ASD icon blue inverse lighter

ASD Staff

Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Cavorting, or possibly frolicking — it's hard to tell with monk seals and we are not cetologists.

I Stock 163520909

<title>Hawai‘i Scene on Social: The secret life of monk seals</title>

Today's social media find comes from adventure_hawaii, with a bird's eye view of monk seals cavorting.

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: The secret life of monk seals

Cavorting, or possibly frolicking — it&#039;s hard to tell with monk seals and we are not cetologists. 

IMG 1445

Rick Hamada

Government & Politics

Columnists

[{"type":"text","text":"You're picking up your loved one at the Honolulu International Airport."}]

It can be a bit chaotic depending on the time of day, so you do your best to find your party, load up and get out.

I've been dropped off and I've picked up family and friends from HNL three times in as many weeks.

[{"type":"text","text":"I understand it."}]

Imagine for just a moment the anticipation and happiness at spotting your loved one (let's say your spouse) at curbside baggage claim.

  You stop and get out of your vehicle, give a quick "welcome home kiss" and help load his/her luggage into the trunk.

[{"type":"text","text":"SOP - Standard Operating Procedure."}]

While you're relishing the return, a criminal lurking nearby chooses you. Yeah, you're the one. You and your ride.

He's a carjacker. He targets innocent people to steal their property. But he's different than a typical car thief. His goal is to confront you personally and use whatever force or actions necessary to obtain your vehicle. The carjacker makes it personal.

[{"type":"text","text":"This sounds like a plot line to a thriller on the screen, but it's not."}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Meet Lawrence and Rose Ching."}]

, Rose Ching makes weekly trips to the Big Island and her husband routinely picks her up. This time Lawrence Ching stated that he had exited with the car running while helping Rose load her luggage into the trunk. “I hear the (car) door open, which was a little bit odd because I shut my driver’s door,” said Lawrence Ching. “I turn really quickly and I see someone just jump into my car. I dropped what I was doing and ran as quickly as possible to stop it," said Ching.

A motivating factor was knowing their teenage daughter was in the back seat.

“Usually, my wife goes on days that line up with our daughter’s hula practice, so our daughter was in the car,” said Lawrence Ching.

“I was just worried about my daughter, and I was in fear of her life,” said Rose Ching. “I didn’t know what was going to happen to her, and I was just worried about her safety.” 

The state Department of Law Enforcement said Garrett Spencer, 25, took the vehicle with the young teenage girl in the back passenger side seat and tried to make a getaway through the congested terminal area, with Lawrence Ching in pursuit. 

Investigators said Spencer released the girl, unhurt, a short distance away.

Spencer escaped the confines of Honolulu International Airport, drove west on H-1 exiting on the Joint Base Pearl Harbor - Hickam off ramp leading him to the security check point gate where he was apprehended.  Nice work first responders.

[{"type":"text","text":"Here's where it gets interesting."}]

Spencer was initially charged with first-degree theft, first-degree unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle and kidnapping. He was also cited for criminal trespass by DOD police officers at the Hickam gate. However, just days later, the charges of kidnapping were dropped.

And the Ching family was incredulous. How can this be? How is this not kidnapping; a child was stolen?!?!  

According to the State Attorney General's office the crime did not rise to the legal definition of kidnapping nor even lesser charges. The current charges, as I mentioned earlier, are now just theft and unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle. No kidnapping. And that's leaving so many with questions.

In response to the Ching's statements and others, the Department of the Attorney General sent HNN the following statement:

“We understand the concerns expressed by parents and members of the community. 

Prosecutors evaluate the specific facts and evidence in each case to determine which criminal charges are supported by the evidence. Based on the evidence in this case, the alleged conduct does not meet the legal elements required to charge Kidnapping or Unlawful Imprisonment.

Retired Honolulu police deputy chief John McCarthy told the station, “I totally agree with the family,” recalling similar cases in the past in which the suspect was charged with kidnapping

“He basically took that person against their will. They weren’t free to leave. They didn’t ask to go along on a joy ride. They didn’t ask to be stolen, basically have their person stolen for whatever time it was,” McCarthy added. 

I invite you to take a look at the statutes cited by the Office of the Attorney General.

Ok, perhaps this case does not rise to the technical definition of kidnapping. The perp did none of the above, so I'll leave it to legal experts to opine.

