Here are excerpts from HarryTho's email to the StarBulletin.com, on the subject of "Activists Fear Ripple," sent 3 August 2005:

Maybe if Robert Klein when he was a judge in the circuit court, and the supreme court, of the state of Hawaii would have considered the implications of his pro-Hawaiian decisions, we would not be witnessing a decision of racism by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

(...) This ... Hawaiian attitude has to cease, or the Native Hawaiians will lose all their benefits.

(...) Yes, the recent Appeals Court decision is a wake up call to the Native Hawaiians ... Knock off the racism! This decision has nothing to do with the allegations of white racism by President Bush. It has to do with the free-ride, ... (above the rest of us) attitude of the local, bad-apple Native Hawaiians. We are all Americans in the United States. If someone wants to be something other, then that someone should be incarcerated on a reservation. Don't mingle with the rest of us Americans for the benefits and then conduct yourself otherwise.

Harry(Tho)
Former Honorary Consul General

This Appeals Court decision has ramifications for the Akaka Bill, currently before the US Senate. At this writing, six Republican Senators have holds on the bill, citing racism, gambling, interfering with US military operations and lack of support from the overall residents of the state of Hawaii. All those holds have merit. Senators Inouye and Akaka, unable, and unwilling, to compromise on the holds are pushing for a cloture motion in order to force debate on the issue in the Senate. They need 60 senators to agree. At last count, they had 56.

The Akaka Bill essentially would consider Native Hawaiians as Native Americans. The Native Hawaiians would be allowed to form an entity with which to negotiate claims with the US Government. Currently, the Native Hawaiians do not have such a forum.

OK, what I have just written is the good part of the Akaka Bill. The other part enables the Native Hawaiians to create gambling casinos. Despite requests by Republican Senators for the Akaka Bill to contain language forbidding casinos, Senator Inouye refuses to enter to such language, citing its unconstitutionality! Despite requests from Republican Senators to carry out a referendum in the state of Hawaii in order to gauge the reception of such a bill, the Hawaii senators avoid the request and prefer to steamroll the bill through the senate. Latest poll indicates the people of the state of Hawaii are 2-1 against the Akaka Bill. Despite requests from Native Hawaiian groups to reconsider the status as Native Americans, the Hawaii senators ignore the wishes of a large portion of the Native Hawaiian population. In short, there are few Native Hawaiians who even want this recognition ... they want outright independence from the United States of America.

Clearly, the Akaka Bill solves little, but it does improve the legacies of two 80-year-old, Democrat senators whom are probably somewhat remiss that they allowed this Native Hawaiian issue to be swept under the rug when statehood was agreed up in late 1950s. Yes, there have been injustices, but none more forbearing than those that our ancestors coped with when they entered or were assimilated into this country. As an American with some Native American roots, it is better to join the American society and let bygones be bygones.

Perhaps HarryTho's last sentence deserves a repeat, since it also applies to Muslims in Europe and particularly America.

"As an American with some Native American roots, it is better to join the American society(equally applies to Muslims in Britain) and let bygones be bygones. Like Harry, assimilate into the country and the society in which you have been welcomed, and get on with your life as a full-fledged member and supporter of that country!

Update from HarryTho: The Native Hawaiians and their supporters will march in protest from Iolani Palace to the Royal Mausolium on Saturday morning (tomorrow). All intentions seem to be peaceful. The Governor will walk in the processions. The Mayor of Honolulu will not march, but he has sent 750 lbs. of Kalua Pig (popular Hawaiian delicacy) for the participants.

I do agree to let bygones be bygones, but why should we force a private school to embrace our beliefs and values? Next we will be forcing them to teach our curriculum, and a whole heritage will be lost.

I do have some Native American heritage and I take offense at the quote "assimilate into the country and the society in which you have been welcomed, and get on with your life as a full-fledged member and supporter of that country". Native Americans were not welcomed, they were forced! And if they did not "assimilate" willingly, they were murdered or forced onto reservations.

These Hawaiian Natives are not terrorists and are not preaching to attack those that do not agree with them. They only want to teach their beliefs and traditions. How are they any different from...Catholics that have their own churches, Baptists with their own churhes, Jewish people with their own Synagogues, African Americans with their own holidays (not to mention their own "Month" and BET). What did Native Americans get? Where is the American Native Month? Where is the American Native holidays? What should Hawaiian Natives expect? No wonder they do not want to "assimulate".

So many groups (religious, racial, or otherwise) get preferential treatment if they have the money and air-time to get their cause in the news. Without "air-time" they are virtually lost. Please, just let this school alone and let them pass their heritage on to the students who want to learn and pass this on to their own children. This is their heritage....leave it to the Hawaiian Natives. As Americans we allow atheists, extremists and any other type of followers to express their beliefs. Why are we trying to suppress and dilute the Hawaiian teachings?