Action Alert: TOMORROW Protect Farm Land in Lualualei!

Action Alert:  Protect Farm Land in Lualualei!

Wai’anae may lose valuable farm land in Lualualei if the proposed draft of the Wai’anae Sustainable Communities Plan (WSCP) is adopted by the Honolulu City Council.  The present draft of the WSCP would result in a loss of agricultural land and threaten to open the door to future industrial and urban encroachment.

The most critical issue is stopping a proposed industrial park in Lualualei (the notorious ‘purple spot’).   The majority of Wai’anae residents who participated in planning sessions and testified on the plan opposed the industrial park, but the industrial park was included in the proposed plan by the City planners.

The Honolulu City Council Committee on Zoning and Planning will have a hearing on the draft Wai’anae Sustainable Communities Plan, TOMORROW, September 29, 2011 at 9:00 am at the Honolulu Hale Committee Meeting Room.

Help save valuable agricultural land in Lualualei Valley from being paved over for an industrial park!  

Please testify in person or submit written testimony.    OPPOSE the current draft of the Wai’anae Sustainable Communities Plan.

In person (one-minute presentation): Register by 9 AM:

  • Use the On-Line City Council Speaker Registration form available at http://www1.honolulu.gov/council/attnspkzp.htm;

  • Send a fax to 768-3827 indicating your desire to register to speak, along with your name, phone number and subject matter

  • Fill out the registration form in person or call 768-3815.

Written:

By submitting written testimony, you are not automatically registered to speak.  Refer to “SPEAKER REGISTRATION” procedures above.

If submitted, written testimonies, including the testifier’s address, e-mail address, and phone number, may be posted by the City Clerk and available to the public on the City’s DocuShare Website.

Here is the link to the Council Committee on Zoning and Planning Agenda.

Some points you can make in your testimony:

  • Amend the plan to remove the proposed industrial park in Lualualei.
  1. The proposed industrial park in Lualualei is a blatant example of ‘spot zoning’ that caters to special interests over and above the long term interests of the community and violates good planning principles. The purple spot will disrupt the integrity of the agricultural lands in that area, making the area more susceptible to urban development in the future.
  2. O’ahu cannot afford to lose any more farm land.   Lualualei has some of the most fertile soil for farming.  No can eat concrete!  Stop the urban ‘cancer’ from spreading.  Young people in Wai’anae want to farm but are frustrated by the shortage of available land.
  3. The proposed site of the industrial development is known as the birthplace of Maui, the Demigod, one of the great heroes and dieties in Hawaiian legends.  Constructing an industrial park on this site would be a violation of this cultural signifcant area.
  4. There is not justification for the industrial park.  Demand for industrial park space is weak, with many vacant sites in Campbell Industrial park just down the road.
  • No highway through Pohakea pass.  This road would destroy a cultural significant area, where the goddess Hi’iaka crossed from Wai’anae to ‘Ewa.  Some say a highway through Pohakea will be a disaster like the H-3 freeway that destroyed many sacred sites and threatened endangered species.  Kolekole Road can be improved and access negotiated with the Navy and the Army for a second access road to Wai’anae.
  • No new landfills in Wai’anae.   Wai’anae is a victim of environmental racism.  Stop dumping on Wai’anae.   Ban future landfill development in Wai’anae.
  • Restore and recover military lands for environmentally and culturally sustainable uses, with a priority on agriculture and restoration of traditional cultural uses.  Keep the language in the plan that calls for the return of military-controlled land to the community.

All people have a fundamental human right to live in a clean and healthy environment and to determine their future cultural, economic and social development.   The Wai’anae Sustainable Communities Plan must not be hijacked by powerful and wealthy interests seeking to impose their profit-driven model of development that is harmful to the long-term well-being and sustainability of Wai’anae.

For more information see:

DMZ-Hawai’i / Aloha ‘Aina

KAHEA

Hawaii Independent

 

Protect Kahoolawe Ohana: All Our Aloha in One Kanoa

Stopping the bombing – 20th Anniversary

September 25, 2011

9:30 am to 4:30 pm

Ka Papa Lo’i o Kanewai – 2645 Dole Street

Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana rededicates itself to Kaho‘olawe

 (Kānewai, O‘ahu). The Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana (‘Ohana) will host All Our Aloha in One Kānoa on Sunday, September 25 from 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM at Ka Papa Lo‘i ‘o Kānewai at 2645 Dole Street.  The event, which is free and open to the public, and welcomes families, wraps up a year of islandswide activities marking the 20th anniversary since the bombing of Kaho‘olawe was stopped,  The ‘Ohana invites the community to join in the rededication of promoting Aloha ‘Āina throughout the islands.  Activities include talk story panels, music, food and other activities.  The ‘Ohana will be serving ‘awa from the kānoa (‘awa bowl) that has been traveling across the Hawaiian Islands for the past year inviting community to rededicate themselves to Kanaloa Kaho‘olawe and continued efforts for its restoration.

