Island Breath: Militarism in Hawaii

www.islandbreath.org

SUBJECT: MILITARISM IN HAWAII

Barking Sands now more likely site for C-17s

SOURCE: JUAN WILSON juanwilson@mac.com

POSTED: 29 April 2004 - 8:00am HST

Two-hundred-ninety ton C-17 landing on runway

The Barbers Point Navel Air Station on Oahu is being eliminated from consideration as a training site for C-17 cargo plane operations. The Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation say that leeward Oahu should not be considered because it is on the approach by commercial aircraft to Honolulu International Airport. The Transportation Department has said Hickam might work but they would rather a more remote location was chosen.

The remaining sites for consideration, other than Barking Sands, are Hickam Air Force Base on Oahu, the Marine Corps Base at Kaneohe, on Oahu and Kona International Airport , on the Big Island. To me this indicates the Barking Sands is the most likely place chosen for the C-17s. The reasoning is that Kona International Airport is to busy with commercial traffic and Kaneohe is not remote enough.

The commander of the pacific Fleet is looking to add another aircraft carrier to Pearl Harbor. The C-17s based in Hawaii are a crucial element in the placement of a Stryker Brigade in Hawaii to take care of the Pacific Rim. America's belligerence continues.

Kauai, like much of the world, seems at a tipping point. It seems that just a few more steps in the wrong direction will take us down a rat hole. What makes our island attractive to residents and visitors alike is the remote natural beauty of the island. I remember a phrase about the USA I once heard:"Everywhere is nowhere". It was a critique of the franchising America. As Kauai become more like Pearl Harbor, or San Diego, the more that phrase about comes to mind.

Tell your representative what you think. Check out their contact info here.

SUBJECT: MILITARISM IN HAWAII

The Continuing Militarization of Hawaii

SOURCE: LINDA PASCATORE

lindapascatore@me.com 18 April 2004 10:30am

C-17 on runway. For more information check here
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/c-17.htm

C-17 Runway and the Stryker Brigade on Kauai?
by Linda Pascatore on 18 April 2004

The Air Force is considering the PMRF at Barking Sands as a site for a new runway for C-17 transport planes. The C-17 is also called “Globemaster III”. It is capable of rapid strategic delivery of 102 troops and all types of cargo, including tanks and Armored Personel Carriers. It has a wingspan of 170 feet, and is 173 feet long and 55 feet high. To give you a sense of perspective, that's height is that of a 5 story building covering more than half the size of a football field. The range of the aircraft is 5200 nautical miles without refueling.

C-17's stacked on runway

Here on Kauai, housing the C-17 landing strip would mean building a runway between 3500 and 5000 feet long. The proposed site at Barking Sands is two miles long and is bordered by private land on one side and pristine beach on the other. The crews for the C-17 would be based on Oahu, and flown in for training missions.

Training will take place 40 times a month, at least once per day (half at night!), for four hour sessions. That’s a lot of takeoffs and landings of a very large plane! The army claims the noise from the short, hard landings is “no louder than a commercial jumbo jet”.

Stryker Armored Personel Carrier & Weapons platform. For more check here
http://www.army-technology.com/projects/stryker/index.html#stryker2

The C-17 will be transporting the Stryker Brigade. The Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) combines the capacity for rapid deployment with survivability and tactical mobility. The Stryker vehicle, an eight wheeled armored tank, enables the team to maneuver in close and urban terrain, provide protection in open terrain and transport infantry quickly to critical battlefield positions.

Now you may wonder why we need the “Globemaster” and the Stryker Brigade in Hawaii. My theory is that in preparation for Bush’s “War on the World”, the military will be using Hawaii as a staging area for attacks onwhat Bush deems to be “terrorism” anyhere around the Pacific Rim.

The militarization of Hawaii has been increasing. It is the antithesis of the Aloha Spirit. Hawaii in general, and Kauai in particular, has been valued as a Paradise: a place of peace, great natural beauty, contemplation, and love or Aloha. The people who live here and the tourists visiting don’t want this beautiful place transformed into a big military base for preemptive attacks on the rest of the world.

If you don’t want these planes here on Kauai, let your legislators know (see Our Elected Reps on the side bar for contact info). Public comment will be gathered over the summer and fall, so show up and speak up, or submit written comment.

You can cut and paste the example letter below (or better yet, write your own) and e-mail it to your reps from this site right now: Dear (President, Governor, Senator, Congressman, Mayor, etc),

Aloha;

I oppose the siting of a C-17 training runway on the Mana Plain of Kauai. These are large, noisy planes that would compromise the peaceful, natural beauty of the Westside. Residents and tourists who are trying to enjoy the very special, sacred site of Polihale State Park would be subjected to at least four hours a day of these jumbojet "hard" landings. Since half of these landings would be at night, the residents of Kekaha would suffer greatly.

