Military Radiation

from Pohakuloa:

Blowing in the Wind?

     Military radiation contamination at the 133,000-acre Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) in the center of Hawaii Island will be the subject of a meeting on Thursday, May 30, 2013. The meeting is NOT being held where it should be – on Hawaii Island. Instead, it is being held in Maryland from 8:30 – 11:30 AM Hawaii time in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) offices between NRC staff and the Army. The public can participate by phoning toll free 1-877-521-2306 with the passcode 9744768.

      The issue is a draft license for the Army to possess Depleted Uranium (DU) which was confirmed in Hawaii at Pohakuloa and Schofield Barracks in 2007. The NRC has issued a “Notice of Violation” to the Army for the presence of DU in Hawaii. After years of denial, the military now admits to using DU radiation weapons in Hawaii as early as 1961 in the form of spotting rounds for the secret Davy Crockett nuclear weapon system. How much DU has been used in Hawaii over the years is in question. But since the Army says that DU was only banned in training in 1996 the amount of DU radiation contamination could be extensive. Radiation can be spread by ongoing bombing, the frequent high winds in the area, occasional heavy rains and flash flooding. Less than 1% of Pohakuloa has been surveyed for DU contamination and that with a questionable methodology contracted by the offender – the Army. Citizen radiation monitors have detected elevated radiation off base, including Mauna Kea State Park. The Army admits DU has been fired on ranges approximately one mile from the park.

      The Army license to possess would cover 16 installations and up to 8.8 tons of DU. That’s just for the Davy Crockett DU spotting rounds used and does not include possible additional DU from many other DU weapons systems, past and present in the U.S. arsenal.

      The major public health danger of DU radiation is inhalation of small alpha particles. Hawaii retired Army MD and MPH Dr. Lorrin W. Pangsaid “alpha particle emitters within your body is the most deadly form of radiation of all. It is stopped by your skin, but in your body it will mutate your DNA, more than any other type of radiation.” Doug Rokke Ph.D.; Major, retired/disabled; U.S. Army former Director, U.S. Army Depleted Uranium Project said “once DU is released into the environment… it will never be safe at all no matter what is done.” According to Dr. Rokke, “DOD documents confirm that potential health effects, include:  lung cancer, respiratory, eye, skin, and genetic abnormalities.” 

     The Army commander at PTA says DU is not a problem at PTA.Dr. Pang said “A lot of people… consider DU a weapon of mass destruction. Why would you have a guy (the Army) with a conflict of interest, doing his own quality assurance?” (See www.malu-aina.org for more info on DU)

      In July 2008, the Hawaii County Council, by a vote of 8-1 passed resolution 639-08 that called for a halt to all bombing and live-fire at PTA and seven other actions out of concern about DU.According to Dr. Rokke, who wrote Army regulation 700-48 on DU, the Army is required to abide by local government actions, yet the bombing continues. Why?

Stop the Bombing!  

ShutDown Pohakuloa!

1. Mourn all victims of violence. 2. Reject war as a solution. 3. Defend civil liberties. 4. Oppose all discrimination, anti-Islamic, anti-Semitic, anti-Hawaiian, etc.
5. Seek peace through justice in Hawai`i and around the world.
Malu `Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box AB Kurtistown, Hawai`i 96760.
Phone(808) 966-7622.  Emailja@malu-aina.org   http://www.malu-aina.org

Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet (May 24, 2013– 609th week) – Friday 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office

Three U.S.

Pacifists Jailed

as “Violent Terrorists” for

Anti-Nuclear Protest

Greg Boertje-Obed, 57, a married carpenter who has a college age daughter, is an Army veteran and lives at a Catholic Worker house in Duluth Minnesota.  Sr. Megan Rice, 82, has been a Catholic sister of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus for over sixty years.  Michael Walli, 63, a two-term Vietnam veteran turned peacemaker, lives at the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker house in Washington DC.

