Hawaii - Senators Inouye and Akaka on the defensive

Update on the Akaka Bill in the US Senate

Senator Inouye staring at the headlights. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin on 8/22 shows the locals what he has been doing 5,000 miles away. They give Inouye's side first. But then they give the floor to ex-Senators Gorton and Brown, as I covered before, and they overpower Inouye's weak "I didn't intend to mislead them." Inouye promised in 1993 that he was not leading to a race-based government, but he was.

But the Star-Bulletin tells half of the truth about Senator Akaka saying on NPR that this bill could lead to Hawaii seceding from the United States. They report his denial, but not what he said:

Those who doubt this only have to listen to Sen. Akaka himself, who acknowledges that his bill would open a can of worms. On Monday, National Public Radio reported the Senator as saying that the sovereignty granted Native Hawaiians in the bill "could eventually go further, perhaps even leading to outright independence." Sen. Akaka was quoted as adding: "That could be. That could be. As far as what's going to happen at the other end, I'm leaving it up to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren."

Yes, I am bothered by this bill about how Hawaii is governed. I like Hawaii and want it to stay a state of the US. I think this bill would both be bad for Hawaii and a bad precedent, leading other racial groups to demand their own enclave to govern.