A few comments on the current events
1) 8 years and a week ago today, the USA was under attack by Al Qaida!
For my thoughts on 9/11 check out the following blog posts from the past
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2004_09_01_archive.html#109497530808413160
Take a moment of silence to remember the innocent victims of the attack, to remember those who attempted to rescue those stuck in the buildings, and all those whose loved ones passed away!
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2005_09_01_archive.html#112667000764509312 (discussed how I found out about the 9/11 attacks)
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2006_09_01_archive.html#115801887630379524 ( my evolving thoughts on 9/11, foreign policy and the following wars)
2) 2pac passed away 13 years ago this past Sunday! 2pac once said "America isn't ready for a black president". Unfortunately, he died 13 years too early to see it happen in real life!
3) Kanye West is at it again! Hip-Hop's biggest sore loser thinks he's so tough by interrupting Taylor Swift's speech at the VMAs! If he tried that to G-Unit, Three 6 Mafia, The Game or Suge Knight, he wouldn't come out alive! Kanye West is just another punk who only causes trouble to people who can't fight back!
4) Lets' say you have always opposed racism. But you are also skeptical about Obama's health-care plans! You worry it could make things worse.
Guess what? A lot of left-wing pundits think you don't exist! They keep saying "those who protest Obama's plans are racists"
Look, I'm not naive. There are racist people out there who still can't get over Obama being president!
But the idea that "only racists can oppose Obama's plans" is BULL-NONSENSE!
Reality is that even some African-Americans have publicly criticized Obama's policies. They include Larry Elder, Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams and Star Parker. And let's not forget that the current chair of the Republican Party is an African-American male named Micheal Steele!
Here's what Thomas Sowell said on Obama's plan
http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell091509.php3
What did we do, back during the years when most Americans had no medical insurance? I did what most people did. I depended on a "single payer" — myself. When I didn't have the money, I paid off my medical bills in installments.
The birth of my first child was not covered by medical insurance. I paid off the bill, month by month, until the time finally came when I could tell my wife that the baby was now ours, free and clear.
In a country where everything imaginable is bought and paid for on credit, why is it suddenly a national crisis if some people cannot pay cash up front for medical treatment?
That is not the best way to do things for all people and all medical treatments, which is why most Americans today choose to have medical insurance. But millions of other people choose not to — often young and healthy people, sometimes deadbeats who use emergency rooms and don't pay at all.
--------
I choose to have health insurance and hope I can continue to afford it! I can pay now or pay later. I prefer to pay now so I can be covered!
The US systems has flaws! Those who can't afford medical procedures can be in deadly situations. Check out http://www.truthout.org/article/bob-herbert-the-divide-caring-our-kids
But that has also happened in so-called single-payer (more accurate word is GOVERNMENT MONOPOLY paid by 300 million taxpayers) health-care nations like Canada.
Check out http://jewishworldreview.com/0709/tracinski.php3
5) Magic Johnson visited McKinley High School (my alma mater) earlier this week!
http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20090917_mckinleys_magic_moment.html
All heads turned as one to the entrance of the gym as the magic moment came at 1:15 p.m. When a big man a foot taller than everyone around him neared the door, the screaming started and burst into a roar as Hall of Fame basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson stepped inside.
No formal introduction was made for 10 minutes -- there was no need -- because the 1,800 kids recognized the smile that has always lit up a room and a basketball court, said emcee Stacie Tamaru, student body president. When Tamaru was told Johnson would appear minutes before the assembly, "I started jumping up and down. I was amazed and shocked. Words cannot describe how it felt to give a lei and hug to Mr. Magic Johnson."
He generated excitement, even though he retired from the NBA just as the current-day high school seniors were about to be born!
What's even more amazing was that when I learned about Johnson having HIV, I was in 5th grade. I thought Johnson wouldn't make it to 2000! It's 2009 and he still exciting crowds in the present!
6) Gangsta rap pioneer EAZY-E once said 1999 was going to be the end of the world. It's 10 years later! EAZY-E died of AIDS in 1995! He never got to see 1999!
I remember learning of Eazy-E's death after returning from a middle-school sponsored field trip to the Big Island!
Ironic, as me & a few other male students were in a car driving into the Volcanoes National Park, a classmate suggested playing a rap CD. The driver told the student he'll have to pay for every swear word being heard. One of those CDs was from Eazy-E. At the time, we didn't know Eazy-E might've just died!
We were sequestered from the outside world! This was a few years before the Internet, text-messaging, etc became popular!
We had to wait before coming back to Oahu before finding out! We were late in hearing the news!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Monday, September 07, 2009
Natives and Non-Natives
PART ONE
Some Native Hawaiian sovereignty activists love to say that non-native residents "have a place to go back to, Hawaiians don't"
Excuse me?
I responded to it by writing the following for the Honolulu Star Bulletin.
http://www.starbulletin.com/editorials/20090906_Lifelong_Hawaii_resident_has_no_other_place_to_call_home.html
The above link is the edited version. Below is what I actually sent to the editors!
You can check out people's comments to the editorial at
http://www.topix.net/forum/source/honolulu-star-bulletin/TEK0F40EBF5J0BAPO
some called my editorial "idiotic whining", others pointed out that the ancestors of Native Hawaiians came from Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands.
Here's what I wrote in response to some comments
----------
So far, no letters appeared on today's edition of the Star Bulletin responded to my editorial. If some come up, and if they're lame, I'll post it here on my blog.
---
PART TWO
a few months back, on the Honolulu Weekly, there was an interview with UH English professor Cynthia Fujikane.
Fujikane is one of those Asian-Americans who feel guilty about living in Hawaii. She feels Asian-Americans in Hawaii should feel un-earned guilt for living in lands that European-Americans stole from Native Hawaiians!
Here's what I wrote to Dr Fujikane
=================================
Ms. Cynthia Fujikane,
First off, like you, I am a descendant of a "settler"!
I skimmed through the Asian Settler Colonialism book and read the interview in the Honolulu Weekly!
