Arctic drilling support traded for Akaka bill?


Last week, Sens. Inouye and Akaka once again broke with their party, joining only two other Democrats in voting for a cloture motion that would have ended a filibuster to prevent a provision to open oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from being included in the defense appropriations bill. Fortunately, the Senate fell several votes short of the 60 votes needed to invoke cloture, forcing the drilling provision to be removed from the bill.

Last Thursday, the Advertiser editorial criticized Hawaii's senators for their vote, and on Friday, the Star-Bulletin editorial did as well.

Today, Robert Smith has a letter in the Maui News saying: "I believe Sens. Dan Akaka and Daniel Inouye flip-flopped and gave their vote to President Bush for the latter's support for the Akaka Bill. I'm disgusted." More likely the quid pro quo was with Alaska's Sen. Ted Stevens, who is a co-sponsor of the Akaka bill. But the relationship between arctic drilling and the Akaka bill, particularly involving the Center Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, was first investigated and exposed by Anne Keala Kelly in a Hawaii Island Journal article.

On a related note, the "Politics in the Zeros" blog takes note of the Akaka bill, and says, "If this passes, and it could, it would be a seriously big deal for Hawaii."
The Hawaiian independence movement, like any nationalist movement, has many currents. [...]

The ANSWER Coalition, which I'm active in, has a stated position on independence movements. An oppressed people has the right to self-determination. Outside groups should support whatever path is chosen. Most especially, outside groups should refrain from telling them what to do, for that decision is theirs alone to make. Solidarity is what is important, backing them in whatever path they choose.

Update: BTW, Sen. Steven's threatened to resign if the ANWR vote didn't go his way, and then after the vote said, "I say goodbye to the Senate tonight." We'll see if he keeps his word.


Posted: Mon - December 26, 2005 at 12:53 PM    
   
 
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Published On: Dec 27, 2005 10:17 PM
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