The Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Army have settled OHA's 2006 federal lawsuit claiming the Army failed to protect Native Hawaiian cultural resources when it brought the Stryker brigade to the state.

OHA representatives, along with an archaeologist, will be able to survey certain Stryker training areas at Schofield Barracks, Kahuku and Pohakuloa as a result of the agreement, the state agency announced yesterday.

Through the surveys, OHA said it and Army representatives "aim to ensure the appropriate identification and treatment of cultural and historic resources located in Lihu'e, the traditional name for the Schofield Barracks region," as well as other parts of Hawai'i.

Meetings are scheduled to begin this week across the state to seek comment from the Hawaiian community on the draft U.S. Department of Defense Hawaiian Consultation Protocol.

When finalized, this draft document will provide guidance to DOD military and civilian personnel on their consultation responsibilities to Native Hawaiians, the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs said in a press release.

The draft protocol can be seen at www.denix.osd.mil/portal/page/portal/denix/environment/NA

For those uneducated about the issues "Noho Hewa" addresses, Hawaiian activists can appear to be unduly angry, their causes ridiculously unrealistic. But in taking a stand on the side of the Hawaiian cause, the film does an excellent job of providing context to their perspectives. And it even goes one step further: It conveys knowledge that resonates in the heart as well as the mind.

A federal judge told the Army yesterday to quickly expand cultural access to native Hawaiian sites at its Makua Military Reservation on Oahu, according to Earthjustice, which represents the community group Malama Makua.

The environmental law firm said U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway gave the Army until April 15 to identify high-priority sites for clearing unexploded ordnance in order to increase access to cultural sites.

Mollway also ruled the Army must provide a good-faith plan to clear the ordnance from the sites by July 15, it said.

Earthjustice has made good on its pledge to take the U.S. Army back to court over what it sees as flagrant violations of a 2001 court-ordered settlement decree to allow Native Hawaiian groups cultural access to numerous sacred sites in the Makua Military Reservation.

The ecology-minded law firm, which represents Malama Makua among other cultural groups, filed a motion to enforce compliance yesterday in U.S. District Court. Earthjustice is asking the court to require the Army to fulfill the terms of the six-year-old settlement it voluntarily signed.

That agreement followed a lawsuit challenging the Army's failure to complete a required environmental impact statement for training at Makua Valley.

David Henkin, an attorney for Earthjustice, said yesterday that instead of opening up access to the valley, the Army has, since 2005, severely restricted cultural practices, citing safety concerns as the reason. Earthjustice contends the safety restrictions have been concocted to get around the settlement decree in order to eliminate nearly all cultural access.

An Army environmental study of where to permanently station Hawai'i's Stryker brigade has been completed, officials said, and expectations are the decision will be made to keep the armored vehicle brigade here.

However, opponents are ready to challenge the decision as soon as it's released publicly — possibly as early as February — saying the Army still hasn't adequately addressed alternative locations, as required by federal environmental law.

Hawaiian cultural groups yesterday received permission from the Army to resume civilian access to the Makua Military Reservation after experts detonated unexploded ordnance found in the Leeward Coast military training range.
[...]
The reservation has been closed for more than a month except to essential security and demolition personnel.[...]

With the bombs detonated, the way is cleared for Hawaiian practitioners to observe the makahiki, a Hawaiian religious and holiday observance...

The Army next month plans to blow up several bombs that were found in Makua Military Reservation — a discovery that prevented Hawaiian practitioners from observing the Makahiki.

But the detonation of the old ordnance won't remove the increasing acrimony felt by some community members over cultural access to the 4,190-acre Waianae Coast valley, and it could land the Army in court again.

"We're getting to the point of going back to court because there is no excuse for their (the Army's) continued foot-dragging," said David Henkin, an Earthjustice attorney.

Henkin, who represents community group Malama Makua, maintains the Army is violating a 2001 settlement agreement, adding, "We've notified them of that fact."

Draped in black and red instead of the traditional white for the Makahiki, native Hawaiian groups protested the Army's cancellation of the cultural celebration at the Makua Military Reservation.