I do agree that the descendants of "settlers" need to respect the Native Hawaiian culture! We need to learn as much as we can!
However, I do see some holes in the rhetoric!
From the interview:
Some people don’t want to give up the word ‘local.
Most people I know use "local" in the context of "this guy's a local Japanese, instead of an immigrant Japanese"
So I don't see a problem with saying who's local!
---------------
If you’re not Hawaiian, you’re a settler and part of the colonial problem.
The neo-Nazis in Europe feel the same way about African & Arab immigrants in Europe! Their attitude "we (Germans, French, Russians, etc) are here first, those non-whites aren't from here, they're the problem!"
This is the attitude of "all those not of the same DNA are born-to-be-a-problem". Therefore, the neo-Nazi comparison!
-----------
The word hapa has also recently been used more in Asian American Studies. Wei-Ming Dariotis of San Francisco State recently wrote that when she discovered that using the term is a settler appropriation of a Hawaiian word, she stopped using it. She is encouraging hapa clubs in California to rename themselves.
I heard it before, using the word "hapa" is a mis-appropriation of the Hawaiian language!
Words of EVERY language has been mis-appropriated!
For example, look at English, the native language of England!
People all over the world (including these islands) use English words VERY DIFFERENTLY from the way they were originally used by the native English!
Same is true of other languages!
People of Latin America & the Phillipines use Spanish words VERY DIFFERENTLY from way those words are used in Spain!
People of Tahiti & Haiti use French words VERY DIFFERENTLY from the way those words are used in France!
And obviously, we in Hawaii use English words very differently than the way those words are used in England. Here, we call proudly call it pidgin!
As an English professors, you probably know even more examples than I do about how languages evolve!
Not only that, English has so many words from other languages, like Latin, Greek, Hebrew, German,etc, etc.
So back to the word "hapa", while it may be used differently than it was in the pre-Cook era, I'm sure we all use English words very differently from the Germanic, Latin, Greek or Hebrew roots of those same words. And most of us aren't even German, Italian, Greek or Jewish, but we use their words totally differently from their ancestors!
I'm sure you probably got answers to many of the commentary
Though if you're tempted to dismiss it as "just another settler in denial", that wouldn't a response based on logic, it would be a response based on the attitude of "how dare you question me and not sit in silence"
PART THREE
Dr. Fujikane didn't respond to my e-mail.
It's impossible to find the link to Fujikane's lame interview with Honolulu Weekly. I saw it on the print edition.
However, I did find a link to a letter by Ethnic Studies Professor Dr. Davianna Pomaikai McGregor (who is Native Hawaiian) who exposed how lame Cynthia Fujikane's arguments are.
http://honoluluweekly.com/letters/2009/05/settling-the-record-straight/
Some Native Hawaiian sovereignty activists love to say that non-native residents "have a place to go back to, Hawaiians don't"
Excuse me?
I responded to it by writing the following for the Honolulu Star Bulletin.
http://www.starbulletin.com/editorials/20090906_Lifelong_Hawaii_resident_has_no_other_place_to_call_home.html
The above link is the edited version. Below is what I actually sent to the editors!
Here we go again, another letter writer claimed that a non-Native Hawaiian "has a place to return to; Hawaiians do not." (8/31/09 edition of the Star Bulletin)!
I have a "place to return to"? I never lived anywhere else! So where am I supposed to "return to"? Am I supposed to return to Mexico? Puerto Rico? Spain? Portugal? Germany?
What about those who are part-Japanese/part-Filipino? Or those who are part-Tongan/part-Irish? Where do they "return to"?
This "non-natives have a place to return to" rhetoric is ridiculous! The reality is that many who grew up away from their ancestral lands would have extreme difficulty fitting in their ancestral lands.
For example, some Japanese moved to Latin America about a century ago. When their Latin-American born descendants moved to Japan, they faced major issues! Though their DNA was Japanese, they were too culturally Latin-American to be accepted by the mainstream Japanese society!
This was also true of those who migrated to the US as children, joined a gang, comitted a felony and deported to their birthplace. They included Cambodian and Salvadoran ex-cons who had a hard time fitting into their birthplace after spending a decade or two in the U.S.
This idea of "non-natives have a place to return to" is a part of a larger mentality of "this is our land, the rest are intruders"!
This mentality isn't limited to the vocal minority here in Hawaii. It was also present in the land where my last name came from - Germany! The Nazis felt Germany was the land of their ethnic group and others are intruders. This led to a mass murder of Jews, Gypsies and other groups. Some modern Europeans still have that "this is our land, others are intruders" attitude, leading to hate crimes against immigrants from the Middle East, Africa and Asia!
Now, let's talk about another of my ancestral lands - Latin Americans. The natives were conquered by the Spanish. But the descendants of the conquerors are there to stay. The descdendants of the conquered, conquerors, imported slaves and settlers are accepted as a part of the modern Latin American social fabric.
Most people in Hawaii, Native Hawaiians and non-native, have accepted that the descendants of the conquered, conquerors and other settlers are part of the modern Hawaii social fabric
Those without Native Hawaiian ancestry need to respect Native Hawaiian culture! And the xenophobic minority who say "non-natives have a place to return to" need to accept that non-natives aren't going to go away!
As Rodney King has said "can we all just get along?"--
You can check out people's comments to the editorial at
http://www.topix.net/forum/source/honolulu-star-bulletin/TEK0F40EBF5J0BAPO
some called my editorial "idiotic whining", others pointed out that the ancestors of Native Hawaiians came from Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands.
Here's what I wrote in response to some comments
Thanks to everyone who read so far!
What I also should've added in the editorial is - it wouldn't be right for Native Hawaiians living in Nevada or Utah to be told by the local Native American tribes "you don't belong, go back to Hawaii". It wouldn't be right for Native Hawaiians to be told "go back to Tahiti".
