[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 115 (Tuesday, July 28, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8210-S8211]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING AND CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ENTRY OF HAWAII 
                    INTO THE UNION AS THE 50TH STATE

  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 225, submitted 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant bill clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 225) recognizing and celebrating the 
     50th anniversary of the entry of Hawaii into the Union as the 
     50th State.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or 
debate, and any statements related to the resolution be printed in the 
Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 225) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 225

       Whereas August 21, 2009, marks the 50th anniversary of 
     Proclamation 3309, signed by Dwight D. Eisenhower, which 
     admitted Hawaii into the Union in compliance with the Hawaii 
     Admission Act (Public Law 86-3; 73 Stat. 4), enacted into law 
     on March 18, 1959;
       Whereas Hawaii is a place like no other, with people like 
     no other, and bridges mainland United States to the Asia-
     Pacific region;
       Whereas the 44th President of the United States, Barack 
     Obama, was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961;
       Whereas Hawaii contributed to a more diverse Congress by 
     electing--
       (1) the first Native Hawaiian member of Congress, Prince 
     Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana'ole;
       (2) the first Asian-American Senator, Hiram Fong;
       (3) the first woman of color elected to Congress, Patsy T. 
     Mink;
       (4) the first Native Hawaiian to serve in the Senate, 
     Daniel Kahikina Akaka; and
       (5) the first Japanese American to serve in the Senate, 
     Daniel Ken Inouye;
       Whereas Hawaii is an example to the rest of the world of 
     unity and positive race relations;
       Whereas Pearl Harbor is a strategic United States military 
     base in the Pacific and became a national historic site after 
     the December 7, 1941, surprise aerial attack by Japan that 
     thrust the United States into World War II;
       Whereas Hawaii is home to \1/4\ of the endangered species 
     in the United States;
       Whereas Hawaii has 8 national parks, which preserve 
     volcanoes, complex ecosystems, a colony for victims of 
     Hansen's disease, and other sites of historical and cultural 
     significance;
       Whereas Kilauea ranks among the most active volcanoes on 
     Earth;
       Whereas President George W. Bush nominated the 
     Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument to the United 
     Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 
     World Heritage Centre for consideration for the World 
     Heritage List;
       Whereas Hawaii has produced musical legends ranging from 
     traditional favorites such as Alfred Apaka, Don Ho, and Genoa 
     Keawe, to Hawaii renaissance performers such as Eddie Kamae, 
     Raymond Kane, Gabby Pahinui, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, the 
     Brothers Cazimero, and the Beamer Brothers, to contemporary 
     stars such as Keali'i Reichel, Ledward Kaapana, Jake 
     Shimabukuro, and Raiatea Helm;
       Whereas Hawaii is culturally rich because the Hawaiian 
     culture has been protected through Hawaiian language 
     immersion schools, hula competitions such as the Merrie 
     Monarch Festival, canoeing voyages undertaken by vessels such 
     as the Hokule'a, and the continuing historic preservation of 
     Hawaiian traditions;
       Whereas the Hawaii Statehood Commission held a Joint 
     Session of the Hawaii State Legislature in honor of statehood 
     and will celebrate the milestone with a public discussion and 
     the arrival of the USS Hawaii; and
       Whereas for all of these reasons Hawaii is a truly unique 
     State: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate recognizes and celebrates the 
     50th anniversary of the entry of Hawaii into the Union as the 
     50th State.

  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, 50 years ago next month, the 85th Congress 
of the United States voted to allow a tiny island archipelago made up 
of people of every race and creed and situated in the middle of the 
Pacific Ocean entry into the Union.
  August 21, 2009, marks the 50th anniversary of the execution of 
Proclamation 3309, signed by President Dwight David Eisenhower, which 
admitted Hawaii into the Union as the 50th State.
  On a personal note, 50 years ago today, I was elected by the people 
of Hawaii to serve as the first Member of the House of Representatives 
from the State of Hawaii. It is a moment I shall never forget. And on 
August 25, 1959, I had the great honor and privilege of standing behind 
the great President of the United States, Dwight David Eisenhower, when 
he signed Proclamation 3309.
  The territory of Hawaii was annexed to the United States in 1898 by a 
joint resolution of Congress based on a treaty signed with the Hawaiian 
government. For many years thereafter, many delegations of Congressmen 
and Senators visited the territory of Hawaii to consider the pleas 
submitted by generations of our people requesting statehood. Finally, 
during the 85th Congress in 1959, members of the Committee on Interior 
and Insular Affairs and the Subcommittee on Territorial and Insular 
Affairs, led by Congressman Leo W. O'Brien, visited the territory of 
Hawaii to make an inquiry into granting it statehood. The members of 
the committee met with local leaders and government officials in Hawaii 
and noted that the islands of Hawaii formed a unique and successful 
racial melting pot and claimed that if the rest of the Nation could mix 
as well, our democracy would be advanced by a century.

