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Halt All Military Activity in Hawaii ~ Clean-up Not Build-up!
“There are 800 documented military toxic sites in Hawaii. On Hawaii Island alone there are more than 250,000-acres littered with unexploded ordnance dating back till WWII. Military chemical and biological warfare agents have been secretly tested in Hilo's watershed. Chemical and other weapons and nuclear solid waste has been dumped off Hawaii's shores and millions of gallons of liquid nuclear waste have been discharged directly into Pearl Harbor.” Says Jim Albertini of Malu Aina….
Public Affairs Office
US Army Environmental Command
PublicComments [at] aec.apgea.army.mil
Deadline for comments Oct. 30, 2007
Public comment to the U.S. Army written by Jim Albertini is reprinted here with permission.
To The United States Army:
Let me be perfectly clear as time after time hundreds of people in Hawaii have told you at Scoping and other EIS hearings before: NO Strykers in Hawaii.
In fact, the U.S. military is part of an ongoing illegal U.S. occupation of the independent nation of Hawaii since 1893. It is long past time to end that occupation, clean up all the military opala (rubbish) you have created and then exit Hawaii as the U.S. should be doing in Iraq as well. So it is not simply a question of NO Stryker in Hawaii, the truth requires far more.
I want to speak specifically about the problems of military toxic contamination in Hawaii, and especially depleted uranium. And I want to raise a principle that the U.S. military and all of humanity needs to take to heart if human beings are to survive on this planet.
It is called the precautionary principle. I realize raising this with the U.S. military -- the greatest polluter and destroyer of life on the planet may be viewed as an oxymoron. The precautionary principle is this. When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken if some cause and effect relationships are not fully known or established scientifically.
The essence of precaution are threefold: 1. When we have a reasonable suspicion of harm, and 2. Scientific uncertainty about causes and effect, then 3. We have a duty to take action to prevent harm.
In my view and that of our organization, our actions must be non-violent where the means used are in line with the end sought. In other words, peaceful and just means must be used to achieve peaceful and just ends. We need to take care of the earth if we expect the earth to take care of us. Indeed we will reap what we sow.
Now to the point of military toxins in Hawaii. There are 800 documented military toxic sites in Hawaii. On Hawaii Island alone there are more than 250,000-acres littered with unexploded ordnance dating back till WWII.
Military chemical and biological warfare agents have been secretly tested in Hilo's watershed. Chemical and other weapons and nuclear solid waste has been dumped off Hawaii's shores and millions of gallons of liquid nuclear waste have been discharged directly into Pearl Harbor.
And now it has been documented that at least two Hawaiian islands -- Oahu and Hawaii Island are contaminated with Depleted Uranium (DU) radioactivity from weapons testing here in our midst.
This fact alone demands an immediate and permanent halt to any further military activity at such contaminated bases (live-fire and other dust creating activities) that could spread the radioactive contamination in dust particles.
The military has poor records of the use of radioactive weapons used and the extent of contamination is not fully known but military live-fire and other dust creating activities continue -- business as usual.
This shows a complete disregard for the precautionary principle and the health and safety of Hawaii's people and military people alike. We are all simply being used as pawns in U.S. foreign policy. Our health and safety is being threatened in the name of defense and security.
THE STRYKER EIS DOES NOT ADDRESS THE EXTENT OF RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION ON OAHU AND HAWAII ISLAND AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF STRYKER TRAINING SPREADING THE CONTAMINATION. WHY?
THE STRYKER EIS DOES NOT DISCUSS THE MILITARY CONNECTION WITH THE HAWAII SUPERFERRY FOR TRANSPORT OF STRYKER AND OTHER MILITARY VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT. WHY?
THE STRYKER EIS DOES NOT ADDRESS THE ILLEGAL U.S. OCCUPATION OF HAWAII, THE FACT THAT THERE NEVER WAS A TREATY OF ANNEXATION RATIFIED BY THE U.S. SENATE AS REQUIRED BY THE U.S. CONSTITUTION FOR ACQUIRING TERRITORY. WHY? WHAT IS THE LEGAL BASIS FOR U.S. PRESENCE IN HAWAII?
