Tag: Movements and Resistance

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Statement of International Conference against the Asia Pacific Missile Defense and for the End of the Arms Race

Statement of International Conference against the Asia Pacific Missile Defense and for the End of the Arms Race

Seoul, South Korea

April 17, 2009

Here we have come together, facing a new decade in the 21st century where the history of war and strife is being repeated. We are witnessing many countries and regions, having learned nothing from the conflict and hostility-ridden Cold War era, still tenaciously pursue arms buildup. Especially the nation with military hegemony and its many followers, rather than seeking to understand the roots of conflict and finding peaceful resolution, search for new threat and enemy as a means to reinforce their military capabilities, and at times even exaggerate the threat in order to justify their arms buildup.

This is shown by the expansion of military networks and countless military bases around the globe and by the space militarization activities. However, we want to make it clear that this militaristic approach is a worn-out strategy obstructing prevention and peaceful settlement of conflict and a losing hand triggering a vicious cycle of global arms race.

We are especially observant of how the US missile defense system triggers not only space militarization but also unnecessary arms race and political and diplomatic strain between nations. Proposed missile defense installations in Czech Republic and Poland are generating massive public dissent in the region and infuriating Russia to the point of a “new Cold War.”

Planned US missile defense system in the Asia Pacific poses a burden to regional attempts to alleviate Cold War tensions, thereby further provoking confrontation between sea powers and land powers. In the Asia Pacific where the US leads the Asia Pacific missile defense efforts, supported strongly by Japan and Australia, Korea is next in line with its cutting-edge weaponry and a new set of roles. As a result, China, Russia, and North Korea all have expressed enormous opposition, fueling an arms race in the Asia Pacific. Such an arms race also risks undermining the war-renouncing Article 9 of Japan’s peace constitution, a key foundation for peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region.

The controversy over North Korea’s long-range rocket launch that has become a key factor in the current tension pervading the Korean Peninsula leaves room for discussion. North Korea’s rocket launch should be seen as a byproduct of both a divided Korean peninsula and the arms race in the Asia Pacific. However, this aspect has been ignored. Instead there is exaggerated interpretation of threat and stirring up of security fears, mobilizing the justification for developing a missile defense system in the region. North Korea’s long-range rocket launch, on the contrary, reveals the utmost need and urgency for placing confidence building and normalization of relations among nations, as well as cooperative mutual disarmament, on top of our agenda.

Above all, we are aware that the logic behind “absolute security” through the missile defense system does not differ from other aggressive military thinking. Furthermore, the missile defense system is a risky plan which has yet to prove its effectiveness. As a project requiring astronomical costs, the system is based on the logic of unlimited military spending expansion, solely for the benefit of the military-industrial complex. This, we must not forget, sacrifices many resources to be invested for improving the welfare and the quality of life of the many people suffering from economic, public welfare, and environmental crisis.

Many nations and people throughout the world today are suffering from the economic crisis and the climate change. These crises must be taken as opportunities for each country to stop the wasteful arms race and turn its attention to the daily living of its citizens who are taking heavy blows from the economic crisis and the climate change. The development of unnecessary and offensive weapons, including the missile defense system, must be halted first. National security that neglects the safety of the people and community is meaningless.

We, therefore, resolve to act jointly against the missile defense system and the arms race which impede the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula, East Asia, and the international community. We will inform people about the falsehood of the missile defense and the damage caused by the consequent arms race and military conflict. As a member of the international community, we pledge to develop a new peace mechanism starting from where we stand, in our local communities, to bring about peaceful coexistence and conflict resolution in place of military confrontation. We declare we will do our duty and part to turn the coming decade into a period of transformation for overcoming the worn-out military paradigm.

17 April 2009

The Korea Organizing Committee
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
GPPAC Northeast Asia

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Vieques, La Lucha Continúa: Reflections on 10 Years Since the Death of David Sanes

Vieques, La Lucha Continúa: Reflections on 10 Years Since the Death of David Sanes

Apr 9th, 2009

By Déborah Berman Santana

(Spanish article below)

April 19, 2009, marks ten years since a U.S. Marines pilot missed his target while bombing Vieques, killing civilian guard David Sanes Rodríguez. David was not the first Viequense to die at the hands of the military; however, his death was the “drop that overflowed the cup” of more than sixty years of military occupation of three fourths of Vieques’ land, causing economic stagnation and ecological devastation. David’s death united Puerto Ricans in a show of resistance whose messages reverberated worldwide: Not one more bomb! Navy out! Peace for Vieques! Four intense years of militant, nonviolence civil disobedience, including thousands of arrests, forced the Navy to close its base on May 1, 2003.

Nonetheless, the base closure signaled merely the end of one phase of the Vieques struggle, where “true peace” has been locally defined as “the Four D’s”: Demilitarization, Decontamination, Devolution (return of lands), and (sustainable) Development by and for Viequenses. Six years after the base closed — ten years since David’s death-where is Vieques?

Demilitarization: While bombings and other military maneuvers were halted, the military still operates powerful ROTHR radar and radio towers on Mount Pirata, officially for the “war on drugs”; however, evidence points to use for electronic warfare, including weather modification.

Decontamination: The Navy is responsible for environmental cleanup. Since the land is designated as a “wildlife refuge” required cleanup levels are insufficient, particularly for a population suffering from the health effects of contamination from all kinds of military weapons. Activists are currently fighting the Navy’s plan to simply burn the vegetation in the bombing range, using a variety of strategies – including risking arrest by entering the bombing range and once again serving as human shields to defend Vieques.

Devolution: The ex-base lands are still under U.S. Government control, which not only restricts Viequenses’ use of their island, but also carries the risk of re-militarization. Activists recently met to plan a strategy that would eventually return the lands to the people of Vieques.

