The Hawaiian Government Bill - Based on Race

Update: Today the U.S House passed H.R. 505 by 261-153, a troublesome bill designed to further divide the United States. In the U.S. Senate, the pending bill is S.310.
National Review Editorial: The House will take up the question whether the federal government should recognize ethnic Hawaiians as a new Indian tribe. The Bush administration has promised to veto the bill if it passes, arguing that — in the words of a policy statement — it would “discriminate on the basis of race or national origin and further subdivide the American people into discrete subgroups accorded varying degrees of privilege.” The president deserves to be commended for this position.

The bill is sponsored by Sen. Daniel Akaka, D- HA. It would create a nine-member panel to decide who counts as a “native” Hawaiian and enroll the members of the “tribe.” This governing entity could then negotiate with federal and state government to acquire land (and would certainly become the beneficiary of huge federal earmarks). It could establish schools that discriminate against non-Hawaiian children. And it could hold elections with racial criteria for participation, immune to challenges under the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. (Indeed, the bill was written to circumvent a 2000 Supreme Court decision that forbade the state’s Office of Hawaiian Affairs to hold an election in which only “native” Hawaiians could participate.)

. . . More fundamentally, there is no good reason to recognize racial groups as distinct nations simply because they are ethnically unique. Doing so overturns the idea of E pluribus unum, and sets a terrible and divisive precedent. John Edwards’s fantasy of “two Americas” might well become reality — except that there would be many more than two Americas if every ethnic group followed Hawaii’s example. . . . Unfortunately, the attempt to divide Americans by race will not end if President Bush vetoes the Akaka Bill. Hillary Clinton voted for it in 2006 — and she may sign it into law yet, if Americans make her their president . . . [Read Full Editorial]

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