Open Letter to US Army Regarding Decision to Destroy Hawaii
Public Affairs Office US Army Environmental Command Building E4460 5179 Hoadley Road Attention: IMAE-PA Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5401 PublicComments@aec.apgea.army.mil
To the person in charge of making the decision where to place the 2/25th Stryker Brigade Combat Team,
I would very much enjoy speaking to you from the heart… but I know that would be a total waste of my time - and yours. We all know that the US military does not base any of its decisions on affairs of the heart, mind, nor conscience either, for that matter.
I could go on and on about why you should not place the Stryker Brigade in Hawaii. It is the very last place in the world where it should be stationed… and I could name all of the reasons you already know quite well. We could, if you were actually made of flesh, blood and tears, talk about the excessive noise and how this noise will impact the children who live near the construction projects and will hear the live-fire training.
I used to visit my parents when they lived near a military training range. Let me tell you that when you are on your back porch trying to enjoy a glass of iced tea and relaxing conversation? The resounding BOOMS of military live fire can be most disquieting to grown adults. Can you only imagine the unsettling impact live-fire training noise might have upon small children and the beasts that live within earshot of your firing ranges? But then again, I’m sure these trivial matters – such as being able to live a good, decent, and peaceful existence – is of neither concern nor significance to you.
We could, if you honestly cared, mull over in our minds the actual impact of adding 4,000 extra military soldiers, and even greater numbers of family members who will accompany them… and explore what it might mean to add nearly 10,000 more people to these affected bases. We could then ponder together extra societal infrastructures needed for this population onslaught, such as new libraries and schools. We could also enjoy a long and serious discourse about the loss of rich Hawaiian culture - and their precious spiritual and ancestral heritage.
If you would consider your actions with some amount of sensitivity we could discuss the unfathomable harm caused by wildfires due to “live fire training,” and the destruction of tens of thousands of acres of still yet- to-be-spoiled – and often sacred - land.
If you were to actually listen with a caring heart, we could go over the reasons for not stationing the 2/25th in Hawaii. Together we could review the increased pollution to air, water, and soil, the fact that you will render airborne chemically toxic and radioactive Uranium in the soils at Pohakuloa Training Area and Schofield Barracks - and probably at Makua Military Reservation, too.
I could then write to you to beg you to consider the impact of your decision upon umpteen various rare, endangered, and threatened plant and animal species, and the fact that you are helping to sicken the fish, the wildlife, and the vegetation that the indigenous people depend on in order to survive.
I would say these things if I thought you would only listen and care – even just a little bit. But why bother?
If you made your decision based on what is right for the Hawaiian people? Then you never, ever would have gone ahead with the current devastating military occupation of Hawaii. If you gave even one whit about what is best for humans and living things on the Hawaiian Isles? Then you never would have completed some of your Stryker-related construction projects and done work on others to the tune of over $700 million-plus in eventual construction-related expenses.
If you were concerned even just a tiny bit about the residents of Hawaii, you never would have gone to tremendous time, trouble and expense to train the soldiers, bring the equipment there, and start all the preparations you could… that is, of course, if you gave even one dang about the good indigenous people who call Hawaii home.
You are not taught to feel, as you are an integral part of the bloody, gory orchestration of US war-making everlasting. All you know about is how to make war and how to prepare young people to make war with you. The extent of your education and your decision-making prowess involves only how to train young people to go about killing other humans who have done nothing whatsoever to harm any of you.
If you had a heart and a conscience this would trouble you greatly. But you do not, so we must find another way to somehow make you think about this.
Your employer has chosen you purposely, put you in your current career position to ensure you could make decisions based on winning wars (and thus creating casualties, whether American or enemy or both). Without even knowing who you are (and I am quite aware that the public affairs officer reading this and tallying objections for the public record is not the decision maker), undoubtedly, you have been entrusted to make this decision and, again, whoever you are - you are quite good at what you do.