Development: Worldwide attention to Vieques also attracted land speculators and other well-heeled outsiders who have caused property values to skyrocket, thus endangering the Viequenses’ ability to afford to stay on their own island. Creation of a Vieques Community Land Trust – one of the few mechanisms in a capitalist market – would help put brakes on land prices and also provide an entity that could receive and administer the returned lands. If Viequenses can manage to recover their beloved island, care for and develop it, and stabilize their community, David Sanes’ death will have not been in vain.

abril del 2009

Vieques, la lucha continúa:
Reflexiones a los diez años de la muerte de David Sanes

Por Déborah Berman Santana

El 19 de abril del 2009, se cumplirán diez años del incidente en que un piloto de la marina norteamericana se desvió de su objetivo durante un bombardeo en Vieques, y ocasionó la muerte del guardia civil David Sanes Rodríguez. David no fue el primer civil en morir a manos del ejército norteamericano; pero su muerte fue la “última gota en colmar la copa” de mas de 60 años de ocupación militar de mas de tres cuartas partes del territorio viequense; ocupación que solo ha traído el estancamiento económico y la devastación ecológica. La muerte de David unió a los puertorriqueños en una manifestación de resistencia, y el mensaje de esta se hizo sentir en todo el mundo. ¡Ni una bomba mas! ¡Fuera la marina! ¡Paz para Vieques! Luego de cuatro años intensos de desobediencia civil militante y pacífica, en los cuales se dieron miles de arrestos, la marina fue obligada a cerrar su base militar el 1 de mayo del 2003.

No obstante, el cierre de la base solo significó el fin de una etapa de la lucha de Vieques, en donde la “paz verdadera” que buscan los viequenses ha sido definida como las cuatro D’s”. Estas son: la desmilitarización, descontaminación, y la devolución, (el regreso de las tierras, así como su desarrollo sostenible bajo la dirección y para el beneficio de los viequenses.) A seis años del cierre de la base y diez años de la muerte de David Sanes, ¿cual es la situación de Vieques?

Desmilitarización: Aunque los bombardeos y otros ejercicios militares han sido frenados, el ejército aún mantiene poderosos radares ROTHR y torres radiales en el Monte Pirata. Estos según la versión oficial del ejército forman parte de la “guerra contra las drogas”; sin embargo, la evidencia sugiere que el equipo está siendo utilizado en ejercicios de la guerra electrónica, los cuales incluyen modificaciones climatológicas.

Descontaminación: La marina es responsable de la limpieza del ambiente de Vieques. Como el territorio fue designado como refugio para la vida silvestre,” los niveles de limpieza que estos lugares exigen son insuficientes, especialmente para una población cuya salud sufre los efectos de la contaminación mediante el uso de toda clase de armamentos militares. En estos momentos los activistas están tratando de impedir que la marina queme la vegetación en los campos de prácticas de bombardeo. Para ello se están valiendo de una diversidad de estrategias – que incluyen enfrentar los arrestos y entrar a esos campos para convertirse una vez mas en escudos humanos para proteger a Vieques.

Devolución: Las tierras que antes componían la base militar aún están bajo el control del gobierno estadounidense – cosa que no solo limita el uso de las mismas por los viequenses, sino que las pone en riesgo de ser militarizadas nuevamente. Recientemente los activistas se reunieron para desarrollar una estrategia que logre la devolución de esas tierras a manos de los viequenses de una vez y por todas.

Desarrollo: La atención mundial lograda por Vieques también atrajo la atención de especuladores y otros extranjeros, lo cual ha ocasionado un alza dramática en el valor de la propiedad. Esto también pone en peligro la habilidad de los viequenses de permanecer en su propia isla. La creación de un fideicomiso comunal es uno de los pocos mecanismos dentro del mercado capitalista que podría en alguna medida frenar el alza del precio de las tierras. También crearía una entidad que podría recibir y administrar las tierras una vez sean regresadas. Si los viequenses pueden recobrar su amada isla, cuidarla, desarrollarla, y darle estabilidad a sus comunidades, la muerte de David Sanes no habrá sido en vano.

Source: http://boricuahumanrights.org/2009/04/09/vieques-la-lucha-continua-reflections-on-10-years-since-the-death-of-david-sanes/

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Vicenza actions in Washington, D.C.

Another post on the movement in Vicenza, Itlay by Stephanie Westbrook [steph@webfabbrica.com]:

See below an informal report on the recent lobbying trip from Vicenza to DC.

Bests,

Stephanie

For more on Vicenza, see: http://www.peaceandjustice.it/vicenza/

Vicenza-DC Trip Report

Marching on the Pentagon, Interrupting a Hearing and Meeting with Congress

On March 20, I accompanied a delegation from Vicenza, Italy, involved in the struggle against a new U.S. military base at Dal Molin, to Washington DC. The focus of the trip was to lobby Congress to block funding on the project that is strongly opposed by the local population. You can also hear a radio interview on our trip on CodePink’s new weekly show, Pink Talk: http://pinktalkradio.org/

The dates of the trip allowed us to participate the day after our arrival in the national protest march organized by ANSWER on the occasion of the 6th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq (http://www.pentagonmarch.org/). The principal slogan of the march was “Occupation is a Crime – From Iraq, to Afghanistan, to Palestine.” We were invited to speak from the stage, surprising a few Italians who were in the crowd. Cheers rang out as Cinzia Bottene, Vicenza City Council member and one of the leaders of the No Dal Molin movement, reminded demonstrators that the first troops to parachute into Iraq deployed from Vicenza, troops are just returning from Afghanistan and Vicenza was just recently named command for ground troops for Africom. “Your struggle is our struggle. And only working together will we ever achieve peace!”