 Three unique kūkākūkā sessions will bring in members of the community to connect to Kaho‘olawe:

11 – 12 PM.  MAKAHIKI.  Makahiki practitioners from various O‘ahu communities will share their experiences around the revival of Makahiki on Kaho‘olawe and how they’ve connected those practices to their own wahi kapu (sacred places).

1  – 2 PM.  I MUA NĀ PUA.  Young people will share what the island has meant to them as students and family members through poems, songs, oli, or their personal stories.

3  – 4 PM.  EA.  Activists and proponents of Hawaiian sovereignty and restoration will describe their visions of how Kanaloa Kaho‘olawe fits into a Hawaiian entity.

Live music will be featured between sessions, including music by the Hakioawa Serenaders, Steve Ma‘i‘i, Jon Osorio, Ernie Cruz, Jr., and Kupa‘āina.

The lo‘i at Kānewai was re-established by UH Hawaiian language and culture students who were also members of the Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana.  Kūpuna who guided the activities on Kaho‘olawe also helped young people to re-open the lo‘i kalo.  The histories of the two communities are interconnected.

Ono food, familiar to those who have accessed Hakioawa with the ‘Ohana, will be available for donation.  All proceeds from the day will support the mission of the Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana.

Formed in 1976, the vision of the Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana is Aloha ‘Āina.

Its mission is to promote Aloha ‘Āina throughout the islands through cultural, educational and spiritual activities that heal and revitalize the cultural and natural resources on Kaho‘olawe.

Waikane and Hickam Restoration Advisory Boards Meetings

1.  The Waikane Valley Restoration Advisory Board Meeting will be held Wednesday, September 21st, from 7:00-9:00 pm at Waiahole Elementary School.  This is the RAB that advises on the clean up of the parcel of land that was owned by the Kamaka family until it was condemend by the Marine Corps due to the unexploded ordnance hazard.  Now after many years, the Marines have begun a clean up.   We want to ensure that the land is cleaned up to the highest standard and returned to the Kamaka family in the future.  CONTACT: Rachel Ross, Environmental Science International, Inc. Email:  RRoss@esciencei.com; Office: 808-261-0740 Ext. 124; Cellular: 808-358-7056   OR  Randall Hu, randall.hu@usmc.mil.

2.  The Pearl Harbor-Hickam Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at Leeward Community College (Room PS-201B) Contact: Rachel Gilhooly, Telephone:  808.356.5343; Rachel.Gilhooly@aecom.com OR Janice Fukumoto, janice.fukumoto@navy.mil.

Peace Day Event Calls for Ending Missile Testing in the Pacific

For Immediate Release             

Contact:     Kyle Kajihiro
808-988-6266
kkajihiro@hawaiipeaceandjustice.org

Peace Day Event Calls for Ending Missile Testing in the Pacific

Hawai’i Peace and Justice  (formerly the American Friends Service Committee Hawai’i Program) will sponsor a talk by a renowned peace activist to commemorate International Peace Day.

MacGregor Eddy will speak about “Peace In the Pacific: Stop Missile Testing!”  Ms. Eddy sits on the board of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power Space <http://www.space4peace.org>, is a member of the International Committee to Save Jeju Island (Korea) <www.savejejuisland.org>, and coordinates peace protests at the Vandenberg Space Command <www.vandenbergwitness.org>.

The event takes place on International Peace Day, September 21, 2011 at 7:00 pm, at the Honolulu Friends Meeting House, 2426 Oahu Avenue, Honolulu.   The presentation is free and open to the public.

On what has been declared an International Day of Peace by the United Nations, the United States had scheduled to launch a nuclear-capable Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. After an outpouring of international criticism, the launch has been postponed to a later date.

There was much controversy with the selection of this particular date, which was established by the U.N. General Assembly in 2001 to be reserved as “a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, an invitation to all nations and people to honor a cessation of hostilities for the duration of the Day…commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples.”

