Anyway, the Legislative Hawaiian Caucus Press Conference today was great! Surprisingly, it was about an hour, or slightly longer and the media stayed for most of it. Included at the bottom of this e-mail will our statement to the press. Representative Mele Carroll, leader of the caucus discussed the 10 bills that caucus members are supporting. Rep. Carroll briefly described each individual bill. The tenth and last bill she discussed was the "ceded" lands moratorium bill. There was a good number of people in attendance. There were not enough chairs for audience members and people crowded near the door standing to hear the statements during the press conference. Anyway, check out the video below to listen to some of the statements from the Legislative Hawaiian Caucus.
Mahalo to Uncle Walter and Aunty Audrey Kawaa for their contribution to our efforts. The Kawaaʻs donated 100 postcard stamps that will support our Makawalu Initiative. The Makawalu initiative is our attempt to give our supporters a voice to their elected legislators through the use of postcards. To date, we have mailed out nearly 600 postcards, signed by Hawaii residents and citizens, to their elected officials. Today we mailed out 74 postcards.If you know 20 people (family, friends, neighbors and/or co-workers) who want to put their names on postcards to tell their elected officials to protect the ceded lands by passing moratorium laws, let us know by e-mailing us at kupuaina@gmail.com and weʻll make arrangements to get those postcards to you.
The Kupuʻaina Coalition, an organization led by current University of Hawaii law students and recent law school graduates, is supportive of the proposed full moratorium on the sale of ceded lands. The Coalition believes that, given the state’s history of public policy towards both the public land trust and its relationship with Native Hawaiians in addition to our State Supreme Court’s January 31, 2008 ruling, the moratorium is appropriate and consistent with Hawaiʻi state law.
A moratorium on the sale of ceded lands is a re-affirmation of the Hawaii Supreme Court’s landmark decision in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs v. Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii. The introduction of a moratorium bill, on the sale of ceded lands, is also consistent with statements made by the Attorney General Mark Bennett, in addition to statements made in the State Supreme Court’s ruling.
- Honolulu Advertiser (11/23/08) the Lingle Administration believed, and continues to believe, that the claims that Native Hawaiians have should be addressed through the legislative process — through the Legislature and the Congress . . . but not in the courts. - Mark Bennett
- January 31, 2008 [T]he OHA plaintiffs admit that the ultimate resolution of the [N]ative Hawaiian claims must be through the political processes, and it is actively engaged in these processes. But this struggle for justice will be futile if the assets in dispute [i.e., the ceded lands] no longer exist when a solution is found. [T]he plaintiffs are not seeking a judicial resolution of the underlying claim for a return of lands, but [are] rather asking the judiciary to protect the trust assets while the dispute is being resolved by the political branches. - The Hawaiʻi Supreme Court
The Kupuʻaina Coalition organizers are also aware that a good number of Hawaiʻi residents have begun to inform their elected legislators (both Senators and Representatives) by mailing in postcards expressing their desire to have the “ceded” lands protected through moratorium laws. It is our hope that our elected legislators will take heed of their constituents' voices and act accordingly.
Additional information regarding the ceded lands case and the effort to protect the ceded lands can be found at www.stopsellingcededlands.com E-mail can be sent to kupuaina@gmail.com.
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