Native Issues
April 2010
Honolulu City Council Akaka Bill Hearing Video
On Wednesday, April 21, the Honolulu City Council considered a resolution to support the Akaka Bill. There were 29 minutes of testimony and questions that were recorded by 'Olelo TV, and further divided up into three part by Jere Krischel. Below you will find the videos. Please enjoy!
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Native Issues
December 2009
Akaka Bill Poll Findings Released
December 15, 2009--A new poll of registered Hawaii voters, conducted by Zogby International, has found that a majority of those surveyed oppose the Akaka Bill, while 76 percent oppose higher taxes to pay for the nation-tribe proposed in the bill. The poll was sponsored by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii and conducted from November 18 to 23, 2009. (more)
Native Issues
September 2009
Civil Rights Activist and Attorney Dies
Remembering kama’aina John Goemans
John Goemans, a revolutionary attorney well known for his initiation of the Rice v. Cayetano case, passed away on Monday June 15th in a California hospice. He had spent the past few years in California with his sister. Mr. Goemans was passionately involved in various civil rights cases in the state of Hawaii and will be remembered as a kama’aina with a vision of racial equality for Hawaii. (more)
Native Issues
January 2009
The Economic Impact of the Akaka Bill
Unintended Consequences for Hawaii
The Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2007, S.310 and H.R..505 in the 110th Congress, also known as the Akaka Bill, after sponsor Senator Daniel Akaka, proposes to creates a sovereign Native Hawaiian Governing Entity (NHGE) within the state of Hawaii. While the terms of the bill are vague, the most likely effect would be to vest this new Native Hawaiian government with the right to land now owned by the state, to the detriment of non-Native Hawaiian taxpayers and, correspondingly, the state economy. (more)
Native Issues
December 2008
Amicus Brief
for Supreme Court case Hawaii vs. OHA
This case deals with the gravest threat to the State of Hawaii in its history. GRIH believes the January 31, 2008 decision of the Hawaii Supreme Court, the 1993 Apology Resolution on which it is based, and the Akaka Bill which it would enable, have brought the State of Hawaii to the brink of self-destruction. On March 7, 2008 GRIH advised the Honorable Linda Lingle of its concerns and asked her as Governor to take appropriate action on behalf of all the people of Hawaii. GRIH's concerns were that the State Attorney General had not contested the misstatements of history in the Apology Resolution; and did not raise the constitutional and trust law defenses to the Office of Hawaiian Affair's ("OHA's"). (www.aloha4all.org/news.aspx.) (more)
Native Issues
November 2008
Sunshine on the Akaka Bill
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii has three major goals with regard to the so-called Akaka Bill: to educate the Hawaii public with regard to the Akaka bill, to educate the US public and their elected representatives and to demand a vote of all the people of Hawaii before any establishment of a separate government in Hawaii could be put into effect. (more)
Native Issues
September 2008
What Comes After Akaka Bill Passage?
A Preview from Senator Inouye
Over the past several years there has been a fair amount of theorizing about what will follow if The Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2007, otherwise known as the Akaka Bill (S. 310 / H.R. 505), passes Congress and is signed into law. The bill has now passed in the U.S. House and is only a few votes short of the 60 votes needed to break a U.S. Senate filibuster. (more)
Native Issues
August 2008
Good News
Native Hawaiians Prosper
This paper examines the effects of demographics and earning power of those identifying themselves as Native Hawaiian. It finds that Native Hawaiians are as prosperous as everyone else, despite claims to the contrary from some in our community. A "Native" as used herein is someone who has self-identified as being "Native Hawaiian," either alone or in combination with another race or races, in response to the Census survey. A "non-Native" is someone who has not so self-identified. (more)
Blogs
Rooted in Reason
Grassroot Institute's Official Blog
The Mystery of Hawaiian History
Correcting historical revisionism and misconceptions promoted by the Akaka Bill.
Hawaii Spendometer
How Fast Does The State Government Spend Your Money?
$9,122,166,121.47