David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, said, “Missile testing is a provocative act, not a peaceful one, and is particularly inappropriate on the International Day of Peace. Rather than testing one of its nuclear-capable missiles, the US should be taking steps to further the goals of peace and nuclear disarmament on this important day. To build a more peaceful world, US leadership is critical.”

Vandenberg Air Force Base in California routinely tests hydrogen bomb delivery systems, Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMS), over the Pacific to Kwajalein atoll in the Marshall Islands in violation of the U.S. commitment to disarmament under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

The US and its allies use the few, short range launches by North Korea as a pretext for military buildup on Guam, Okinawa, and Jeju Island South Korea. The Pacific Missile Range Facility in Nohili, Kaua’i is key to the testing and tracking of missile launches.

Kyle Kajihiro, coordinator for Hawai‘i Peace and Justice said “On Peace Day we should reflect on the high cost of war and militarism and commit ourselves to ending the disorder of global militarization. Will Hawai‘i truly be a gathering place for peace, or a weapon of global domination? ”

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 DOWNLOAD THE POSTER FOR THE EVENT

Hawai’i Peace and Justice
2426 O’ahu Avenue
Honolulu, Hawai’i 96822
808.988.6266
nfo@hawaiipeaceandjustice.org
hawaiipeaceandjustice.org

Peace in the Asia Pacific Conference, October 21-22, 2011, Washington D.C.

There will be an important conference about Peace in the Asia Pacific region, featuring leaders from Chinese government and civil society, peace movement leaders from Japan, Korea, Guam, Hawaiʻi and many leading scholars and activists.

Ikaika Hussey from Hawai ʻi Peace and Justice and DMZ-Hawaiʻi / Aloha ʻĀina will be representing Hawaiʻi and speaking about militarization and resistance in Hawaiʻi. Julian Aguon from Guahan/Guam will also be speaking about the struggle against U.S. bases in Guam.

 

From the Peace In Asia Pacific Conference:

Friends,

When was the last time you had the opportunity to meet and learn from leading political figures from China, a key leader of the Japanese nuclear disarmament movement, or a leading Korean spokesperson for the movement to prevent construction of a new naval base on Jeju Island that was featured in the New York Times?

When was the last time you had the chance to get together and share experiences and challenges with U.S. organizers and activists working to Move the Money from the Pentagon to our communities, to end the Central Asian wars, and for nuclear weapons abolition?

I am writing because I am excited about the Peace in Asia and the Pacific conference that the American Friends Service Committee and a host of U.S. and Asia-Pacific peace organizations have planned for October 21 & 22 at American University in Washington, D.C. The conference will be an absolutely unique opportunity to develop a strategy to make peace in the Asia Pacific region a reality.

For registration & discounted hotel reservations*: http://afsc.org/PeaceInAsiaPacific

 Who will be there?

Jean Athey                        Peace Action National Board & leading figure in the campaign to cut Pentagon spending to meet human needs

Shen Dingli                        Director of Center American Studies Executive Vice Dean of the Institute of International Affairs, Fudan University (often quoted in the New York Times)

Herbert Docena            Filipino researcher for Focus on the Global South working with NGOs and social movements

John Feffer                        Co-Director of Foreign Policy in Focus, Institute for Policy Studies

Bruce Gagnon                    Coordinator, Global Network Against Weapons andNuclear Power in Space

Joseph Gerson                        Disarmament Coordinator, American Friends Service Committee

Takakusaki Hiroshi            Co-Convener, World Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Hiroshima & Nagasaki)

Kayashige Junko            Hiroshima A-Bomb Survivor, artist and abolition campaigner

Zia Mian                        Scientist, scholar and extraordinary scholar at Princeton University

Madame Yan Junqi             Vice President of the Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament and Vice President of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Congress

Yanae Pak                        A leading figure in the courageous and militant nonviolent resistance to building a new military base on Jeju Island in Korea

Why discuss peace in Asia and the Pacific the U.S. is still at war in Afghanistan and Iraq?

  • Because the focus of Pentagon planning and spending has moved from Europe and the so-called “Arc of Instability” to preparations for 21st century wars in Asia and the Pacific.
  • Because the center of the global economy and much of human development shifts from the West to the East
  • Because the struggle for dominance – as well as historic tensions and resource competition in Asia and the Pacific – have generated regional arms races, growing U.S.-Chinese military tensions, threats, and armed confrontations
  • Because alternatives are possible, and here in the U.S. job creation and meeting urgent community and human needs requires moving the money from preparations for Asian & Pacific wars to building our future.

