Yearly Archives: 2012

WWII-era munitions removed from Bellows driving range

The golfers at the Bellows Air Force Station in Waimanalo encountered a real hazard on the course; several bombs were unearthed.  The Honolulu Star Advertiser reported: Several World War II-era munitions found buried at Bellows Air Force Station’s golf driving range were removed Tuesday and today, the Air Force said. The munitions were described as… Read more »

Video depicts Marines urinating on enemy corpses

Rob Burns of the AP reported “Marines probe video showing troops urinating on enemy corpses”: The Marine Corps said today it is investigating a video depicting what appears to be four Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters. In a statement, the Marine Corps said it has not verified the origin or authenticity of… Read more »

Okinawa, New Year 2012: Tokyo’s Year End Surprise Attack

Japan Focus just published two excellent articles about the release of the environmental impact study for the military base expansion in Okinawa: “The Fatally Flawed EIS Report on the Futenma Air Station Replacement Facility – With Special Reference to the Okinawa Dugong” by Sakurai Kunitoshi and  “Pre-Dawn Surprise Attack: The “Drop-off” of the Environmental Impact Statement” by… Read more »

Accidents, Rapes, Murders, Suicides, Guns and Explosives

Here is a sampling of recent news stories related to crimes and accidents involving military personnel. The Honolulu Star Advertiser reported “Motorcyclist killed in Ewa Beach was decorated Army sergeant” (1/06/2012): The city Medical Examiner’s Office today identified the 27-year-old Schofield Barracks soldier who died in a motorcycle accident Thursday as Aaron Bennett. Bennett, from… Read more »

The new Defense Guidance document: Cuts for the military, but humanity still hangs from a cross of iron.

January 17, 2012 will mark the 51st anniversary of President Dwight D. Eisenhowerʻs famous farewell speech, in which he presciently warned of the dangers of the military-industrial complex.  Last year on the 50th anniversary of the speech, Andrew Bacevich wrote “The Tyranny of Defense Inc.,” an excellent reflection on the evolution of Eisenhowerʻs thinking and… Read more »

A Korean Spring?

As Christine Ahn of the Korea Policy Institute writes in Foreign Policy In Focus, there are interesting and hopeful changes taking place in the Korean peninsula. Many in the west are speculating about what will happen in the aftermath of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.  But the transition to new leadership… Read more »

Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Invalidates Electoral Reaportionment Plan

Big Island Video News reports: After a day of oral arguments, the Hawaii Supreme Court has found the 2011 Final Reapportionment Plan to be constitutionally invalid. The Order Granting Petition for Writ of Mandamus and Judicial Review states: IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the petition for a writ of mandamus and judicial review is granted…. Read more »