Mahalo. Wish I could join you.

Any sovereign state can "secede" from our federal Republic. If they do, they should pay their population's share of the national debt on the way out... There may come a time in the next 10 years when many of us are voting to secede our states from the bankrupt U.S. socialistic republic.

No they would not like to repay it I'm sure. It wouldn't be fiscally practical for them to cede. They wouldn't be able to support all the moochers just from tourist trade.

I'm sure they were especially irritated with the probe that confused feet and meters and hit the surface of Mars at high speed...

Thank you for that public education

Ah sweet Mililani Trask...I'm so glad our tax dollars are used to have her teach at our schools, she is always such a bundle of joy and open to all cultures. (End sarcasm)
Those meetings really brought out a lot of passion, but what I say when talking to a Hawaiian rights person is to get over your ethnocentric bias and look at the 1840 constitution. The beginning clearly states all mankind is of one blood.
So would I support a vote for independence? Sure, but it's very unlikely, the federal government is so entrenched and weaved into the fabric of this state.
I got a tee time shortly so I'm off to play the south course at Mauna Lani. It's a beautiful day, have fun! Aloha

I say let them go.. If it is really what they want then ok.. Also, if Ohio or Texas, or better yet California want to go that is ok as well. The results would be pretty interesting... Without the fake safety net created and controlled by the feds they will have to make their own choices. Some of the new nation states would do a pretty good job. ( I am thinking of Texas ) Other new nation states would quickly collapse under the weight of their own bad choices. ( I am thinking of California ) .. People could then see that bad choices have real consequences..

Yes. As I understand it each state maintained the right of succession. I looked this up and thought this was an interesting fact concerning the Civil War:

It is significant that no Confederate leader was ever brought to trial for treason. A trial would have brought a verdict on the constitutional legality of secession. Federal prosecutors were satisfied with the verdict that had been decided in battle.

Just say no, they voted on statehood didn't they? If they get to cede themselves from the union, than can Ohio? Can any state just arbitrarily cede from the Union? Ask if they would like to repay the US government for all infrastructure and special interest spending that has been done over the last 121 years along with applicable interest?

Well said.

Its a good question - had we not absorbed Hawaii into our vast and expanding empire as a refueling stop on our conquest of the Western Pacific in the 1890s, they would likely have become a Japanese colony, and a refueling stop for their attempts at a vast and expanding empire in the Eastern Pacific some 50 years later...

Hahaha. Yeah I'm sure Marvin is getting really irritated.

Moon men hell - we're launching high speed, potentially life threatening devices at Mars. Good thing they haven't gotten their illudium Q-36 explosive space modulator back... we'd really be in for it then...

That's a good question Rich. They're probably drafting it right now. Have we apologized to the Moon men yet for landing on their planet? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoPC1xgeh...

That's funny. :D

That reminds me. Did we apologize to the British yet for The Declaration of Independence? It seems to me this administration is having trouble performing basic tasks. Hawaii is a blue state so I guess as long as we can vacation there, who cares?

The state of Hawaii is one of the most enslaved to looters in the nation.