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Domestic Insurgents - Not Protesters - Seized Control of Iolani Palace
Yesterday<br>
On Bloodless Coups, Hawaiian Publicity Stunts, And What They Mean For The
Rest Of Us<br><br>
By Daniel P. de Gracia, II, 5/1/2008 3:26:41 PM <br><br>
On April 30, some 70 unarmed Hawaiian Kingdom Government personnel seized
control of a historic, state-owned palace not more than a stone's throw
away from the 76 legislators, governor and lieutenant governor and
thousands of state employees working in the State Capitol. <br><br>
Claiming to be the legitimate government of Hawaii, the HKG personnel
declared that Iolani Palace was theirs and that they were taking back
control of Hawaii. <br><br>
As chains were shackled around the gates of Iolani Palace and HKG
personnel walked in circuits around the spacious park grounds in black
BDU pants and aloha shirts like sentries, nearly every local and national
media outlet referred to them as protesters. But truly, what were they
protesting? <br><br>
In speaking with the Hawaiian Kingdom Government representatives, I got
the impression that they weren't protesting but rather attempting to
launch a bloodless coup d'etat in which the people of Hawaii would rally
to them against the legitimate governance of the State of Hawaii and the
United States of America. <br><br>
It's an irrefutable fact that on June 27, 1959, the Territory of Hawaii
voted on three propositions, the first of which asked, "Shall Hawaii
immediately be admitted into the Union as a State?" 132,773 people
voted yes to Proposition One, and only 7,971 voted no. <br><br>
The second asked to affirm whether or not, "The boundaries of the
State of Hawaii shall as prescribed in the Act of Congress approved March
18, 1959 and all claims of this State to any areas of land or sea outside
the boundaries so prescribed are hereby irrevocably relinquished to the
United States." 132,194 people voted yes, and only 7,654 voted no.
<br><br>
Proposition Three asked the people to affirm whether or not "All
provisions of the Act of Congress approved March 18, 1959 reserving
rights or powers to the United States, as well as those proscribing the
terms or conditions of the grants of lands or other property therein made
to the State of Hawaii are consented to fully by said State and its
people." 132,281 people voted yes and 7,582 people voted no.
<br><br>
If you ask me, the people have already spoken by vote, Hawaiians
included: there is nothing illegitimate about the State of Hawaii or the
United States of America because the people by overwhelming majority
voted yes to be a part of this country. <br><br>
Those who claim that Hawaii lost sovereignty must face the fact that any
dispute between the Hawaiian people and the supposedly "evil"
American government could have been settled on June 27, 1959 by the
Hawaiian people voting no to all three propositions. It was not.
<br><br>
The people who resist recognizing this historic, democratic decision
through actions such as those taken by the Hawaiian Kingdom Government in
capturing Iolani Palace are not protesters, but are domestic insurgents
who rage against the majority will of not just Hawaii, but the United
States of America of which this state is part of. <br><br>
There are a number of unanswered questions which plague my conscience as
I consider what happened yesterday: <br><br>
<ul>
<li>Why was the takeover and subsequent siege by unarmed individuals of a
State owned facility and its surrounding perimeter allowed to persist for
so many hours?
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Why were government functions allowed to be disrupted?
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Why is it that Governor Lingle or Lieutenant Governor Aiona, upon
seeing that the HKG personnel were being interviewed by numerous
reporters, did not go out to make televised public statements to
discourage others from engaging in similar acts of lawlessness?
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Why is it that trained, well-armed State Police and Honolulu Police
Department officers stood face to face for a standoff that lasted hours
against unarmed HKG personnel without arresting them?
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Why is it that HKG personnel were allowed to leave without being
arrested?
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Why does the American Flag not fly over Iolani Palace?
</ul><br>
While some may argue that the people who seized Iolani Palace yesterday
were sheepish and nonviolent, ultimately this attempted bloodless coup by
HKG will serve to inspire the more hostile and violent opponents of the
State of Hawaii and the United States of America to follow suit with
actions that involve more than just chains and yellow "No
Trespassing" signs. <br><br>
The message that our local authorities have projected is that it is not
only okay to take control of buildings, but that sedition goes unpunished
and carries no deterrent in the State of Hawaii. Today, we face people
who chain a building. What will happen if tomorrow gunmen attack the
Capitol, Washington Place, or Honolulu Hale and take hostages? <br><br>
The historical precedent certainly exists for individuals to resort to
force as a means to demand sovereignty for a particular group of people.
