Comments on: Sunday…Still musing about sovereignty claims http://ilind.net/2008/05/18/sundaystill-musing-about-sovereignty-claims/ Ian Lind • Online daily from Kaaawa, Hawaii Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:47:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Andy Parx http://ilind.net/2008/05/18/sundaystill-musing-about-sovereignty-claims/comment-page-1/#comment-745 Andy Parx Tue, 20 May 2008 20:27:42 +0000 http://ilind.net/2008/05/18/sundaystill-musing-about-sovereignty-claims/#comment-745 Finally got to read your Honolulu Weekly piece and your premise is a bit short of fully accurate. A constitutional monarchy can be a far cry from a despotic monarchy. And the fact that the Hawai`i Constitution was foisted at gunpoint previous to the overthrow makes those latter consitutions as illegitimate and invalid as the post-overthrow government. Just because there are some with a Napoleonic complex- which runs the gamut from the Royal Societies to some of the “I am the king/queen” sovereignty groups- doesn’t mean a constitution-based independent nation with a monarch (even like Great Britain) can’t be a valid 21st Century entity in the islands. There are “democracies” that are as bad or worse than any monarchy as far as having a single despotic leader who pulls their country into plunderous foreign wars, takes away citizens’ rights and leads them to financial ruin for their own and their cronies’ enrichment. Finally got to read your Honolulu Weekly piece and your premise is a bit short of fully accurate. A constitutional monarchy can be a far cry from a despotic monarchy. And the fact that the Hawai`i Constitution was foisted at gunpoint previous to the overthrow makes those latter consitutions as illegitimate and invalid as the post-overthrow government.

Just because there are some with a Napoleonic complex- which runs the gamut from the Royal Societies to some of the “I am the king/queen” sovereignty groups- doesn’t mean a constitution-based independent nation with a monarch (even like Great Britain) can’t be a valid 21st Century entity in the islands. There are “democracies” that are as bad or worse than any monarchy as far as having a single despotic leader who pulls their country into plunderous foreign wars, takes away citizens’ rights and leads them to financial ruin for their own and their cronies’ enrichment.

]]> By: onibaba http://ilind.net/2008/05/18/sundaystill-musing-about-sovereignty-claims/comment-page-1/#comment-742 onibaba Mon, 19 May 2008 09:52:05 +0000 http://ilind.net/2008/05/18/sundaystill-musing-about-sovereignty-claims/#comment-742 Don?t know why so many expect the issue of sovereignty to be uni-dimensional. Sovereignty issues (or statehood issues for that matter) are as vast as any political spectrum. Just as there are some that seek a return to the monarcy, there are others that see self-determination to be de-militarization or de-colonization, while others, subscribe to a version of self-determination that is more parliamentary. The idea of agreeing to disagree in a parliament seems far more representational than our current two-party system. The most rewarding system of governance is one that encourages real debate. I for one, might not agree with Mahealani Kehau, but I applaud the theatricality of her actions, and if this bit of theater is what it takes to ferment more engagement from the spectrum of sovereignty groups, then all the better. Don?t know why so many expect the issue of sovereignty to be uni-dimensional. Sovereignty issues (or statehood issues for that matter) are as vast as any political spectrum. Just as there are some that seek a return to the monarcy, there are others that see self-determination to be de-militarization or de-colonization, while others, subscribe to a version of self-determination that is more parliamentary.

The idea of agreeing to disagree in a parliament seems far more representational than our current two-party system.

The most rewarding system of governance is one that encourages real debate. I for one, might not agree with Mahealani Kehau, but I applaud the theatricality of her actions, and if this bit of theater is what it takes to ferment more engagement from the spectrum of sovereignty groups, then all the better.

]]> By: temporis http://ilind.net/2008/05/18/sundaystill-musing-about-sovereignty-claims/comment-page-1/#comment-741 temporis Mon, 19 May 2008 03:53:41 +0000 http://ilind.net/2008/05/18/sundaystill-musing-about-sovereignty-claims/#comment-741 Hey, this Hawaiian would rather have western-style democracy imposed on him by the white man than keep the indiginous monarchy that executes people for getting their damn shadow on them. Hey, this Hawaiian would rather have western-style democracy imposed on him by the white man than keep the indiginous monarchy that executes people for getting their damn shadow on them.

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