Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 18, Number 5, 1 May 2001 — Lead on [ARTICLE]

Lead on

Onee again, I was surprised to find some of my thoughts published in your March edition. I found the words of Donald Cataluna interesting. Kamehameha I really is one of the more unappreciated military geniuses in recorded history. To really understand and appreciate the first Kamehameha, we have to notice everything he didn't do: he never boasted, he never threatened. He only acted with both foresight and power, and so his reputation went before him. As Mr. Cataluna noted, this really is a time for planning. The general eleeūon of 2002 will be critical in Hawai'i. Linda Lingle has exposed the disgusting innards of the loeal Democratic maehine, and the dominant party in its arrogant inertia and complacency is unlikely to recover from this. The current loeal Republican Party is small but well-funded, welldisciplined, hungry, and backed by both the powerful mainland Republican maehine and the general Ameiiean mainstream abhorrence of one-party systems. The American

mainstream establishment will certainly put an end to the Hawaiian Democratic maehine. The general election of 2002 is certainly an opportunity for ethnic Hawaiians. But it will take planned and unified action to exploit this opportunity. Mike Keolomakapu'u Pettingill Kailua