Malama Makua and Hui Malama O Makua held a protest vigil at the facility's gate yesterday, the first day of Makahiki.

On Nov. 1, the Army discovered a 250-pound, World War II-era bomb near the gate to the live-fire training ground, and has denied access to native Hawaiian groups until it can detonate the device.

The protesters called the Army's reasoning "double talk," saying that if the bomb was really a threat, it would've been removed or detonated by now, since the initial danger zone from the bomb extended beyond the fence and into water.

"It doesn't make any sense for the Army to say it's too dangerous for us to go into Makua to practice our religion, and at the same time, refuse to remove a bomb it says threatens the lives of keiki playing at Makua Beach," said Momi Kamahele, cultural adviser for the group Makua Makahiki. "The Army's either lying about the danger, because it wants an excuse to deny us our cultural access, or it's being incredibly reckless with innocent people's lives."

The military will pay the University of Hawai'i $2 million to use sonar and manned and unmanned submersibles to survey chemical weapons dumped about five miles south of Pearl Harbor at the end of World War II.

Officials said the study could begin in late summer of next year, but what was dumped and where the dumping occurred remain questions that could complicate the search.

Tad Davis, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for the environment, safety and occupational health, said the project could establish procedures for determining whether munitions disposed of at sea pose a threat to human or marine health.

Some O'ahu residents, particularly on the Wai'anae Coast, have called for a cleanup in recent years of the munitions that are so rife in areas that one popular dive spot is called "Ordnance Reef."

The U.S. military has said about 2,600 tons of chemical mustard, cyanogens chloride, hydrogen cyanide and lewisite were dumped at two deep-water locations five to ten miles off the Wai'anae Coast and Pearl Harbor between 1944 and 1946.

The Army also has acknowledged that thousands more tons of chemical munitions were dumped at another unknown site off the coast of West O'ahu in fall 1945.

Construction projects at Oahu military bases will receive the bulk of $691 million coming to Hawaii in a federal appropriations bill approved Thursday by Senate and House conferees.

The military budget items include $65 million for a Navy communications center in Wahiawa, a $49.8 million Pearl Harbor submarine facility and $170 million for Army barracks construction at Schofield Barracks, Fort Shafter and Wheeler Army Airfield.

Some $34.2 million in U.S. Department of Education funding would go to public schools with a high percentage of native Hawaiian students, for teacher training, renovations and curriculum development, according to an announcement by U.S. Sens. Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka.

Two members of the self-proclaimed Kingdom of Atooi posted bail yesterday after being arrested on charges stemming from the Aug. 26 arrival of the Hawaii Superferry.

Dayne Gonsalves, also known as Dayne Aipoalani, and Robert Pa, both were arrested Tuesday during a Planning Commission meeting, police said.

Both men claim Kaua‘i is actually a free and independent nation, the Polynesian Kingdom of Atooi, as a self-governing and sovereign entity.

Gonsalves told The Garden Isle newspaper Thursday that his arrest was illegal.

"We're not imitating. We're a separate entity as the kingdom's marshals. They have no jurisdiction over us," he said.

Hawaii's governor Linda Lingle has canceled her planned trip to Korea, China and Japan to be here for a likely special session of the Hawaii Legislature. She is supporting the Hawaii Superferry Corporation in breaking through the state's environmental protection laws and starting business immediately—over the objections of hundreds if not thousands of Neighbor Island residents.

Why? Maybe it's because the ferry's military usefulness would be lost if it isn't allowed to ply the whale-filled waters around Hawaii. A huge ferry exempted from environmental protection laws is just what is needed to move those Stryker vehicles from island to island.

Is this a "hidden agenda?" It has been discussed largely on the Internet. Lingle has had a hidden military agenda before.

Heard from a very reliable, well-placed source that Gov. Lingle issued the order in a private meeting Friday morning: the Superferry moves forward, with no EIS, at any cost.

Protesters would not necessarily choose (or need) to act on the first visits; a series of randomly unpredictable blockades would be nearly as effective in disrupting the service and causing passengers to form reasonable doubt about the likelihood of reaching their destination (and returning) as scheduled."