Two of the main organizers of the march, James Circello and Eric Murillo, had both been stationed in Vicenza at the existing base of Ederle. James, in fact, went AWOL from Ederle in 2007, and after turning himself in later that year at Fort Know, he was released from service. Both are now part of Iraq Veterans Against the War and we were particularly pleased to march
with them.

The march started near the Lincoln memorial and proceeded to the Pentagon and on to the weapons manufacturers in Crystal City – including the offices of Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Boeing – ending at the DC headquarters of former Halliburton subsidiary KBR. One hundred flag
draped coffins representing the victims from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Palestine as well as the U.S. were left at the entrance to the building.

The police presence was alarming, including sharpshooters on the roofs of buildings, but the singing of the women of CodePink helped diffuse the tension. According to the organizers, 10,000 people participated in this first anti-war demonstration of the Obama Administration.

That Monday began a week of meetings with Congress. We had initially set two appointments with Pentagon officials, however after being asked for our personal data for the security clearance, both appointments were canceled with no reason given. So we were doubly pleased to march on the
Pentagon!

And on Tuesday, we got an unexpected chance to make ourselves heard to Pentagon officials. At midnight on Monday, we learned that there would be a hearing of the full Armed Services committee the following day. Testifying would be none other than General Craddock, Commander of the U.S. Military’s European Command. The citizens of Vicenza had tried repeatedly, and unsuccessfully, to arrange a meeting with Gen. Craddock. So we decided to attend the hearing, and interrupted the General with chants of “No new base in Vicenza, Italy.” See Video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcHHJzx7CM0 We learned later from the coverage on C-Span, that the General went on to recognize the opposition in Vicenza later in the hearing, referring to us as a small group who “thinks” there are problems but are mistaken. It was these “supposed” problems, including environmental risks – the site for the new base lies above a major ground water source – and the Italian government’s refusal to perform an environmental impact study, as well as the fact that Vicenza already hosts 6 U.S. military installations, that led to widespread popular opposition against the base, even causing a major political shift in the city last year. And that was the message that we tried to drive home to Congress.

As with our first lobbying trip to Washington in May 2007 (http://www.peaceandjustice.it/vicenza-dc.php), we focused on the two subcommittees most directly involved in the question of military bases, Readiness under Armed Services and Military Construction under Appropriations. We met with the Chairs and members of these committees on both the House and Senate sides.

Many members with whom we met were sympathetic to our cause. Rep. Sam Farr of California was unaware of the situation in Vicenza, but commented, “I represent a district with a similarly sized city, Salinas. If the U.S. military had plans to build a base in my city, I’d be doing the same thing you are.” He assured us he would talk with his colleagues and “ask tough questions” in the subcommittee hearings.

Civil Rights Movement leader and Congressman from Georgia, John Lewis, was also very supportive. He was well aware of the issue of foreign bases thanks to the work of the Raging Grannies in Atlanta.

We were surprised to find support from Rep. Solomon Ortiz from Texas, Chair of the Readiness Subcommittee. Ortiz had experienced a similar situation, albeit from the other side of the coin. The people of his district in southeast Texas had struggled against the federal government and
Pentagon to maintain a base set for closure. He had been in Vicenza in 2007, however had only met with Italian government and U.S. military officials. When shown the photo of the site for the new base, in a residential neighborhood completely surrounded by houses and just one mile from the historic center of this UNESCO World Heritage site, he noted, “That’s some serious encroachment.” He was disappointed to learn that the Pentagon had canceled our meetings and assured us he would look into it.

On this trip, we also turned our attention to the Oversight Committee, meeting with the Chair of the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Rep. John Tierney of Massachusetts. Oversight is the principal investigative committee of Congress; therefore there was a distinctly different feel to this meeting. He informed us that the committee already had plans for an investigation on the network of foreign bases. Tierney has already done much work on Africom, holding hearings last year and was interested to know about the new command in Vicenza.

As during the trip in 2007, our best ally in Congress was Rep. Dennis Kucinich who remarked, “This is absurd, and it must be stopped. The only way we are going to have peace is treat others with mutual respect.” He questioned the need for the new base, as well as existing bases. “If Italy felt under threat of attack, you’d call us for help, right? You’d send us a text message, wouldn’t you?”

On the Senate side, as was to be expected, there was less support and more realism. We did learn a few things. For one, Sen. Tim Johnson’s office, confirmed concerns that the U.S. military has big plans for Vicenza, saying it would become a major hub. And Sen. Evan Bayh’s office noted that the opposition is quite well known. “You have quite a good Internet presence.” He also told us that President Obama’s defense budget will slip into May following the Congressional version of spring break.

In a meeting with Speaker Pelosi’s office, we talked about her recent trip to Italy in which she repeatedly thanked Italy for hosting U.S. troops. We asked, “Is insisting on the new base despite widespread popular opposition the best way to express gratitude?”

One of the most common comments we heard throughout the week was that this is very difficult to stop at this point, that funding for the project has already been approved in two parts. “You’re too late on this.” It’s interesting to note that Congress approved the first funds June 2006, just one month after the citizens of Vicenza learned about this project that had been kept secret, even from some City Council members! In any event, the people of Vicenza have known all along what they were up against, and that certainly never stopped them.