We will work together with panel discussions and  in workshops to delve deeper into issues and build on existing campaigns from demilitarizing national budgets, withdrawing foreign military bases to nuclear weapons abolition.

Please join us if you can. For more information see http://afsc.org/PeaceInAsiaPacific, write to JGerson@afsc.org or phone 617-661-6130.

Join in working for a 21st century of peace, justice and international solidarity.

Joseph Gerson

American Friends Service Committee

*For discounts, hotel reservations must be made by September 21.

Conference initiated by American Friends Service Committee and Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament. Participating organizations include: American University’s Nuclear Studies Institute, Historians against the war, Korea Policy Institute, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Nodutol, Peace Acton, United for Peace and Justice, Survival Education fund, Veterans for Peace – Korea Peace Campaign.

Keep Space for Peace Week: International Days of Protest to Stop the Militarization of Space, October 1 – 8 2011

The Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space is calling for local groups to organize actions against the militarization of space.   They have organizing tool kits online for organizing your own action.   Check it out!

Keep Space for Peace Week

International Days of Protest to Stop the Militarization of Space

 

October 1 – 8 2011

  • Stop the Drones
  • No Missile Defense
  • End the wars & occupations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya
  • Bring Our War $$ Home
  • Convert the Military Industrial Complex

October 1-8
LOCAL ACTIONS (list in formation)

Albuquerque, New Mexico (Oct 5) Showing documentary Pax-Americana & the Weaponization of Space 6:00 pm at the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice.  Contact Stop the War Machine at 505-268-9557 or citizen@comcast.net

Albuquerque, New Mexico (Oct 8) Anti-war and use of space for war protest at the University of New Mexico bookstore plaza, Central Avenue.  Contact Stop the War Machine at 505-268-9557 or citizen@comcast.net

Andover, Massassachusetts (Oct 3)  Vigil at Raytheon (where Patriot PAC-3 missile defense interceptors are made) at 7:00 am  For more info call 978-686-4418

Bath Iron Works, Maine (Oct 1) Vigil across from administration building on Washington Street, 11:30-12:30am Smilin’ Trees Disarmament Farm (207) 763-4062

Brighton, England (Oct 1) Symposium on ‘Power in Outer Space’ – How can human activity in outer space be understood in relation to social power? How can this social power be contested? Keynote speakers will be Dave Webb, Leeds Metropolitan University, and Peter Dickens, University of Cambridge, and Visiting Professor at the University of Brighton. More info available at: www.brighton.ac.uk/sass/powerinouterspace/

Colorado Springs, Colorado (Oct 3) Bannering outside the west gate at Schriever AFB (home of the Space Warfare Center and numerous other Star Wars programs)3:30 – 4:30 bill.sulzman@gmail.com

Colorado Springs, Colorado (Oct 7) Congressional office visits (Bennet, Udall, Lamborn) presenting Stop the War petitions, 4:00 pm  bill.sulzman@gmail.com

Creech AFB, Nevada (Oct 9) Vigil at Drone testing base at Indian Springs,  noon-1:30 pm jim@nevadadesertexperience.org

RAF Croughton, England (Oct 1) Rally at U.S. communication base; March to main gate 1 mile – starts Croughton village 12.00 midday. Returns 3pm, Oxfordshire Peace Campaign, oxonpeace@yahoo.co.uk
Fort Mead, Maryland (Oct 9) The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore will visit the National Security Agency (NSA) at Fort Meade at noon. Contact Max Obuszewski at mobuszewski@verizon.net or 410-366-1637

Menwith Hill, England (Oct 4) “The Alternative Tea Party”  demonstration at U.S. NSA Spy Base from 6-8 pm. Contact  Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases  mail@caabcorner.org.uk

Menwith Hill, England (Oct 16) “A Guided Walk Around Menwith Hill” – 2nd day of the CND Annual Conference in Bradford dominic@yorkshirecnd.org.uk

Nagpur, India (Oct 1)  Demonstration at 5 PM at the All India Radio Square jointly by the All India Peace & Solidarity Organisation, S.E.C. Railway Pensioners Assn,Pragatisheel Raillway Mahila samaj and the Indian Women for Peace & Development   jnrao36@sify.com

