by Ken Conklin

On July 14, 2007 the Honolulu newspapers reported that the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has approved the nominations of 14 new members to its 17-member Hawaii State Advisory Committee. News reports and commentaries are compiled in references further down in this post.

Some of the new members include strong opponents of the Akaka bill, and of race-based programs for ethnic Hawaiians. This is the first time in the history of the Hawaii Advisory Committee that opponents of Hawaii’s numerous race-based programs, and opponents of the Akaka bill, have served. The 17 members of the newly constituted committee appear to be roughly balanced between supporters and opponents of racial supremacy for ethnic Hawaiians, so it seems safe to predict lots of fireworks ahead.

Aside from issues concerning ethnic Hawaiians, there will be constant struggle between two different concepts of civil rights. One view is that civil rights is about giving advantages and group rights to minorities to make up for past or present difficulties, aimed at helping groups achieve equality of results. The other view is that civil rights is about protecting individual equality of opportunity under the law; recognizing that equal opportunity produces unequal results due to differences in individual ability and effort. The first view holds that people should be categorized as members of groups (race, social class), and individuals are presumed to have whatever advantages or difficulties statistics ascribe to the group. The second view holds that if government helps needy individuals based on need alone, then disadvantaged groups will automatically receive greater government handouts without focusing on race, simply because their individuals receive greater help because of their greater needs. In Hawaii, every ethnic group is a minority. Recent incidents of violence against Caucasians, accompanied by racial epithets, have raised the issue of hate-crime; so perhaps the committee will decide to look into it. See “Road Rage or Racial Hate Crime? (Thinking carefully about an actual incident of racial violence in February 2007, and how such violence can be used as a political tool to bolster demands for Hawaiian sovereignty)” at

http://tinyurl.com/2jle2e

ORDER OF TOPICS:

HISTORY BEHIND THE PREVIOUS HAWAII ADVISORY COMMITTEE (it was zealously and uniformly favorable to race-based programs for ethnic Hawaiians, and to the Akaka bill; and it even recommended that ethnic Hawaiians should be able to force the secession of Hawaii from the United States as a matter of civil rights)

U.S. COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS (NATIONAL) NOW GREATLY IMPROVED (the national commission strongly opposes the Akaka bill, and has appointed a fair and balanced membership on the Hawaii Advisory Committee

THE NEW HAWAII ADVISORY COMMITTEE AS ANNOUNCED ON JULY 13, 2007 (members’ names and descriptions)

NEWS REPORTS AND COMMENTARIES ABOUT THE NEW HAWAII ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO THE U.S. COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS, JULY 13 2007 (the compilation will be updated going forward)

This essay has been a summary of a lengthy webpage. To read about the topics listed above, please visit

http://tinyurl.com/2f2ynf