HILO — Puna Councilwoman Jen Ruggles sent a letter to the CEO of The Queen’s Health Systems stating the state’s largest private employer “may have committed the international crime of genocide against aboriginal Hawaiians.”
The reference line of the Sept. 20 letter to Art Ushijima, sent by registered mail on Hawaii County Council letterhead, reads: “War crimes committed against aboriginal Hawaiians by Queen’s Health Systems.” The alleged war crime is not following the original 1859 charter of then-Queen’s Hospital which provided for free medical care for Native Hawaiians.
The 11-page letter by Ruggles refers to a Feb. 25 memorandum from Alfred M. deZayas, a United Nations independent expert, who called Hawaii “a nation-state that is under a strange form of occupation by the United States resulting from an illegal military occupation and a fraudulent annexation.”
“As such, international laws (the Hague and Geneva Conventions) require that governance and legal matters within the occupied territory of the Hawaiian islands must be administered by the application of the laws of the occupied state (in this case, the Hawaiian Kingdom), not the domestic laws of the occupier (the United States),” deZayas wrote.
According to Ruggles, since the Hague and Geneva conventions were ratified by Senate, they became U.S. law, “and Hawaiian subjects of aboriginal blood, both pure and part, are protected persons whose rights during the U.S. occupation are protected under the Geneva Convention.”
Ruggles also cited the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Native Hawaiian Fact Sheet 2017, which stated, “Today, Native Hawaiians are perhaps the single racial group with the highest health risk in the state of Hawaii. This risk stems from high economic and cultural stress, lifestyle and risk behaviors, and the late or lack of access to health care.”
Cedric Yamanaka, a spokesman for The Queen’s Health Systems, said the company has no comment.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
So, is this now going to be her career, as a perma-nut? If so, she’s off to a good start, who will she harangue with war crime idiocy next? She could actually be mentally ill, perhaps she had a minor stroke that wasn’t detected?
Oh POutwest I am making the stroke call from Kona!
One thing amused me, her claims that poor native Hawaiian health is due in part to “high economic and cultural stress, lifestyle and risk behaviors”, requiring health care that presumably they are unable to get (an unproven assertion).
She’s right there, a fair number of native Hawaiians have a dangerous diet, high in saturated fats and carbs, and including flat-out poison, like poke made with mercury laden tuna (and plenty of salt). Did we do that to them too? Because the last time I checked, the decision whether or not to shovel loco moco in one’s mouth is entirely personal.
What about Obamacare?
This self proclaimed “community organizer” is just another loon, wacko, mentally ill, or just plain nuts. Seems to fit right in with the rest of that crowd.
Really? A memorandum from a UN lawyer creates binding laws in the U.S? She certainly has a very creative and imagined sense of law.
Joe Kamelamela has not been able to even reply to Jen’s letter because everything she says is true.
Kamelamela’s initial response was true, complete and sufficient: there are no legal issues. That’s all he needed to say, as it’s a true.
If Ruggle’s wants to create her own interpretation of the law, that’s fine, but she needs to understand that her interpretation is not supported by U.S. law. Her father has done the same with his marijuana business and it’s not exactly working out very well for him.
With out the weed!
Is this that goofy looking woman that always looks stoned out of her mind?
And is stoned to come up with this. Shame on the rest of them for not holding an emergency election to replace her!
Is this really Hilo Jack as a Transgender?
all doctors should leave the island. close all the hospitals and medical places…then there can be no war crimes.would that make her happy? who needs war criminals taking care of us when we are ill any way.jen ruggles, i hope you get your way….