One of the most heartening aspects of the trip was learning that the issue of U.S. bases on foreign soil is ever more present in the discourse of activists, as well as members of Congress and the media. At the march on the Pentagon, several other speakers mentioned the issue in their speeches. And unlike our first trip to DC, many more members of Congress and their staff were also aware of the opposition in Vicenza and the issue of bases. References to the issue are even showing up in the mainstream media. The Washington Post recently published an article (http://tinyurl.com/cscrda) suggesting that cuts to military spending look also at the network of foreign bases, as proposed by yet another recent article on the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (http://tinyurl.com/aqq4zu). And Republican Congressman Ron Paul’s recent article, Imagine an Occupied America (http://www.antiwar.com/paul/?articleid=14377) caused a bit of a stir.

This newfound attention to foreign bases in the U.S. is in part thanks to the No Bases conference held in Washington just a couple of weeks before our trip, which was attended by Enzo Ciscato of Vicenza and included a Congressional lobbying day. And I can’t help but think that the very successful, vibrant, active movement in Vicenza has also helped put the spotlight on the issue.

While we did receive some support from members of Congress, we all know they won’t move without pressure from constituents. If your representative or senators are on the committees that count, or even if they’re not, please contact them letting them know you stand with the people of Vicenza in opposing the new U.S. base at Dal Molin.

House Readiness Subcommittee (Armed Services) http://www.house.gov/hasc/subcommittee.shtml

House Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (Appropriations) http://appropriations.house.gov/Subcommittees/sub_mivet.shtml

Senate Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support http://armed-services.senate.gov/scmembrs.htm#subrm

Senate Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies http://appropriations.senate.gov/military.cfm

Stephanie Westbrook

PS: As with 2007, the best part of our trip was staying at the CodePink house. The house is now open to activists staying in DC, so if you need a place to stay, this is the best in the district! (http://codepinkalert.org/form.php?modin=74) And drop by for the Wednesday potluck if you are in the area. For more on CodePink, see their web site (http://codepinkalert.org) as well as this article on The Nation on the eve of the inauguration, naming CodePink Most Valuable Progressives: http://tinyurl.com/ddzlg8

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Vicenza and AFRICOM

This article was posted to the nobases listserve by Stephanie Westbrook [steph@webfabbrica.com]:

See below a rough translation of an interview with Rep. Loretta Sanchez appearing yesterday on the Vicenza newspaper. She was apparently in Venice on holiday and met with Dal Molin Special Commissioner Paolo Costa. She talks about the importance of Vicenza for Africom.

The original is at: http://www.ilgiornaledivicenza.it/stories/Home/199501/

Vicenza and the base at Dal Molin

“Here’s why Obama wants it”

THE INTERVIEW. Vice-President of the “National Security” Committee visits Commissioner Costa in Venice. Loretta Sanchez: “These are options that have been voted by U.S. Congress, and it’s not a coincidence that Defense Secretary Gates was reconfirmed. There will be no second thoughts”

Venice. “The military policy of the United States is passed by Congress. That is why the position of the U.S. has not changed in the transition between George W. Bush and Barack Obama. ” In the words of Loretta Sanchez, Democratic from California, key player on the Military Strategies subcommittee of Armed Forces. Congresswoman Sanchez met yesterday in Venice with the special commissioner for the Dal Molin project, Paolo Costa. Closely linked to Hillary Clinton (she had supported her candidacy for the presidency) Sanchez was indicated by Nancy Pelosi for the position of vice president of the Committee on National Security. Sanchez is officially in the Vcenice area on holiday, though it is not the first time that Costa has met with her and is not the first time that Costa has given her an update on the status of the major U.S. construction project.. Dal Molin will also be discussed at the G8 that will be held at Maddalena (Sardinia, Italy) next summer, and is one of the main issues. “But all the decisions have already been made.”

Why does even President Barack Obama believes in the Dal Molin project? Why hasn’t there been, as expected by opponents of the project, any changes in the plans?

“We’re working on a plan,” replied Sanchez agreeing to answer some questions from reporters, “to consolidate the presence of our troops in the world, to be ready to intervene in sensitive areas such as Africa, the Middle East, the former Soviet republics in Asia. We believe that to give an effective response to these issues, to be closer to the places of possible tensions and conflicts, it is essential to reinforce our troops in Italy. For this reason we have chosen to unite the 173rd Brigade in Vicenza. There will be no second thoughts. All decisions have been made by the two governments. The plan and the allocation of the budget were voted by the Congress. It is no coincidence that Obama has confirmed the Secretary of Defense appointed by the Bush administration, that is Robert Gates.”

Why is the role of Italy so important in the eyes of Americans, in the international arena?

“First, because Italy is geographically located close to areas most at risk, between Africa and the Middle East. And because Italy has been our longtime ally. The U.S. shares the same value system and lifestyle. We can count upon the Italian government, which from Prodi to Berlusconi has done everything that was needed to promote the alliance and the plan of consolidation of our troops at Dal Molin.”

What type of military installation will be? “I can guarantee that the project follows the most stringent environmental regulations.”

“There are no better military structures than those planned at Dal Molin in the world in terms of respecting the ecological balance,” echoed Commissioner Costa.

“There will be no artillery, no aircraft” continued Sanchez. ” This will simply be a place where paratroopers will stay with lighter equipment and their families.”

Does the transformation of American command stationed at Camp Ederle to Africom signify a change to the military targets of the Pentagon?

“No, it is the demonstration of an emphasis on the African continent. I spoke with Obama about it. Africa needs help, even if operations are guided by a military command, the objectives are not primarily military. My hope is that the military strategies can be enhanced while investing fewer dollars. I believe a lot in diplomacy and dialogue as President Obama.

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Hawai’i taxpayers could pay $40M Superferry bill

Friday, April 10, 2009 | Modified: Wednesday, April 15, 2009, 12:00am

Hawaii taxpayers could pay $40M Superferry bill

Pacific Business News (Honolulu) – by Chad Blair

Hawaii taxpayers could end up paying for most of the $40 million in harbor improvements carried out to accommodate Hawaii Superferry, which removed its ship, the Alakai, from Hawaiian waters on March 28.

