{"id":87542,"date":"2017-02-27T12:01:02","date_gmt":"2017-02-27T12:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=87542"},"modified":"2017-02-25T16:21:44","modified_gmt":"2017-02-25T16:21:44","slug":"hawaii-national-transitional-authority-reclaiming-hawaiian-sovereignty-from-colonial-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2017\/02\/hawaii-national-transitional-authority-reclaiming-hawaiian-sovereignty-from-colonial-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawaii National Transitional Authority: Reclaiming Hawaiian Sovereignty from Colonial USA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Meeting Notes & Thoughts[i]<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The subject of these notes is of the recent meeting on 17 February 2017 in Honolulu. This meeting discussion used effectively the time for brief introductions, a general introduction of the purpose and direction of the HNTA, and a broad, general and sometimes specific discussion of programs and projects under the expansive umbrella to be created thru the HNTA.<\/p>\n

On the Nature of the Hawaii National Transitional Authority <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Hawaii National Transitional Authority (HNTA) shall be an unincorporated- freely associated entity with the aim of assisting in the transition of Hawaii from its current state or condition under the rule of the United States of America (including its subsidiary creation of the State of Hawaii, its various county governments, its agencies and administrative\/executive bodies) to its liberation as an independent nation-state.\u00a0 This freely associated entity is an exercise in the fundamental right of associating among ourselves without the need to expose ourselves to the prejudices, pains and penalties because of our belief \u2013 i.e., that the Hawaiian nation will arise, and as it does, it should be a healthy, humane, clean, prosperous, intelligent, respectful and responsible place for us and our future generations to live.\u00a0 HNTA does not claim to be or to represent the new Hawaiian nation.\u00a0 Rather, it is a facilitator for the nation to achieve its liberation in a rational, humane way with minimal injury to the people involved in this transition.<\/p>\n

We also recognize that our cause is not shared only among those who are personally aligned with Hawaiian liberation, but shared among people of many different national affiliations who can also appreciate the struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms of all people.\u00a0 We welcome their support as well and hope to provide a conduit for their assistance to the cause of our Hawaiian liberation.<\/p>\n

We believe that our goals may be achieved through patience and reason as opposed to a resort to arms and other forms of physical violence.\u00a0 However, we also believe that we must be steadfast in our demands for our human rights and assertive in our rejection of the incursion or continued denial of such rights.\u00a0 We cannot remain idle while the violence against our human rights are denied.<\/p>\n

Members and Supporters<\/strong><\/p>\n

We believe that it is not necessary, under our present circumstance, to create a formality which will expose ourselves or hamper our work in aiding in this transition, recognizing that under present conditions, there are prejudices against us who carry this sense of allegiance to our Hawaiian people and nation.\u00a0 Among us are people working both within and without the current U.S. systems.\u00a0 There are those of us (perhaps all of us) under the scrutiny of the various U.S. governmental agencies who are not necessarily trustworthy, ranging from foreign taxing authorities to enforcement agencies under a slew of alphabetical acronyms, as well as employers, social acquaintances, business associates, civic organizations, schools and university campuses, etc.\u00a0 Therefore, we recognize the need and the right of some of our associates to keep their alignment with our cause \u201cunder wraps.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the other hand, we also have people who have openly identified themselves as Hawaiian Nationals, whose loyalty and allegiance is unquestionably toward the Hawaiian nation.\u00a0 Many of these associates are either not so clearly under the scrutiny of others or are willing to be more open or blatant with their feelings, and so, have a clearer \u201cfield\u201d to expose and practice their sense of independence.\u00a0 Such are people ready to be identified, to have their names ascribed as members of this transitional authority.<\/p>\n

We believe that all our associates are to be valued and that we need to operate in a way respectful of those able to expose themselves and those not yet so fortunate.\u00a0 Mindful of this obligation, we need to keep our operations open to both types of associates, while not being so open as to expose any of our members to the scrutiny of those with nefarious purposes against such members.\u00a0 A certain degree of secrecy will therefore be maintained in terms of our operation, while our programs and projects should be open and welcoming of all.\u00a0 Support which may come from foreign or alien countries will also be accepted and such support will also be maintained in secrecy.<\/p>\n