As for the comment by "arm", my Latin American ancestors are a mix of the Native Americans and Europeans. In fact, my dad's mother is pure Zapotec, no Spanish! Zapotec is one of the native tribes of Oaxaca, Mexico! That's where I got my brown skin,and probably why I wouldn't be accepted in Germany (where my last name came from, and one of my mom's ancestral lands)
An ironic thing, Sonia Sotomayor is known to be Puerto Rican, and got controversy over the "wise Latina coming to a better conclusion than a white man". But look at Sotomayor's skin. It's WHITE! Though most of her DNA would probably trace to Spain, she's still called Puerto Rican, because her family has been there for generations!
As for WaimeaWilliams, you said "Just get along? Yes, if it were only that simple." What's wrong with getting along? What's wrong with just judging people based on character!
----------
So far, no letters appeared on today's edition of the Star Bulletin responded to my editorial. If some come up, and if they're lame, I'll post it here on my blog.
---
PART TWO
a few months back, on the Honolulu Weekly, there was an interview with UH English professor Cynthia Fujikane.
Fujikane is one of those Asian-Americans who feel guilty about living in Hawaii. She feels Asian-Americans in Hawaii should feel un-earned guilt for living in lands that European-Americans stole from Native Hawaiians!
Here's what I wrote to Dr Fujikane
=================================
Ms. Cynthia Fujikane,
First off, like you, I am a descendant of a "settler"!
I skimmed through the Asian Settler Colonialism book and read the interview in the Honolulu Weekly!
I do agree that the descendants of "settlers" need to respect the Native Hawaiian culture! We need to learn as much as we can!
However, I do see some holes in the rhetoric!
From the interview:
Some people don’t want to give up the word ‘local.
Most people I know use "local" in the context of "this guy's a local Japanese, instead of an immigrant Japanese"
So I don't see a problem with saying who's local!
---------------
If you’re not Hawaiian, you’re a settler and part of the colonial problem.
The neo-Nazis in Europe feel the same way about African & Arab immigrants in Europe! Their attitude "we (Germans, French, Russians, etc) are here first, those non-whites aren't from here, they're the problem!"
This is the attitude of "all those not of the same DNA are born-to-be-a-problem". Therefore, the neo-Nazi comparison!
-----------
The word hapa has also recently been used more in Asian American Studies. Wei-Ming Dariotis of San Francisco State recently wrote that when she discovered that using the term is a settler appropriation of a Hawaiian word, she stopped using it. She is encouraging hapa clubs in California to rename themselves.
I heard it before, using the word "hapa" is a mis-appropriation of the Hawaiian language!
Words of EVERY language has been mis-appropriated!
For example, look at English, the native language of England!
People all over the world (including these islands) use English words VERY DIFFERENTLY from the way they were originally used by the native English!
Same is true of other languages!
People of Latin America & the Phillipines use Spanish words VERY DIFFERENTLY from way those words are used in Spain!
People of Tahiti & Haiti use French words VERY DIFFERENTLY from the way those words are used in France!
And obviously, we in Hawaii use English words very differently than the way those words are used in England. Here, we call proudly call it pidgin!
As an English professors, you probably know even more examples than I do about how languages evolve!
Not only that, English has so many words from other languages, like Latin, Greek, Hebrew, German,etc, etc.
So back to the word "hapa", while it may be used differently than it was in the pre-Cook era, I'm sure we all use English words very differently from the Germanic, Latin, Greek or Hebrew roots of those same words. And most of us aren't even German, Italian, Greek or Jewish, but we use their words totally differently from their ancestors!
I'm sure you probably got answers to many of the commentary
Though if you're tempted to dismiss it as "just another settler in denial", that wouldn't a response based on logic, it would be a response based on the attitude of "how dare you question me and not sit in silence"
PART THREE
Dr. Fujikane didn't respond to my e-mail.
It's impossible to find the link to Fujikane's lame interview with Honolulu Weekly. I saw it on the print edition.
However, I did find a link to a letter by Ethnic Studies Professor Dr. Davianna Pomaikai McGregor (who is Native Hawaiian) who exposed how lame Cynthia Fujikane's arguments are.
http://honoluluweekly.com/letters/2009/05/settling-the-record-straight/
Letters
Settling the record straight
May 13, 2009
I write as a founding member of the UH Manoa Ethnic Studies Department to correct an inaccurate statement by English Professor Candace Fujikane (“Critical transformations,” 4/22).
Dr. Fujikane mistakenly attributed our department’s slogan, “Our History, Our Way” to local Asians who she called colonial with “no perception that Hawaiians have their own struggle.”
First of all, myself and other Kanaka ‘Oiwi (Pete Thompson, Kehau Lee, Terrilee Kekoolani, Soli Niheu) were at the forefront of the struggle and the formulation of our slogan.
Second, the slogan is inclusive of Kanaka ‘Oiwi history. Our ethnic studies courses on Hawaiians and land tenure were the first to challenge the dominant historical narrative, which characterized Native Hawaiians as compliant, childlike natives who embraced Christianity and American settler civilization.
We empowered our students with a history of resistance, from the makaainana of Kau who killed abusive chiefs; to the killing of Captain Cook; the taking of the Fair American; the rebellion of Chief Kekuaokalani and Chiefess Manono; the 1845 petitions against Ka Mahele; the Wilcox Rebellion; the Hui Aloha ‘Aina; the 1895 Restoration; and Hawaiian longshoremen who founded the I.L.W.U. Moreover, we got involved, with our students, in Kalama Valley, Waiahole-Waikane, Heʻeia Kea, Waimanalo, Niumalu Nawiliwili and Kahoolawe community struggles.
Sadly, Fujikane’s statement is yet another example of how labeling Asian immigrant workers and their descendants as colonial “settlers” is ahistorical, narrow-minded, lacking in class analysis, and too simplistic to explain our complicated islands’ society.
Dr. Davianna Pomaikai McGregor
Professor, Ethnic Studies Department UHM
Saturday, August 22, 2009
statehood vs independence
Yesterday, it was official : the 50th state was a state for 50 years!
1) Back in 1959, the overwhelming majority of those who voted chose statehood for Hawaii.
However, some Hawaiian sovereignty activists said that that election was illegitimate because independence wasn't listed as an option on the ballot!
