In light of the United States’ current fiscal crisis and the cost of maintaining the vast network of military bases and expensive weapons programs, Mike Prokosh, national coordinator of the New Priorities Network, quoting Ronald Reagan, recommended “‘Starve the Beast’” (February 8, 2012): U.S. cities and towns have fired half-a-million workers since 2008, and another… Read more »
Yearly Archives: 2012
U.S. military’s Pacific ‘pivot’ and Okinawa drawdown unsettles the region
After several weeks of speculation and anonymous ‘leaks’ about possible changes to the U.S.-Japan plan to relocate the Futenma Marine base to Henoko, Okinawa, government officials announced that the U.S. would begin moving some troops out of Okinawa, independent of the base relocation to Henoko. But the news is having an unsettling effect across the… Read more »
Nuclear Power Plant Proposed for Guam
After the Fukushima nuclear disaster last year, it seems inconceivable that nuclear power is still being touted as a ‘safe’ and ‘greener’ alternative to fossil fuels. But according to the an article in the Mariana Variety shared by Koohan Paik, “‘Clean’ nuclear power eyed”, a nuclear power plant is being considered for Guam: THE… Read more »
EPA: toxic chemical found in Wahiawa and Aiea aquifers is a “likely human carcinogen”
The EPA released a new health assessment for the toxic contaminant tetrachloroethylene – also known as perchloroethylene, or perc, as a “likely human carcinogen.” PERC is a contaminant found at military sites in Hawai’i including the Schofield / Wahiawa aquifer (a former Superfund site) and the former Aiea Laundry site, a Navy superfund site across… Read more »
Kaneohe Marine charged with attempted murder
The Honolulu Star Advertiser reported that 22-year old Kaneohe Marine Brandon Calhoun was charged with “second-degree attempted murder after he allegedly hit a 48-year-old man with a chair and and his fists during argument in a Waikiki parking lot.” Police said the victim went to the hospital in critical condition with head and facial injuries… Read more »
Disarray or disinformation? – Shifting U.S. military plans in the Asia Pacific region
Over the past week there have been confusing and contradictory reports about plans to relocate U.S. military bases in Okinawa. Do they reflect the actual state of disarray in the U.S.-Japan alliance or psychological operations to pressure local communities into accepting base relocation plans in Okinawa and Guam? On February 1, the Kyodo News Service… Read more »
The Battle for Jeju Island: How the Arms Race is Threatening a Korean Paradise
Bravo to Actor Robert Redford, who wrote “The Battle for Jeju Island: How the Arms Race is Threatening a Korean Paradise,” (2/3/12) a passionate plea for solidarity with Jeju islanders and their resistance against the Aegis naval base: Imagine dropping fifty-seven cement caissons, each one the size of a four-story house, on miles of beach… Read more »
The Invisible War: New Film Exposes Rape, Sexual Assault Epidemic in U.S. Military
Democracy Now! featured interviews with military rape survivors and the director of an important film about the epidemic of rape and sexual violence in the U.S. military. On the heels of a new military survey that the number of reported violent sex crimes jumped 30 percent in 2011, with active-duty female soldiers ages 18… Read more »
Okinawa’s win may be Hawai’i’s tragedy
As Okinawans move closer to removing the oppressive presence of U.S. military bases from their island, the repercussions are already being felt across the Pacific. In November, President Obama announced that the U.S. will deploy 2,500 troops to Australia. Recently, the U.S. and Philippines have engaged in talks about expanding the U.S. military presence in… Read more »
Okinawan Anti-Bases Delegation Makes An Impression in Washington, D.C.
Even as Tokyo tried to force the Futenma base relocation plan on Okinawa in a desperate effort to salvage its unraveling deal with the U.S., a prominent delegation from Okinawa visited Washington, D.C. to educate political movers and shakers and lobby Congress to close the military bases in Okinawa. An overview of the delegation “Making… Read more »
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