Internal Laws of the United States

Organic Act, Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, Statehood Act, Apology resolution

Keanu Sai

length - 1:52

Now, after that failed attempt of annexation by treaty, America began to do something that was very interesting. They started to enact internal laws, called joint resolutions, acts, and amendments to these acts, between 1898 and the present.

Some of these acts are called, the first one is the joint resolution of annexation. July 7, 1898. That purports to annex the Hawaiian islands. The problem is that's an internal law.

The next two years they create the Organic Act. Again that's another congressional act purporting to create a government for the territory of Hawai‘i.

1921, they amend that Organic Act and they now create the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act. They now start to identify native Hawaiians, those of the blood, using a blood quantum. Now you gotta be 50 percent. But again, these are all internal laws.

Then in 1959, here comes another congressional act. They say Hawai‘i is admitted as a state. One problem. There's no annexation. There never was a treaty.

And then in 1993 they go ahead and say "OK, we apologize. The overthrow was illegal." Well, great! But again, it's still an internal act.

A joint resolution in 1993 was no different than the joint resolution in 1898 purporting to annex Hawai‘i.

What we got from 1898 until the present are congressional acts passed by the United States purporting to affect a foreign country. The problem is, we're still foreign. Because there was no treaty of annexation.

All we have is protests. And documented fact that the issue is a violation of treaties, not an issue of America's internal laws affecting the native Hawaiian.