Hawaii in general, and Kauai in particular, has been esteemed as a Paradise: a place of peace, great natural beauty, contemplation, and love (or Aloha). It is for this reason I also oppose the continued militarization of Hawaii. To support the C-17's and the Offensive Weapon Systems they bring, like the Stryker, is the antithesis of the Aloha Spirit.

The people who live here and the tourists visiting don’t want this beautiful place transformed into a big military base full of war machines. I think the state of Hawaii would be better off without any C-17 Training missions or a Stryker Brigade based on Kauai.

Sincerely,

Also Against Stryker Base & C-17 Training on Kauai

If I had my way there would be no US military presense on Kauai. In the present climate of America that is unrealistic. As the author of the Nohili Park Initiative (NPI) it is my goal has been to simply relocate the PMRF base away from the beach, and return the use of the shoreline to the people of Hawaii

I am opposed to C-17 landings and a Stryker Brigade based on Kauai. There may be a place here for defensive military sensors, data gathering and intelligence coordination. As part of a "Defense" Department the PMRF may justify some of it's work to peace loving people. Some might even argue that research, development and testing of that technology, in itself, does not kill and maim innocent people. But I strongly feel that combat weapons that could be used for preemptive attacks on other shores should be banned from Kauai.

Juan Wilson: Architect
Hanapepe, Kauai

SUBJECT: MILITARISM IN HAWAII

SOURCE: LINDA PASCATORE lindapascatore@me.com

The expansion of the military is occuring thrughout Hawaii

29 February 2004 5:00pm

The Military’s Endless Appetite for Hawaiian Land
• In 1898, the U.S. militarily occupied Hawai’i in violation of international law and treaties, in order to fight a war with Spain. In 2002, the U.S. is waging another global war, and it threatens to seize more land in Hawaii to further its war aims.

• The U.S. military already controls 200,000 acres of land in Hawai‘i and nearly 25% of the land on O’ahu. This places Hawai’i in the same league as other military-occupied territories like Okinawa, Puerto Rico and Guam.

• 54% of the military’s land-holdings consist of stolen Hawaiian national lands (“ceded lands”). The military has continued expanding in Hawai‘i, despite the fact that since 1990, the Department of Defense has had a moratorium on new training land acquisitions, and that the Pacific Command in 1995 said that it would reduce its land holdings in Hawai‘i. In 1998, the Army condemned 8,000 acres of Campbell Estate land in Kahuku and is in the process of purchasing another 1000 acres in Pohakuloa.

• A 1997 Army report stated that the Army needed an additional 79,000 acres of training land.

• Access to the beach at Nohili, Kaua‘i and the mountains above Keawa‘ula, O‘ahu have been restricted since 9/11/01. Missile defense tests and harmful sonar experiments are conducted off of Kaua‘i. Military-related research is conducted on sacred mountains: Mauna Kea and Haleakala.Army “Transformation”: Biggest Land Grab since WWII

The Proposed Army Transformation would mean
• Seizing an additional 23,000 acres of land on Hawai'i Island and 2,000 acres on O'ahu, which would have an impact on the 70 endangered species in the Honouliuli Nature Reserve.

• Increase of 400 19-ton armored vehicles and additional C-17 cargo planes. Maneuvers and overflights would be done in Kahuku, Wahiawa, Mokuleia, Kawaihae and Pohakuloa.

• Increase of 480 troops and 921 dependents – more competition for jobs and housing - and 32 construction projects including firing ranges, a tank trail from Mokuleia to Wahiawa, and a "mock embassy."

• More bombs, fires, erosion, toxic chemicals, destruction of habitat and cultural areas, and unexploded ordnance. Increased risk of accidents. More land will become “off limits” to the public.

A Trail of Environmental Destruction: Fires, Bombs, and Toxins
• After bombing Kaho'olawe for years, the Navy spent $400 million and still failed to clean up the unexploded bombs to a safe level as was promised in a legal agreement.

• The Marine Corps condemned the Kamaka family land in Waikane after leasing it for live fire training and contaminating it with unexploded munitions. Recently the Marines said they want to resume training in Waikane.

• When Makua residents were evicted during World War II, the Army promised to return the land 6 months after the war. But the Army still bombs and contaminates Makua. Live fire training, toxic chemicals, fires and unexploded ordnance threaten human health and safety, endangered species and Hawaiian cultural practices.