It also is possible that Hawaii Superferry will be held responsible for reimbursing the state. The state Department of Transportation and the Attorney General’s Office are reviewing the enforceability of the state’s operating agreement with Superferry.

The state spent the $40 million, using general obligation reimbursable bonds, to construct barges with ramps at harbors in Honolulu, Kahului on Maui, and Kawaihae on the Big Island. A ramp also was built for Kauai’s Nawiliwili Harbor.

Under terms of the agreement, Hawaii Superferry was to reimburse the state for the $40 million. A fee schedule between the D.O.T. and Superferry called for minimum monthly payments of $191,667, or 1 percent of gross receipts, “less certain adjustments,” for the first three years.

The payments began Dec. 13, 2007, when Superferry resumed its Honolulu-Kahului sailings following a court-ordered suspension. Superferry had paid the state $2.6 million when it halted service March 19. Service stopped after the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that a state law exempting Superferry from an environmental impact statement was unconstitutional.

“A lot depends on future events that are currently unknown,” said Mike Formby, the D.O.T.’s deputy director of harbors. “We don’t know how long Superferry will be out of the state, or how long the Chapter 343 review will take. So we have not come up with a final analysis or assessment.”

Formby was referring to Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 343, which calls for an environmental impact statement under the Hawaii Environmental Policy Act.

“Our basic position is that, although Superferry has left the market, we reserve all rights as to the enforceability of the operating agreement,” he said. “We are not conceding that it is void or unenforceable.”

The $40 million was used up faster than expected because of repairs made to the Kahului barge, battered by rough winter seas in 2007 and 2008.

The Kawaihae barge was rendered inoperable following the October 2006 Big Island earthquake and towed to the protected waters of Honolulu Harbor. The Kahului barge is expected to join it shortly.

Only Superferry can use the barges, which were made specially for the Alakai. Also, they are “foreign hulled,” meaning they do not qualify under the federal Jones Act for use by vessels sailing directly between U.S. ports, Formby said.

It was the harbor improvements that triggered the court-ordered environmental impact statement.

Belt Collins, which has a $1.3 million contract to conduct the EIS, has halted work until the D.O.T. can assess what is now required under Chapter 343 and state procurement law.

Formby said he expects the EIS to be completed within three to six months.

“That $40 million will be satisfied over time,” said Gary North, chairman of the Hawaii Harbor Users Group, adding that his members understand “everybody pays” for use of harbors.

Some lawmakers say they were worried all along about getting stuck with the $40 million tab.

“Neighbor Island senators especially asked Superferry, blatantly, what happens if it fails?” said Sen. Kalani English, D-E. Maui-Molokai-Lanai. “We were told, ‘Oh, we’ll pay it back, it’s all going to pay off.’ Those weren’t the exact words, but that was the general sense. And now this has happened and the state has to pay for it.”

English, now chairman of the Senate’s transportation committee, supports interisland ferries but opposed the Legislature’s decision to exempt Superferry from state law.

“If Superferry does get a military contract, which we know they are pursuing, then the taxpayers of Hawaii have subsidized their proof-of-concept experiment,” English said. “That’s what this was, to figure out all the bugs and fix it.”

Hawaii Superferry officials had little to say about the rest of the $40 million or about the future of its operations in Hawaii.

“[There is] no clarity on those issues at this time,” Hawaii Superferry President and CEO Tom Fargo said through a spokeswoman.

cblair@bizjournals.com | 955-8036

Source: http://pacific.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2009/04/13/story3.html?b=1239595200^1809947

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Abercrombie speaks about Makua and Hawai’i Superferry

Neil Abercrombie, 20-year Congressional Representative from Hawai’i, is making a run for Governor in 2010.  He started out his political career as an anti-war activist at UH in the 1960s.   More recently, he has been a proponent of militarization of Hawai’i, including supporting the largest military land-grab since World War II, the Army Stryker Brigade.  But in recent years, he  has also come out criticizing the Army activities in Makua valley.   To illustrate his contradictory stance, here’s a excerpt from a Honolulu Star Bulletin Article about his views on the Hawai’i Superferry and the military in Hawai’i:

Hawaii Superferry: The service both to the military and local residents was valuable, he says, but the process of approving the environmental impact statement was mishandled. “This was a judgment disaster and a policy disaster.”

Military: Urge the military to leave Makua Valley. “The one time they were able to do some training, they managed to set it on fire.”

It shows a couple of things. First, that the steady efforts to win the clean up and return of Makua has built enough support to force him to recognize this issue.    And second, that there is a calculation that giving up Makua would win enough support from Kanaka Maoli, environmentalists, and peace and demilitarization activists to neutralize his stance on other military expansion efforts.

Here’s the full article:

http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20090414_Abercrombie_anxious_for_campaign_to_begin.html

Abercrombie anxious for campaign to begin

By Richard Borreca

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 14, 2009

With the impatience of someone who at 70 has finally decided what he wants to do in life, Neil Abercrombie sits in his Kakaako campaign office anxious to get on with what he considers the most important campaign of his political life.

U.S. Rep. Abercrombie is leaving a 20-year career in Washington politics at the time when his Democratic Party controls Congress and when he is close enough to President Barack Obama to have been in the tight crowd along with Oprah Winfrey to celebrate the inauguration upstairs at the White House.

The battle is for governor of Hawaii, a goal more than 18 months away but one Abercrombie is already fighting.

“There is no sense fooling around. If anyone else wants to run for governor, say so. Let’s get going and do it. This is not about options or finessing it,” said Abercrombie, who was the first to declare in a Democratic primary that could also attract Mayor Mufi Hannemann and Senate President Colleen Hanabusa.