You make decisions based on where to best train your soldiers. Where you are doing the training is only important with regard to how it will impact the troops’ training. The needs of the people and other forms of life that surround your military sites, however, are neither relevant nor seriously considered in the scheme of your goals. So the entire Environmental Impact Statement is merely just a formality, a farce, a total waste of time and taxpayer money.
Cathy Garger is a freelance writer, public speaker, activist, and a certified personal coach who specializes in Uranium weapons. Living in the shadow of the national District of Crime, Cathy is constantly nauseated by the stench emanating from the nation's capital during the Washington, DC, federal work week.
Thank you for expressing so succinctly what the Stryker invasion means for Hawaii. I would just add, as Hawaii goes, so goes the world. We who live among sky-reflecting tidepools, ocean reefs, and dramatic volcanoes know this is a fragile ecosystem we share in Hawai’i share. There is limited land for agriculture, clean water, energy generation, and healthy living.We see the U. S. Military has not been a respectful guest on our small necklace of islands 3000 miles from the Mainland. In the land of Aloha, when we ask a guest, even a mighty giant, to move, and he refuses, we become more clear and firm in our legal rights, but we don't let it disturb our Aloha. Aloha means many things, but mostly it means love. The love of the land, the sweet flowers, the sacredness of the water, and the closeness of the families. It is what binds our island culture of Aloha together, and that love is stronger than anything you've ever seen. Stronger than profit. Stronger than the forces of facism which have enveloped not only Hawaii, but our beloved United States of America, now a villain in a painful, ailing world.Yes, there are families, children, and pregnant women in Hawaii who are severely affected by the Army's admitted use of Radioactive Depleted Uranium. One in 17 infants are born here with birth defects!!!Yet among the thousands who have been weakened by contact with U. S. nuclear ordnance, there are hundreds who are working enthusiastically to protect our beloved land. We have millions of tourists across the world who hold Hawaii, like Bali in Indonesia, as a land apart, tropical islands that represent paradise and peace in the global imagination. These visitors are like returning family. They share Aloha with us, and their voices too are rising. Everyone knows bringing the Strykers to Hawai’I would have disastrous consequences. Stop the Strykers. Save the Sacred Land!We Hawaiians, in our communities, our businesses, our legislature, are choosing to celebrate Aloha by declaring Hawai’i a De-Miliarized Zone (www.dmzhawaii.org).That will do more for our state economy and international safety than all the combat brigades in the world. The spirit of Aloha brightening here will expand Hawai’i’s image as a tourist mecca. People are met with a lei of fragrant flowers draped over their shoulders by an ambassador of love, not Uzis and armored trucks. Rather than feeling victimized by an invasion of Military Installations, we choose to spread Aloha around the world. I am so moved by people like you Cathy. Thank you for standing up for Peace and passing along the renewed flickering of hope that the world can learn to “Live with Aloha!” As Hawaii goes, so goes the world. What do you want to see? More urban warfare, or peace, sunshine, fresh mangoes, and hula dancing? Please take a moment to Quick Click and sign a petition for DMZ Hawaii, a Peace Zone in Paradise. Spread the Aloha by signing the Protect Hawaii petition at ...
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Marya Mann (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 3 comments)
on Sunday, October 28, 2007 at 12:04:51 AM
Please take a moment to Quick Click and sign a petition for DMZ Hawaii, a Peace Zone in Paradise. Spread the Aloha by signing the Protect Hawaii petition at ...
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Marya Mann (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 3 comments)
on Sunday, October 28, 2007 at 12:06:37 AM
As always, we feel your aloha spirit.. hopefully, someday you can visit these beautiful islands.. without having to wear a gas mask while you are here.
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Lisa Long (4 articles, 3 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 48 comments)
on Sunday, October 28, 2007 at 5:40:48 AM
This is a double edged sword if ever there was one. First I would like to initiate a ban on the use of depleted uranium as a weapon. It is a known hazardous waste and the munitions manufacturers should not get it free, but should pay a massive hazardous waste disposal fee, sufficient to offset their profits and even then some. A formula based on the number of particles per given mass of DU would have them screaming like a wounded Banshee! Manufacturing weapons has always been profitable, so if you turn it into a losing proposition, that might change things. If troops are going to have to train with live fire, then the ammunition should be inert. Unfortunately, no matter how much you attempt to reach a conscience, it will not stop the training.