[{"type":"text","text":"I ask you to consider this:"}]

A dedicated and learned prosecutor could and should levy charges of Unlawful Imprisonment in the First Degree. The perpetrator knowingly restrained the daughter twice. Firstly, when Lawrence Ching clung to the escaping vehicle undoubtably yelling for the perp to stop while invoking his daughter's name proving that another person was in that car. Ergo, the daughter was restrained 

 of serious bodily injury with risk being the operative word.

It's also apparent a case could definitely be made for Unlawful Imprisonment in the Second Degree given the above summation.

Because the criminal let the girl go. It was an admission by action that the daughter was not in that car of her own free will. By allowing her to exit confirms at the moment of the carjacking the perp knew that he committed this crime and wanted to avoid more serious charges.

[{"type":"text","text":"But it was too late."}]

The effects of this crime do not end with thievery. It's a crime against innocence.

The Ching's report that their daughter now lives in fear; that she suffers from PTSD, and they are engaged in family therapy. The daughter poses the common question, "Is he going to get out? Is he going to come back?

Prosecutors prioritize having a winning record in court. The higher percentile of victories can enhance careers and propel one further on their professional path. Not all prosecuting attorneys but likely most.

If you agree with the Ching family, legal pundits, and with your own conclusions that charges against Spencer must be elevated then do something.

, respectfully, and urge more strident prosecution of Garrett Spencer for what he illegally inflicted upon this family.

Doing so could advance the pursuit of justice for the victims.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Carjacking i Stock 521975360 16x9

<title>Hamada: Airport carjacker skating on kidnapping charge</title>

Lawrence and Rose Ching are stunned that the man who carjacked them at Honolulu International Airport — driving off with their teen daughter in the back seat — isn't getting charged with kidnapping. ASD opinion columnist Rick Hamada agrees and takes a close look at the definition of the crime.

Hamada: Airport carjacker skating on kidnapping charge

Lopaka and Tanya Kapanui

Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya Kapanui

Hawai‘i History

On the eastern edge of Hilo Bay, the small Waiākea Peninsula was one of the most fertile and abundant landscapes in East Hawaiʻi Island. This peninsula was fed by freshwater streams and springs, creating thriving estuaries that supported generations of skillfully managed agriculture and aquaculture.

Fresh water was diverted from the streams through a system of ʻauwai (ditches) to the loʻi kalo (taro patches) before being returned to the sea. The loko iʻa (fishponds) were carefully maintained, full of mullet and milkfish, shellfish, limu, and other marine life. These food systems provided sustenance not only for the residents of Waiākea but also for the aliʻi that governed the region. By the time the first Western ships arrived in Hilo, the peninsula had already been shaped by centuries of careful stewardship.

Throughout the Waiākea Peninsula stood fishing shrines (koʻa), heiau, family shrines, homes, and burial grounds, creating a landscape where daily life and sacred obligations were inseparable.

Historical accounts describe Kūakaʻananuʻu as a massive heiau that once towered almost 60 feet above the shoreline of Hilo Bay, near the area where the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel now stands and directly across from Mokuola, commonly known as Coconut Island. Unlike many Hawaiian temples, Kūakaʻananuʻu featured a distinctive pyramidal design with two platforms and a central chamber, making it one of the more unusual heiau described in Hawaiʻi.

Dredging, harbor improvements, land reclamation, road construction, and hotel development have substantially altered the landscape over the last two centuries. Since much of the original shoreline was destroyed before modern archaeological documentation, the precise extent of the heiau complex is impossible to determine. However, it is estimated that the heiau occupied what is now the shoreline between Banyan Drive and the bridge to Mokuola and may have been part of or immediately adjacent to the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel. 

Kūakaʻananuʻu was a luakini heiau, where men were sacrificed to the gods. There were a number of ceremonies performed during and after a sacrifice that included the body being laid out for several days while kāhuna offered pule (prayers) to the gods. Once the protocol was finished, about 20 days later, the body might be returned to relatives to be stripped. The flesh was thrown into the luapaʻu, a refuse pit in the luakini enclosure, and the bones were taken to the tiny island of Kaulaʻinaiwi to dry.