On the Nature of the Board of Trustees<\/strong><\/p>\n

From this \u201camorphous\u201d body of members and associates, we shall strike a Board of Trustees, acting in trust of one another and of this transitional authority, to give guidance and direction to the authority.\u00a0 This board, from previous consultations as we organized over the past year, had amounted to approximately two dozen individuals who have expressed not only an interest in, and support for the authority\u2019s formation, but also asserted a willingness to serve as a fellow trustee on its board.\u00a0 P\u014dk\u0101 Laenui who has been central to the development of this authority has not called this board to a meeting as there have been other areas of development needing to be flushed out and given \u201cbody\u201d to the authority.\u00a0 Having had the recent meeting on February 17, 2017, P\u014dk\u0101 will communicate with those who have expressed a commitment to serve on the Board of Trustees and determine their continued commitment and ability to carry forward the responsibility of a trustee.<\/p>\n

On Bridging the Divide<\/strong><\/p>\n

In organizing this transitional authority, one of the major concerns was the state of affairs by which a serious schism seems to have developed, on one side identified as the Independence advocates, and on the other side the Integrationist or Federal Recognition advocates, over the matter of Hawaiian sovereignty.\u00a0 The split between these two views have become so serious at times that it has broken apart friendships, marriages and families, and civic organizations.\u00a0 A mood of intolerance has befallen large groups of people with one or the other side insisting being \u201cright\u201d in their view, insisting therefore that the other side is \u201cwrong!\u201d\u00a0 As this split persist, and perhaps without appreciating what is happening, we find our Hawaiian nation losing its essential strength.\u00a0 A house divided against itself cannot stand.\u00a0 We fail to appreciate that the current condition of colonization (some prefer \u201coccupation\u201d) has created a state of helter-skelter, circumstances which challenge our dignities as Hawaiian nationals having to live within the indignities forced upon us through the take-over and continued presence of the United States and its subsidiaries.\u00a0 Without fully appreciating our own and other\u2019s circumstances, we too quickly judge and condemn others for not coming to the identical conclusions and call to actions to which we answer.<\/p>\n

On one side, there are some of us who live more \u201cindependent\u201d lives, not having to answer or report to any governmental organization or agency or employer or boss, or if we do, know how to avoid the prosecution or persecution of others.\u00a0 We have found methods of survival alongside our expressions of independence from the United States.<\/p>\n

On the other side, there are those who face circumstances where, in their judgment, they are unable to reject their housing entitlements such as living on land under the Hawaiian Homestead program, or cannot face the possibility of imprisonment for failure to file or pay taxes to the U.S. government entities, or can only have themselves or their children educated through the assisted funding which comes from a governmental agency, or can only retain their employment through a concession that they are U.S. citizens, or maintain a particular position only if they swear allegiance to the United States of America.\u00a0 The circumstances which people face are often the greater influence in one\u2019s behavior than their underlying belief.<\/p>\n

The Hawaii National Transitional Authority shall help to build the nation, to create those bridges of understanding and cooperation among all of us as we build this nation.\u00a0 We shall respect the right of each person to determine their own timing and action and way they express their Hawaiian allegiance.\u00a0 That building is to be done not by the pontificating over what we believe is correct, but by putting into practice such bridges of understanding and by working to bring about the changing and the strengthening of Hawaii to become that independent nation.<\/p>\n

On Working All Aspects of the Hawaiian Nation<\/strong><\/p>\n

One important aspect of a nation is its governmental form.\u00a0 We have heard and have participated in many discussions and debate over the Hawaiian nation\u2019s government, its leadership, its membership, its source of authority, its legitimate constitution, etc.\u00a0 But a nation is far more than just its government.\u00a0 A nation is the heart of its people, the relationship that its people has with the natural and spiritual environment, the ways of the people in its respect for diversity in lifestyles and belief systems, the forms of education, how it works and produces goods and services, how it treats and protects its lands and waters, how it raises and protects its children, how it protects itself, how it operates an economic system, how it selects and practices its deep culture, how it protects, preserves and promotes development of its art and culture forms, how it maintains its continuity of consciousness, etc.<\/p>\n

We recognize that there are many institutions already existing, many which have persisted from the Hawaiian Constitutional Monarchy.\u00a0 It is not our purpose to destroy or eliminate such institutions, recognizing that there are important functions they perform, and that such institutions, perhaps with appropriate alterations, will be necessary in the independent Hawaii.\u00a0 We will probably need a system of civil and criminal laws and methods by which such laws are rendered.\u00a0 We will continue to need systems of education, health, control over oceans and natural resources, etc.\u00a0 The Hawaii National Transitional Authority seeks to develop programs around those multitude of life practices and the building of the nation, considering what institutions and practices must be retained, preserved, or redirected as we move to our liberation.<\/p>\n