HONOLULU (KHNL) - Is there a military conspiracy involving the Hawaii Superferry? That's what some protesters are saying. Wednesday night, they called the Army out on it during a public hearing at Kawananakoa Intermediate School.

The hearing was not on the Superferry, it was on a draft environmental impact statement over a plan to permanently station a stryker brigade in Hawaii. But Superferry protesters claim there is a disturbing connection.

HILO » After hours of emotional testimony in opposition, University of Hawaii regents approved a Navy-affiliated Applied Research Laboratory yesterday, allowing up to $10 million per year in unclassified military and nonmilitary research contracts.

The contract with the Navy will be re-evaluated at the end of three years for possible extension for two more years and the inclusion of classified research.

The vote was 7-1, with one abstention. Regent Jim Haynes voted against the contract, saying he had visited Kahoolawe and saw damage done by years of Navy artillery fire, never completely cleaned up.

Representatives of the U.S. Army listened to a stream of criticism last night of the Army's proposal to permanently base a Stryker brigade combat team in Hawai'i.
[...]
The hearing drew almost 100 people, nearly all opposed to the Stryker project.
[...]
The three Hawaiian groups called the 'Ilio'ulaokalani Coalition, Na 'Imi Pono and Kipuka filed a lawsuit in 2004 charging that the Stryker project would damage Native Hawaiian cultural sites and harm endangered species and their habitats.

The new draft of the environmental report confirms there would be "significant" impacts on cultural resources, soil erosion, wildfire management and noise.

Opponents of a U.S. Navy-affiliated research center proposed for the University of Hawai'i yesterday decried the center, which would conduct research for the military, as "rotten to the core" ahead of an expected final vote by the Board of Regents tomorrow in Hilo.

"What is happening is that defense research is being channeled right into the heart of the university," said Noel Kent, an ethnic studies professor at UH. "The whole way in which the university conducts defense and secret research is being changed dramatically, and this is what we oppose."

About 40 opponents of the University Affiliated Research Center plan, some carrying green "Save UH, Stop UARC" placards, held a news conference at Bachman Hall, the university's administrative office.

Some alternately shouted "Hewa!" and "Shame!" when the university wouldn't open locked doors to allow opponents to drop off copies of an 84-page report titled "The Dirty Secret About UARC" compiled by Kyle Kajihiro.

"We want them (the Board of Regents) to know what they are getting into," opponent Ikaika Hussey said.

...only 74 percent of the surface ordnance is gone, and a mere 9 percent of the subsurface ordnance down to 4 feet is cleared.
[...]
But the federal trust fund set up to clean up the island has insufficient funds left to complete the job. Unfortunately, Kaho'ohalahala doesn't think it's the right political climate now to push for additional congressional funds, but "we must be vigilant."

Despite the progress being made on Kaho'olawe, it's disappointing to hear that the U.S. military will be leaving one more island in the Pacific in disrepair because of its actions. Nuclear tests in the 1950s and '60s on Bikini Atoll, Christmas Island, Johnston Atoll and Enewetak Atoll come to mind. Military experiments in Hawaii continue to this day.

It's outrageous that the Navy didn't fulfill its responsibility and complete the cleanup of Kaho'olawe.

No wonder native Hawaiians are so angry.

And so should we be.

Opponents of a controversial research partnership between the Navy and the University of Hawaii are expected to come out in force when the Board of Regents meets Thursday in Hilo to consider final approval of an Applied Research Laboratory.

The agenda for the meeting at UH-Hilo and a memo from UH President David McClain to the regents requesting approval for the research agreement was posted online at the university Web site yesterday.
[...]
Opponents of the Navy research lab are planning a news conference next week.

Ikaika Hussey, one of the leaders of a peaceful protest against the Navy research lab in 2005, said he expects groups opposed to the project to turn out for the Hilo meetings, but is not sure how many opponents of the project in Honolulu will fly to the Big Island to speak against it.

Opponents of what was then called the University Affiliated Research Center, or UARC, occupied McClain's office for seven days in May 2005.

"We'll see whether or not the Board of Regents represents the faculty and students who all stood up against the UARC or are they going to represent the military-industrial complex," Hussey said.

