing to make payments from all past and present revenues (as negotiated and agreed to by the State Legislature) until such time as the governing entity takes control. And at that point, the state returns all lands and assets to the control of the governing entity (onee its established through the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act).