For Abercrombie, who came to Hawaii in 1959 as a graduate student and first ran for office in 1970, the governor’s race is to be his last quest.

“I have a renewed sense of energy and joy. This is my 50th anniversary of coming to Hawaii. It is as if this incredible gift has been given to me.

“Everything I have learned about Hawaii makes me who I am today, and I want to bring a culmination in this run and I feel joyous about it.

“I will be able to say I gave every bit of energy and all of my sense of aloha to this campaign, and I will be content,” Abercrombie said last week in an interview with the Star-Bulletin.

Abercrombie went from being a left-wing campus orator and graduate student to serving in the state House and Senate and the Honolulu City Council before winning an office in Congress.

“He has name recognition and a well-tested political operation,” said Neal Milner, University of Hawaii political scientist and ombudsman. “He is formidable.”

Hannemann would be Abercrombie’s strongest rival, said Milner, because the Honolulu mayor also brings a skillful campaign style and the ability to raise campaign cash to the race.

“With Abercrombie,” Milner said, “you have someone who is already tested. It is not like you are suddenly going to find out something about him.”

Abercrombie said all those years in Congress, the Legislature and City Hall have both shaped and changed him. The garrulous Democrat said he has learned, for instance, when to stop talking and listen.

“I understand that it can be construed as lecturing other people, putting yourself in a position where you are telling them what they need to do. That is the wrong way to go about it,” he said. “People vote with you and for you for their own reasons, not yours. You are not the source of your own power, and taking that into account in yourself is something you have to do every day.”

So far Abercrombie has found some valuable friends, picking up old-time Democratic Party war horses like Charles Toguchi, the former state schools superintendent and legislator, and Ed Hasegawa, who worked on the Hawaii Obama campaign. Also, Abercrombie enlisted Andrew Aoki, 40, an attorney and co-founder of 3Point, a public-interest consulting firm, and Kanu Hawaii, a group that promotes the culture of aloha.

In contrast to Abercrombie’s extensive elective track record, Aoki is new to politics.

“I understand the paradox … but it may be that Neil’s time has come. There is an alignment between his principles and the action that this time needs,” Aoki said.

“He is a learner and he is open. His mind is filled with tons of experience, but he is willing to listen to those who feel they are out of the loop.”

This week, Abercrombie is wrapping up a two-week Easter recess trip back to Hawaii. He had campaign meetings on Kauai and in Kalihi and Hawaii Kai last week which supporters said each drew crowds of more than 100. He also plans a fundraising event while in the islands.

Abercrombie said he will continue to work in Washington and commute to his home state when he can. If he resigned, it would trigger a special election because House members cannot be appointed, like senators, and Abercrombie said he did not want the state to go through the expense of holding a special election.
Abercrombie on the issues

As he starts his run for governor, U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie is detailing some of his campaign issues.

Housing: Establish a public-private partnership to build and maintain new affordable housing. Demolish Aloha Stadium to allow development of the property and require private developers build a new stadium. “You build us a new stadium so we can really compete in Division I.”

Environment: Move Hawaii toward energy independence using domestically produced fuel and toward growing its own food. “These are self-defense measures, and you have to be completely devoted to them.”

Hawaii Superferry: The service both to the military and local residents was valuable, he says, but the process of approving the environmental impact statement was mishandled. “This was a judgment disaster and a policy disaster.”

Military: Urge the military to leave Makua Valley. “The one time they were able to do some training, they managed to set it on fire.”

With the impatience of someone who at 70 has finally decided what he wants to do in life, Neil Abercrombie sits in his Kakaako campaign office anxious to get on with what he considers the most important campaign of his political life.

U.S. Rep. Abercrombie is leaving a 20-year career in Washington politics at the time when his Democratic Party controls Congress and when he is close enough to President Barack Obama to have been in the tight crowd along with Oprah Winfrey to celebrate the inauguration upstairs at the White House.

The battle is for governor of Hawaii, a goal more than 18 months away but one Abercrombie is already fighting.

“There is no sense fooling around. If anyone else wants to run for governor, say so. Let’s get going and do it. This is not about options or finessing it,” said Abercrombie, who was the first to declare in a Democratic primary that could also attract Mayor Mufi Hannemann and Senate President Colleen Hanabusa.

For Abercrombie, who came to Hawaii in 1959 as a graduate student and first ran for office in 1970, the governor’s race is to be his last quest.

“I have a renewed sense of energy and joy. This is my 50th anniversary of coming to Hawaii. It is as if this incredible gift has been given to me.

“Everything I have learned about Hawaii makes me who I am today, and I want to bring a culmination in this run and I feel joyous about it.

“I will be able to say I gave every bit of energy and all of my sense of aloha to this campaign, and I will be content,” Abercrombie said last week in an interview with the Star-Bulletin.

Abercrombie went from being a left-wing campus orator and graduate student to serving in the state House and Senate and the Honolulu City Council before winning an office in Congress.

“He has name recognition and a well-tested political operation,” said Neal Milner, University of Hawaii political scientist and ombudsman. “He is formidable.”

Hannemann would be Abercrombie’s strongest rival, said Milner, because the Honolulu mayor also brings a skillful campaign style and the ability to raise campaign cash to the race.

“With Abercrombie,” Milner said, “you have someone who is already tested. It is not like you are suddenly going to find out something about him.”

Abercrombie said all those years in Congress, the Legislature and City Hall have both shaped and changed him. The garrulous Democrat said he has learned, for instance, when to stop talking and listen.