Nagpur, India (Oct 2)  A Workshop on different types of space weapons including Drones   jnrao36@sify.com

Nagpur, India (Oct 5)  A joint pogramme by the All India Peace & Solidarity Organisation, Indian Women for Peace & Development and the Matru Seva Sangh Institute of Social Work, 2 pm

Omaha, Nebraska (Oct 2) STRATCOM (Strategic Command), Offut Air Force Base, Kinney Gate, 2:30-3:30 pm, klostermannm@osfdbq.org

Ridhora, India (Oct 3)  A talk and a rally of the Students at the Central India Management & Tehnology Institute, in the state of Madhya Pradesh jnrao36@sify.com

Tucson, Arizona (Oct 3) Vigil at Raytheon (where “missile defense” kill vehicles are made)  nukeresister@igc.org

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (Oct 8) Nonviolent resistance at Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest weapons corporation and space weapons contractor, 1- 2:30p.m. at  Mall & Goddard Boulevards, (behind the King of Prussia Mall) brandywine@juno.com

Visakhapatnam, India (Oct 8) Workshop  “Everything on Weaponisation of ‘Space” at Visakhapatnam in state of Andhrapradesh.  jnrao36@sify.com

Waddington, England (from Sept 3rd) “Ground the Drones” Peace Camp at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, where a new squadron is being formed to fly killer drones direct from the UK. For details of the camp contact Yorkshire CND on 01274 730 795 or dominic@yorkshirecnd.org.uk

Weld County, Colorado (Oct 8) Vigil at Nuclear Missile site N-8 in Weld County.  Car Pool leaves Colorado Springs at 8:30 AM, vigil at noon bill.sulzman@gmail.com

Keep Space for Peace Week is co-sponsored by the Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (UK), Swedish Peace Council, Drone Campaign Network (UK), and United Against Drones (U.S.)

Will DLNR approve Army helicopter training on Mauna Kea?

The staff of the State of Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources is recommending approval of an Army request for a permit to conduct high altitude helicopter training on the sacred mountain Mauna Kea.  The Honolulu Star Advertiser reports:

State Department of Land and Natural Resources staff is recommending approval of a month’s worth of high-altitude helicopter training on the slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa for Army pilots and crews deploying to Afghanistan in January.

The Army’s request for a “right-of-way” permit for training in October on state conservation land is scheduled to come before the Board of Land and Natural Resources on Friday.

The 9 a.m. meeting will be held at the Kalanimoku building on Punchbowl Street. Acceptance of an environmental assessment, finding of “no significant impact,” and the permit for the Hawaii Island training are being sought by the Army.

[…]

The permit request is for October training only. Army officials said a decision will have to be made whether to pursue a longer-term permit for high-altitude training on Hawaii Island to include other services, such as the Hawaii National Guard.

The meeting of the DLNR will be Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 9am at the Kalanimoku BuildingKAHEA and the Mauna Kea protectors have been mobilizing opposition to this plan.  Testify in opposition to the helicopter training on the sacred temple Mauna Kea.

Ka La Ho’iho’i Ea 2011

From http://www.facebook.com/lahoihoiea:

We encourage the observance and celebration of La Ho’iho’i Ea everywhere Hawaiians tread the ‘AINA…

Please join us, Sunday July 31st 2011 ( @ Thomas Square in Honolulu), to celebrate and honor our ancestors, our history, our sovereignty and our unending fight for justice.

La Ho‘iho‘i Ea, celebrated from 1843 to 1893, commemorates the British Crown’s acknowledgment of Hawai‘i as an independent nation. A testament to Hawai‘i and our right to self-governance. Originally La Ho‘iho‘i Ea was a week long annual celebration marked by Hawaiian patriotism and all the best that our islands have to offer including music, crafts, games, food and community. It was celebrated for 50 years until, in 1893, Hawai‘i once again came under illegal occupation, this time by America.

Banned throughout the kingdom in the year 1893 along with other national holidays (i.e. La Kuokoa – Hawaii Independence Day ). La Ho‘iho‘i Ea experienced a rebirth in 1975 when Hawaiian national, scholar, and patriot Dr. Kekuni Blaisdell resurrected this holiday to honor and celebrate our continued independence and sovereignty, despite a century long American occupation.

“Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono”

“The sovereignty of our nation is preserved through righteousness.”