So now what?
The obvious is that we should have another election for the status: statehood, territory, independence, none of the above!
Whichever side looses will need to accept the results!
According to a recent poll, most Hawaii residents prefer statehood!
Read on it at
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090821/STATEHOOD01/908210362
Whatever happened in 1893, everyone from that era is dead! Only the living can vote!
Let's put it this way - Northern Ireland was conquered by the British! The Irish could claim that was their stolen land. But that conquest happened centuries ago. But if the people living in Northern Ireland want to remain a part of the United Kingdom, then that's what it will be! You can only go by those who live there today!
If the people of Leeward Oahu, Hana, Pahoa or Waimanalo want to start their own separate nation, that's fine! They just need to keep their economies sustainable, because the US taxpayers aren't going to bail them out all the time!
2) Independence will NOT guarantee things will get better or worse.
Let's look at North Korea and South Korea. Both were conquered by Japan!
However, after the Japanese left, the 2 Koreas went in totally opposite directions.
South Korea became one of the most prosperous democracies in the world. North Korea became one of the poorest and most oppressive dictatorships in the world!
One country became better off after the Japanese left, the other got worse!
Now let's look at Botswana and Zimbabwe. Both are African nations that are next to each other. Both were former British territories.
After the British left, Botswana and Zimbabwe went totally opposite directions.
Botswana is now one of the most economically stable, peaceful, democratic nations in Africa. It doesn't fit the negative stereotypes of Africa!
Zimbabwe is now one of the most poorest, violent and oppressive dictatorships in Africa. It fits the worst stereotypes of Africa!
One country became better off after the British left, the other got worse!
So will Hawaii become worse or better if it became independent? NOTHING IS GUARANTEED!
3) why were there no massive celebrations of statehood yesterday?
Only one government official admitted the obvious : riot prevention!
Here's what Don Cataluna, a trustee of the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs, said!
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090821/STATEHOOD01/908210363&template=statehood/Iolani+Palace+to+remain+quiet+as+Hawaii+observes+50th
"And many, many Hawaiians — many Hawaiians — would be very, very upset," Cataluna said. "It would not be a good idea to have an event at the site of the overthrow of their queen. It would be a horrible mess there. I had visions of blood spilling and I didn't want that."
Based on everything I read in the papers today, all statehood events and protests were peaceful. Sure, there might've been shouting, but as long as no one got hit, then that's democracy in action!
4) What if the US didn't take over Hawaii?
Someone else would've!
Other nations looking to conquer were Germany, Russia and Japan!
Judging by the history of the 20th century, does anyone think Hawaii would've been better off being taken over by Germany, Russia or Japan?
US control of Hawaii wasn't perfect. In the early half of the 20th century, Native Hawaiian children were humiliated by their school-teachers if they spoke Hawaiian! This has contributed to the anger felt by many Native Hawaiians!
But the freedoms of the US Constitution allowed for the freedom of speech, assembly and religion. These things made the Hawaiian Renaissance movement much easier. These freedoms allowed the Native Hawaiians to revive lost traditions and their culture to grow again!
Now, we have charter schools and immersion schools that emphasize the Hawaiian language and Native Hawaiian culture!
Things are very different now from the early territorial days!
5) What's going to happen in the future?
Most likely, Hawaii will remain a state for a very long time. Though I think that areas like Leeward Oahu, Hana, Waimanalo, Pahoa and the islands of Niihau, Molokai and Kaho'olawe could eventually break off from the US and be a separate Hawaiian nation, just like how certain parts of the continental US are separate Native American nations!
Hawaii and the USA are connected in so many ways, it's unlikely that Hawaii would totally separate from the USA! Even many Native Hawaiians don't want to totally separate from the USA! The farthest it would go is nation-within-a-nation status!
6) The total-independence crowd will continue to be a minority. Their rhetoric has alienated too many people!
Let's put it this way. My Zapotec ancestors of Oaxaca, Mexico were conquered by the Spanish! But the descendants of the Spanish settlers are there to stay! So while Mexico is independent, the descendants of the conquerors, conquered and other settlers are accepted as part of the modern Mexican social fabric!
The same for Hawaii. Whether Hawaii is a state or independent, the sovereignty activists need to accept that the descendants of the conquerors, conquered and other settlers are part of the modern Hawaiian social fabric!
Those without Native Hawaiian ancestry need to respect Native Hawaiian culture! And the independence advocates need to accept that non-natives aren't going away and that integration is the way to go!
As Rodney King has said "can we all just get along"
1) Back in 1959, the overwhelming majority of those who voted chose statehood for Hawaii.
However, some Hawaiian sovereignty activists said that that election was illegitimate because independence wasn't listed as an option on the ballot!
So now what?
The obvious is that we should have another election for the status: statehood, territory, independence, none of the above!
Whichever side looses will need to accept the results!
According to a recent poll, most Hawaii residents prefer statehood!
Read on it at
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090821/STATEHOOD01/908210362
Whatever happened in 1893, everyone from that era is dead! Only the living can vote!
Let's put it this way - Northern Ireland was conquered by the British! The Irish could claim that was their stolen land. But that conquest happened centuries ago. But if the people living in Northern Ireland want to remain a part of the United Kingdom, then that's what it will be! You can only go by those who live there today!
If the people of Leeward Oahu, Hana, Pahoa or Waimanalo want to start their own separate nation, that's fine! They just need to keep their economies sustainable, because the US taxpayers aren't going to bail them out all the time!
2) Independence will NOT guarantee things will get better or worse.
Let's look at North Korea and South Korea. Both were conquered by Japan!
However, after the Japanese left, the 2 Koreas went in totally opposite directions.
South Korea became one of the most prosperous democracies in the world. North Korea became one of the poorest and most oppressive dictatorships in the world!
One country became better off after the Japanese left, the other got worse!
Now let's look at Botswana and Zimbabwe. Both are African nations that are next to each other. Both were former British territories.
After the British left, Botswana and Zimbabwe went totally opposite directions.
