Overthrow of kingdom was illegal
In his Dec. 10 letter to the editor, James Kuroiwa attempts to prove that the overthrow of the kingdom of Hawaii in 1893 was not illegal. His proof is that the accused said it wasn't illegal. Here are the facts.
» Armed U.S. Marines and sailors were landed and stationed directly across from the palace. The queen was jailed, and the kingdom overthrown, so it is clear that the troops were not there to support the sovereignty of the kingdom.
» Five treaties between the United States and the kingdom were violated.
» No treaty of annexation was ever signed.
» U.S. Public Law 103-150 repeatedly affirms that the overthrow was "illegal."
» The vast majority of the people of Hawaii did not support the overthrow as the anti-annexation petitions of 1897 clearly document.
» President Grover Cleveland, who was president at the time of the overthrow, called the crime an "act of war" that needed to be corrected. Kuroiwa's clever attempt to revise history is negated by the simple fact that the accused cannot judge itself.
Steven Tayama
Waimanalo
Pro-Akaka Bill opinion lacked substance
The Dec. 2 lead editorial in the Star-Bulletin, "
Will got facts wrong on sovereignty bill," was stridently uninformed. That there are two (or more) sides to the Akaka Bill proposal is obvious. What needs to be looked at carefully is the evidence.
First, when you say "the duplicity was clear as can be," it is apparent that you have never read the Morgan Report of 1894 or the Native Hawaiians Study Commission report of 1983. Both were federally mandated and contain extensive sworn testimony and analysis of all available documents. Both concluded there was no U.S. culpability. Yes, it is remotely possible that the two reports might be in error but to say, as you did, that the situation was the opposite and "clear as can be" is not reasonable or helpful.
Finally, you say the questions asked in the Grassroot Institute poll were "loaded." That implies that the "more reliable poll" by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs was not. Yet a look at the questions in the OHA poll reveals empty, feel-good questions that lack substance. That makes for a more reliable poll?
You owe Hawaii's public more thoughtful analysis.
Richard O. Rowland
President
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ilikai, stranger came through for students
Connections Public Charter School in Hilo was proud to send a team of students to Oahu on Dec. 7 and 8 to participate in the Model United Nations simulation at Kaiser High School and the University of Hawaii. This is the first year that our students have participated and it was a great experience.
The trip almost turned into a disaster. To make a long story short, our planned accommodations fell through and we needed to find a place to stay for the night. With the Honolulu Marathon on Dec. 9, virtually every hotel in Waikiki was booked.
Hearing of our plight, Brian Anderson with Anekona Development found us rooms in the Ilikai hotel. Our students, parents and advisers want to sincerely thank Mr. Anderson and the Ilikai staff for showing such aloha. The students are already talking about next year's event and guess where they want to stay ... the Ilikai.
John Thatcher
Hilo, Hawaii
More demand is good reason for higher price
I had a hearty laugh at Bill Martin's assertion that "'Heavy demand' doesn't constitute an honest reason to increase prices" (
Letters, Dec. 11). He has obviously never run a business or taken Introduction to Economics, where he would have learned that the Law of Supply and Demand states exactly the opposite of what he says. When you have a limited amount of something but a massive amount of folks wanting it, the price goes up. If anything is an honest reason to increase prices, it's increased demand.
Ken Griffin
Honolulu
History is no excuse for misbehavior today
Katy Rose's Dec. 12 letter minimizing hatred of folks of European ancestry to a case of "what do you expect, history has convicted them!" is an ugly analysis.
Everyone should be happy with who they are; none better, none worse. It is absurd to defend calling people mean names.
Ward Stewart
Hawaii Kai
Girl's beating went beyond 'name-calling'
Is Katy Rose serious? A little name-calling? If she is referring to the incident in Hilo in which a girl reportedly was beaten by a classmate, I guess she forgot the little part about a girl splitting another girl's head open against the wall when she smashed the victim's face against the building. A little name-calling? Please don't make me laugh.
The young girl who ended up with 10 stitches in her head wound up with a lot more than "hurt feelings."
Alan Cummings
Port Angeles, Wash.
Formerly of Hawaii