• With over 36 fish ponds, Ke Awalau o Pu‘uloa (Pearl Harbor) was once a rich source of food for Oÿahu in ancient times. Today, under military control, Pearl Harbor has become extremely contaminated, with nearly 750 contaminated sites (several of which are Superfund sites) identified by the Navy. It is no longer safe to eat anything from Pearl Harbor.

Take Back Our Land and Our Lives from Militarism
• No Military Expansion!

• Clean Up, Restore and Return the ‘aina.

• End Hawai‘i’s dependency on military spending by redirecting funds to environmental clean up and community based economic alternatives based on human needs.

• The military must pay just compensation for its use and damage to Hawaiian lands.

Editor’s Note:
The previous article was taken from the website of DMZ Hawaii at:
www.afschawaii.org/dmzhawaii.html However, it appears the other links and contact info on their website are not currently functioning.

SUBJECT: MILITARISM IN HAWAII

SOURCE: CLAIRE MORTIMER clairebear@aloha.net

9-11 is the excuse used by the military to do anything it wants

25 February 2004 10:30am

Eventually we can expect the US military to endanger its citizens everywhere!

STATEMENT AGAINST WAR & MILITARIZATION OF HAWAI’I
Claire Mortimer is a representative and officer of the Hawaiian Green Party. She has forwarded a modified version of a statement that originated with the organization "Not In Our Name" (www.NION.us )

We believe that the U.S. government’s policies and overall political direction since September 11, 2001 pose grave dangers to the people of the world. We also believe they pose grave dangers to to Hawai`i - its land and its people.

We refuse to be a party to this unjust war. We will not remain silent as Hawai`i is used as a base from which young men and women are trained to fight an illegal and immoral war against the people of the world. Neither will we look away as the military demands more land and destroys Hawai`i’s fragile environment and the well-being of its people in order to execute this war.

In 1893 the U.S. overthrew the sovereign nation of Hawai`i in order to secure a base from which it could control the Pacific region and since then has used Hawai`i to train its military. It has seized vast lands that are off-limits to Hawai`i’s people - Mokapu, Bellows, Kolekole Pass, Fort Shafter, Waimomi (Pearl Harbor), Kahuku, Hale Koa, Makua Valley, Waikane, Pohakaloa, Nohili (Barking Sands), Wahiawa (Schofield Barracks), Lualualei. Most is occupied national land (ceded land) that belongs to the Hawaiian people. The U.S. military has displaced families, polluted our land with toxic waste and unexploded ordnance, and has left more than 1,000 identified contaminated sites that have yet to be cleaned up. It has trampled Hawai`i’s forests, destroyed cultural sites, and burned and bombed the land. And still they call for more precious land and resources.

Since 9/11 we have watched in horror as the Bush administration, with the complicity of many of Hawai`i’s politicians, has called for an increased military presence in Hawai`i. More land. More live-fire training. More destruction. All without accountability for the destruction they have already caused. We who sign this statement call on all people to join together to resist this disastrous direction.

We believe that we are now facing a major challenge: stopping the proposed Stryker Brigade from training in Hawai`i. The Army’s plan to base the Strykers in Hawai`i includes the acquisition of 23,400 additional acres of Hawai`i’s land for their use. More than 300 Strykers - twenty-ton urban assault vehicles - will further endanger Hawai`i’s rare plants and animals and reduce our quality of life. Erosion caused by these huge tanks will pollute our lowlands and imperiled coral reefs. The introduction of more toxins into our air, land and water will poison our environment and endanger our health An additional 7 million pounds of dust each year will significantly increase respiratory problems for our people. Promises of money and jobs can never compensate us for such irreversible damage to Hawai`i’s land and the well-being of its people.

We support the broad questioning and widespread protest against the war now going on in Hawai`i and around the world. We applaud the hundreds of people who testified against the Strykers at Army hearings and condemn the Army’s attempts to intimidate and silence people by holding public hearings at private and isolated venues, hiring private police and then arresting the public for attempting to exercise free speech at those hearings.

We take heart from many examples of resistance against military occupation: from the people in Vietnam who expelled French and U.S. occupiers to those who stopped the bombing of Kaho`olawe; from people in the Philippines who drove out U.S. bases, to those in Puerto Rico who stopped the bombing of Vieques. We draw on the many examples of resistance of people in the United States who have opposed the war, resisted the draft, and have stood with people around the world in their struggles for peace and justice. Not in Our Name will the U.S. expand its military presence in Hawai`i in order to fight its illegal and immoral war for empire. Not in Our Name will we allow the continued destruction of Hawai`i by the U.S. military. We will resist the machinery of war and repression. A better world is possible, and by working together we can make it real.