Pete Doktor "Statehood celebration belonged at Capitol" published in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin on August 22, 2006, seems to believe that people in the United States have freedom of assembly and speech at a place and venue only when it is agreeable to him and his ilk.
Doktor's attempt to legitimize the Hawaiian militants who attended the celebration at Iolani Palace and immediately tried to intimidate those who chose to speak and act in favor of the United States and Hawaii Statehood is simply the act of zealots.
Their actions at the rally more resembled those of terrorists such as hezbollah or hamas rather than native Hawaiian culture warriors. These self proclaimed "protestors" had
no mandate from any group other than their own yet claimed to speak for
what "Hawaiians" want.
There is an old saying "the Irish don't know what they want but they're willing to fight for it".
The Hawaiian militants who showed up at an otherwise peaceful rally seemed not to know what they want but were willing to engage in an act of terror against anyone who did not appear to them to be of their favored race or who did not agree with their political agenda of hatred for the United States.
It was truely unfortunate that a rag tag group of misguided Hawaiian nationalists would confront a peaceful group of U.S. and State patriots who had a valid permit for their activity.
It is also unfortunate that in
the future when blood is finally shed at the hands of these militants
which it almost came to at the Iolani Palace rally and eventually will
happen, that it will fall on the hands of our local politicians who have
continually supported Hawaiian nationalism in their quest for native
Hawaiian votes.
'Garry Smith, a resident of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, who attended the Statehood celebration and rally, can be reached via email at mailto:garrypsmith@juno.com