Even if Hawai'i were a state and all of the military left the islands, I believe a foreign governments might just decide those lovely little islands in the middle of the ocean needed protecting. I'd put money on China, as they are expanding their sphere of influence everywhere. They could easily stage an exercise with 2 divisions of infantry, 1 of artillery and or armour, waltz in and say, "hi, we're your new landlords." The poor Hawai'ians response would be, "you can't do that, we're an American state!", to wit the Chinese reply would be, "we just did." Congress would get it's underwear in a bunch, but since everything is now manufactured in China, they could make the electronics in many of our weapons systems fail (thanks to a number of genuinely stupid business deals), as some believe they built a back door in the systems to bypass our safeguards, there would be no way we could go to war with China. Sensing the absolute futility in this, congress would bend over and a smiling China would ask, "was it good for you, too?" I may not trust the US government, but I trust the Chinese government much less.
The GLOT (global lie on terror) is not new and has been used throughout history and that's how this evil regime manipulates congress. If someone opposes the GLOT, then they are deemed weak on terror. Could someone show me the actual war on terror? How does one stage a war on on an extreme emotion? Simply by amplifying that emotion. Unfortunately that is the mindset that is running America. The Roman empire used it, as described here: "There was no corner of the known world where some interest was not alleged to be in danger or under actual attack. If the interests were not Roman, they were those of Rome's allies; and if Rome had no allies, the allies would be invented. When it was utterly impossible to contrive such an interest -- why, then it was the national honor that had been insulted. The fight was always invested with an aura of legality. Rome was always being attacked by evil-minded neighbours...The whole world was pervaded by a host of enemies, it was manifestly Rome's duty to guard against their indubitably aggressive designs." Joseph Schumpteter, Imperialism and Social Classes, 1919.
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Dave Kisor (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 135 comments)
on Sunday, October 28, 2007 at 2:31:07 PM
Thank you, Cathy, for telling the whole story. The military is putting power and destruction above the people -- and doing it in deceitful ways. This is an old story that should have run its course by now. Hawaii's situation is merely a preview of what is to come unless it is stopped here and now. That can happen only if many, many people speak out. The idea that you can "protect" a place by destroying it is ridiculous. Priorities are skewed. Keep on telling it like it is. Your efforts are appreciated!
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Nancy Bracewell (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 19 comments)
on Sunday, October 28, 2007 at 5:04:16 PM
The ’depleted’ uranium that America has thrown in large quantities into the living spaces of its enemy is essentially spent nuclear reactor fuel. It’s basically uranium. At high impact speeds uranium penetrates steel and concrete like a knife cutting through butter. In the process it heats up, becomes flammable, and explodes with an intense heat (5,000-10,000 decrees C.) and evaporates into tiny particles that are radioactive and are dispersed through the air.The nano-sized particles are uniquely destructive to people as the human body has no effective defenses to particles of that small size (as small as 1/10,000th the size of a blood cell). The alpha-radiating particles get into any place in the body and cause a wide range of damage creating upwards to 100 different types of diseases, including genetic defects. DU warfare is a new type of nuclear war with delayed effects unfolding up to half a decade in the future.
DU is also used, because the stuff is cheap, since it became considered a waste product. The nuclear fuel cycle wasn’t designed that way. What is now a waste product would have been a resource for the fast flux breeder reactor in the original design, creating energy and new fuel at the same time. The fast flux program was shut down most likely, because it would have created an energy-rich economic renaissance that the imperial neo-feudalist clique, which depends on poverty, would not have survived. It was also likely for this reason that the world’s nuclear fusion power development has been put on the slow burner, otherwise nuclear fusion-power might have replaced nuclear fission-power by now. The world certainly wouldn’t have been awash with cheap DU waste products for the production of cheap and horrendously dirty bombs.