While Kūakaʻananuʻu has been destroyed, Hawaiians often believe that the mana, the spiritual essence, of the past is not separated from the present. Our kūpuna (ancestors) remain connected to the places they lived in and loved. The sacred ground of Waiākea was never just a piece of land. It is a living landscape shaped by generations of people from ancient moʻolelo to modern history. It is perhaps fitting, then, that stories continue to emerge from this place long after the voices of earlier generations have faded.

For years, people have shared their tales of strange events at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel. Many of those reports involve guests watching spheres of light dancing about their rooms. These silent orbs are said to be visible to the naked eye and drift from corner to corner unimpeded. No source for the lights could be found: no headlights from outside, no reflections, and no malfunctioning electronics. Witnesses insist that they were wide awake, certain of what they saw.

Two former housekeepers at the hotel have said these experiences are not uncommon. One of them said she tried to ignore any weird happenings, kept her head down, and cleaned the rooms as quickly as possible.

Far more unsettling are the accounts of guests startled from sleep without explanation, heart racing for no apparent reason. When they look around, they see an elderly man dressed in old-style clothing, standing at the foot of the bed or resting against the wall. He remains silent and still, watching them until he vanishes moments later.

One friend shared that one year, as hundreds of hula dancers and spectators descended upon Hilo for the Merrie Monarch Festival, the women of her halau stayed at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel. One night, she awoke to the sound of electricity crackling near the bathroom. An elderly woman suddenly appeared, floated a bit near the window, and then settled on the edge of her bed. The kupuna wore a mu‘umu‘u with a handkerchief around her neck and a papale (hat) on her head. Unfortunately, my friend said that even with the soft, warm light of the morning sun, she didn’t recognize her silent visitor.

Even though the landscape of a place changes, imprints of the past often remain. The Waiākea Peninsula has been inhabited for hundreds of years. Who were these ghostly visitors and what did they have to do with this particular location?

Hilo Hawaiian Hotel

<title>Silent Spirits at the Hilo Hawaiian</title>

Life thrived along Hilo Bay and Waiākea Peninsula, with abundant taro lo‘i, fish ponds, for centuries before Western contact. Spiritual life was ever-present and the landscape was dominated by the towering Kūakaʻananuʻu heiau, where men were sacrificed in elaborate ceremonies. Now the site is home to Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, and guests share stories of spectral visitors from long ago.

Silent Spirits at the Hilo Hawaiian

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Hyatt Regency Waikīkī Beach Resort and Spa is celebrating a milestone anniversary this year. In honor of the resort’s 50th anniversary, 

 from Mondays to Thursdays — and 20% off on Fridays to Sundays — during the month of July.

The buffet usually costs $89.99 per adult ($44.99 per child ages 6 to 12, $14.99 per child ages 5 years and under).

The Buffet at Hyatt recently updated its offerings to include more Island-inspired dishes and local comfort foods. The updated menu includes a 

lūʻau area, featuring huli huli chicken thighs with pineapple relish; kalua pig with roasted Molokai sweet potato and coconut; and lau lau with lomi Kamuela tomato relish. Other new additions include hapa poke, North Shore garlic shrimp, sauteed sweet corn with kale and shimeji mushrooms, miso salmon with pickled ginger and green onions, and roasted pork loin with orange and shoyu glaze.

“As we celebrate 50 years of welcoming guests to Hyatt Regency Waikīkī, we’re proud to introduce a refreshed dining experience that reflects the vibrant spirit of Hawai

i and the diverse flavors of the Pacific Rim,” states Jeff 

Szombaty, director of culinary and food & beverage operations

. “The Buffet at Hyatt has been thoughtfully reimagined to celebrate the people, cultures and local ingredients that make this place so special, while continuing to offer the quality, variety and warm hospitality our guests have come to expect.”

Individuals can still enjoy popular buffet classics, including rosemary and Hawaiian salt-crusted prime rib, made-to-order temaki hand rolls, Alaskan snow crab legs, Hyatt signature sweet soy garlic fried chicken, Goosepoint oysters, assorted nigiri, and assorted sashimi.

The buffet’s dessert station includes soft serve ice cream with assorted toppings; a chocolate fountain with fruits, brownies and sponge cake; mini coconut crème brulee; pineapple upside-down cake; butter mochi and a rotating selection of seasonal treats.

The Buffet at Hyatt is open nightly from 5 to 9:30 p.m. (last seating is at 9 p.m.). Guests can enjoy live music on Fridays and Saturdays from 5 to 9 p.m.