Botswana is now one of the most economically stable, peaceful, democratic nations in Africa. It doesn't fit the negative stereotypes of Africa!
Zimbabwe is now one of the most poorest, violent and oppressive dictatorships in Africa. It fits the worst stereotypes of Africa!
One country became better off after the British left, the other got worse!
So will Hawaii become worse or better if it became independent? NOTHING IS GUARANTEED!
3) why were there no massive celebrations of statehood yesterday?
Only one government official admitted the obvious : riot prevention!
Here's what Don Cataluna, a trustee of the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs, said!
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090821/STATEHOOD01/908210363&template=statehood/Iolani+Palace+to+remain+quiet+as+Hawaii+observes+50th
"And many, many Hawaiians — many Hawaiians — would be very, very upset," Cataluna said. "It would not be a good idea to have an event at the site of the overthrow of their queen. It would be a horrible mess there. I had visions of blood spilling and I didn't want that."
Based on everything I read in the papers today, all statehood events and protests were peaceful. Sure, there might've been shouting, but as long as no one got hit, then that's democracy in action!
4) What if the US didn't take over Hawaii?
Someone else would've!
Other nations looking to conquer were Germany, Russia and Japan!
Judging by the history of the 20th century, does anyone think Hawaii would've been better off being taken over by Germany, Russia or Japan?
US control of Hawaii wasn't perfect. In the early half of the 20th century, Native Hawaiian children were humiliated by their school-teachers if they spoke Hawaiian! This has contributed to the anger felt by many Native Hawaiians!
But the freedoms of the US Constitution allowed for the freedom of speech, assembly and religion. These things made the Hawaiian Renaissance movement much easier. These freedoms allowed the Native Hawaiians to revive lost traditions and their culture to grow again!
Now, we have charter schools and immersion schools that emphasize the Hawaiian language and Native Hawaiian culture!
Things are very different now from the early territorial days!
5) What's going to happen in the future?
Most likely, Hawaii will remain a state for a very long time. Though I think that areas like Leeward Oahu, Hana, Waimanalo, Pahoa and the islands of Niihau, Molokai and Kaho'olawe could eventually break off from the US and be a separate Hawaiian nation, just like how certain parts of the continental US are separate Native American nations!
Hawaii and the USA are connected in so many ways, it's unlikely that Hawaii would totally separate from the USA! Even many Native Hawaiians don't want to totally separate from the USA! The farthest it would go is nation-within-a-nation status!
6) The total-independence crowd will continue to be a minority. Their rhetoric has alienated too many people!
Let's put it this way. My Zapotec ancestors of Oaxaca, Mexico were conquered by the Spanish! But the descendants of the Spanish settlers are there to stay! So while Mexico is independent, the descendants of the conquerors, conquered and other settlers are accepted as part of the modern Mexican social fabric!
The same for Hawaii. Whether Hawaii is a state or independent, the sovereignty activists need to accept that the descendants of the conquerors, conquered and other settlers are part of the modern Hawaiian social fabric!
Those without Native Hawaiian ancestry need to respect Native Hawaiian culture! And the independence advocates need to accept that non-natives aren't going away and that integration is the way to go!
As Rodney King has said "can we all just get along"
Friday, August 21, 2009
Coming soon
My thoughts on statehood! Today is the 50th anniversary of Hawaii becoming a state!
So many thoughts, so little time to blog it all out!
Hopefully, I'll be able to have something tommorrow night!
So many thoughts, so little time to blog it all out!
Hopefully, I'll be able to have something tommorrow night!
My 10-year high school reunion :)
This past weekend (August 15-16, 2009), the McKinley High School c/0 1999 had their high school reunion!
(10 years already? Damn I feel old!)
On Saturday night (August 15th), we had the main event at Bonsai Restaurant! It had 2 floors. Our reunion was in the 2nd floor, with a bar and a few tables.
There wasn't much space, which has its pros and cons. The pros is the small space gives us a greater chance to talk to more former classmates crowded among us. That's the point of reunions. The cons are that we could use more room to dance around.
The program itself was from 5pm - 9pm. But we could stick around and party when the general public was invited to Bonsai afterwards!
The next day (Sunday, August 16th) there was a picnic at Ala Moana Beach Park. There were less people, but some were the ones who couldn't make it to the previous night's event. It was mostly due to those people being unable to find a babysitter to watch their kids. But they could bring their kids to the Sunday picnic!
The picnic was very low-key and very relaxing! I brought Tostitos Lime Chips and Chips Ahoy cookies! Others brought pizza, chili, rice, sushi, juice and other items!
Now, on to some commentary
1) One of my classmates said he wasn't planning to come, but came because I sent SO MANY e-mail reminders to my friends about the reunion!
That guy (I won't mention names) said he had some bad memories of high school, and didn't want to see people he didn't like!
But after the reunion, he said it was better than he thought it would be! He even expressed that it was a wake-up call to enjoy life!
He made the correct decision to come. But there's other people who probably didn't go to their reunions because they didn't get along with some people!
THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED!
If you go to a school like mine (with 1800 students) there's no way you'll get along with everyone! But there's also no way everyone would be your enemy!
I predicted that the wanabee thugs, druggies, and other sort of losers will NOT show up for the reunion!
I also predicted that those involved in ethnic gang fights between differing Asian and Pacific groups will not show up to the reunion!
I WAS PROVEN CORRECT!
What people need to understand is that those people didn't even show up for various school activities like Bonfires, luaus, Project Grad, etc.
Those people HATE school, HATE everything, don't like school activities and I knew they had no interest in going to the reunion!
What you also need to understand is that those people were NOT really popular! People just put up with them, because they're afraid to tell them to"SHUT UP!" But the main proof that those losers (wanabee thugs, druggies, etc. ) weren't really popular is that NOBODY INVITED THEM TO THE REUNION! Most people don't want them around!
So if you're worried about your tormentors showing up for your reunion, CHILL! Most likely, nobody reminded them to come! They most likely aren't going to show up anyways!
And even if you do see one of them, no one is going to force you to talk to them! Talk to the people you get along with!