THE STRYKER EIS DOES NOT ADDRESS THE OVERWHELMING CALL OF HAWAII'S PEOPLE FOR MILITARY CLEAN UP NOT BUILD UP. WHY?
WHEN IS THE MILITARY GOING TO CLEAN UP ITS MESS AND LEAVE HAWAII?
The people of Hawaii demand and deserve answers to these and other important questions raised in the EIS process.
Aloha,
Jim Albertini, President
Malu `Aina Center For Non-violent
Education & Action
P.O. Box AB
Ola`a (Kurtistown), Hawai`i 96760
ja [at] interpac.net
http://www.malu-aina.org
Please help us Protect Hawai’i. Spread the Aloha and pass this information forward.
No Stryker Brigade build-up in Hawai’i. Clean-up all live-fire artillery ranges.
U.S. Army DEIS comment deadline is Oct. 30, 2007. Send comments to PublicComments [at] aec.apgea.army.mil and cc a copy to tenfingers10toes [at] protecthawaii.ws
Please learn more… Help Us Save Hawai’i and sign the following petition at:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/help-save-hawaii
Then, please forward to everyone you know!
READ WHY the Stryker Brigade must not stay in Hawaii!
Ten Reasons to Oppose the Stryker Brigade in Hawaii
http://www.dmzhawaii.org/stop_stryker_hawaii.pdf
Army Regulation AR 700-48 "Management of Equipment Contaminated With Depleted Uranium or Radioactive Commodities," Headquarters, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C., September 2002, Section 2-4 of United States Army Regulation 700-48 dated Sept. 16, 2002, specifies these requirements.
http://www.traprockpeace.org/du_pam_700-48.pdf
Hawaiian Islands Are Radioactive
http://www.indymedia.org/en/2007/10/893755.shtml
Depleted Uranium Contamination By Strykers In Hawaii
http://www.indymedia.org/it/2007/09/893176.shtml
Death By Breath
http://www.indymedia.org/en/2007/10/893823.shtml
Hawaiian Islands Contaminated With Ballistic Uranium
http://www.rense.com/general78/hawa.htm
No Peace in Paradise by Kyle Kajihiro
http://www.haleakalatimes.com/news/story2527.aspx
Army’s Environmental Impact Statement for the Stryker Brigade Invasion of Hawaii:
http://www.sbct-seis.org/
Go to Demilitarize Hawaii
http://dmzhawaii.org
Go to Protect Hawaii website:
http://www.protecthawaii.ws/
US Army Environmental Command
PublicComments [at] aec.apgea.army.mil
Deadline for comments Oct. 30, 2007
Public comment to the U.S. Army written by Jim Albertini is reprinted here with permission.
To The United States Army:
Let me be perfectly clear as time after time hundreds of people in Hawaii have told you at Scoping and other EIS hearings before: NO Strykers in Hawaii.
In fact, the U.S. military is part of an ongoing illegal U.S. occupation of the independent nation of Hawaii since 1893. It is long past time to end that occupation, clean up all the military opala (rubbish) you have created and then exit Hawaii as the U.S. should be doing in Iraq as well. So it is not simply a question of NO Stryker in Hawaii, the truth requires far more.
I want to speak specifically about the problems of military toxic contamination in Hawaii, and especially depleted uranium. And I want to raise a principle that the U.S. military and all of humanity needs to take to heart if human beings are to survive on this planet.
It is called the precautionary principle. I realize raising this with the U.S. military -- the greatest polluter and destroyer of life on the planet may be viewed as an oxymoron. The precautionary principle is this. When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken if some cause and effect relationships are not fully known or established scientifically.
The essence of precaution are threefold: 1. When we have a reasonable suspicion of harm, and 2. Scientific uncertainty about causes and effect, then 3. We have a duty to take action to prevent harm.
In my view and that of our organization, our actions must be non-violent where the means used are in line with the end sought. In other words, peaceful and just means must be used to achieve peaceful and just ends. We need to take care of the earth if we expect the earth to take care of us. Indeed we will reap what we sow.
Now to the point of military toxins in Hawaii. There are 800 documented military toxic sites in Hawaii. On Hawaii Island alone there are more than 250,000-acres littered with unexploded ordnance dating back till WWII.