Hyatt Regency Waikīkī Beach Resort and Spa

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Buffet at Hyatt buffet area 071326

<title>Kamaʻāina can enjoy limited-time discounts at the Buffet at Hyatt</title>

Hyatt Regency Waikīkī Beach Resort & Spa recently updated its buffet menu to include more Island-inspired dishes. As part of the resort’s 50th anniversary celebration, kamaʻāina can enjoy 25% off at the Buffet at Hyatt from Mondays to Thursdays and 20% off on Fridays to Sundays for all of July.

Kamaʻāina can enjoy limited-time discounts at the Buffet at Hyatt

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Aloha Spirit

Nearly three years after wildfires destroyed much of Lahaina town, a new three-day celebration will bring more than 100 former residents back.

The inaugural Lahaina Homecoming — set for July 17 to 19 — will welcome 103 former residents home and offer a handful of community events.

It's an initiative of Maui Economic Recovery Commission's Healing Journey Team, coordinated by nonprofit Festivals of Aloha and is sponsored by the Maui County Office of Recovery, Hawaiian Council, Hawai‘i Community Foundation and Hawaiian Airlines, along with other local organizations and private donors, a recent announcement from Maui County noted.

It was created "from deep listening, lived experience and community need," the 

 states. "The idea grew from ongoing healing work with Lahaina families and a shared understanding that coming home — together — is an essential part of recovery."

 ravaged parts of the Valley Isle. One blaze destroyed much of Lahaina and killed more than 100 people.

The homecoming centers on the people, stories, culture and the future of Lahaina, the site says, and is a "space to heal together, to honor what was lost and to invest in what comes next."

“The inaugural Lahaina Homecoming represents a crucial investment in the belief that although many families have been displaced, Lahaina remains their home,” Maui Economic Recovery Commission Chairman Layne Silva said in the announcement. “The event welcomes former residents and the community at large to take part in cultural experiences, storytelling, resource sharing and community-focused programming that honors Lahaina’s rich heritage and strengthens connections among residents, families and supporters as Lahaina continues its recovery.”

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen told Aloha State Daily last week that he thought the homecoming was a "great idea," and the event was driven by the community's interest. 

For Bissen, the residents returning, many of whom left after the fire, is the coolest part. 

"The whole idea was to let them know your town is vibrant, your town is alive, your town is coming back and come and see it. Come and see your friends and family and reconnect," he says.

According to the announcement, organizers had initially hoped to sponsor airfare for 80 individuals but, "as applications continued to arrive, they found it impossible to turn away so many people with deep roots in Lahaina." Instead, 103 former residents representing 20 families will return for the weekend.

[{"type":"text","text":"Here's what's on deck:"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Friday, July 17"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Saturday, July 18"}]

[{"type":"text","text":"Sunday, July 19"}]

According to the announcement, complimentary parking will be available at the Lahaina Aquatic Center, with continuous shuttle service to and from Campbell Park each evening. Those who plan to attend are encouraged to carpool and allow extra travel time. A dedicated kūpuna drop-off and pick-up area will be available at the corner of Front and Prison streets.

Additional parking will be available at Lahaina Hongwanji Mission, Waiola Church and Lahaina Baptist Church.

Trilogy Excursions also is offering complimentary community cruises for Homecoming participants.

The homecoming also serves an opportunity for the community to reconnect with the area before Front Street reopens to the public.

County officials told ASD that the county aims to reopen Front Street to through traffic before the third anniversary of the fire.

Currently, Front Street is closed from Papalaua to Dickenson streets, while the portion from Dickenson to Shaw streets is partially open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily., a county spokesperson confirmed in a follow-up email.

Details of the reopening are still being discussed and will be announced soon.

Office of Recovery Administrator John Smith noted that the area is a "kuleana in progress place." 

"We will continue to have construction and limited road closures based on all of the work that's going down there," he told ASD. "But we just finished the railing project, we just finished a paving project on Front Street, and it's just really good timing. So when the festivities are over and after everything's cleaned up, it's going to be the right time to allow traffic on Front Street."

Lahaina Front Street rainbow 070826

<title>Lahaina homecoming planned; Front Street to reopen in near future</title>

Nearly three years after deadly wildfires destroyed much of the West Maui community, 103 former residents are set to return this weekend  — and the public is invited to help celebrate the community's spirit.