Also, it's 1o YEARS LATER! People change!
I know I irritated some people during my schooling years. I also know from the reunion that most of them forgave me anyways! They knew I didn't have bad intentions, and that we were very immature, and that people mature and grow wiser!
2) Reunions are not only fun, they're inspiring!
At least I know I was inspired
---
For one thing, I witnessed 2 former enemies made peace. Actually, those 2 were friends in elementary and middle school, but had arguments at the start of high school! Those things escalated to the point where they didn't talk to each other for years!
I met them at Kawananakoa Middle School. I got along with them, but wasn't the best friend I should've been! Instead of mediating, I told both people what they said about each other! I totally regret that, and it was eating me up on the inside!
I invited both to the reunion, and we all apologized to each other! It was a special moment!
A lot of people didn't know about this, so I won't mention names!
---
One of my former classmates was in the US military and was fighting wars in the Middle East. Had a lot of near-death experiences, had injuries from IEDs, and probably had many traumatizing moments!
But at the reunion, he showed everyone that he still knows HOW TO PARTY!!!!! He was talking to a lot of people. He was dancing!
He knows from experience how to appreciate life!
That was inspiring!!!!
----
I was talking to Don, who once lived in the same neighborhood growing up. That neighborhood is officially named Puahala Homes, but EVERYONE calls it Lanakila Housing!!! It is a small housing project!
We were the only ones from that hood to show up to the reunion! (however, our high school also had other ghetto communities within the district )
We were trading stories about our childhoods in that communities, the people we grew up with, the blatant welfare fraud committed by our neighbors, etc.
We no longer lived there. Don was saying "you can't live there forever", and you can't live off the government forever". I told him when parents moved out in my early adolescence, I was unhappy that I being uprooted and I mentioned my good memories there! But I totally understood what he said about leaving the hood and accomplishing things!
Our families came from 3rd world nations (my dad's from Mexico, his family is from Laos). Our families struggled with cultural shock and being a minority in a new place. But we made it! I told him "We made it out of the ghetto" and we gave high-fives!
-------
I also was talking to some girls I knew from Lanakila Elementary School. We drifted apart and didn't hang out much after elementary! But there we were at the reunion! As I came up to talk to them, one of them was saying "look, we all from Lanakila Elementary School". It was like a reunion within a reunion! Trading stories about our past and our present! I never had a sister, but talking to those girls, it's like talking to my long-lost sisters!
I was talking to another female classmate from the same elementary school, and she still remembered my brother! The same one still remembered that I memorized the names of U S presidents back in elementary. Then she thought I would be getting my PhD by now [maybe later, but thanks for the thought!:)] We were joking around about some stuff as well! I didn't talk to that girl much in high school (never shared classes for some reason), but at that reunion, it was like time never passed. Another long-lost sister re-united!
------
As for my other elementary classmates, I still talk to Jeff on a regular basis. Nicholas (who attended Lanakila for one year) was also at the reunion. That guy started growing late, but now he's taller than me!
Nicholas and I had some common friends like Orlando Holbron and Justin Gonda.Over the years I lost contact with both! However, I heard that Gonda is in jail for raping a girl!
It's a very bad feeling that someone I hung out with in high school has done such a heinous crime! A very sad thing to mention to my former classmates!
---------
I'm sure I must've inspired others as well at the reunion!
Some people couldn't recognize me at 1st because I lost weight.
In my 12th grade year, I was about 220 pounds.
The last time I checked earlier this summer, I'm about 165 pounds!
A lot of people congratulated me on loosing weight.
They asked how I did it! I just told them I did the basics -- eat less meals, walk around more, ride bikes, etc.
--
Some were surprised I became a substitute teacher! I talked to some about the life of a sub!
I also joked to one of my former Lanakila classmates, after becoming a substitute "now I understand why some people were mad at me" in our school days! She just laughed and told me I was a funny guy!
---
I was also inspired by the careers of my classmates.
They include a salon owner, a Christian self-help book author, real estate agent, a forensic science, elementary school teacher, preschool teachers aide, construction worker, a police officer, soldier, engineer, accountant, nurse, cell-phone salesperson, restaurant staff, investment banker, medical student, day care operator, computer technician, building inspector, ........
there's more, but you get the point!
3) The excitement of the reunion!
It was great fun meeting so many people from our younger days! It's just like Project Grad just happened yesterday!
But it was also exciting to find out what they are accomplishing, and what they will become in the future.
We traded jokes and made loud noise :)
We took photos (though I still use the old-school cameras, whereas others got digital cameras)
Some of us had beads, while I wore the yellow paper-leis given out by the reunion organizers :)
I also remember our MC, Herman Lee asked who wanted to sing our school song "Black & Gold". I DID! I also won a prize for it! Though next time, I'll also sing "Hail McKinley Hail" as well!
After the official program was over, and people sticked around, we were dancing! I was one of them :)
Too bad that place didn't have a bigger dance floor!
4) Conclusion
I encourage all our positive-minded people to go to your reunions! You'll be glad you did!
As I mentioned in facebook "if I'm still alive when the next reunion comes up, I'M THERE!"
Off course, a former classmate responded by saying "dude, the next reunion is 10 years from now, you'll only be 38"
TRUE! But as I mentioned in earlier blogs, you'll never know when your time is up!
That's why you gotta enjoy the big events in life! Be the life of the party!
(10 years already? Damn I feel old!)
On Saturday night (August 15th), we had the main event at Bonsai Restaurant! It had 2 floors. Our reunion was in the 2nd floor, with a bar and a few tables.
There wasn't much space, which has its pros and cons. The pros is the small space gives us a greater chance to talk to more former classmates crowded among us. That's the point of reunions. The cons are that we could use more room to dance around.
The program itself was from 5pm - 9pm. But we could stick around and party when the general public was invited to Bonsai afterwards!
The next day (Sunday, August 16th) there was a picnic at Ala Moana Beach Park. There were less people, but some were the ones who couldn't make it to the previous night's event. It was mostly due to those people being unable to find a babysitter to watch their kids. But they could bring their kids to the Sunday picnic!