In November 2005, interim UH-Manoa Chancellor Denise Konan recommended against putting the research lab on the Manoa campus.

1. Strykers are modern chariots of empire waging illegal war in Iraq and continuing illegal occupation in Hawai'i.
2. Strykers will cause the largest military land grab in Hawai i since WWII. The Army will seize and destroy 25,000 more acres of land.
3. Strykers contaminate the land forever and endanger our health and safety: 25% more live ammunition into our environment, more unexploded bombs and more toxics like RDX, HMX, TNT, arsenic and lead. Strykers will kick up more than 13.4 million pounds of dust per year which can disperse toxics like radioactive Depleted Uranium, which was recently discovered in Wahiawa despite the Army's assurances that it was never used in Hawai'i.
4. Strykers destroy sacred sites and disrupt Native Hawaiian cultural practices. The Army failed to do a survey of cultural sites, in violation of agreements. Cultural sites that turned out to be far more extensive than previously reported, have already been damaged, like the recently rediscovered Hale au au Heiau.
5. Stryker maneuver impacts will increase by 300% including serious soil erosion that runs off and smothers our reefs.
6. Strykers cause fires, destroy ecosystems and kill endangered species.
7. Strykers raise the cost of living, strain public services and schools, and increase competition for housing and jobs.
8. Strykers represent an illegal and fraudulent process driven by military pork and political corruption. The court ruled that the predetermined decision to station Strykers in Hawai i was illegal.
9. Strykers contribute to global warming by dramatically increasing the Army's fuel consumption. The military is Hawai'i's largest consumer of energy.
10. Strykers were rejected by the people. In the first round of hearings, Hawai i overwhelmingly said NO! to Strykers. In a recent Star Bulletin poll 73% opposed Strykers in Hawai'i.

...a couple of questions among those posed in writing by Inouye to nominees for two U.S. Department of Transportation nominees during an April 2005 hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation (Inouye was, at the time, co-chair of the committee). The questions seem to imply that there was excessive bureaucratic scrutiny of the Superferry loan application. This tells you the senators’ office was aware of the Superferry application and how it was handled, which could be seen as inconsistent with the assertion that they took no position on the Superferry request.

Hawaii Guard begins anti-terror exercise on Kauai

The Hawai'i National Guard's 93rd Civil Support Team today began its annual weeklong anti-terrorism training exercise on Kaua'i.

While the exercise is taking place, a portion of the Vidinha Stadium parking lot and access road will be closed, and county officials are advising the public to stay away from the area.

The county Civil Defense Agency is co-sponsoring the training with the Hawai'i National Guard to ensure that county, state and federal agencies and private industry will be prepared in the event of a terrorist attack on the Garden Island.

The training will test anti-terrorist response plans through various scenarios.

Before her meeting, we are proposing a gathering of our own. It will be a Gathering of Aloha to request an EIS FIRST!—with the  intention, strength and clarity to protect and preserve our precious Garden Island of Kaua‘i.

The Governor, Superferry officials and certain media have been trying to paint those seeking an Environmental Impact Statement on Kaua`i as a small, insignificant minority.

Please join other concerned citizens of Kaua‘i to show how unified and deep our desire is for an EIS FIRST!

Where : Historic County Building, Lihu‘e
When : Thursday, September 20, 2007
Time : 4:30-5:30  PM

Our purpose is to gather law-abiding citizens of Kaua‘i to express our earnest desire for a pono decision-making process on the Superferry.

A Big Island attorney yesterday asked for a temporary restraining order in federal court to block the Coast Guard from setting up a new federal security zone in Nawiliwili Harbor on Kaua'i when Hawaii Superferry is expected to return Wednesday.

Lanny Sinkin, the attorney, also is arguing that the Coast Guard acted improperly in establishing the emergency rule.

Sinkin, who also has filed a petition against the security zone with the Coast Guard, brought the suit on behalf of 22 people, including some of the protesters who went into the harbor last month to stop the ferry.

Sinkin is questioning whether the emergency rule is valid because the effective dates — Sept. 1 to Oct. 31 — are listed in the preamble of the rule's publication in the Federal Register but not in the rule itself.