Lahaina homecoming planned; Front Street to reopen in near future

De Soto 2025

DeSoto Brown

When you’re on vacation, you can cut loose a little bit. This attitude explains why tourists in Hawai‘i can be susceptible to renting vehicles they’d never consider otherwise. Partly this can be due to the benign weather that requires less protection from nature, but it’s also just the vacation mindset. Let’s look at a few of the kooky rental cars that tourists went a little crazy with in the past.

Back in 1947, French auto manufacturer Renault introduced its 4CV model, extremely small and as low-priced as possible for a country still economically depressed from the effects of World War II. In late 1959, as this model neared the end of its production run (which would come in 1961), Renault provided 50 of them to the Italian custom auto body builder Ghia to create what was called the “Jolly” — a completely stripped-down machine with no doors or windows, a fabric top and wicker seats woven onto metal frames.

In the USA, the Jolly was renamed the Beach Wagon. A Honolulu company bought a “fleet” of them - no number specified, but perhaps five or more - and provided each with a small plastic portable tape recorder. Tourists who rented one of these from Tropical Tape Tours had a choice of four different O‘ahu tours to accompany their drives, with a map showing numbered locations where the tape should be turned on for an audio description. Ads described the vehicle as “The car with a voice / Takes you where you want to go / Tells you what you want to know.”

Tropical Tape Tours functioned from at least May to December 1961, when one of its Beach Wagons sustained an estimated $200 in damage when another car being parked nearby jumped a curb and landed on the Renault that was located at a slightly lower level, knocking it on its side.

With only 50 Renault Beach Wagons made, survivors today are extremely rare and sell in the range of $50,000 if they show up in specialized car auctions. Very similar customizations by Ghia of both the Fiat 500 and 600 models, from Italy, look confusingly similar to the Renault at first glance. The Fiat 500 Beach Wagons were definitely also sold and driven in Hawai‘i. While these Fiats are also desirable collector vehicles they’re a bit more common since 650 of them were manufactured. And at least one American company today rebuilds original vintage Fiats to the same look as the historic Beach Wagons.

The Jeep started its life as far removed from carefree fun as possible, since it was invented as a purely military vehicle for use under tough conditions in World War II in the early 1940s. Driven in both Europe and Asia, in situations from bitter cold to steamy heat, the Jeep became immediately famous as a symbol of the American military. Millions developed a real affection for it, and back in postwar civilian life the Jeep moved successfully into a specific workhorse niche.

The Willys-Overland Corporation of Toledo, Ohio, formerly a small manufacturer of standard passenger cars, shifted in the 1950s to focusing on the Jeeps it had been manufacturing since World War II. One of the company’s salesmen in its foreign / export division encountered distinctively-painted Jeeps at the Las Brisas resort in Acapulco, Mexico and thought Willys might make similar models in bright colors for use in warm-weather vacation spots. 

In 1959 this came true with the Jeep Gala, a no-frills model painted green, blue, or pink (by far the most popular of the three colors) with striped vinyl fabric upholstery and a similar top trimmed with a fringe. Hawai‘i seems to have been this car’s first major market with the first 10 cars arriving in late May 1959 to be sold by VHY Motors to Avis Gray Line rental cars. The distinctive and unique pink Jeeps immediately attracted much attention and were instantly popular with tourists, so in succession 40 more were ordered by Avis, then 10 more, and finally 20 more to arrive in January 1960, which included a few blue ones. By September ‘59 the Gala models had spread to Cuba and the Virgin Islands. For some reason, even though Hawai‘i had just become the 50th state, Willys handled these sales through their export division under the Gala name while Jeeps sold to the other states were marketed as the Surrey. The latter name was a reference to the popular song “Surrey With The Fringe On Top” from the 1943 musical play “Oklahoma!” which had been made into a well-publicized big-budget Hollywood film in 1955. Like the horsedrawn vehicle in the song, the Jeep Surrey also sported a fabric fringe around the edge of its vinyl fabric soft top, adding to its carefree spirit that so many tourists were attracted to.

During this period, the extremely wealthy industrialist Henry J. Kaiser was being heavily publicized for his development of the Hawaiian Village Hotel in Waikīkī, which he’d started in 1955. Everyone locally knew that Kaiser’s favorite color was pink, and even the heavy equipment that began building his Hawai‘i Kai subdivision in 1960 was painted that color, so it was assumed that the pink Jeeps must be his doing. This idea was bolstered by Willys having been one of his subsidiary companies since 1953 — but newspaper stories in 1959 made it clear that Kaiser had no personal involvement in the Jeeps, nor were they exclusively available at his hotel.