The picnic was very low-key and very relaxing! I brought Tostitos Lime Chips and Chips Ahoy cookies! Others brought pizza, chili, rice, sushi, juice and other items!
Now, on to some commentary
1) One of my classmates said he wasn't planning to come, but came because I sent SO MANY e-mail reminders to my friends about the reunion!
That guy (I won't mention names) said he had some bad memories of high school, and didn't want to see people he didn't like!
But after the reunion, he said it was better than he thought it would be! He even expressed that it was a wake-up call to enjoy life!
He made the correct decision to come. But there's other people who probably didn't go to their reunions because they didn't get along with some people!
THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED!
If you go to a school like mine (with 1800 students) there's no way you'll get along with everyone! But there's also no way everyone would be your enemy!
I predicted that the wanabee thugs, druggies, and other sort of losers will NOT show up for the reunion!
I also predicted that those involved in ethnic gang fights between differing Asian and Pacific groups will not show up to the reunion!
I WAS PROVEN CORRECT!
What people need to understand is that those people didn't even show up for various school activities like Bonfires, luaus, Project Grad, etc.
Those people HATE school, HATE everything, don't like school activities and I knew they had no interest in going to the reunion!
What you also need to understand is that those people were NOT really popular! People just put up with them, because they're afraid to tell them to"SHUT UP!" But the main proof that those losers (wanabee thugs, druggies, etc. ) weren't really popular is that NOBODY INVITED THEM TO THE REUNION! Most people don't want them around!
So if you're worried about your tormentors showing up for your reunion, CHILL! Most likely, nobody reminded them to come! They most likely aren't going to show up anyways!
And even if you do see one of them, no one is going to force you to talk to them! Talk to the people you get along with!
Also, it's 1o YEARS LATER! People change!
I know I irritated some people during my schooling years. I also know from the reunion that most of them forgave me anyways! They knew I didn't have bad intentions, and that we were very immature, and that people mature and grow wiser!
2) Reunions are not only fun, they're inspiring!
At least I know I was inspired
---
For one thing, I witnessed 2 former enemies made peace. Actually, those 2 were friends in elementary and middle school, but had arguments at the start of high school! Those things escalated to the point where they didn't talk to each other for years!
I met them at Kawananakoa Middle School. I got along with them, but wasn't the best friend I should've been! Instead of mediating, I told both people what they said about each other! I totally regret that, and it was eating me up on the inside!
I invited both to the reunion, and we all apologized to each other! It was a special moment!
A lot of people didn't know about this, so I won't mention names!
---
One of my former classmates was in the US military and was fighting wars in the Middle East. Had a lot of near-death experiences, had injuries from IEDs, and probably had many traumatizing moments!
But at the reunion, he showed everyone that he still knows HOW TO PARTY!!!!! He was talking to a lot of people. He was dancing!
He knows from experience how to appreciate life!
That was inspiring!!!!
----
I was talking to Don, who once lived in the same neighborhood growing up. That neighborhood is officially named Puahala Homes, but EVERYONE calls it Lanakila Housing!!! It is a small housing project!
We were the only ones from that hood to show up to the reunion! (however, our high school also had other ghetto communities within the district )
We were trading stories about our childhoods in that communities, the people we grew up with, the blatant welfare fraud committed by our neighbors, etc.
We no longer lived there. Don was saying "you can't live there forever", and you can't live off the government forever". I told him when parents moved out in my early adolescence, I was unhappy that I being uprooted and I mentioned my good memories there! But I totally understood what he said about leaving the hood and accomplishing things!
Our families came from 3rd world nations (my dad's from Mexico, his family is from Laos). Our families struggled with cultural shock and being a minority in a new place. But we made it! I told him "We made it out of the ghetto" and we gave high-fives!
-------
I also was talking to some girls I knew from Lanakila Elementary School. We drifted apart and didn't hang out much after elementary! But there we were at the reunion! As I came up to talk to them, one of them was saying "look, we all from Lanakila Elementary School". It was like a reunion within a reunion! Trading stories about our past and our present! I never had a sister, but talking to those girls, it's like talking to my long-lost sisters!
I was talking to another female classmate from the same elementary school, and she still remembered my brother! The same one still remembered that I memorized the names of U S presidents back in elementary. Then she thought I would be getting my PhD by now [maybe later, but thanks for the thought!:)] We were joking around about some stuff as well! I didn't talk to that girl much in high school (never shared classes for some reason), but at that reunion, it was like time never passed. Another long-lost sister re-united!
------
As for my other elementary classmates, I still talk to Jeff on a regular basis. Nicholas (who attended Lanakila for one year) was also at the reunion. That guy started growing late, but now he's taller than me!
Nicholas and I had some common friends like Orlando Holbron and Justin Gonda.Over the years I lost contact with both! However, I heard that Gonda is in jail for raping a girl!
It's a very bad feeling that someone I hung out with in high school has done such a heinous crime! A very sad thing to mention to my former classmates!
---------
I'm sure I must've inspired others as well at the reunion!
Some people couldn't recognize me at 1st because I lost weight.
In my 12th grade year, I was about 220 pounds.
The last time I checked earlier this summer, I'm about 165 pounds!
A lot of people congratulated me on loosing weight.
They asked how I did it! I just told them I did the basics -- eat less meals, walk around more, ride bikes, etc.
--
Some were surprised I became a substitute teacher! I talked to some about the life of a sub!
I also joked to one of my former Lanakila classmates, after becoming a substitute "now I understand why some people were mad at me" in our school days! She just laughed and told me I was a funny guy!
---
I was also inspired by the careers of my classmates.
They include a salon owner, a Christian self-help book author, real estate agent, a forensic science, elementary school teacher, preschool teachers aide, construction worker, a police officer, soldier, engineer, accountant, nurse, cell-phone salesperson, restaurant staff, investment banker, medical student, day care operator, computer technician, building inspector, ........
there's more, but you get the point!
3) The excitement of the reunion!
