Iolani Palace Takeover On Admissions Day

August 19th, 2008 | Print | By Vernon Brown

So I thought long and hard about doing a writeup on the Iolani Palace takeover and well as you can see, I’ve decided to put it out there again. If you remember, it was just a few months back when we wrote an article titled “Native Hawaiians Take Iolani Palace“, after one group locked the gates and decide to resume control for the Hawaiian Kingdom Government. Well to no surprise it happened again on “Admissions Day”, the celebration of Hawaii Statehood, and after a recent proposal of new rules for Iolani Palace and grounds. This time it was a different group who also claims to be the rightful heir to the Hawaiian Kingdom.

I said earlier that I thought long and hard about doing this writeup because I read many responses on the web and social networks regarding recent events where some responded to people talking about it and basically said, no need to continue to talk about negative Hawaii things. So I ask, is this a negative Hawaii thing? I mean who is right and who is wrong in this matter? I sure don’t know the answer to that one, but one thing I do know is that if I were a tourist planning a trip to Hawaii, I would WANT TO KNOW that this was going on! I think I would be more upset to spend my hard earned money and travel all the way to Hawaii to then learn about the struggles of the Native Hawaiians against the State of Hawaii and the United States especially if it meant that it was going to affect my travel plans or itinerary.

I only wonder myself as may many others, who really is the Hawaiian Kingdom of today? There are so many groups who claim it, but yet it seems they are still divided. Just think of the power they would have if all the Native Hawaiian groups came together and combined into one body and fought for the same cause.

Now after reading this I want to make it clear that I’M NOT implying that it is not a good idea to travel to Hawaii, in fact right now is as good a time as any to travel to the islands and let it be known that although there may be ongoing protest from time to time, there has yet to be any violence towards visitors or residents. Yes some of the other bloggers and media gurus in Hawaii may not like to see this type of posting, but hey most out there don’t really regard my opinions or writeups anyway when it comes to Hawaii. I write for the love of it, not because I get paid to do this or because I’m seeking a social standing. WHO CARES! What matters is the now and what is happening in Hawaii.

I love Hawaii, I love the people, I love the Aloha and most of all I love telling others that this is indeed the most beautiful place on earth. As for the Native Hawaiian movement, I truly believe they have a great cause worth fighting for, so why not get the world involved to develop a global opinion on what should be done to gain recognition and therefore right the wrongs that the Hawaiians have endured, instead of just keeping it quiet and hush, hush within Hawaii.

If you got something interesting to share in regards to the Native Hawaiian movement or even the recent Iolani Palace takeovers that have occurred, please feel free to add them in the comments below. We can only hope that as Hawaii approaches it’s 50th anniversary of statehood next year, that recognition and rights will be restored to the Native Hawaiians and the Kingdom of Hawaii.