The end result is that the world is now starving itself while it is building bombs with waste products that shouldn’t have been created in the first place.Since 2002 the DU pollution of the Earth’s atmosphere, and thereby near-space, has been significantly increased . The Tora Bora bombing in Afghanistan added 2.5 times as much as the 1991 dessert war in nano-sized uranium pollution to the atmosphere, and five times as much was added again with the "Shock and Awe" bombing that followed in 2003 and the horror show that came after it.The Korea Times reported on Dec. 23, 2005, that the U.S. military has 2.7 million depleted uranium bombs pre-positioned in South Korea.If the Korean report is true, and if a similar stockpile has has been pre-positioned for the bombing of Iran, the DU pollution of the Earth’s atmosphere, and thereby near space, might become increased 50-fold when the next round of America’s pre-emptive wars is being launched. The horrors that result from that increase cannot even be predicted.
No greater pollution of the environment of the entire Earth exists or is possible than that caused by the use of depleted uranium weapons.
The depleted uranium (DU) is spent nuclear reactor fuel that becomes vaporized in the explosions of the DU weapons into nanometre-sized particles, half of which are smaller than the wavelengths of light. The minuscule particles become airborne like a gas and are distributed around the world in the global air-currents, while they remain permanently radioactive. The resulting radioactive pollution of the global environment has the potential to turn the Earth into death trap. The DU particles kill indiscriminately, without warning, and in most cases slowly over the span of years and decades by way of illnesses that are hard to heal, like cancers, diabetes, and a long list of illnesses that by circumstantial evidence have been linked with DU poisoning.
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Andrew Jackson (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 11 comments)
on Sunday, October 28, 2007 at 6:20:32 PM
US Policies of aggression, nuclear arms, nuclear weapon development, nuclear weapon use threats, and missile shields will only serve to antagonize China, Russia, and some Middle Eastern countries. The inevitable event will be one or many nuclear weapons fired against the United States in the very near future. The only thing that can stop this is for the globalization movement to stop its power grab and for native peoples to be given equal voice in institutions like the United Nations. The native peoples are the moral reserve of humanity, not the rich overbloated bankers, politicians and royalty. The world needs to come together to end racism against religions and ethnicities. We should start with Iran and immediately. The Third Major shaking of the earth on US soil was prophesized by the Cherokee long ago. Its time to listen to the native wisdom again, and let go of the snake oil politicians who are only concerned about themselves.
America has lost its self-determination as the government has been hijacked from its inhabitants by elite factions in Israel, Saudi Arabia and Europe. America no longer operates with self-preservation as a goal. In parallel, Israel is leading and sometimes following on the same suicide path.
Most americans have forgotten the old adage, "If you live in a glass house, you shouldn't throw rocks." The lack of collective wisdom and common sense as a nation will be our demise.
According an AP article, "The Iranian parliament said the US Army and the CIA were terrorists because of the atomic bombing of Japan; the use of depleted uranium munitions in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq; support of the killings of Palestinians by Israel; the bombing and killing Iraqi civilians and the torture of imprisoned terror suspects." A statement signed by the 215 members who voted for the resolution reads, "The aggressor U.S. Army and the Central Intelligence Agency are terrorists and also nurture terror.
Depleted Uranium will serve the purpose of turning the world community against the US in future world confict certainly after the coming US-Iran war. In light of the use of DU in the Middle East and Afganistan, the world community will destroy the United States and Israel. This is ultimately the plan that will serve the interests of the One World Government and New World Order.
Although DU has about 60% of the radioactivity of the natural uranium for an equal mass of substance (Cantaluppi and Degeto, 2000), elevated uranium activity concentrations have been observed in most of the surface soil samples and all of the biological samples collected in Kosovo. In some soils, elevations of even seven thousand times higher than the background uranium level have been observed.
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Andrew Jackson (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 11 comments)
on Sunday, October 28, 2007 at 6:22:45 PM
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