It was great fun meeting so many people from our younger days! It's just like Project Grad just happened yesterday!
But it was also exciting to find out what they are accomplishing, and what they will become in the future.
We traded jokes and made loud noise :)
We took photos (though I still use the old-school cameras, whereas others got digital cameras)
Some of us had beads, while I wore the yellow paper-leis given out by the reunion organizers :)
I also remember our MC, Herman Lee asked who wanted to sing our school song "Black & Gold". I DID! I also won a prize for it! Though next time, I'll also sing "Hail McKinley Hail" as well!
After the official program was over, and people sticked around, we were dancing! I was one of them :)
Too bad that place didn't have a bigger dance floor!
4) Conclusion
I encourage all our positive-minded people to go to your reunions! You'll be glad you did!
As I mentioned in facebook "if I'm still alive when the next reunion comes up, I'M THERE!"
Off course, a former classmate responded by saying "dude, the next reunion is 10 years from now, you'll only be 38"
TRUE! But as I mentioned in earlier blogs, you'll never know when your time is up!
That's why you gotta enjoy the big events in life! Be the life of the party!
Another former student passed away
Last month, I mentioned that one of my former students, Tatiana Beasley, whom I met when I subbed @ Roosevelt High School in 2006, died in a car accident!
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2009/07/in-memory-of-tatiana-beasley.html
Now, I've come to find out another of my former students from the same neighborhood has died so young.
In this case, it is Makamae Ah Mook Sang.
http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20090819_Girls_death_sparks_search_for_man_24.html
Police and the family of a 15-year-old Papakolea girl who died after drinking at the home of a 24-year-old Hawaii Kai man are asking for help in finding him.
Makamae Ah Mook Sang had gotten her parents' permission to sleep over at her hula friend's house in Kahala after performing at Kamehameha Schools on July 29, said mother Tracy Ah Mook Sang.
Instead, she had gone to a party in Hawaii Kai, at the home of the 18-year-old girl's boyfriend's cousin.
"If we really had a clue or hint, we would not even let her go at all," said her mother.
The next morning the family received a call from the hospital where Makamae Ah Mook Sang died of alcohol poisoning.
---
I remember hearing of this story on the Channel 2 news on 7/31/09, and the 1st name sounded familiar, but that news story didn't mention her school or her neighborhood, so I wasn't sure if it's the one that I met when I was subbing at Stevenson Middle School back in 2006-2007.
But just reading this week's Star Bulletin article, which mentioned that at the time of her death, Makamae was a student @ Roosevelt High School (where most Stevenson alumni go to high school), and lived in Papakolea, I know that was the same one!
--
What I mostly remembered about Makamae was that she liked to talk a lot, even to the point where her classmates had to tell her to be quiet. I also remember needed to be corrected in pronouncing her 1st name! ( a common occurrence for substitute teachers having to memorize so many new names all in one day)
---
I've only been a substitute teacher for 4 years, and already 2 of my former students died of alcohol-related incidents.
So much potential in both of those young women, never to be realized. So much accomplishments they'll never have the chance to achieve! So many sad memories for the young people of Papakolea, knowing that their young neighbors died so soon!
It is also a cautionary tale in resisting peer pressure in dealing with alcohol! It ain't as easy as it sounds, but the necessary things are NEVER easy!
Even if it means walking out on your friends as they mock you, do whatever you can to avoid the pitfalls of alcoholism and drug abuse!
Otherwise, you'll never get the chance to look back and say "I resisted peer pressure and lived to talk about it"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2009/07/in-memory-of-tatiana-beasley.html
Now, I've come to find out another of my former students from the same neighborhood has died so young.
In this case, it is Makamae Ah Mook Sang.
http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20090819_Girls_death_sparks_search_for_man_24.html
Police and the family of a 15-year-old Papakolea girl who died after drinking at the home of a 24-year-old Hawaii Kai man are asking for help in finding him.
Makamae Ah Mook Sang had gotten her parents' permission to sleep over at her hula friend's house in Kahala after performing at Kamehameha Schools on July 29, said mother Tracy Ah Mook Sang.
Instead, she had gone to a party in Hawaii Kai, at the home of the 18-year-old girl's boyfriend's cousin.
"If we really had a clue or hint, we would not even let her go at all," said her mother.
The next morning the family received a call from the hospital where Makamae Ah Mook Sang died of alcohol poisoning.
---
I remember hearing of this story on the Channel 2 news on 7/31/09, and the 1st name sounded familiar, but that news story didn't mention her school or her neighborhood, so I wasn't sure if it's the one that I met when I was subbing at Stevenson Middle School back in 2006-2007.
But just reading this week's Star Bulletin article, which mentioned that at the time of her death, Makamae was a student @ Roosevelt High School (where most Stevenson alumni go to high school), and lived in Papakolea, I know that was the same one!
--
What I mostly remembered about Makamae was that she liked to talk a lot, even to the point where her classmates had to tell her to be quiet. I also remember needed to be corrected in pronouncing her 1st name! ( a common occurrence for substitute teachers having to memorize so many new names all in one day)
---
I've only been a substitute teacher for 4 years, and already 2 of my former students died of alcohol-related incidents.
So much potential in both of those young women, never to be realized. So much accomplishments they'll never have the chance to achieve! So many sad memories for the young people of Papakolea, knowing that their young neighbors died so soon!
It is also a cautionary tale in resisting peer pressure in dealing with alcohol! It ain't as easy as it sounds, but the necessary things are NEVER easy!
Even if it means walking out on your friends as they mock you, do whatever you can to avoid the pitfalls of alcoholism and drug abuse!
Otherwise, you'll never get the chance to look back and say "I resisted peer pressure and lived to talk about it"
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Coming soon to this Blog
I will be writing about my recent reunion ! It was the 10-year reunion for the McKinley High School c/o 99!
It was a very positive event!
So many thoughts on it, so little time to write it all now!
Come back and check out what I wrote on it later!
It was a very positive event!
So many thoughts on it, so little time to write it all now!
Come back and check out what I wrote on it later!
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