Transcribed by OCR Bot on Mastodon, corrected by me.
Honolulu Star-Advertiser - July 4, 2021
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVENTISER.COM
[Image] Astatue of President William McKinley stands in front of the high school named after him.
What Fourth of July means to Hawaiians
By Leon Kaulahao Siu
hile Americans celebrate July 4 as Independence Day, the date signifies quite the opposite to many Hawaiians and to people of many countries around the world. This year, July 4 marks the 123rd anniversary of the launch of America’s brand of overseas imperial ism.
On July 4, 1894, the traitorous ca bal that had seized control of the Ha waiian Kingdom, which proclaimed itself “The Republic of Hawaii,” deter mined to annex Hawaii to the United States.
On July 4, 1898, having failed twice to annex Hawail by a proper treaty, the U.S. Congress resorted to passing the “Newlands Resolution” to simu late an annexation, With both July 4 actions, the perpe trators virtually gave themselves per mission to take over the Hawallan Islands, That's like someone saying to you, “I now own your home because I wrote a document yesterday that says I own your home.” Preposterous, right? But that Is essentially what happened to Hawaii,
On July 7, 1898, three days after Congress passed the Newlands Reso Jution, President William McKinley signed the bogus measure. And five days alter that, on July 12, a cere mony was held at Iolani Palace in Ho nolulu whereby the leaders of the “Republic of Hawall” continued their high treason and deception by hand ing over Hawall to the United States.
Thus, the real legacy of July Fourth in Hawail is not Independence, but the loss of independence. So why does the general public not know this?
Once the U.S. took over, the public education sys tem of the Hawaiian King dom (one of the best in the world) was turned Into an Indoctrination device to: 1) conceal the truth of what re ally happened to the Hawaiian Kingdom, and 2) seduce generations of Hawaii's chil dren into embracing Amer ica as their mother country.
As the years passed, all vestiges of Hawailan national identity, and much of Hawaiian culture, faded away. Gen erations of Hawail's children became loyal, patriotic Americans.
A key to the re-education program was changing the name of Honolulu High School to President William McKinley High School. It became the flagship of the propaganda campaign to inculcate the American way, The school’s bronze statue of McKinley holds in its right hand a fictitious, “Treaty of Annexation,”
While the academic achievements and espirit de corps of the high school {s undeniable and admirable, the name “McKinley” Is an anathema, perpetuating the monumental lie that Hawaii was duly annexed when It was actually ruthlessly hi-jacked.
That's like being told you were adopted, but then finding out you had been kidnapped! But now the kidnapper and many victims suffering from Stockholm syndrome, deny anything Is wrong and that being abducted was for thelr own good and Hawaiians should be grateful, forgive, forget and move on.
President McKinley not only oversaw the viola tion of the sovereignty of the Hawaiian Kingdom, he unleashed a virulent brand of Ameri can Imperialism that caused havoc, suffering, death and destruction all over the world for the past 123 years,
As longas the school bears the name of President McKinley, It will bear the stigma of the fake annex ation and the abusive policies of American Imperialism he instigated.
Removing the stigma of the McKin ley name would serve to: preserve the merits, dignity and legacy of the students, faculty and staff of the school itself; be truthful and historl cally accurate; maintain the integrity of the state's education system (by not perpetuating falsehoods); and serve as an Initial step toward truth, reconciliation and recovery for the generations of Hawaiians who sul fered from the loss of thelr country.
ISLAND VOICES
Leon Kaulahao Siu is a Hawaiian national, musician, diplomat and advocate for the reinstatement of the Hawaiian Kingdom