“I understand that it can be construed as lecturing other people, putting yourself in a position where you are telling them what they need to do. That is the wrong way to go about it,” he said. “People vote with you and for you for their own reasons, not yours. You are not the source of your own power, and taking that into account in yourself is something you have to do every day.”

So far Abercrombie has found some valuable friends, picking up old-time Democratic Party war horses like Charles Toguchi, the former state schools superintendent and legislator, and Ed Hasegawa, who worked on the Hawaii Obama campaign. Also, Abercrombie enlisted Andrew Aoki, 40, an attorney and co-founder of 3Point, a public-interest consulting firm, and Kanu Hawaii, a group that promotes the culture of aloha.

In contrast to Abercrombie’s extensive elective track record, Aoki is new to politics.

“I understand the paradox … but it may be that Neil’s time has come. There is an alignment between his principles and the action that this time needs,” Aoki said.

“He is a learner and he is open. His mind is filled with tons of experience, but he is willing to listen to those who feel they are out of the loop.”

This week, Abercrombie is wrapping up a two-week Easter recess trip back to Hawaii. He had campaign meetings on Kauai and in Kalihi and Hawaii Kai last week which supporters said each drew crowds of more than 100. He also plans a fundraising event while in the islands.

Abercrombie said he will continue to work in Washington and commute to his home state when he can. If he resigned, it would trigger a special election because House members cannot be appointed, like senators, and Abercrombie said he did not want the state to go through the expense of holding a special election.

Abercrombie on the issues

As he starts his run for governor, U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie is detailing some of his campaign issues.

Housing: Establish a public-private partnership to build and maintain new affordable housing. Demolish Aloha Stadium to allow development of the property and require private developers build a new stadium. “You build us a new stadium so we can really compete in Division I.”

Environment: Move Hawaii toward energy independence using domestically produced fuel and toward growing its own food. “These are self-defense measures, and you have to be completely devoted to them.”

Hawaii Superferry: The service both to the military and local residents was valuable, he says, but the process of approving the environmental impact statement was mishandled. “This was a judgment disaster and a policy disaster.”

Military: Urge the military to leave Makua Valley. “The one time they were able to do some training, they managed to set it on fire.”

Posted on

US military may displace 30 Tinian farmers

http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=89101

30 Tinian farmers, ranchers may be displaced by the US military

3 april 2009

By Moneth Deposa
Reporter

A significant number of farmers, ranchers, and hog raisers on Tinian are expected to be displaced if the U.S. military decides to fully utilize the property it leased on the island.

According to the Tinian Legislative Delegation, up to 30 ranchers and farmers-about 80 percent of the island’s agriculture sector-would be affected and the municipality needs to find a site soon for their relocation.

Delegation chair Sen. Joseph Mendiola said final plans detailing what specific part of Tinian will be used for military exercises and training will be presented to the island’s leaders in July.

The U.S. military holds the lease to about two-thirds of available land on Tinian.

“We don’t know yet the final plans for Tinian. Up to this time, we’re still waiting word from the military, which is also coordinating with the municipality and the governor. [There is] no final word yet if all two-thirds of Tinian would be used for their training sites,” he said.

Without the military’s confirmation, the delegation cannot plan for the future of its farmers and ranchers, Mendiola said.

Although the Tinian community is counting on the positive economic impact of the buildup, they are also concerned about possible displacement.

“A lot of farmers and ranchers would be displaced if they [U.S. military] decide to use the entire two-thirds of Tinian,” Mendiola said

The senator said some public lands on Tinian may be identified as new sites for the farmers and ranchers.

If it were up to him, Mendiola said, he prefers that the military use the North Field as an exclusive military training ground.

He added that the island’s airport is close to the U.S. military’s leased property and problems may arise if the area is used for live-fire training and other military exercises.

The transfer of some 8,000 Marines from Okinawa, Japan to Guam starting in 2012 is projected to benefit the CNMI, particularly Tinian.

However, Mendiola said, even the approximate number of U.S. Marines who will be assigned to Tinian is not known yet.

“Even that number is not available to us.we’re still on a ‘waiting game,'” he said, adding that whatever recommendation the CNMI leadership may have for the military would be supported by the delegation.

Posted on

Ferry Tale: Book Review of The Superferry Chronicles

Ferry tale

There’s plenty of blame to go around, but Hawaii court rights ship in end

By Michael Leidemann / Special to the Star-Bulletin

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 05, 2009

The Hawaii Superferry is gone, probably for good, but the political, legal, financial and ethical stink it leaves behind is going to cling to the islands for a long time. You might as well get used to it, and if you’re still trying to figure out who’s responsible, this book might help.

The Hawaii Supreme Court effectively shut the company down last month, ruling that the special law that it was operating under was unconstitutional. With that, the company announced that it was closing down operations, laying off workers and looking for a new home for its $350 million first ship. “We’re taking our beach ball and looking for a new ocean to toss it in,” Adm. Thomas Fargo, the company’s chief executive office, practically told Hawaii after the ruling came out.

“Good riddance,” some people said.

“See, anti-business,” the old guard said.

“Dang, I wish I’d ridden it at least once before it left,” the rest of us whispered, but not loud enough to be heard.

The court’s ruling that the state cannot set up a special law to accommodate one company, no matter how much money it was bringing into the state, especially if it was done by circumventing our treasured environmental laws, was the right thing and a long time in the making.

Only most of us didn’t see it coming. Were we silent conspirators, blinded by our own desire for a cheap interisland travel alternative, or did we have the wool pulled over our eyes by a high-flying group of investors who found friends in high places at the Legislature and Governor’s Office?

Clearly, the authors of this book think it’s the latter.

“We don’t hate ferries. Actually, we quite love ferries,” the authors say near the end of this collection of pieces that gives an almost fair but hardly balanced view of the ferry fiasco. “We even had a positive reaction to the idea when we first heard about the Superferry. But then, we learned the rest of the story.”