Helicopter training on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, Army-Native Hawaiian convenant and more military housing

The Army wants to conduct helicopter training exercises on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.   Jim Albertini of Malu ‘Aina issued the following call to oppose the Army’s High Altitude Mountainous Environment Training (HAMET) on the slopes of the sacred Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.  The Army had conducted these helicopter training exercises in the past under temporary permits from the state.  Now they are seeking a regular and permanent right of access which would also affect the endangered Palila bird .  Recently, the Army had to move its helicopter training to Colorado, an existing high altitude training area, because the state required the Army to follow the law and complete an environmental review for its proposed actions which did not fit the Army’s schedule.  The Army has previously violated permits and laws by recklessly landing in the protected Mauna Kea Ice Age Reserve and in other locations where it was not allowed to train. The draft environmental assessment is now out and public comments are being accepted until August 21st:

More military training on Hawaii Island for wars of aggression: Speak OUT!

“…no significant direct, indirect, or cumulative impacts on natural resources…” !!! WHO SAYS? The people, plants, animals, the aina, air, water, etc. are all interconnected.  What effects one effects all. The impacts are not just physical, but cultural, psychological, and spiritual. The training proposed is all part of U.S. occupation and what the Nuremberg trials following WWII called the Supreme War crime –waging a war of aggression. We want to stop all these illegal wars.  We do not want the U.S. training anywhere to do to others what the U.S. has already done to Hawaii: overthrow and occupy its government and nation, desecrate its sacred sites, and contaminate its air, land, water, people, plants, and animals with a wide range of military toxins.  We want the U.S. to stop bombing Hawaii and clean up its opala (rubbish).  Justice demands an end to U.S. occupation and the restoration of the Hawaii nation.   And all of this being done on the slopes of the Sacred Mountains.  Akua weeps.

Jim Albertini

> From Hawaii’s OEQC July 23, 2011 “The Envornmental Notice”
> http://oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov/Shared%20Documents/Environmental_Notice/current_issue.pdf
> High Altitude Mountainous Environment Training Draft EA

> Permits:
> Right of Entry via Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife Special Use Permit
> Proposing Agency:
> United States Army Garrison, Hawai’i (USAG-HI), 851 Wright Avenue, Wheeler Army Airfield, Schofield Barracks, Hawai’i 96857-5000. Contact: Mr. William Rogers (808) 656- 3075
> Approving Agency:
> Department of Land and Natural Resources Kalanimoku Building, 1151 Punchbowl Street, Honolulu, Hawai’i 96813. Contact: William J. Aila, Jr., (808) 587-0400
> Consultant:
> Portage, 1075 S. Utah Ave., Suite 200, Idaho Falls, ID 83402. (208) 419-4176
> Status: Anticipated Finding of No Significant Impact.
> 30-day comment period begins; comments are due on August 21, 2011.
> Send comments to the Proposing Agency and the Consultant
> The proposed action is to provide 90 helicopter pilots and crew 180 hours of high altitude training in October 2011 in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan to satisfy mandatory annual training requirements. The Army’s preferred alternative consists of flying to, hovering, and touch and go landings at three (3) landing zones (LZs) located on the slopes of Mauna Kea and three (3) LZs located on the slopes of Mauna Loa. Aircraft landing in the LZs would not be picking up or dropping off troops or supplies. Aircraft will be spending a minimal amount of time in the LZ areas, and ground time should not exceed 10 minutes per landing.
>
> Familiarity with this specialized high altitude environment is critical to save the lives of our 25th Combat Aviation Brigade aircrews and the Soldiers they transport when operating in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
Based on careful review of the analysis and conservation measures set forth in the EA and consideration of public comments received to date, implementing the Preferred Alternative would result in no significant direct, indirect, or cumulative impacts on natural resources, cultural resources, water resources, recreational resources and other resources assessed in the EA. Implementing the Preferred Alternative is not a major federal or state action that would significantly impact the quality of the environment.

Meanwhile, the Army seems to be digging in for a longer stay.  In a press release Native Hawaiian Covenant promotes partnerships”, the Army describes how it is spending a lot of money to cultivate a stable of Native Hawaiian “leaders” to support the military mission in Hawai’i and counter the opponents of military activities.   The Native Hawaiian liaison office functions as a cross between glorified hospitality program and counter insurgency asset:

Through the covenant, Army civilians and Soldiers new to the islands now receive an informative briefing on the Native Hawaiian people, history and culture. This critical information gives Army individuals an opportunity to learn the culture of the community around them and be sensitive to its customs.

