[ WAR IN IRAQ ]
Hey, Saddam, try The state House has a message for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein: Make aloha, not war.
make aloha, not war
The state House adopts a resolution
supporting the use of the aloha spirit
as a tool to ending the warBy Pat Omandam
pomandam@starbulletin.comA majority of the 51-member House adopted House Concurrent Resolution 211, HD1, and House Resolution 164, HD1, in voice votes yesterday, supporting the use of the aloha spirit as a nonviolent tool toward ending the war in Iraq, despite objections from a bipartisan group of 16 legislators.
The measures describe the tenets of the aloha spirit as love, compassion and respect for one another, and tolerance for opposing or dissenting viewpoints.
"Aloha in the face of battle does not mean you can't kill the enemy when the enemy tries to kill you. I think the purpose of this is to say that it's very important for us to look at the human cost of things," said state Rep. Alex Sonson (D, Waipahu), a former U.S. Marine who supported the resolutions.
The resolutions, which were debated for nearly 25 minutes on the House floor yesterday, received no testimony in committee hearings.
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Legislators who opposed the resolutions noted they had an underlying tone against President Bush's policy in the Middle East.
State Rep. David Pendleton (R, Maunawili-Kaneohe) said the resolutions could be interpreted as: You must oppose the war in Iraq to have the aloha spirit. But that kind of do-nothing position is not what aloha is all about, he said.
"I think sometimes the aloha spirit calls us to stand up in favor of defending the defenseless, getting involved, and sometimes that means using force to protect the rest of the world from a very, very bad person," Pendleton said.
Rep. Kika Bukoski (R, Pukalani-Ulupalakua, Maui) said for the concept of the aloha spirit to work, it must be reciprocal, and Saddam does not understand the meaning of the word.
Other opponents noted it was war that united the Hawaiian islands under King Kamehameha.
But Rep. Sol Kahoohalahala (D, Kahoolawe-Hana), author of the resolutions, countered that Hawaiian history is also replete with examples of leaders who overcame such temptation.
For example, Queen Liliuokalani sought justice through the U.S. government, rather than armed conflict, after the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown in 1893, he said.
"And if we are truly known as the islands of aloha and the people of aloha, then perhaps it is appropriate for us to also make a statement in that direction and know that the queen's offer for peace, justice and truth lies there exactly within the word, 'aloha,'" Kahoohalahala said.