Their “Crime”

They entered the grounds of the U.S. nuclear weapons production facility at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, called the Fort Knox of the nuclear weapons industry, where the U.S. stores hundreds of metric tons of highly enriched uranium and works on every single one ($7.2 trillion dollars worth) of the thousands of nuclear weapons maintained by the U.S. Describing themselves as the Transform Now Plowshares, the three acted to symbolically disarm the weapons. Their intent was to follow the words of Isaiah 2:4: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” They cut through three fences, hung up peace banners, spray-painted peace slogans on the exterior of a nuclear weapons building, prayed, sang songs and waited peacefully to be arrested.

      Originally charged with trespass, the U.S. government kept expanding the charges to eventually include “intending to injure, interfere with, or obstruct the national defense of the United States and willful damage of national security premises in violation of 18 US Code 2155, punishable with up to 20 years in prison.” The peace activists were prohibited from presenting any evidence regarding the illegality of nuclear weapons, the immorality of nuclear weapons, international law, or religious, moral or political beliefs regarding nuclear weapons, the Nuremberg principles developed after WWII, First Amendment protections, necessity or US policy regarding nuclear weapons. The three peace activists were convicted in early May in a Knoxville courtroom and are in jail awaiting sentencing Sept. 23, 2013. For more information on this case see http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/05/15-7

What has become of the U.S.?

Have U.S. citizens become like WWII “Good Germans” supporting “the Fatherland” and jailing those who protest the crimes of their government?

1. Mourn all victims of violence. 2. Reject war as a solution. 3. Defend civil liberties. 4. Oppose all discrimination, anti-Islamic, anti-Semitic, anti-Hawaiian, etc.
5. Seek peace through justice in Hawai`i and around the world.
Malu `Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box AB Kurtistown, Hawai`i 96760.
Phone(808) 966-7622.  Emailja@malu-aina.org   http://www.malu-aina.org

Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet (May 17, 2013– 608th week) – Friday 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office

  Regime Change in Syria & Iran Next

 THE “SYRIAN OPPOSITION SCAM”

(The above is from Liberty Underground News service.  To join the Liberty Underground news service email libertyuv@hotmail.comwith “join” for a subject)

Stop

Bombing

Pohakuloa!

Where’s

the Outrage?

    According to military documents up to 14.8 million live rounds are fired annually at the 133,000-acre Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA), the largest military training area outside the U.S. PTA is located at 6,500 feet elevation in the center of the Hawaii Island. All branches of the U.S. military train at PTA and all sorts of weapon systems are fired there, from small arms to heavy bombers. PTA is contaminated with Depleted Uranium (DU) and other military toxins. Continued live-fire training, frequent high winds, flash flooding, increasing traffic through the area, all risk spreading the contamination.

      On Sunday, April 28^th a cross section and mix of all ages of Big Island residents stood for 2 hours opposite the PTA main gate on Saddle Rd holding signs with a variety of messages –”Stop the Bombing,” “Shut Down PTA,” “Ground the Drones,” “Void the PTA Lease,” etc.  Messages also called for more testing for Depleted Uranium contamination. 

      The protest began with an opening Pule (prayer) and Oli  (chant) ceremony of Ti-leaf blessing of the land and people. We were blessed to have Kupuna “Uncle Sam” Kaleleiki, a 30-year Marine, retired Sergeant Major, join us.  Uncle Sam is now with the Reinstated Lawful Government of the Kingdom of Hawaii.  He had a large plywood sign in front of him that read “End U.S. occupation.” We stood in solidarity with protests taking place globally against U.S. drone bombings in several countries –Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, etc. Shadow and Raven drones, and possibly others, train at PTA.