The story they tell is one of greed, manipulation, militarization, political ambition, absentee owners, a near riot and a cast of characters that includes Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, a former secretary of the Navy, a governor in bed with big business, as well as some local “heroes” who never stopped believing that Hawaii and its courts would ultimately do the right thing and make the ferry operations comply with all state laws, not just the one written especially for its benefit.

The book gives a lot of space to those little people who one way or another helped expose the ferry, and perhaps its ulterior motive of using Hawaii waters as a testing ground for a new type of military transport ship. It’s a little less fair to the thousands of people who genuinely wanted to see the ferry company succeed out of the belief that the Hawaii archipelago would be well served with a new kind of transportation. You’ll have to wade through a lot of stuff here to reach your own conclusions about who is really to blame.

Remember the movie “Who Killed the Electric Car?” which was making the rounds a few years ago? The film told the story of a highly successful electric car manufactured by General Motors, which suddenly and inexplicably pulled the product from the market. In the film, the directors leave the question of blame open-ended: big oil, the car companies, state bureaucrats, even consumers who did not buy enough of the cars end up sharing responsibility.

It’s a lot like that here. Sure, the Superferry company cut corners and is now paying a big price. Sure, the Legislature and the governor gave it their best (and, as it turns out, illegal) shot at salvaging the project. Sure, all of us who sat idly by and only prayed that it would all work out peacefully deserve some of the blame, too.

If there are any real heroes here, it’s the justices of the state Supreme Court. As they’ve done on a handful of memorable occasions before, the justices swiftly and quickly stood up for the law, and that means all of us, without any taint of the greed and politics that made this such an otherwise sordid tale.

This story’s probably over, but if it turns out that there’s a new chapter, or a new Superferry, somewhere in Hawaii’s future, we could all do worse than spending a little time with the book to figure out whose side we’re going to be on the next time we have to make a choice.
“The Superferry Chronicles: Hawaii’s Uprising Against Militarism, Commercialism and the Desecration of the Earth”

By Koohan Paik and Jerry Mander

(Koa Books)

320 pages, $20

Source: http://www.starbulletin.com/features/20090405_ferry_tale.html

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Envoy: Rape case shouldn’t affect Philippines agreement

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=61651

Envoy: Rape case shouldn’t affect Philippines agreement

By David Allen, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Sunday, March 29, 2009

The U.S. ambassador to the Philippines does not believe the Daniel Smith rape case will affect the Visiting Forces Agreement with the Philippines.

In a statement reported by media in Manila on Wednesday, Ambassador Kristie Kenney said negotiations regarding where the Marine lance corporal should be held pending his appeal of his December 2006 conviction should not result in any changes to the entire agreement.

The Philippines Supreme Court ruled last month that Smith, who is being held on the grounds of the U.S. Embassy in Manila pending his appeal, should have been remanded to a Philippines jail. The court ruled the agreement allowing Smith’s transfer to the embassy compound did not follow the guidelines set forth in the bilateral Visiting Forces Agreement, known as the VFA.

“I don’t for the moment see a review of the VFA,” Kenney said. “We’re working through one specific case. We should not confuse it with the entire VFA. It’s a little soon to talk about the VFA as a whole.”

A U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Friday confirmed the accuracy of Kenney’s response to a reporter’s questions Wednesday.

“We’ve taken note of the Supreme Court decision,” Kenney said. “There have been discussions both in Washington and here, but there are some issues still pending in that legal case. We are in good dialogue with the Philippines. It’s been a difficult three years, but we’re working together for this.”

Her statement was made while new developments in the rape case have rocked the Philippines judicial establishment. On March 12, the 25-year-old woman who testified during the trial that Smith raped her, signed an affidavit stating she now doubts Smith actually raped her.

The woman, known publicly as “Nicole,” has since moved to the U.S. with her American boyfriend, according to statements made by her mother.

Anti-VFA and women’s rights groups in the Philippines charge that the “Smith camp,” somehow bought Nicole’s recantation. They also claim the recent revelation that an appeals court judge had filed a draft ruling last year that acquitted Smith was part of a publicity campaign to free Smith.

The appellate judge retired before his draft decision was reviewed by other justices, and a problem with finding judges to sit on the case – many recused themselves because of friendships with Smith’s lawyers – has delayed a decision for more than two years.

The Manila Times reported Wednesday that the draft is part of the case files.

Nicole’s affidavit and the appeals court draft ruling echo what Nicole told a Philippines lawmaker the day after the Nov. 1, 2005, incident, according to media reports.

Mitos Magsaysay, a member of the House of Representatives from Nicole’s home district, said she was one of the first people to speak to Nicole after the incident.

“Based on her narration, and the interviews I made with her sister, her cousin, other witnesses at the Neptune Bar (where she and Smith had been dancing and drinking with friends), and the driver of the van … I concluded that no rape took place,” Magsaysay was quoted as saying by the Philippine Star.

She told the newspaper that people with an agenda against the U.S. military “took over and influenced her.”

The rape case has stirred emotions in the Philippines. On Wednesday, about 100 demonstrators protesting against the VFA clashed with police at the U.S. Embassy in Manila, and 40 people were reported injured, although none seriously.

Manila police beefed up security outside the embassy soon after Nicole’s affidavit became public.

“Peaceful protests are a normal part of a vibrant democracy that respects the right of free speech,” said embassy spokeswoman Rebecca Thompson in an e-mail response to queries by Stars and Stripes Thursday.

“We depend on the Philippine authorities to provide protection so that the public and diplomats can come and go safely and freely from the Embassy grounds.”

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