On the Structure and Operations of the HNTA<\/strong><\/p>\n

The day to day operation of the HNTA shall be under the direction of an Executive Director who shall form a staff to operate an administrative, a domestic (or internal nation-building) and an international (or external nation-building) division.\u00a0 The Executive Director shall report to the Board of Trustees consisting of 15 members who shall serve terms of four years, except for the first slate of trustees whose terms shall be divided \u00bd to serve 2 years and the rest 4 years.\u00a0 The members of the Board shall be selected from the general membership and associates of the HNTA.\u00a0 It is currently difficult to give concrete rules of the selection process and the identification of the membership and associates.\u00a0 In the theme of \u201cmaking the road by walking it,\u201d the organization shall resolve these specific questions when we come to them upon the further development of its structure.\u00a0 It shall begin with individuals who have already been invited to and agreed to serve as trustees.<\/p>\n

Staffing and Expenses <\/strong><\/p>\n

P\u014dk\u0101 Laenui, who has been the principle instigator of this transitional authority, shall perform the initial role as the Executive Director.\u00a0 There are currently no funds of the organization and therefore, no positions shall be paid or funds reimbursed for expenses incurred.\u00a0 All positions shall be on a volunteer and\/or internship basis.\u00a0 Due to the non-incorporated and \u201camorphous\u201d formation of the organization, fund-raising will pose a certain degree of difficulty.\u00a0 We will work with other not-for-profit organizations which may receive funds on behalf of the HNTA and use such funds for the organization\u2019s support, either directly covering expenses of the HNTA to the extent that such use of funds does not contradict the organizational purpose of the receiving organization.\u00a0 One such organization is the Hawaiian National Broadcast Corporation (HNBC), a not-for-profit entity engaged in bringing information and news to the public and to especially its Native Hawaiian audience.\u00a0 It can receive funds from contributors and have such contributions treated as tax-deductible gifts by the contributor.\u00a0 It can than support the costs, expenses, and salaries or stipends of individuals who perform work which can be used also by the HNBC, such as research, travel, information gathering, and distribution of information via a variety of methods, including radio, T.V., video productions, social media, etc.\u00a0 We will identify other willing organizations who may act as such supporters to HNTA.<\/p>\n

The HNTA itself may be a recipient of funds directly.\u00a0 However, it will not be able to extend any form of taxing shelter or deferment for the contributor as it is not registered under the U.S. Internal Revenue Services as a not-for-profit organization.<\/p>\n

Possible Financing Methods <\/strong><\/p>\n

Contributions can be made to organizations in the form of regular contributions, as lump-sum contributions, or as legacies through estate planning and transfer via trusts or will.\u00a0 Some people may even select to contribute what they would normally pay as taxes to the government as a reassignment of such funds to HNTA directly or via a support organization.\u00a0 Among the staff that will be needed will be individual(s) responsible for the raising of such funds as well as appropriate personnel to handle the financial management of the organization, including budgeting, accounting, and cost control over its operations.<\/p>\n

Staffing and Administrative Division <\/strong><\/p>\n

Staffing for the administrative aspect of the organization would also include a personnel and property manager, as the organization, over time, is expected to have numerous individuals performing various aspects of the organizational work.\u00a0 Clear lines of demarcation, responsibilities, and chain of communication will need to be established, personnel policies developed, schedule of work, place of work, and the maintenance of safety, security and confidentiality of property and people to be considered.\u00a0 Under such a person will also include future selection and retention of individuals under a fair and even-handed process of non-discrimination.\u00a0 Administrative staffing should also include someone able to develop systems of operations such as the effective and timely internal communications among the various departments, projects, and research information as well as a system of maintaining public websites and social media contacts to assure information flow to members and associates.\u00a0 Under such a person would fall responsibility of a newsletter for general consumption.<\/p>\n