Sinkin also believes the Coast Guard is improperly applying emergency powers intended to protect harbors from terrorism or sabotage to protesters using their First Amendment rights.

"They've used it, basically, to suppress free speech — suppress First Amendment rights — and make it possible for a business to make a profit," Sinkin said at a news conference outside the federal court. "I don't think that regulation was intended for either one of those purposes."

Kyle Kajihiro, program director for the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker-affiliated social justice and peace organization, said the UH administration is "thumbing its nose at all the constituencies of the university that came out and opposed the UARC" previously.

That included a 2005 sit-in by protesters at UH President David McClain's office, and recommendations against going ahead with the UARC by the Manoa Faculty Senate and an undergraduate student association.

UH-Manoa Interim Chancellor Denise Konan also recommended against proceeding with the UARC, saying it was not supported by the campus.
[...]
Joel Fischer, a professor at UH for 38 years who teaches research in the school of social work, said the latest contract "is almost the same as the contract that was analyzed and dissected by those of us in the coalition opposed to the UARC."

Two definitions of propaganda.

“Propaganda, n. any form of communication in support of national objectives designed to influence the opinions, emotions, attitudes, or behavior of any group in order to benefit the sponsor, either directly or indirectly.” [Source: American Heritage U.S. Military Dictionary at Answers.com]

“Propaganda. Message conveyed in order to support and spread a particular opinion or point of view, engaging both the intellect and the emotions of the audience. Propaganda may consist of an overt appeal such as most advertising copy or be non-overt such as the seller’s participation in community events, company slogans and logos, special employee benefits and so forth.” [ Source: Barron’s Marketing Dictionary at Answers.com]

I have to say it. I can’t help being amazed at the eagerness with which all local media lined up at the propaganda trough before, during, and after the Air Force Thunderbirds performances this week. This was, after all, military propaganda at its best. No overt pitch for military values and perspectives was necessary, simply that uncritical glee expressed about big machines going fast. And no worries because barely a critical word appeared in any of the “aw shucks, golly, they go real fast” reporting.

It seems to me that, at minimum, these jets should be dealt with in the same manner as you might teach “responsible” gun ownership. That is, it should be made clear that these are weapons, that their main purpose is killing, and that their use, even if and when considered “necessary”, is a sign of the failure of other important policies. We need to be aware of the responsibility that goes with the possession of such tools of destruction.

On the other hand, stressing the thrill of the show serves the interests of those who would rather not foster the public’s appreciation of the unpleasantness of war and the political problems for those in power that can bring.

University of Hawaii officials have quietly refloated the proposal to partner with the U.S. Navy on research, renewing concerns from opponents who do not want classified military projects on campus.

The university posted a 90-page proposed contract with the Navy yesterday at www.hawaii.edu/arl.

UH President David McClain said the deal will bring $50 million to the school over five years and that classified research would be prohibited for at least the first three years.

Opponents, some of whom occupied McClain's office in protest of the plans in 2005, say UH officials are not being open with their plans.
[...]
UH journalism professor Beverly Keever said, "This new contract is the same old, same old in general. All the results of UH research will be censored by the Navy and may never be known or known completely to U.S. and Hawaii taxpayers. The UH and its researchers will be forfeiting their patenting and licensing and other intellectual property rights to the U.S. government at a time when the institution is trying to tout its research efforts."

The Army will hold five public meetings on the draft environmental impact statement for the permanent stationing of the 2/25th Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

The Army says the EIS includes analysis of all activities required to permanently station the 2/25th Stryker Brigade Combat Team. The public comment period began on July 20 will end on Oct. 30.

The programs will be held from 6:45 to 9:45 p.m. Before each meeting, from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m., information stations will be available for people who want specific information from Army representatives. The meeting schedule:

• Tuesday, Aunty Sally Kaleohano's Luau Hale, 799 Pi'ilani St., Hilo.
• Wednesday, Waimea Community Center, Big Island.
• Oct. 1, Nanakuli High School.
• Oct. 2, Wahiawa District Park.
• Oct. 3, Kawananakoa Intermediate School.

