One Day Left:  Say "No!" to Interior Department Rule

by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D., President/CEO, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

The Grassroot Institute recently submitted its comments to the Department of Interior on a proposed rule that sets out "procedures" to establish a government-to-government relationship with the Native Hawaiian community.

The proposed rule is lengthy, confusing, and not precisely a fun read, but it is important. This is the long-awaited "end run" around Congress that we have been expecting to see from the Administration. Without the ability to create a Hawaiian tribe out of whole cloth, the Department has settled for an attempt to "recognize" a Hawaiian polity that arises from "independent" action in the community ... like the stalled Na'i Apuni election.

In our comments, we touch on everything from the DOI's lack of authority to recognize a Native Hawaiian government to the divisive and unconstitutional nature of the tribe it envisions. But we need your help to make sure that more voices are heard in opposition to the rule.

Comments are open until December 30th at 11:59 pm EST (6:59 pm HST). To comment online, simply visit the regulations.gov website here: http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=DOI-2015-0005-2438

Then click on the "comment now" button and leave your comments. Remember--you do not need to be Native Hawaiian for your voice to count. Nor do you need to leave a long or detailed explanation for your position. After all, the DOI claimed to have "overwhelming support" for this rule based on petition signatures and comments that were only a few sentences long.

This is an important opportunity to demonstrate that there is far from "overwhelming support" for the DOI's actions when it comes to Native Hawaiians. Hurry and get your comments in before the deadline!

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PDF: Comments from Judicial Watch