Internal Division <\/strong><\/p>\n

Two other divisions of the organization will be developed, each specifically charged with areas of responsibilities and each needing appropriate personnel to support them.\u00a0 One is the division addressing the more local business of governance and operations, addressing areas of concerns currently touched upon by the State of Hawai`i and the various county governments.\u00a0 This division would undertake a reasonable method of transitioning the financing of our Hawaiian National (herein Hawaii) government in an orderly fashion, including switching the jurisdictional exercise by the U.S. (including State of Hawaii) to jurisdiction under the Hawaii government.\u00a0 Such a switch should address encouraging the U.S. government to refrain from prosecution of Hawaiian nationals for violating the U.S. taxing laws.\u00a0 This division may also consider other methods of raising revenues for the Hawaii government, including control and maintenance of travel visas into Hawaii, forms of airport departure taxes, and fair returns on the past and current use of Hawaii government and crown lands which now fall under the broader term of \u201cceded lands\u201d and used by the U.S. military for various activities.\u00a0 Demands for payment of back rent and for current use could also be fashioned and served upon Federal agencies for use of areas such as the Federal Courts and other office uses of primary Hawaiian lands, including the U.S. Coast Guard and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office, and any other Federal use of lands along the Honolulu waterfront.<\/p>\n

There will be a need to transition our monetary and banking system, our foreign trade arrangements, shipping in and out of Hawaii (and eliminating the application of the Federal Jones Act which results in sky-rocketing prices in Hawaii), as well as U.S.A. military presence and activities in Hawaii.\u00a0 The many responsibilities undertaken by the State will also have to be addressed, including the transfer of the Department of Education, Department of Health, Department of Planning, Bureau of Conveyances, the police and other \u201cenforcement\u201d organizations, the various judicial arms of government, and much more.\u00a0 As we make these transfers, we need to do so carefully with the mind of not destroying such systems but in converting such systems to become part of the Hawaii Nation.\u00a0 We would look to many of our members and associates who are already working within such systems or institutions to assist in such conversion, either clandestinely or expressly, as their situation allows.<\/p>\n

Many serious questions must be addressed as we uncouple with the United States of America.\u00a0 Among them are transfer of benefits paid in for Social Security, Retirement programs, recognition of education credits, existing contracts between Hawaii and U.S.A. businesses, military shutdowns and uptakes for military associated jobs and businesses, transfer of Hawaii prisoners held in Federal institutions and of U.S.A. prisoners held in Hawaii jails and prisons, transfer of civil, criminal and admiralty jurisdictions over Hawaii domestic affairs, U.S.A. Federal affairs, and international affairs, adoption or transfer of the applicability of laws and how they are to be applied, development of a judiciary and of all of the governmental functions of the Hawaii government.<\/p>\n

International Division <\/strong><\/p>\n

Those matters generally located outside of Hawai`i shall be considered by the external or international.\u00a0 However, the U.S. Federal government stands between these two divisions, having important impact upon our lives directly here in Hawai`i, while it is also active in the international arena.\u00a0 The International Relations division will address our mail systems, tourism and international trade (including trade with all of America), treaties and conventions, participation in international bodies, embassies and consulates, ocean governance beyond the Hawaiian territorial limits, membership in the United Nations, etc.\u00a0 This division will be researching various questions of Hawaii\u2019s international rights as well as Hawaiian nationals\u2019 rights and privileges under the various sources of international and U.S. Federal laws.\u00a0 It will oversee the travels and representations of representatives of the transitional authority, keep records and reports of such travels and of such representations made in international forums, and aid in the travel expenses of such representatives.\u00a0 It will have an education and outreach aspect to teach the community of fundamental principles of international law as well as some specific application for asserting rights of liberation in such arenas.<\/p>\n

Personnel Needs <\/strong><\/p>\n

Each division will require personnel properly trained and attending to special areas of work.\u00a0 Initially, such personnel will be filled by volunteers.\u00a0 Over time, there will be a need for greater specialization as each of these areas of work will require such experience and training.\u00a0 It will also require funding to meet the costs.<\/p>\n