      There is a drone airfield which can be viewed from Google Earth located close to Mauna Kea State Park –about 1/2 mile south and east of the park between the old and new Saddle Rd.  It should also be noted that the military is attempting to renegotiate a long-term lease with the State of Hawaii for it’s live-fire training base at Pohakuloa.  We need to oppose this illegal lease and the continuing desecration and contamination of Hawaiian Kingdom Crown and Government land.  The State Board of Land & Natural Resources will be addressing the PTA lease in the next few months and we need to speak out in protest.

      Kaho’olawe is a case study of the mess the military makes. It bombed the island for 50 years before protest forced it to be stopped.  Over $400 million dollars was spent to clean up the island but it’s still a mess. There are lots of unexploded bombs on the island.  Pohakuloa is nearly 5 times larger than Kaho’olawe plus it is contaminated with Depleted Uranium. 

Following the protest we had a pot luck lunch at Mauna Kea Park. Our radiation monitor, which we had operating throughout the entire protest picked up 2 spike readings at the park of over 30 counts per minute.  Normal background readings are between 5-20cpm. The winds were coming from the south — from the direction of the training ranges known to be contaminated with DU.We have plenty of work to do to return Pohakuloa to a place of peace and healing.  Please join in this effort.  We need you. We owe it to future generations and the earth itself. As we have said, “We pray that the U.S. not do to others what the U.S. has already done and continues to do to Hawaii: unlawfully occupy its government and nation, desecrate its sacred sites, contaminate its air, land, water, people, plants, and animals with military toxins.”

Return Pohakuloa to a Place of

Peace and Healing!

1. Mourn all victims of violence. 2. Reject war as a solution. 3. Defend civil liberties. 4. Oppose all discrimination, anti-Islamic, anti-Semitic, anti-Hawaiian, etc.
5. Seek peace through justice in Hawai`i and around the world.
Malu `Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box AB Kurtistown, Hawai`i 96760.
Phone (808) 966-7622.  Emailja@malu-aina.org   http://www.malu-aina.org

Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet (May 3, 2013– 606th week) – Friday 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office

Aloha ‘Aina

Stop Bombing Pohakuloa!

Stop the desecration & contamination of Hawaiian Kingdom crown Lands at Pohakuloa

Sunday, April 28, 2013

10AM till Noon

Pohakuloa Main Gate

Pot Luck Picnic at Mauna Kea Park following the protest

(car pools leave Hilo bayfront parking lot makai/Hamakua side of Pauahi St. Kamehameha Ave. intersection at 9AM sharp. Bring water, sunscreen, and be prepared for cool, possibly wet, weather) This is a peaceful, non-violent protest, in solidarity with global anti-drone protests taking place throughout the month of April. Please show respect to all, even those that disagree with us.

      Pohakuloa is the largest U.S. live-fire training area outside the U.S. It is 133,000-acres, nearly 5 times the size of Kaho’olawe. The base is known to be contaminated with Depleted Uranium (DU) and other military toxins. Continued live-fire, and other activities that create dust, risks spreading the radiation and other toxic contamination.

      Pohakuloa is also used for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Drone) training. The U.S. is using drones in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, etc. for surveillance and targeted assassinations. Thousands of people, including many innocent children, have been terrorized and killed by missiles and bombs from U.S. drones resulting in increasing hatred of the U.S. around the world.

      We pray that the U.S. not do to others what the U.S. has already done and continues to do to Hawaii: unlawfully occupy its government and nation, desecrate its sacred sites, contaminate its air, land, water, people, plants, and animals with military toxins.

Ground the Drones!

Void the Unlawful Military Lease

Pohakuloa is a Place for Peace

& Healing!

1. Mourn all victims of violence. 2. Reject war as a solution. 3. Defend civil liberties. 4. Oppose all discrimination, anti-Islamic, anti-Semitic, anti-Hawaiian, etc.
5. Seek peace through justice in Hawai`i and around the world.
Malu `Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box AB Kurtistown, Hawai`i 96760.
Phone (808) 966-7622.  Emailja@malu-aina.org   http://www.malu-aina.org

Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet (April 26, 2013– 605th week) – Friday 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office

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