Is Time For Native Sovereignty Running Out?

[dakine]

Time For Native Sovereignty Running Out, Abercrombie Says.

The former governor said the waning days of the Obama administration offer a last, best chance for real progress.

Former Gov. Neil Abercrombie, known for his acerbic tongue and no-holds-barred public comments, has some blunt advice for supporters of Native Hawaiian sovereignty:

“Time is running out,” the long-time island politician told a small private gathering last week. I was able to speak at length with Abercrombie on Monday about his critical viewpoint.

“From a political standpoint, they’ve got to do it now,” he said, referring to negotiating terms of a realistic and practical form of sovereignty.

The alternative, which he sees as increasingly likely, will be to see sovereignty proponents simply “drifting into oblivion.”

[...]

“If they don’t get this settled before Obama leaves office, it’s over.”

“I’m not cheering it. I’m not lamenting it. I’m past all that stuff,” he said.

“I’m just stating it.”

The article can be read in its entirety at:

http://www.civilbeat.com/2016/05/ian-lind/

[knieft]

It may be that the time for Sovereignty ran out decades ago. Hawaii became a US state on March 18, 1959 following a referendum in which at least 93% of voters approved of statehood, according to wikipedia.

Cheers,
Kirt

[Chunkster]

My circle of friends includes a number of Native Hawaiians. The most surprising thing to me about their take on the sovereignty issue is how many of them prefer the status quo of standard U.S. citizenship. They describe themselves as being marginalized by the more vocal tribal recognition and kingdom restoration enthusiasts. Now this is not a large sample of Hawaiians by any stretch, but I think there may be a significant number who feel like they do. I have told some of them that they need to speak up, even if it means having to be more confrontational than they might like.

[ironyak]

Originally posted by knieft
It may be that the time for Sovereignty ran out decades ago. Hawaii became a US state on March 18, 1959 following a referendum in which at least 93% of voters approved of statehood, according to wikipedia.

Most states gained statehood over a century ago, yet still contain hundreds of sovereign groups. Statehood and sovereignty of the type Ambercrombie is talking about aren't mutually exclusive.

In addition to those against Federal Recognition because they are satisfied with the status quo of US citizenship are those advocating total independence. They seem prepared to wait the many generations for either International Recognition or the dissolution of the United States. After all (to trade movie quotes) on a long enough timescale the survival rate for anything drops to zero.

[knieft]

quote:

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Originally posted by ironyak
Most states gained statehood over a century ago, yet still contain hundreds of sovereign groups. Statehood and sovereignty of the type Ambercrombie is talking about aren't mutually exclusive.

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Yes. I guess I was trying to make the point that it may well be only a very tiny minority that wants sovereignty, and that that minority may be of relatively recent origin.

I should have been more direct.

Cheers,
Kirt