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If I understand your posts about the Hawaiians the TMT reps should talk with, it’s..
You know, Edge, I have no idea. All I did, and have been doing for years, is pointing out that the only way to solve conflict is through talking. Not talking around, or over, or outright to someone else, but talking with the principles involved. And so far, and I mean for a long time.. nobody is talking. I mean sure, they talk this way and that and any ol' way as long as it isn't put the cards on the table and get on with it already. It's pathetic.
They talked some.. after Kahoolawe they talked. And they had the State's constitutional convention, and the Hawaiian were recognized, and the language given it's due. It was a beginning. Sheesh they set the whole thing in motion. They created the Hawaiian Emergence Program, OHA, Hawaiian Homes. But did State follow through? No. The Hawaiians are due a massive chunk of money, do they get it? No. The Hawaiians deserve a full legal binding recognition that their land was stolen, and there must be reparations. Do they get it? No.
What does all that mean? How much money? How much land? I don't know. It ain't my kuleana. But until folks start talking, and talking seriously about it all, you can forget the TMT. Or if not the TMT it'll be something else..
But as I said. They set it in motion.. and have now created a generation or two of actual real, un-subjugated, Hawaiians who are proud of themselves.. and the problem will not go away until they talk to them as equal shareholders in the islands.
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(03-08-2024, 06:27 AM)MyManao Wrote: Funny, I guess you haven't been following my posts very long. I started my first taro farm in 1979. Built a house in Waipio Valley and raised a family there before I went on to document volcanic activity for 30 years. And now spend more time in the lo'i again than walking on lava.
You seemed to have benefited greatly considering none of that would have been possible if there was no "occupying regime" in place here in Hawaii.
Clearly, your house that you built in Waipio Valley must have caused, albeit minor, some desecration to what is also considered by some to be "sacred lands."
Did you reach out to everyone and assuage their concerns before you built?
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TMT has worked through the legal process, following all the regulations of the ruling government, with plenty of input from native Hawaiians, which was all considered by a judge. The TMT was then given permission to proceed.
No group is entitled to special consultation on this matter. All citizens are equal under the law. If you don't like it, go petition for the issue to get on the ballot, or vote for council people to pass a resolution. If you can't find enough people to do so, accept that you have no right to force the majority of your fellow citizens to do anything. This isn't the kingdom, this is a democracy.
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All citizens are equal under the law.
Not all consider themselves citizens, nor believe the law is valid or applicable. That these opinions are taken seriously is a failure under the rule of law. It's one of the reasons I left Hawaii.
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Did you reach out to everyone and assuage their concerns before you built?
Well, actually, I had so much help, was so welcomed by the local community, and the house was eventually turned into a school for the kids in the valley. Literally, because of the humbug getting kids from the valley to school in Honokaa, and how much school was being missed because of inclement weather and the inability of folks to cross swollen rivers, I hired teachers from outside the valley to come in every day, weather permitting, got a permit from the state, and turned it into a local school.
And besides, the place was built on the banks of my lo'i. In the middle of a river bed. The whole valley floor is a river. So, you know, I doubt your concerns were shared.. but thank you for them.
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03-09-2024, 07:04 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-09-2024, 07:09 AM by TomK.)
I had to laugh the other day sitting behind a large pickup truck at a red light. It had a sticker that said something about Hawaii lands belonging to Hawaii. They also had a Hawaii Volcanoes National Park license plate. US national parks are part of the US Dept. of the Interior with a director nominated by the US president. You have to pay the DMV for these plates with proceeds going to the national parks.
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(03-09-2024, 07:04 AM)TomK Wrote: I had to laugh the other day sitting behind a large pickup truck at a red light. It had a sticker that said something about Hawaii lands belonging to Hawaii. They also had a Hawaii Volcanoes National Park license plate. US national parks are part of the US Dept. of the Interior with a director nominated by the US president. You have to pay the DMV for these plates with proceeds going to the national parks. Thats a good one Tom!
I saw one the other day that cracked me up as well - and it was on a rather new fancy Mercedes - alongside the sticker they proudly displayed that says: "Bring Back the Hawaiian Kingdom" was a "Trump 2024, 2028, 2032, 2036.........." sticker!
My husband and I got those Volcano plates on our 3 vehicles when they first came out a few years ago - and yes, they cost 35 bucks on issue and 25 bucks per year ON TOP of what you normally pay for your vehicle, with the money going to the park!
And to be clear, the Department of the Interior is led by a member of the President's Cabinet and is the eighth in line of succession.
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I've often wondered why no one seems to protest the US occupation of Kilauea and its surrounding lands. Surely a lot of that property is sacred? You have to pay the US government to visit there which you don't have to do on Mauna Kea.
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03-09-2024, 05:55 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-09-2024, 07:38 PM by MyManao.)
(03-09-2024, 08:33 AM)TomK Wrote: I've often wondered why no one seems to protest the US occupation of Kilauea and its surrounding lands. Surely a lot of that property is sacred? You have to pay the US government to visit there which you don't have to do on Mauna Kea.
Maybe it has something to do with the NPS @ Hawaii Volcanoes National Park actually having a dialog, and honoring, the Hawaiians and their culture. Whereas your boys don't even give them lip service. Certainly you all could use a trip up to watch some hula, go to one of their cultural festivals. Yeah, maybe go as far as to ask yourselves wtf you're missing? "I've often wondered.." yeah right! Give me a f*ckin' break.
Seriously man. If you were to explore just a bit of the history of the NPS and the Hawaiian culture, the fact that the entire park is a native plant sanctuary, the fact that the Hawaiian retain rights, such as their exclusive shoreline fishing rights within the park's boundaries, you'd find, even though there were missteps over the years, such as the park's proposed Kalapana Expansion in the '30s, the park's heart has been in the right place, and the Hawaiians know it.
Whereas your's? Not so much.
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Whereas your boys don't even give them lip service.
Aren’t Hawaiian cultural practices allowed on Mauna Kea? Isn’t the road to the summit available to Native Hawaiians? Don’t astronomers name discoveries across the universe using the Hawaiian language?
It’s unlikely hula dancers dressed in traditional costumes are going to perform a show at 10,000 foot elevation. Or many people would attend such a performance. So what, MyManao, would you suggest occur at the summit of Mauna Kea that would honor the culture and tradition like you say Hawaii Volcanoes National Park does, but in an environmentally, altitude, and temperature appropriate manner? Other than what they’re already doing?
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