The Akaka Bill or "Native Hawaiian Reorganization Act"

UPDATE/Query: Five percent of my recent traffic has been to this post, nearly all from someone at the office of the U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms. If one of you folks visits again, I'd love to know what you find so interesting. You are welcome to use either the email or comment icon at the bottom of the post. Thanks! TTB 23 August 2005

The Akaka Bill to make so-called Native Hawaiians (who are now US citizens)into foreigners...or perhaps more accurately dual nationals...is getting some more attention from John Fund at OpinionJournal.

It seems to me that the only "native" Hawaiians who should be sorry about the overthrow of the monarchy are the alii. Of course, non-native activists like Haunani-Kay Trask (she was born in California) may be offended for racial reasons, but why cater to the David Dukes of Hawaii? Unless I am a native Englishman, H-KT is at best a kamaaina. She isn't a native.

The US Congress was foolish enuf to apologise for unknowingly helping overthrow the Hawaiian monarchy. Perhaps the French Parliament owes the British an apology for having knowingly helped the Americans (a minority of Americans, remember) to throw off British rule. And perhaps Americans whose families were here prior to 1776 should be allowed to vote in Britain, because, after all, we are Native Britons.

In any case, the people of a country have the right to change their government, and so far as I can tell, the only real argument that the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy wasn't legitimate is a racial one.