by Andrew Walden
Republicans in Hawaii may have taken a drubbing Election Day, but the sudden reassertion of Republican control of Congress means that Hawaiians and Hawaii may be saved from the Akaka Bill.
S1011 is bottled up in the Senate by GOP Senators’ “holds.” With only a short lame duck session—likely to be dominated by debate over extending the Bush Tax Cuts--standing between Hawaii and the new Congress, Sen. Dan Inouye tells KGMB:
"I would say as a result of yesterday the odds (of passing the Akaka Bill in this Congress) are bad. I'm being very candid and upfront because I don't want people to have their hopes unjustifiably raised because at this stage I would say it's not one of the so called priority measures.”
As if to emphasize his indifference Inouye added:
“There are certain appointments of judges that will go down the drain also."
With Republicans poised to take control of the US House in January, it appears that 2010 could be the last opportunity for the Akaka Tribe to steal the Hawaiian legacy all for itself.
We at Hawai`i Free Press would like to take this moment to express our gratitude to Senator Inouye. With Democrats in control of the House, the Senate, and the Presidency, the Akaka Bill could easily have been passed this year. Fortunately, Inouye chose to allow Rep Neil Abercrombie and Sen. Dan Akaka to introduce the “instant tribal jurisdiction” version of the Akaka Bill last December, thus snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Inouye must know that sometimes the best policy is to allow one’s opponent to take out just enough rope to hang himself. In this regard, our gratitude for Senator Inouye's sabotage is matched only by our appreciation for the bull-headed stupidity of Neil Abercrombie, whose Congressional witlessness is as much responsible for saving Hawaiians from a future of tribal weakness and dependency as Inouye’s careful calculations.
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Inouye: Akaka Bill “not a priority”
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