  The State of Hawaii has been a rich cultural addition to the United 
States, thanks to the ancient culture of Native Hawaiians, the diverse 
multiracial society created by generations of Asian and European 
immigrants, and the stunning natural beauty of our tropical climate. 
Hawaii has produced the first Chinese and Japanese American Members of 
Congress, the first woman of color in Congress, and the first Native 
Hawaiian in the Senate. The Honorable Barack Obama, the first African-
American President of the United States, was born and raised in 
Honolulu, HI.
  Hawaii is much more than hula dancing, lovely beaches, and beautiful

[[Page S8211]]

weather. For example, 300 years ago, before Christopher Columbus 
crossed the Atlantic Ocean in search of India, Polynesians boarded 
double-hulled canoes and sailed north seeking a place called Havaiki. 
These ancient voyagers found Havaiki and settled there and slowly built 
their society and government. A kingdom emerged and a monarchy grew to 
gain the respect of nations around the world. The kingdom of Hawaii 
entered into treaties with the United Kingdom, France, Japan, and the 
United States. That kingdom was overthrown with the assistance of the 
U.S. military forces. But the Congress of the United States, realizing 
that the takeover was not done in a democratic fashion, recently issued 
an official apology to the people of Hawaii. It takes a great country 
like America to admit its wrongs.
  Hawaii's location in the middle of the Pacific between the U.S. 
mainland and the nations of Asia has made it a major center of military 
defense for the United States. Pearl Harbor serves as a critical naval 
outpost, allowing our fleet to connect to the United States, Asia, and 
other Pacific nations. So critical is Pearl Harbor's location to our 
national defense that it was targeted by our enemies at the beginning 
of World War II. The bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, 
brought the United States into World War II and revealed the loyalty 
the people of Hawaii had for the United States and the sacrifices they 
were willing to make for their country. Thousands upon thousands of 
young men from Hawaii volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army during 
World War II. Senator Dan Akaka and I were two of the volunteers.
  Nearly 8 billion visitors from around the world each year are drawn 
to Hawaii's breathtaking beaches, scenic sites, and unique culture. 
Hawaii is home to one-fourth of the endangered species in the United 
States. We have eight national parks, including the Hawaii Volcanoes 
National Park, which is the home to Kilauea, the most active volcano on 
Earth. Hawaii has truly added to the diversity and richness of the 
United States--culturally, racially, ecologically, and geographically.
  Today, the Congress of the United States celebrates Hawaii as the 
50th State to enter the Union.
  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise to speak on the resolution offered 
by my colleague and dear friend, Senator Inouye, and passed by this 
body. It is a resolution honoring the historic milestone of Hawaii's 
50th anniversary of statehood.
  In the center of the Pacific on islands rising from the bottom of the 
ocean, Hawaii joined our great and diverse Nation as its 50th State 50 
years ago. Similar to the 49 States that came before it, Hawaii has 
something unique to share with the world.
  Everyone who is born in Hawaii or comes to Hawaii embraces the aloha 
spirit as a value and way of life. The aloha spirit is good for the 
United States and it is good for the world.
  I was a teacher at Kamehameha Schools when Congress voted to make 
Hawaii the 50th State in March of 1959. Fire crackers and sirens went 
off across the island of Oahu in celebration. The bells at historic 
Kawaihao Church started to ring and hundreds of people gathered there.
  The next day, the newspaper headlines hailed the good news. My 
brother, Rev. Dr. Abraham Akaka, who was minister at Kawaihao Church, 
delivered the sermon. Brother Abe named Hawaii ``The Aloha State,'' and 
50 years later we still call it that.
  I would like to quote a few words my brother said on that historic 
day in March of 1959:

       Aloha consists of this new attitude of heart, above 
     negativism, above legalism. It is the unconditional desire to 
     promote the true good of other people in a friendly spirit, 
     out of a sense of kinship. Aloha seeks to do good, with no 
     conditions attached. We do not do good only to those who do 
     good to us. One of the sweetest things about the love of God, 
     about Aloha, is that it welcomes the stranger and seeks his 
     good. A person who has the spirit of Aloha loves even when 
     the love is not returned. And such is the love of God.

  This is the meaning of aloha, Hawaii's gift to the cultural fabric of 
the United States and the world.
  While we celebrate this landmark anniversary next month, we must 
remember that the privileges of statehood came with obligations. Hawaii 
and the United States have a sacred trust relationship with the 
indigenous people of Hawaii that still remains to be fulfilled.
  In admitting Hawaii as the 50th State, Congress and the people of 
Hawaii have recognized the importance of addressing the needs of Native 
Hawaiians and preservation of their culture and traditions. I am proud 
to continue this legacy as we move forward with that promise.
  I congratulate Hawaii and its people on 50 years of statehood. I am 
proud to represent this great State in the Senate.

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