Approximately 1,083 Jeep Galas were manufactured from 1959 through 1964, and probably the greatest number of these ended up in Hawai‘i. Their moment in history was brief, but memorable.

For decades, people took apart old cars and assembled elements into vehicles they could utilize for farm chores, or for driving on private land and not public roads. In the 1960s this same urge created what we soon came to know as the dune buggy, for fast and fun driving on sand dunes and other off-road activities. Unlike most vehicles, dune buggies were not made in factories but instead came from very small assembly companies, or were put together by private individuals using parts provided as kits. The first such vehicle was the Meyers Manx, invented in 1964 by a Californian who established the dune buggy template of a new, custom fiberglass body mounted onto a used Volkswagen Beetle chassis. Equipped in most cases with pretty much just a windshield and seats, the dune buggy exposed drivers and passengers to exhilarating wind speeds and a ride low to the ground that seemed faster than it was.

The rental companies in Hawai‘i that offered dune buggies in the 1960s and ‘70s probably never authorized customers to drive them off-road in the way the vehicles were originally invented to be used. What a renter got was a sporty-looking car to attract some attention while driving at regular speeds on the same public streets that everyone else drove on.

In the late 1950s, the British Motor Corporation attempted to create a specialized vehicle for military use, likely inspired by the success of the Jeep 20 years earlier. What they came up with was never suitable for military use, however, being too small, light and underpowered. So instead the company repositioned the Mini Moke, as it came to be called, for possible light commercial needs or, more reasonably, recreational use. Made in Britain from 1964 through 1968, the Mini Moke gained a following during the period when anything British was considered automatically cool and desirable. In the following decades it was assembled in Australia, Portugal, Malaysia, Africa and Italy in various iterations, followed by unlicensed versions in China beginning in 2013. The Mini Mokes first used as rental cars in Hawai‘i likely were from the earliest batch, made in England. Surprisingly, today you can again rent a Moke in Hawai‘i, only this time they’re electric and are again from Britain, like the originals were. This is a little machine that seemingly will not give up!

In retrospect, the lack of safety, protection or security in these old-time vehicles is hard to believe. A total absence of doors and windows, not to mention cloth tops with no metal strengthening, are frighteningly unsafe. No seatbelts, headrests or airbags would mean occupants would be thrown against any part of the interior at high speeds in a collision, or — even more likely — would be tossed completely out of the vehicle (which commonly happened). Even just walking away from one of these when it was parked would expose anything left behind to instant theft … and yes, even back then there were robbers waiting around tourist spots to grab unattended purses or wallets.

But when you’re on vacation … the real world can be ignored, or so we sometimes think.

1 Pink Jeep 62 sugar 16x9

<title>Kooky Rental Cars!</title>

ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown takes us on a spin behind the wheels of the wacky, colorful rental cars that tourists loved in 1960s Hawai‘i. Open-air jeeps and dune buggies, these vehicles came from such exotic places as England, Italy, France and Toledo, Ohio. They all promised a fun time in the Islands.

Kooky Rental Cars!

Arrasmith Portrait

Perry Arrasmith

If you're like me, you probably think about doing two things on Independence Day.

First, you'll consider watching the film "Independence Day." If you're lazy (like me), you'll veer off to YouTube instead and find the clip where the president gives that inspiring speech. If you're still too lazy to even search for the video, here's the 

Secondly, you'll read the Declaration of Independence.

I know I'm a nerd, and I know that a lot of people don't normally read the Declaration of Independence. That's too bad, because it's shorter than you might imagine. 

, it succinctly justifies a country’s existence. 

In its day, the Declaration functioned as a newspaper column with serious weight. It was read in communities aloud as a physical declaration of a country’s right to exist. 

It's a statement of a people's frustration with the lack of freedom and liberty. It's also an expression of their desire for a new form of government. 

It’s a rejection of an unjust, unelected government and its sovereign. It’s also an acknowledgement of a community’s obligation to one another as the guarantors of their common well-being. 