Military chemical and biological warfare agents have been secretly tested in Hilo's watershed. Chemical and other weapons and nuclear solid waste has been dumped off Hawaii's shores and millions of gallons of liquid nuclear waste have been discharged directly into Pearl Harbor.
And now it has been documented that at least two Hawaiian islands -- Oahu and Hawaii Island are contaminated with Depleted Uranium (DU) radioactivity from weapons testing here in our midst.
This fact alone demands an immediate and permanent halt to any further military activity at such contaminated bases (live-fire and other dust creating activities) that could spread the radioactive contamination in dust particles.
The military has poor records of the use of radioactive weapons used and the extent of contamination is not fully known but military live-fire and other dust creating activities continue -- business as usual.
This shows a complete disregard for the precautionary principle and the health and safety of Hawaii's people and military people alike. We are all simply being used as pawns in U.S. foreign policy. Our health and safety is being threatened in the name of defense and security.
THE STRYKER EIS DOES NOT ADDRESS THE EXTENT OF RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION ON OAHU AND HAWAII ISLAND AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF STRYKER TRAINING SPREADING THE CONTAMINATION. WHY?
THE STRYKER EIS DOES NOT DISCUSS THE MILITARY CONNECTION WITH THE HAWAII SUPERFERRY FOR TRANSPORT OF STRYKER AND OTHER MILITARY VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT. WHY?
THE STRYKER EIS DOES NOT ADDRESS THE ILLEGAL U.S. OCCUPATION OF HAWAII, THE FACT THAT THERE NEVER WAS A TREATY OF ANNEXATION RATIFIED BY THE U.S. SENATE AS REQUIRED BY THE U.S. CONSTITUTION FOR ACQUIRING TERRITORY. WHY? WHAT IS THE LEGAL BASIS FOR U.S. PRESENCE IN HAWAII?
THE STRYKER EIS DOES NOT ADDRESS THE OVERWHELMING CALL OF HAWAII'S PEOPLE FOR MILITARY CLEAN UP NOT BUILD UP. WHY?
WHEN IS THE MILITARY GOING TO CLEAN UP ITS MESS AND LEAVE HAWAII?
The people of Hawaii demand and deserve answers to these and other important questions raised in the EIS process.
Aloha,
Jim Albertini, President
Malu `Aina Center For Non-violent
Education & Action
P.O. Box AB
Ola`a (Kurtistown), Hawai`i 96760
ja [at] interpac.net
http://www.malu-aina.org
Please help us Protect Hawai’i. Spread the Aloha and pass this information forward.
No Stryker Brigade build-up in Hawai’i. Clean-up all live-fire artillery ranges.
U.S. Army DEIS comment deadline is Oct. 30, 2007. Send comments to PublicComments [at] aec.apgea.army.mil and cc a copy to tenfingers10toes [at] protecthawaii.ws
Please learn more… Help Us Save Hawai’i and sign the following petition at:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/help-save-hawaii
Then, please forward to everyone you know!
READ WHY the Stryker Brigade must not stay in Hawaii!
Ten Reasons to Oppose the Stryker Brigade in Hawaii
http://www.dmzhawaii.org/stop_stryker_hawaii.pdf
Army Regulation AR 700-48 "Management of Equipment Contaminated With Depleted Uranium or Radioactive Commodities," Headquarters, Department of the Army, Washington, D.C., September 2002, Section 2-4 of United States Army Regulation 700-48 dated Sept. 16, 2002, specifies these requirements.
http://www.traprockpeace.org/du_pam_700-48.pdf
Hawaiian Islands Are Radioactive
http://www.indymedia.org/en/2007/10/893755.shtml
Depleted Uranium Contamination By Strykers In Hawaii
http://www.indymedia.org/it/2007/09/893176.shtml
Death By Breath
http://www.indymedia.org/en/2007/10/893823.shtml
Hawaiian Islands Contaminated With Ballistic Uranium
http://www.rense.com/general78/hawa.htm
No Peace in Paradise by Kyle Kajihiro
http://www.haleakalatimes.com/news/story2527.aspx
Army’s Environmental Impact Statement for the Stryker Brigade Invasion of Hawaii:
http://www.sbct-seis.org/
Go to Demilitarize Hawaii
http://dmzhawaii.org
Go to Protect Hawaii website:
http://www.protecthawaii.ws/
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