[News] Hawai’i—The Very First US Regime Change

[Anti-Imperialist News]

popularresistance.org
<https://popularresistance.org/hawaii-the-very-first-u-s-regime-change/>
Hawai’i—The Very First US Regime Change
By Jon Olsen - November 16, 2022
------------------------------
[image: image.png]
Illegitimate Overthrow Of Polynesian Queen Lili’uokalani In 1893 Marked
Beginning Of More Than A Century Of American Regime-Change Operations.

You come home from work one day to your many generations’ family property
where you have lived all of your life and find that a team is removing your
belongings to the front lawn. And when you indignantly demand to know what
is going on, two policemen and the county sheriff advise you that the new
owner is taking possession.

You protest adamantly that you never sold the property to anyone; this is
your home! The sheriff then shows you a folder with a deed for the property
that indicates that you had signed a power of attorney to another person,
one you know but never trusted, and that, under its terms, he had the right
to convey your property, and had done so to the “new owner.”

You are then, of course, astounded, proclaiming loudly that you have never
signed such a power of attorney, and that any claim to have done so was
fraudulent, and the purported signature is a forgery. The sheriff shrugs
his shoulders and says, “Then take it up with the judge,” and walks away.
Lacking any other recourse, you take it up with the judge who reviews the
situation and declares, “Well, there seems to be some impropriety here, so
I will rule that the new owner allow you to build a small residence on the
back end of the property so you will not be homeless. Case dismissed.

THAT folks is what happened in 1898 in Hawai’i. In 1893, when much to her
surprise and dismay, a delegation of 160 armed men from the USS *Boston* landed
from Honolulu Harbor and took up positions facing Iolani Palace, then the
seat of government of Queen Lili’uokalani, in support of a proclamation by
Caucasian Hawaiian residents, less than twenty in number, who claimed to be
“the Provisional Government of Hawai’i” which later declared itself to be
The Republic of Hawai’i.

Not a single Native Hawaiian, then by far the great majority of the
population, had a role in this coup nor had approved it. The claim to be
the government of Hawai’i was fraudulent and the purported “treaty” (that
never passed anyway) amounted to forgery. Thus, all subsequent
iterations—Republic of Hawai’i, Territory of the U.S., State of the
U.S.—are null and void.

These insurrectionists then hustled off to Washington, D.C., where newly
elected President Grover Cleveland received their message asking for
annexation of Hawai’i. But at the same time, a delegation representing the
Hawaiian majority arrived with the opposite message. He then declined to
pursue annexation but sent a representative to investigate first hand.

After several months had passed, a comprehensive report was delivered to
President Cleveland and he gave a speech to Congress on December18, 1893
(reprinted as appendix A in *LIBERATE HAWAI’I!*), in which he referred to
the actions of U.S. authorities as “an act of war” against a peaceful and
trusting people.

What ensued was stalemate for the next four years until William McKinley
was inaugurated, followed shortly by the Spanish-American War in 1898, with
the consequent ceding of Spanish colonies in the Philippines, Guam, Puerto
Rico and Cuba. Hawai’i had never been a colony of Spain or any other
country, but for 50 years had been recognized as an independent country,
with consulates and embassies all over the world.

The cousin of Sanford Dole, who was integrally involved with the coup
against the queen, and subsequently was president of the purported
“Republic of Hawai’i,” was James Dole, founder of Dole Plantation of
pineapple fame. Thousands of acres of pineapples, which grow from the
stiff-leafed crown at the top of the fruit, were planted over decades until
it became far more profitable to export the operations to Asian countries
and to use the limited Hawai’i lands for extensive suburban subdivisions.
These homes now each sell at hundreds of thousands of dollars. These many
thousands of homes are packed like sardines, often so densely that a decent
athlete could jump from one roof to another.

During the century following the alleged “annexation,” five major
corporations evolved to control commerce in and out of Hawai’i and the
retail business derived from imported goods.