It begins with an explanation of how governments are formed, the dignity of people, and a government’s right to exist only with the “consent of the governed.” It proceeds to then justify the right of a people to declare their independence from Great Britain before fully resolving to secure such independence. 

The document was written by imperfect people, but their idea was nearly perfect. Their words became universal. If you don't believe me, look at Vietnam's declaration of independence by Ho Chi Minh in 1945. Ho 

 the promise of the Declaration to justify Vietnam's War of Independence against the dying French Empire.

Like the Americans at Yorktown in 1781, the Vietnamese won their War of Independence at 

 in 1954. Tragically, Northern Vietnam's communist leanings divided the Vietnamese people, resulting in a brutal civil war that tore the country apart.

The promise of the United States is what inspired Hawai‘i’s unprecedented fight for statehood in 1959. No other territory in the American Union had ever been non-majority white. To pursue such a fight as Jim Crow persisted in the U.S. South was brave.

It was also born not out of a vision for the future tethered only to reality’s injustices, but out of what Hawai‘i’s residents demanded of this country. It was a product of the idealism first folded into the Declaration. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The Declaration’s Promise"}]

The Declaration teaches us that being an American is difficult. Nevertheless, being an American is full of promise. 

One writer, Carlos Bulosan, an Ilocano immigrant from the Philippines, painfully reckoned with this promise for the 

Being an American is a process of becoming. It is also not set to occur in the course of one generation, or even one century. It’s a perpetual journey. 

In Bulosan’s eyes, the process of realizing the Declaration’s promise was a march against circumstances. The country’s progression contained “many strands of fear and hope, that snarl and converge at several point in space and time.” 

Beyond the dueling periods of fear and hope, there was still a promise, bounded by a pragmatic optimism, affixed to the country’s destiny. Such promise is what drives Americans to believe in the future. It’s not naked hope, but earnest faith in the power of a person’s agency. 

“We march on, though sometimes strange moods fill our children,” he wrote. “Our march toward security and peace is the march of freedom—the freedom that we should like to become a living part of. It is the dignity of the individual to live in a society of free men, where the spirit of understanding and belief exist; of understanding that all men are equal; that all men, whatever their color, race, religion or estate, should be given equal opportunity to serve themselves and each other according to their needs and abilities.”

It’s that idea that propels the vision of the Declaration. It is an expression of a society’s faith in the power of its people. The people of the United States are the ones who declared independence. They are the ones endowed by a Creator with certain unalienable rights. 

Those rights are tools. They are weapons. They are responsibilities. The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is a noble, immortal guarantee that is only secured by a free people. It is also incumbent on every generation to truly cherish such rights. Loosing our sense of such rights is when they begin to disappear. 

“The America we hope to see is not merely a physical but also a spiritual and an intellectual world,” Bulosan wrote. “We are the mirror of what America is. If America wants us to be living and free, then we must be living and free. If we fail, then America fails.”

Despite all the discrimination he faced, Bulosan never gave up on the idea of the United States. It was a country to be realized, even if it did not yet exist. 

As Bulosan reminds us, it’s alright to be proud of one’s identity as an American while still reckoning with its flaws. As he painfully learned, the flaws are real and deep. That doesn't mean you give up on the promise of being an American. You embrace your country’s flaws and appreciate its nuance. 

That’s the inherent promise, after all, of our political system. We strive to be more perfect, even where we fail to meet our own standards. 

Like a relationship, America is full of promise. Like a relationship, America will certainly disappoint you. However, that doesn't mean you just give up on the relationship.

If you don’t believe me, take five minutes. Read the 

Declaration i Stock 172711668 16x9

<title>On the Fourth, read the Declaration</title>

If you really want to understand why we're celebrating Independence Day, go back to the source and read the Declaration of Independence, says ASD political historian Perry Arrasmith. It's only one of the most important documents in history!

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: The secret life of monk seals

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Enter for a chance to win tickets to see Disney’s live action adaptation of the animated film ‘Moana’

Hawai‘i Scene on Social meets Hawai‘i Skies

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Neighborhood weather updates

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Island vibes

Most read

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: The secret life of monk seals

Authors

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Hawaiʻi Scene on Social

Enter for a chance to win tickets to see Disney’s live action adaptation of the animated film ‘Moana’

Hawai‘i Scene on Social meets Hawai‘i Skies

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Neighborhood weather updates

Hawai‘i Scene on Social: Island vibes

Most read