On March 1, 1954, four Puerto Rican nationalists attacked the U.S.
Congress while in session and took hostages, demanding independence for
Puerto Rico. If things continue the way they do in Hawaii, I wouldn't be
surprised if violent Hawaiian sovereignty groups, anti-Superferry
environmentalist maniacs or straight up terrorists tried the same thing
here. <br><br>
We need to make an example of those who resort to such actions not to be
harsh or cruel, but to discourage and deter future attacks against our
buildings and people. We also need to dramatically increase the security
presence around our Capitol. <br><br>
At best, security at the Hawaii State Capitol District can be described
as shockingly lax. There are no entry control points to screen
individuals, no concrete barricades to prevent car bombers, no x-ray
machines, no metal detectors, no regular foot patrols by Honolulu Police
or State Police. The State Police who manage the flag flying at the
Capitol won't even fold the American and Hawaii flags properly. Is it any
wonder that people like Mahealani Asing Kahau and her HKG forces were
able to seize control of Iolani Palace? <br><br>
There is also no excuse for the weak response that our authorities showed
regarding the Iolani Palace incident. The minute that Iolani Palace was
seized, the police should have immediately secured and sealed off the
area to prevent HKG personnel from escaping or additional persons from
getting in. Federal agencies such as Homeland Security, FBI, and even the
Department of Defense should have been immediately notified, considering
the fact that these individuals were inciting an overthrow of the United
States of America. <br><br>
Police officers should have been placed at critical positions in
buildings that have elevated angles on Iolani Palace. The Governor should
have personally ordered HKG personnel to turn themselves in to law
enforcement for arrest, and failing their compliance, law enforcement
should have gone "tactical" and invaded the complex armed with
less than lethal equipment including CS gas, rubber bullets, and tasers.
<br><br>
The benefit of utilizing a massive, if not overwhelming response to
hostile takeover of our government facilities is that it has an
intimidating effect on those who would participate in such behaviors and
an inspiring effect to those who oppose such individuals, knowing that we
don't take lightly attacks on Hawaii or the United States of America. The
public should have gone to sleep yesterday having seen the HKG personnel
arrested, not with the cautionary note from Civil Defense that their men
had dispersed without arrest and might return the next day. <br><br>
We need to treat groups like HKG and others blooming around Hawaii like
domestic insurgents and put their names on the National Terrorist
Screening Database. When we see them taking control of Iolani Palace and
other government facilities, we shouldn't call them
"protesters" we should call them "terrorists" and
deal with them the same way we'd deal with al Qaeda operatives taking
over one of our buildings. <br><br>
I for one am tired of seeing America shamed in the State of Hawaii by a
deceived yet ultimately vocal minority of belligerent, domestic
insurgents. Make no mistakes: those who feel the way I do about America
are not warmongers or Big Government "shock and awe" elitists,
but rather people who know that a peaceful America requires a strong
America. <br><br>
To the domestic insurgents out there who want to overthrow Hawaii and the
United States in favor of going back to the days of monarchy we who
believe otherwise say this: "We're Americans, we're Americans, and
we'll never surrender, you will!" <br><br>
<i>Daniel Paul de Gracia II, MA is a political scientist specializing in
international relations and a former candidate for State Representative
who now works for Rep. Rida Cabinilla, D-Ewa. He lives in Waipahu. His
comments do not necessarily reflect the policy or opinions of the Office
of Rep. Cabanilla. Reach him at</i>
<a href="mailto:daniel.p.degracia@gmail.com">
mailto:daniel.p.degracia@gmail.com</a> <br><br>
<i>HawaiiReporter.com reports the real news, and prints all editorials
submitted, even if they do not represent the viewpoint of the editors, as
long as they are written clearly. Send editorials to</i>
<a href="mailto:Malia@HawaiiReporter.com">
mailto:Malia@HawaiiReporter.com</a> <br><br>
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