The power of the Republican Party to which these local oligarchs belonged,
who intermarried and evolved interlocking directorates, was not broken
until the 1950s when a coalition of strong labor unions, Japanese World War
II veterans, and the Democratic Party unseated them and have controlled
Hawai’i continually since, with the exception of two terms of Republican
Linda Lingle in the first decade of the 21st century. The legislature is
overwhelmingly populated by Democrats.

Prior to the purported “annexation,” and a major reason for it, was the
desirability by advocates of manifest destiny of securing the world-class
harbor called Pearl Harbor (where no pearls at all are likely to be found
now as a result of contamination).

During World War II, further tracts of land were seized, including the
eighth largest island of some 28,000 acres called Kaho’olawe, which they
used for decades for bombing practice, like the islands of Vieques and
Culebra in Puerto Rico. In the 1970s, protests against this desecration of
the land by Hawaiian activists generated much sympathy among the population
and, in 2003, the island was finally relinquished to the government of
Hawai’i with significant stewardship granted to Hawaiian organizations.

Under McKinley, a new attempt at an annexation treaty was made, but it
failed even on procedure, not getting the two-thirds majority in the
Senate. However, that failure was dwarfed by an even greater flaw: The U.S.
had no right at all to make the attempt as the alleged “Republic of
Hawai’i” was an illegitimate coup-government as declared so by none other
than President Cleveland himself.

The history of the U.S. military’s occupation, control and desecration of
the land and sea could easily fill substantial books, one of which was
written in the seventies: *The Dark Side of Paradise*. For several decades,
including 2022, there have been ecologically devastating military
“exercises” in which not only the U.S., but numerous other countries are
invited to bomb and strafe isolated parts of land and ocean sites.

They then used a sleight of hand and passed by simple majority a “Joint
Resolution of Congress,” pretending that it was equivalent to a treaty. Due
to the threat of military force, the only thing that changed was control,
not sovereignty.

The legal status remains problematic: Hawai’i is a country whose government
was overthrown by the threat of force, and occupied by that very first U.S.
regime change. Such an action does not convey sovereignty over it by
occupation, any more than say the U.S. occupation of Japan after World War
II or when the government of Saddam Hussein was overthrown. Neither Japan
nor Iraq ceased to exist as a country.

In recent decades, Hawaiians have been intensely studying their own
history, none more so than Dr. Keanu Sai. Virtually all those who are
familiar with the subject would say Dr. Sai, who took a related case to the
International Court of Arbitration in 2000-2001, is the world authority on
the subject.

In recent years, the National Lawyers Guild and the International
Association of Democratic Lawyers have come to the same overall conclusions
presented in *LIBERATE HAWAI’I!*, all of which owe their understanding to
Dr. Sai, as foremost among many who have contributed to this study.
Consequently, while few outside Hawai’i have this grasp of history, tens of
thousands of Hawai’i residents understand it well.

Hawaiian activists are not alone; they have important allies. Among them is
the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL), whose
president, U.S. attorney Jeanne Mirer, is quoted as saying:

“As an international organization of human rights lawyers dedicated to the
furtherance of peace, justice and the rule of law, the IADL reiterates its
support for the Hawaiian Kingdom and the people of Hawai’i in their ongoing
struggle for sovereignty and self-determination. The United States has an
obligation to comply with international humanitarian law and the law of
occupation.”[1]
<https://covertactionmagazine.com/2022/11/15/hawaii-the-very-first-u-s-regime-change/#post-48196-footnote-1>

Similarly, Water Protector Legal Collective staff attorney Natali Segovia
said:

“This case is about the sovereignty of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the right
of self-determination of an entire Nation. I don’t mean lukewarm
self-determination within the boundaries of a settler state; I mean the
self-determination that is at the heart of international law: the right of
nations to self-govern and to freely determine their political status,
their economic, social and cultural development within their own territory.”
[2]
<https://covertactionmagazine.com/2022/11/15/hawaii-the-very-first-u-s-regime-change/#post-48196-footnote-2>

Former National Lawyers Guild President Elena Cohen declared, “As an
organization that values human rights and the rights of ecosystems over
property interests, the NLG supports all native peoples’ right to
self-determination and resistance against settler-colonial
oppression—whether it be in Palestine, Standing Rock, or Hawai’i. The U.S.
is no exception to standards set by international and humanitarian law, and
must end its occupation of the Hawaiian Kingdom.”

