Further into the article, the Republican Senators state that Senator Daniel Inouye promised them on the Senator floor that the Apology resolution had nothing to do with Native Hawaiian status. The two Republican Senators claim: "The Akaka Bill repudiates that promise."

Currently, both Senators Inouye and Akaka are doing some frantic public relations mending. Two forums have been scheduled to discuss the Akaka Bill openly in the state of Hawaii.

Meanwhile Senator Inouye claims that the republicans are going back on their word to allow the Akaka Bill to be heard on the Senate floor. Yet, the two Republican Senators are retorting with "betrayal of express commitments" by Senator Inouye.

It appears that Senator Inouye (D), in return for the 1993 apology (Clinton Years), promised that no change of status movement of any nature by Native Hawaiians would ensue. Clearly, his support of the Akaka Bill screams in contradistinction. Senator Inouye misled the Senate.

Update: The local TV news discussed, in brief, the forum which hosted Bruce Fein, a constitutional attorney, and Robert Klein, attorney for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. In essence, Fein argued that the Native Americans were given special privileges, because they were unable to enter society and become productive and politically active. Fein contends that the Hawaiians do not meet that standard. Hawaiians are able to enter society, become productive and act politically. Klein resorted to some Kingdom of Hawaii aspirations. Maybe it was just the way the local news presented Klein's opinion. The local news may have been pressed for time.

A poll done by local firm Ward Research produced results that 68% of the those polled supported the Akaka Bill, and some 80% of those polled did not care whether race mattered or not in federal recognition. However, Native Hawaiian Andrew Perez, an Akaka Bill opponent, claimed to have visited all the Hawaiian Homesteaders and reported that they had not even heard of the Akaka Bill, much less voiced any opinion of it. That statement does not say much for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, represented by Robert Klein. Andrew Perez was quite vocal about how the "rich" put words in the mouths of the poor Native Hawaiians.

To be noted is that a Mainland firm from Virginia, with no political ties to Hawaii, produced a poll from a population of 280,000 residents of the state of Hawaii that resulted in a 2-1 opposition to the Akaka Bill. No population sample number was reported for Ward Research's poll.

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Posted for HarryTho