In addition, Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners lead free Hawaiian workshops for those interested in learning about the different aspects of Hawaiian culture. Featured workshops include hula, ukulele, lei-making, Hawaiian legends, Hawaiian language, Hawaiian healing plants and coconut weaving.

“Positive responses from Soldiers and their families have been received through these briefings and workshops we offer,” said Annelle Amaral, Native Hawaiian liaison, USAG-HI. “We have found that it not only teaches the culture, but it provides an opportunity to spend time with their families and meet new friends. To be a part of this has been truly rewarding.”

A monthly “Ho olauna” bulletin is a resource for interested Army individuals, containing Hawaiian history, a featured Hawaiian word, upcoming Hawaiian events, happenings around town, a featured dining spot and volunteer opportunities. This resource keeps readers informed and offers opportunities for them to experience life outside the Army bases.

The program is also actively constructing its own list of “approved” Native Hawaiians that can be consulted to meet various federal requirements:

Through the covenant, the Army’s cultural and natural resources representatives are leading tours of the Kahuku Training Area and Makua Military Reservation for surrounding community members.

The program is even appropriating Kanaka Maoli concepts and mining the wisdom and reputation of elders to lend support to the military’s mission:

“Right now, we’re working on a ‘hanai’ concept, where we bring our young Army families and our elderly Hawaiian aunties and uncles together for a ‘talk-story’ session. This will fill the gap for one group (of people) who miss their families, and the other group (of people) who miss the opportunity to share life-lessons they’ve learned.” 

Apparently, military personnel stationed in Hawai’i are not getting the message about malama ‘aina.   Recently, fishermen and cultural practitioners at Ka’ena Point documented drunken and destructive military offroading.    As previously reported on this site, this is a recurring problem.   We recently did an ‘Olelo television program on the problem of military off-roading and the efforts to protect Ka’ena.

Military construction is also booming.  Lend Lease company recently won an extension of its contract to construct, refurbish and manage thousands of homes for military personnel.

Lend Lease has secured approval from the US Department of the Army for a US$168m (£103m) change to the scope of its Island Palm Communities project in Hawaii.

Lend Lease will now build more larger homes than previously planned, reflecting the changing needs of military service members and their families.

Island Palm Communities, a partnership between Lend Lease and the Army, is the largest residential privatisation project ever awarded by the US Army. The partnership will develop, design and construct 5,241 new homes, renovate 2,515 existing homes, and provide property and maintenance management services through to 2054.

Lend Lease group chief executive officer and managing director Steve McCann said that the increased work scope reflected Lend Lease’s collaborative working relationship with the US Army. “We continue to work very closely with our long term partner to bring quality homes to US Army service members and their families,” he said.

Nuclear Radiation Workshop: Demystifying the Science & Uncovering the Lies

Nuclear Radiation Workshop

Demystifying the Science & Uncovering the Lies

*Alpha * Beta * Gamma Radiation*

*Rads * Rems * Sieverts * Becquerel *

*Cesium-137 * Iodine-131 * Strontium-90*

*Depleted Uranium * Plutonium*

*Health Effects of Ionizing Radiation*

*Exposure vs Dose*  Risk Models*

*Latent and Long Term Effects*

*Atomic Physics * Nuclear Fuel Cycle*

*Nuclear Power * Nuclear Weapons*

*Hiroshima * Nagasaki * Fukushima * Chernobyl*

In remembrance of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the dozens of nuclear tests in the Pacific and in light of the recent Fukushima nuclear disaster and discovery of depleted uranium on O’ahu and Hawai’i island, learn to protect yourself from the effects of nuclear radiation and the lies perpetuated by the nuclear industry with the power of knowledge. Join physics educator and peace activist Lynda Williams in a friendly workshop covering basic atomic physics and the health effects of nuclear power and ionizing radiation. No prior scientific knowledge required. Free, accessible and welcome to all.

When: Weds, August 3, 6-9 pm

Where: Honolulu Friends Meeting House 2426 O’ahu Avenue, Honolulu

FREE

More Information: kyle.kajihiro@gmail.com / 808-988-6266.

Sponsored by: AFSC Hawai’i/Hawai’i Peace and Justice,

DMZ-Hawai’i / Aloha ‘Aina   http://www.dmzhawaii.org/

Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space

www.space4peace.org

 

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