August 21.
1959.
10 AM
Honolulu, Hawaii
Air mail postage was 7 cents.
And Hawaii was now a state.
Fifty years ago, my mother bought these “First Day of Issue” covers and mailed them to me. Was that done so that, 50 years hence, I would have these small mementos of that moment in island history? That’s forward thinking.
In any case, I was surprised to find these and share them with you here. Each envelope is sealed, with a letter inside. I don’t know what those letters say, if anything.
Just click on the images for larger versions.
![[text]](http://ilind.net/oldkine_images/statehood_cover_1.jpg)
![[text]](http://ilind.net/oldkine_images/statehood_cover_2.jpg)
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Paul Theroux, who has lived part-time in Hawai`i for 20 years, has written a rather eccentric article for the NYT giving his take on 50 years of statehood. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/21/opinion/21theroux.html?_r=1
In his article Theroux states, “Public intellectuals do not exist; public debate is rare, except on issues that transgress religious dogma.” Is it going overboard to say that Ian through his blog is filling the role of a public intellectual through his careful analyses of public issues?
I’m not of a fan of Paul Theroux; he seems to make overbroad statements to suit his purposes and this is one of them.
On the other hand, Ian certainly is one who tries to fulfill this role, one that would go mostly unaddressed were we still relying only on the dailies and such.
Ian has a secret tunnel where he hangs his cape and fancy flying car. Really.
Secret lava tube?