[OT rambling in some ways] Free Hawaii thoughts Re: Fiji in space but back on earth, oy ve?!?!?

On Fri, 20 Jun 2003 20:52:35 -0500 Doug Evans <devans@nebraska.edu>
writes:
<snip>
>By the way, I can't wear the shirt to work; our
>receptionist/secretary/secret queen of the workplace comes from 
>Hawaii, and
>is of Portuguese extraction, which she claims is on the lowest rung of 
>the
>social ladder, even below tourists, though I think she's exaggerating
>there. Love tourist money, hate tourists.
>

Interesting tidbit.  The nearest thing I have to a godfather is Mr.
Lagon
(served with both paternal and maternal uncles in Korea with USMC -
Chosin Reservoir and MacArthur we * not * talk about) who is '...native
hawaiian and Philippino..." and I have concluded that from my visit
there
for several weeks and comments from those living there that:

1) There are certain groups considered 'native' to the Islands
	a) Hawaiians (100% native Hawaiians must exist but no one seems
to	actually know one.)
	b) In descending order the social pecking order seemed to be
		1) Ethnic Chinese
		2) Ethnic Japanese
		3) Ethnic Philippinos
		4) Ethnic Portuguese
		5) long term 'Howlees' (caucasians) - families been
there
since		before Hawaii was a state. Preferably Way Before.  
A very flexible 		status and very individually applied
IMO.
		6) Most anyone Asian or Caucasian who lives for job
purposes		(i.e., "...the company moved them here...") 
Yes, this varies by			what they do.  Mainlanders
are still Mainlanders... and 'locals'			should get
all the  jobs... I knew a NIMA (federal Agency) person
		who requested a hardship PCS back to the states because
his		kids were attacked every day after school after two
years there.
		7) Tourists - and there is a hierarchy there too from my
			observations.  Another time perhaps.
		8) African-Americans (Serious- problems with
Asian-Americans,		just like in Los Angeles...) 
		8) Samoans - Hoo boy, the stories about 'Samoan
insularity' I		heard... I don't think I heard one story
where the Samoans were		not the 'bad guys' in the Islands.
		9) Mainlanders who moved there and 'take jobs away from
the		islanders' (I have a story about a classmate who
tried that (we		are from Los Angeles) but that I will tell
anyone interested Off-list.

[emphasis, not volume] 
OKAY, TO BRING THIS ON TOPIC.

How about Free Hawaii being in the same role as Switzerland or Spain in
World War 2?  As long as you don't involve the locals, make life
complicated for the authorities (lots of bodies, burning buildings or
clear violation of diplomatic credentials)  or get obvious (the worst
sin) you pretty much can do what you want diplomatically and
'intelligence gathering' wise.	And even if you do break "the rules"
(frogmen hidden in a ship in harbor?) if done properly you might get
away
with it.

This can make for some possible below-SG2 scenarios [FMAS  ** is **
coming sometime I hope - please tell me it is!] on the Islands with
Local
Authorities, dissident groups (dozens of them perhaps,) refugee groups
(overlaps with dissidents,) NAC operatives, Mercs, Japanese
organizations
(Corporate, Yakuza... oops being repetitive..., Government... redundant
to Corporate again,) SAI types, ESU operatives,  maybe RH (to watch the
ESU,) possibly NSL or FSE (refer to RH presence reasons,) and... well,
you get the drift.  Add a space port to the mix and it is definitely
"Cowboys and Indians in the Islands.'

There might even be situations where local troops actually clash with
other nations especially those who are 'deniable' or early on in Free
Hawaii's history.  There would be definite possibilities for on/in/over
water conflict.  Actual "naval" scenarios!  Even "aquatic" DS2 maybe.

Gracias,
Glenn
.
6 mm miniatures rule!  Well, anyway in my mind they do!
.

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