Mailed more postcards. "Ceded" Lands Informational Session w/ Mark Bennett, Clayton Hee, John Waihee, Bill Meheula and Bill Tam

Yesterday we mailed off 156 postcards that will be delivered to the State capitol tomorrow. Or at least it should reach the capitol by Monday, January 26, 2009, and reach the various legislators they sent to. At the bottom of this blog entry is a list (by last name) of people whose postcards were mailed out yesterday. If you see your name on the list, we encourage you to call your legislator and follow up with them.






We're proud to announce that we now have complete video footage of our January 7, 2009, "Ceded" Lands Informational Session that had the following panelists: Attorney General Mark Bennett, Hawai'i State Senator Clayton Hee, (former) Governor John Waihe'e, and attorneys Bill Meheula and Bill Tam. The event was moderated by Neil Hannahs.

You can watch the video from the "Ceded" Lands Informational Session below. The video is long and may take a while to load. You can also watch it by going to http://tinyurl.com/dx9rpe

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The list of names of people whose postcards were mailed out yesterday (Saturday) is as follows: (please call your legislator to follow-up)
Ah nee, Edward, Aiona-Wilson, Kiele, Amona, Lydia, Arce, Yun (?), Baker, Mary, Branco, Mikela, Campbell, Pono, Carvalho-Aweau, Kawena, Coito, Wayne, Cox, Sara, Cuba, Kekoa, Dela Cruz, Abbie, Derit, Beverly, Doane, Jocelyn, Donlin, Amanda, Donn, Kawika, Ebanez, Darcy, Ebanez, John, Egger, Chad, Egger, Roger, Garces, Micah, Gohier, Damien, Herndon, Sandra, Hiapo, Kalani, Ho, Kenneth Jr., Ho, Roseline, Ho-Lastimosa, Ilima, Honda, Clarice, Ingram, Pamela, Johnson, Keone, Kaha, Aleysia-Rae, Kahiapo, Dorothea, Kahoalii, Kaiolu, Kahuanui, Ekela, Kalima, Haywood, Kamakawiwoole, Douglas, Kauanoe-Sagapolutele, Tippany, Kaupu, Leivallyn, Kealoha, Donavan, Kekipi, A Lehua, Kema, Paul, Keonaonaona-Ah Ching, Wallace, Kon, Stephanie K, Laikona, Glenn P, leu cordy, Dominique, Lincoln, Lancelot Haili, Long, sarah, Lyons, Daniel, Macomber, Kahiwa, Macomber, Steven, Manoi-Cuban, Leialii, Manuwai, Kaiulani, Marfil, Sanoe, Matsuura, Aubrey, McAleavey, Margaret, McMillan, Mary, Mei-En Chen, Hilary, Midado, Victoria, Mikkelsen, Patricia, Mora, Kealoha, Morgan, Donna, Nahinu, Laverne, Nakama, Nedrick, Nakamoto, Alberta, Naone, Shawn, Nihipali-Day, Nohea, Novikoff, Kahili, Obrey, Steve, Olpa, Eri, Ondayog, George, Onekea, Kaui, Paaoao-Bowman, Jeff, Prade, Nicoleta, Roldan, Keanuenue, Roynesdal, John, Ruffin, Madison, Salangdren, Noriko, Saranillio, Dean, Seeger, Leinaala, Serrano, Joshua, Seto, Kaohu, Solomon, Shanelle-Leilani, Souza, Joana, Sproat, Kapua, Stevens, Jan, Tavares, Sherilyn, Tim, Alexa, Tui, H. Hanakia, Unu, Malia, Uyeoka, Cady, Waialeale, Uluhani, Weems, Angela, Wendt, Edward, Wendt, Mahealani, Wilcox, Gordon, Williams, Pamela, Wilson, Kalani, Wond, Royce, Wong, Kehaulani, Yasuhara, Kaina, and Zuern, John

MAHALO NUI FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

"Ceded lands focus of rally"

The article below was published in today's Honolulu Advertiser.

Ceded lands focus of rally
Group urges state to drop appeal of earlier ruling barring sales

By Gordon Y.K. Pang - Advertiser Staff Writer

Native Hawaiian supporters led by a group of current and former law school and Hawaiian studies students will hold an 11:30 a.m. rally tomorrow at the state Capitol to demand that Gov. Linda Lingle and Attorney General Mark Bennett drop their appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court of a lower court ruling that bars the state from selling ceded lands until claims of Native Hawaiians are resolved.

Derek Kauanoe, a recent graduate of the University of Hawai'i's Richardson School of Law and a spokesman for the Kupu'aina Coalition, said the rally's main purpose is to draw attention to a state action that, if successful, could diminish Native Hawaiian rights and dismantle programs for Hawaiians.

Bennett said he does not agree with that conclusion, adding that the Lingle administration is in favor of settling Native Hawaiian claims and supports federal recognition of a Native Hawaiian government entity.

ISSUE AT HAND

The case, which pits the state against the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs, is expected to be heard in late February or March, Bennett said.

At issue is what the state can or cannot do with approximately 1.2 million acres of ceded lands, lands formerly held by the Hawaiian government. In January, the Hawai'i Supreme Court ruled that the state cannot sell or otherwise transfer lands ceded to the state until Native Hawaiian claims against those holdings were resolved.

The state argues that the 1959 Admission Act grants it the authority to manage ceded lands, including selling them.

But OHA and the four Native Hawaiians who brought the suit in 1994 say that Congress' 1993 Apology Resolution, as well as subsequent action by the state Legislature, effectively bar the state from selling or transferring those lands to an outside entity until the claims are settled.

Kauanoe said it is critical that the state not be allowed to sell or transfer ceded lands until the claims are resolved, and he points to the reasons listed by the Hawai'i Supreme Court.

"I think that moratorium puts Native Hawaiians on a level playing field to enter into negotiations for a settlement with the state," Kauanoe said. "If the (U.S.) Supreme Court overturns our state Supreme Court's ruling, basically the state would be able to sell lands that Native Hawaiians have an unrelinquished claim to before they even settle it."

Allowing the state to sell those lands, he said, "would be detrimental to any Hawaiian program that receives funding from the revenue of those lands."

SEEKING CLARIFICATION

Bennett, in response to Kauanoe's comments, said, "The issue before the United States Supreme Court is not the constitutionality or legality of any programs that benefit Native Hawaiians." Instead, he said, the High Court could clarify any gray area left by the Apology Resolution.

"The lawsuit that was filed more than a decade ago took the position that the Apology Resolution changed the landscape, clouded the state's title," Bennett said. "What we're trying to do is uphold what we believe to be the correct legal principle ... that the state holds good title to the land ... as was given to the state in the Admission Act."

Bennett added: "We believed, and continue to believe, that the claims that Native Hawaiians have should be addressed through the legislative process — through the Legislature and the Congress — through vehicles like the Akaka bill but not in the courts."

Kauanoe said the Hawai'i Supreme Court, because it is made up of Hawai'i residents, is in a much better position to decide the case than is the U.S. Supreme Court.

Kupu'aina is composed of the 'Ahahui o Hawai'i Law Student Organization, and faculty and students of the Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies.

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Ceded Lands Discussion with Radio Personality Billy V.

image from www.hawaiianbroadcast.com

On Friday, November 21, 2008, Jocelyn M. Doane and Derek Kauanoe were with Billy V in the radio studio talking about the ceded lands case and the upcoming Kupu‘āina press conference and rally at the State Capitol on 11/24/08 at 11:30am.

CLICK HERE and then click on the media player to listen to their discussion.