A journalist of national repute, one would assume, does some homework before positioning himself on the complexities of Hawaiian history.

That assumption would be wrong in the case of columnist George Will, who's plainly decided it's not worth the effort.

Instead, his latest piece, in which he compares the implementation of the federal recognition bill to the racial policies of Nazi Germany, is merely an ill-informed parroting of the usual right-wing screed on this issue.

Even worse, Will declined an opportunity to become better informed. U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, sponsor of the bill, said that he invited Will to meet with him to discuss the legislation, adding that the writer never took him up on the offer. Akaka was, understandably, livid about the column.

"Mr. Will alters history to claim the overthrow was peaceful and 'Native Hawaiian land was not taken by force,' which is plainly untrue and ignores the involvement of armed U.S. agents," he said.

Yes, the coup was bloodless. But to call it peaceful corrupts the meaning of "peace." And to suggest Hawaiian citizens gave up their sovereignty willingly is a simple falsehood, ignoring the widespread petitioning against annexation.

Yes, most Hawaiians voted more than a half-century later for statehood, but that doesn't mean they embraced the initial takeover, any more than other native groups who lost their lands rejected full-fledged American citizenship when that choice was offered.

Even the act of constituting a political entity that's disbanded is not unprecedented. Will should have remembered that Native Alaskans formed corporations to govern assets.

The so-called Akaka bill, rather than being the harbinger of horror as its detractors claim, actually formalizes a recognition of Hawaiians as native people already accorded by Congress through many entitlements and programs dating back to the 1920s.

Readers who had thought better of Will's professionalism have a right to feel dismayed by this shoddy work.