For more information or send written comments, contact Public Affairs Office, U.S. Army Environmental Command, Building E4460, 5179 Hoadley Road, Attention: IMAE-PA, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010-5401. Telephone: 410-436-2556. Fax: 410-436-1693. E-mail: PublicComments@aec.apgea.army.mil.

The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly yesterday to approve a measure that includes $583 million for a dozen military construction projects in Hawai'i.

The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, which passed 92-1, earmarks nearly $209 million for Island barracks and living quarters construction and improvements at Fort Shafter, Schofield Barracks, Wheeler Army Airfield and Kane'ohe Bay.

It also sets aside nearly $100 million for the construction of a facility at Pearl Harbor to make it difficult for U.S. submarines to be detected by enemy sensor systems. An additional $30 million would be used to upgrade two dry docks at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard to ensure competitiveness.

[...]
"...the funding for these projects underscores the fact that Hawai'i's strategic location is key to our readiness for answering the challenges in the Asia-Pacific region," [Sen. Daniel] Inouye said.

Mama: Does the Superferry have any connection to the Stryker Brigade?

Garibaldi: Absolutely not!

Court told delay would hurt Alakai's military usefulness

Hawaii Superferry's Alakai has considerable military utility that could be diminished if ferry operations are delayed, a federal maritime official has said.

Sean Connaughton, the administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration, said in a declaration in Maui Circuit Court last week that the Alakai could be used by the military because of its speed and cargo capacity.

The federal maritime administration approved $140 million in loan guarantees for the construction of the Alakai and a second ferry.

Connaughton said the Alakai has been approved for inclusion in the Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement program, which provides the military access to commercial sealift capacity in times of war or national emergency.
[...]
Some Superferry opponents believe the Alakai and a second ferry could be used to transport the Army's Stryker brigade vehicles.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration approved $140 million in loan guarantees for Superferry in January 2005 on the condition that the state give all governmental and environmental clearances, including confirmation that there was no need for an environmental assessment of port facilities.
[...]
Pressure to meet conditions of the federal loan guarantees helps explain why Superferry executives, at crucial moments over the past two years, have insisted that an environmental assessment — and the chance it could lead to a more thorough environmental impact statement — would endanger the project. The federal loan guarantees were for the construction of the Alakai and a second ferry being built and cover most of the $180 million cost.

Nearly four dozen Waimanalo residents are expected to demonstrate at Bellows Air Force Station's front gate this morning to protest the construction by the Marines of an urban warfare site.

Kekoa Ho, chairman of the Waimanalo Neighborhood Board, said last night the protest is because the Marines never informed the Windward Oahu community of its plans to build a $3 million mock city using shipping containers. The facility is to better prepare Kaneohe Marines for what they will face in Iraq and Afghanistan, officials said yesterday.

"We feel that it is a breach of trust, and we were surprised to read about it in the newspaper last month," Ho said.

He estimated that as many as 50 residents plan to peacefully demonstrate at the gate to the military installation between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

As many as 714 "spotting" rounds, measuring about 8 inches long and containing depleted uranium, were fired by soldiers in the islands in the 1960s using the classified Davy Crockett recoilless rifle system, the Army disclosed yesterday.

However, because of all the secrecy surrounding a once-classified weapons system, the Army is not exactly sure what firing ranges were used.

So far, preliminary surveys done by Cabrera Services have found traces of the projectiles at Schofield Barracks and the Big Island's Pohakuloa Training Area, but it is having hard time determining if the Makua Military Reservation was used.
[...]
Big Island peace activist Jim Albertini has disagreed with the Army assessment that depleted uranium is not a health threat. He has called on the Army to stop all live-firing at Pohakuloa until tests show how much depleted uranium is in the soil.

Hawai'i Marines have begun building a $3.5 million "city" that will be used for urban warfare training at Bellows Air Force Station in Waimanalo.

The city, consisting of 85 buildings and four villages made out of about 145 shipping containers of varying sizes, will be used to give Marines, sailors and domestic security agencies a first-hand, local training experience in what has increasingly become the front lines of modern warfare: densely populated urban areas where combatants, terrorists and civilians live and fight side by side.