She added that: “Since 1898, the United States has been unlawfully imposing
American municipal laws over the territory of the Hawaiian Kingdom in
violation of international laws and the law of occupation.”[3]
<https://covertactionmagazine.com/2022/11/15/hawaii-the-very-first-u-s-regime-change/#post-48196-footnote-3>

“After nearly forty-five years of critical review and analysis, the
Articles of State Responsibility for Internationally Wrongful Acts was
accepted by a vote of the United Nations General Assembly. By this
resolution, the member States of the United Nations accepted the Articles
as a reflection of customary international law, which is binding upon all
States in the international system whether they are members of the United
Nations or not. The main articles include:

“Article 30. The State responsible for the internationally wrongfulact is
under an obligation to cease that act, if it is continuing.        “Article
31. The responsible State is under an obligation to makefull reparation for
the injury caused by the internationally wrongfulact.        “Article 32.
The responsible State may not rely on the provision ofits internal laws as
justification for failure to comply with itsobligations under international
law.        “Article 35. A State responsible for an internationally
wrongful actis under an obligation to make restitution, that is to
re-establishthe situation that existed before the wrongful act was
committed.        “Article 41 (1). States shall cooperate to bring an end
throughlawful means any serious breach of international law.
“Article 41 (2). No State shall recognize as lawful a situationcreated by a
serious breach of international law, nor render aid orassistance in
maintaining that situation.”[4]
<https://covertactionmagazine.com/2022/11/15/hawaii-the-very-first-u-s-regime-change/#post-48196-footnote-4>Nota
bene: While most of these provisions directly impact the U.S.-Hawai’i
situation, the final one also imposes obligations on the part of those many
countries which had recognized Hawai’i as an independent country
(cited in *LIBERATE
HAWAI’I!*) and with whom it had established normal diplomatic relations,
including mutual embassies and consulates. Some activity in this regard has
already been initiated by the Acting Hawaiian Kingdom government.“In a
deliberate move to enforce compliance with international law, the
International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) and the American
Association of Jurists—Asociación Americana de Juristas—(AAJ), sent a joint
letter to all the missions accredited to the United Nations in New York
City and in Geneva regarding the prolonged and illegal belligerent
occupation of the Hawaiian Kingdom by the United States since January 17,
1893.* The joint letter was sent on February 16, 2022.”[5]
<https://covertactionmagazine.com/2022/11/15/hawaii-the-very-first-u-s-regime-change/#post-48196-footnote-5>
**The day the queen was forced by the presence of hostile armed forces of
the United States to, in her words, “yield my authority” until the matter
could be resolved in Washington, D.C. This was a pledge to neither
surrender nor engage in armed resistance, given the disproportion of lethal
force, relative to each side.*

This is a legal case arguing all of the above and filed by the Hawaiian
Kingdom, naming as Federal Defendants: Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., Kamala
Harris, John Aquilino, Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Charles P.
Rettig, Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, Charles E. Schumer,
and Nancy Pelosi. On “Friday August 12, 2022, District Judge Leslie
Kobayashi filed a Minute order taking under advisement the Hawaiian
Kingdom’s Motion to Certify for interlocutory appeal her Order of July 28,
2022, denying the Hawaiian Kingdom’s motion for reconsideration of her
previous Order granting the Federal Defendants motion to dismiss the
amended complaint.”[6]
<https://covertactionmagazine.com/2022/11/15/hawaii-the-very-first-u-s-regime-change/#post-48196-footnote-6>

The federal government takes the position that this is a “settled matter,”
and treats objections to that claim as essentially frivolous, but fails to
acknowledge that the U.S. in fact “recognized the Hawaiian Kingdom as a
sovereign and independent State on July 6, 1844, by letter of Secretary of
State John C. Calhoun on behalf of President John Tyler, and later entered
into treaty relations and the establishment of embassies and consulates in
the two countries.

In effect, despite a desperate attempt by the U.S. to find a way out, this
is a legal checkmate and victory for Hawai’i.
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