The U.S. is a Liberating Power?
A letter in the Hawaii Island
Journal:
"America's Tibet" by David
Ingham, Amy Marsh, and Kukauakahi Ching is a timely reminder of a history some
people tend to forget.
President Bush
recently made a speech on which he
stated:
"One central commitment of
that mission is the transfer of svereignty back to the Iraqi people. We have
set a deadline of June 30th. It is important that we meet that deadline. As a
proud and independent people, Iraqis do not support an indefinite occupaton --
and neither does America. We're not an imperial power, as nations such as Japan
and Germany can attest. We are a liberating power, as nations in Europe and
Asia can attest, as well. America's objective in Iraq is limited, and it is
firm: We seek an independent, free and secure
Iraq."
From the Hawaiian perspective,
these words are at best ironic. The U.S. occupied Hawai'i long before Japan
and Germany. Hawaiians are still waiting for the deadline for the transfer back
of sovereignty and the reeemergence of Hawai'i as an "independent, free, and
secure" nation.
Lanny Sinkin,
Hilo
Posted: Mon - May 17, 2004 at 11:50 AM