Skip to main content

Going forth on the fourth

Happy Independence Day!There are people here in the Hawaiian Islands for whom true independence would mean a return to sovereignty. It's a vocal faction and I actually believe their ranks are growing. Not that it's likely the United States will ever revoke Hawaii's statehood. A symbol of support for the sovereignty movement is the Hawaii state flag (formerly the flag of the Republic of Hawaii) flown upside down. For some, it's less about sovereignty and more about spreading the fundamental understanding of how Hawaii became a US Territory. It was an illegal overthrow of the Queen (Hawaii was a constitutional monarchy by 1993, the year she was removed from the thrown) by American businessmen, supported by the US marines with the US government looking the other way. Plenty of folk have been stewing about it ever since. The late 1970s mark what's called the Hawaiian renaissance, a resurgence of Hawaiian cultural pride and an interest in understanding the true history of the islands and their people. That's when the most recent calls for sovereignty began. Those calls have been increasing in volume and frequency ever since. President Clinton actually apologized to the Hawaiian people for the wrongful overthrow of their government.
That's not to say there aren't oodles of patriotic Americans here who relish Hawaii's statehood. It's the only state I've actually lived in where Statehood Day is a recognized holiday with government offices closed.
The Fourth of July is celebrated here with gaiety, verve and zeal. (OK that's redundant. But you get the picture.) There are plenty of parades, for sure. There's a big fireworks show planned for Hilo Bay tonight. We don't really do fireworks. We stay home and watch them on TV, at low volume. That's because we can't leave Hoppsy home alone to quake in fear at the sound of the neighbors' bottle rockets or the distant pyrotechnic blasts. She's a basket case once the bombs begin bursting in air. So we stick by her to keep her feeling safe and calm. It's what any parent would do for a frightened child, right?
Today, we've spent all day doing as little as possible. I whipped up a batch of tasty carbohydrate and fat-laden potato salad. We grilled some hot dogs and are spending this rainy fourth watching one episode after another of the Twilight Zone. For as many years as I've been watching, there are still shows I have not seen. I enjoy spotting famous actors in captured on film before they became famous;William Shatner, Robert Redford, Ted Knight, Burgess Merideth, Jack Klugman, Claude Akins and more.
The rose you see above blossomed today. Who'd have thought that roses could live in Hawaii. But here, at 2500 feet above sea level with plenty of rain, they seem to thrive.

A hui hou. Aloha.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mom

This is my beautiful mom. She died last Sunday. For those who knew her, my heart breaks with you. For those who did not, here's an introduction to the best confidante, role model and mother a girl could hope for in life. This is the obituary I'd planned to submit to the local paper, but have opted instead to publish here. Obituary: Beverly Todd Bev -- my mom -- was a longtime caregiver, advocate, and dear friend to countless elderly in South Salem. Hers was a kind and generous spirit. She devoted much of her life to the welfare of others, giving wholly of herself and doing so always with great affection and humor. She was born Beverly Marie Steinberger in Silverton, July 23, 1938, the first child and only daughter of Art and Marie Steinberger. Her brothers called her Bevvy Buns, a nickname she grew fond of and wore proudly within the family circle as an adult. Bev attended St. Paul’s Elementary School in Silverton, Silverton High School and Marylhurst Co...
2 comments
Read more

Back at it

It's been some time since I've written. My mom died in February, and I haven't had the gumption to write much, other than a couple of feature stories for the paper and the occasional pithy email to a friend. Tonight, sitting in my favorite burger joint with a pile of fries in front of me, I dunk them into a deep pool of ketchup mixed with a hot sauce. That's how Mom liked 'em. My burger? The Spicy Hawaiian, a nod to my 808 connections. It's a brilliant combination of peppers and pineapple, a favorite on the Power Stop menu. I'm sure she'd have loved it, too. There's a bubbly beer with a lime in it. That's not a homage to anything. I just like beer. These past months, I've done little but work, search and apply for jobs. Two rejection letters have landed in my email this week. Search-and-apply has become a futile obsession. It's time for a break, at least until I hear back from all those applications still floating around out there. I am...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fruity booty

It was a long drive from Glenwood to the northern tip of the island -- three hours -- so for sustenance, we stopped at Baker Tom's for malasadas on the way. My pal Kathy and I were headed to Kapa'au for a hike, one we'd read about in the local newspaper. The couple who run Baker Tom's (not sure if the husband is actually Tom or not) are delightful, with enduring stamina. They're as old as radio, yet they're always on duty, ready to serve behind the counter, as they have for many years, frying, baking, brewing and smiling, there in Papaikou , gateway to the Hamakua Coast. The malasadas are enormous, cheap and delicious, the coffee OK, the tourists all happy to have discovered this place, buzzing with sugar and caffeine. They make a killer pumpkin cheesecake at Baker Tom's, too. It's always a pleasant stop. Ahapua'a . It's a Hawaiian land division, usually a strip or wedge, stretching from mountain to sea. Hawaiians lived in villages wit...
3 comments
Read more