Happy Kamehameha Day

Taking a brief respite from his arduous schedule helping clean up the Gulf mess watching basketball, Barack Obama Thursday took a moment to finally break down the walls that have separated up from typical Hawaiians and proclaim today Kamehameha Day across the land.

Where would we be as a people without this selfless man?

President Barack Obama is urging the nation to celebrate Kamehameha Day along with Hawaii.

The nation's first Hawaii-born president signed a statement Thursday proclaiming June 11, 2010, Kamehameha Day in honor of "King Kamehameha the Great," who unified the Hawaiian Islands under one government.

The statement calls on "all Americans to celebrate the rich heritage of Hawaii with appropriate ceremonies and activities."

Obama's proclamation says King Kamehameha's legacy is preserved in Ke Kanawai Mamalahoe, or "the Law of the Splintered Paddle."