Immediate Programs <\/strong><\/p>\n

The meeting reviewed some of the projects or programs to be accomplished soon include a series of television programs on Hawaiian Sovereignty and the work of the HNTA as we roll out our program.\u00a0 We also will begin working on an internet web site as well as an email address and other forms of communication via social media.\u00a0 One of our associates will begin developing ideas on the upcoming expiration of the \u201clease\u201d to the U.S. Military of Makua\/Kahanahaiki Valley for military training and its return to civilian use, and another idea is to begin the school of liberation (or freedom school) and beginning a course on the history of Hawaii\u2019s colonization and the process of decolonization, as well as courses on the international relations of Hawaii and the impact activities at international arenas to our movement toward liberation.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Questions of who will be engaged and be subject to such transitions, who will constitute the citizenry of the Hawaiian Nation, and what will be the place of the Native Hawaiian people in the Hawaiian nation will all have to be addressed.\u00a0 A clear demarcation of what constitutes the territorial extent of Hawaii, what lands are legitimately U.S.A. owned lands, the distinction between Crown lands, Government lands and private lands in Hawaii, and the need to distinguish between land ownership and national jurisdiction are further areas for exploration.<\/p>\n

The Hawaii National Transitional Authority can give us the field upon which we can move with care and with as little damage or injury as possible as these shifts occur.<\/p>\n

Lost in the discussion of Hawaiian sovereignty is a discussion of the bridging from the existing \u201cpowers that be\u201d to the Hawaiian nation.\u00a0 This discussion will be never ending unless we begin to construct that bridge, give it authority through the grass-roots recognition of its legitimacy and good works, and begin negotiating the terms for the transfer of authority.\u00a0 This HNTA must be bold, visionary, inclusive, and fearless and carry the full weight and responsibility of liberation of Hawaii.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We understand that we don\u2019t have all the answers yet.\u00a0 We understand that developing the answer will be a process as we move in the direction of our liberation from the current colonial condition in which we now operate.\u00a0 We make the road by walking it.\u00a0 The answers will come.<\/p>\n

Notes and opinions are the expressions of Poka Laenui, Wai`anae, Hawaii February 21, 2017.\u00a0 For further information or contact, please communicate with him at plaenui@hawaiianperspectives.org<\/a>.\u00a0 Volunteers are welcome.<\/p>\n

Aloha `\u0101ina<\/em><\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/strong><\/p>\n

[i]<\/a> This was the fourth organizational meeting of the transitional authority following the adjournment of the Na`i Aupuni gathering of approximately 150 Native Hawaiian individuals from various perspectives of Hawaiian sovereignty who met for 20 working days in February, 2016.\u00a0\u00a0 The initial thoughts about a transitional authority arose as the public campaign for delegate positions to the Na`i Aupuni Aha were on-going.\u00a0\u00a0 I introduced the concern that what was needed to move the Hawaiian Sovereignty discussion forward was a new framework, not one which continued the controversy of posing the choice for Hawaiians between a sovereign and independent Hawaiian Nation as opposed to a U.S. Federally recognized autonomous band, tribe, people or \u201cnation\u201d of Native Hawaiians within the framework of the United States of America.\u00a0 That new framework needed to change the dialogue from one of \u201ceither this OR that\u201d to \u201cthis AND that\u201d.\u00a0 Elements of this idea continued into the Aha itself, including the more specific discussion of creating a transitional body which could participate in taking all sides of the debate to eventual Hawaiian independence together.\u00a0 In a separate article, I have written more specifically on the subject of the Na`i Aupuni Aha, but I point out in this note, the earlier development of the transitional authority for historical positioning of the present meeting which shall be the starting point of these notes.<\/p>\n

__________________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>P\u014dk\u0101 Laenui<\/em> is the host of <\/em>Hawaiian Potpourri, KWAI 1080 AM, http:\/\/www.kwai1080am.com<\/a>; Saturdays <\/em>4-6 p.m.<\/em> and Sundays <\/em>7-9 a.m.<\/em> www.hawaiianperspectives.org<\/a>. Poka is a founding member of the <\/em>TRANSCEND Network<\/a> and lives in Hawai\u2019i.\u00a0 He is the latest chairperson of the Native Hawaiian Convention, an elected body of native Hawaiians to fashion models of Hawaiian sovereignty to propose to the native Hawaiian constituents.\u00a0 This convention has been de-funded by the State of Hawaii and its domestic entity, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs while the convention was considering a proposal for a model of independence from the United States of America.\u00a0 His email is plaenui@hawaiianperspectives.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The HNTA shall be an unincorporated-freely associated entity with the aim of assisting in the transition of Hawaii from its current state or condition under the rule of the USA (including its subsidiary creation of the State of Hawaii, its various county governments, its agencies and administrative\/executive bodies) to its liberation as an independent nation-state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-transcend-members"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87542"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87542\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}