Malu 'Aina

March 14, 2018 Kea’au High School Protest Against Gun Violence

Here are 3 photos of today’s student protest against gun violence at Kea’au High School on the Big Island. Hundreds of students with home made signs lined the fence of the school facing the Kea’au Pahoa highway. Lots of horns honked in support. A few citizens stood outside the school fence in support of the student protest from 10AM till 10:17.

Dear Ms. Graham

(National Environmental Policy Act )NEPA Program Manager
U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii ,

As you must know as someone involved in an Environmental Assessment of a “Cultural Resource Management Plan,” Hawaii is predominantly an oral culture, over a written word.  I therefore respectfully request that if you truly value culture and public input, review the oral testimonies, not only mine, but all the others that took the time to come out to community meetings under very serious weather conditions to testify.  It is added insult to injury to ask the injured parties to transcribe their oral comments. The Army, not the community, should have sponsored those community meetings and you should have had a stenographer there to transcribe the oral comments if that ‘s what you prefer.  The Army was invited to the meetings and didn’t have the courtesy to attend.  I personally talked with PTA Public Affairs Officer, Eric Hamilton, and requested the Army have such community meetings for public comment.  His response was “The Army is not required by law to have community meetings for public comment and therefore we are not going to do so.”

Again, I request you make this email and my email below a part of the written record  and also include not only my oral comments at the Nov. 30, 2017  Hilo Community meeting but the links I provided below of all the people’s oral testimony at that Nov. 30, 2018 Community meeting in Hilo and the Dec. 1 community meeting in Kona which I understand submitted a DVD of oral testimonies of the PTA Cultural resource management plan.  Given the amount of money the Army spends bombing Hawaii, surely you can afford a stenographer to transcribe the oral comments if necessary of peoples opposition to that bombing. The meaning of Pohakuloa is “The Land of the Night of Long Prayer.  Desecration, by bombing such an area is NOT an Hawaiian tradition.

With gratitude and aloha,

Jim Albertini

On 12/6/2017 4:10 PM, Graham, Lisa M CIV USARMY IMCOM PACIFIC (US) wrote:

Mr. Albertini,

This email confirms receipt of your comments on the proposed implementation of the Integrated Cultural Resources Management Plans. We greatly appreciate you taking time to review the documents and provide your feedback. We value the community’s input and will not make a final decision on the implementation of the plans until after reviewing public comments.

As a reminder, we are accepting written comments via email or mail during this public comment period.  If you need additional time to transcribe the content of your video so that it may be submitted as written comment, please email it by close of business Monday, December 11, 2017  to usarmy.wheeler.id-pacific.list.community-relations@mail.mil.

Mahalo,

Lisa Graham
NEPA Program Manager
U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii

—–Original Message—–
From: Jim Albertini [mailto:ja@malu-aina.org]
Sent: Tuesday, December 5, 2017 8:48 PM
To: USARMY Wheeler AAF ID-Pacific List Community Relations <usarmy.wheeler.id-pacific.list.community-relations@mail.mil>
Subject: [Non-DoD Source] U.S. Army Garrison-Pohakuloa 2017 Draft Integrated Cultural Resource Management Plan /Comment

All active links contained in this email were disabled. Please verify the identity of the sender, and confirm the authenticity of all links contained within the message prior to copying and pasting the address to a Web browser.

________________________________

Please include this for the record —– testimony calling for a full EIS, not simply an EA on U.S. Army Garrison-Pohakuloa 2017 Draft Integrated Cultural Resource Management Plan.

Please initiate a Full Environmental Impact Statement on military impacts to Hawaiian Cultural resources at Pohakuloa.

Please include this video of my testimony at a People’s hearing on the issues.

Caution-http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2017/12/01/video-jim-albertini-testifies-about-pohakuloa-ea/ < Caution-http://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2017/12/01/video-jim-albertini-testifies-about-pohakuloa-ea/ > Also include for the record the complete testimony of the people’s hearing on the issues.Testimony and Comments on The Integrated Cultural Resource Management Plan for Pohakuloa Training Ar < Caution-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmEBdtyYchg&feature=youtu.be > In short you need to disclose how many and what kinds of live-rounds are fired annually at PTA, including if B-1, B-2, and B-52 bombers still fly from Guam, Louisiana, and Missouri to bomb at Pohakuloa.  List all the other kind of firing systems and the number and kinds of weapons used at PTA.  Answer questions submitted in writing to LT Col. Marquez on Sept. 30, 2016 which to date I have not received any answers. Cover letter 9/30/16 of packet handed to Lt.Col. Marquez is below.

Malu ‘Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action

Christopher M. Marquez

LTC, FA

Commanding Officer

U.S. Army Garrison

Pohakuloa Training Area

P.O. Box 4607

Hilo, Hawaii 96720-0607                                                                                                                                                                                                         September 30, 2016

Aloha LTC Marquez,

       Attached is a (26 page) packet of background material and questions presented to several former commanding officers of this command, some dating back to 2007 that have yet to be answered. I hope that finally you will provide answers. As citizens, we deserve answers.

       The following three points represent a summary of deep concerns not only representing our organization but many others on Hawaii Island: A) We consider the Army’s occupation of PTA illegal and will continue to work toward returning the entire area back to Kanaka Maoli sovereignty; B) We also consider military continuing bombing and live fire at PTA desecration of the land, grotesque destruction of the environment, and violation of the trust agreement implicit in the lease with the DLNR; C) In the meantime, we demand and expect the Army to respect the 2008 County of Hawaii Resolution 639-08, especially the points regarding stopping live fire, setting up a transparent and high-tech permanent monitoring system and thorough cleanup of Depleted Uranium(DU) and other toxic chemicals already present…

       Thank you for your assistance.

With gratitude and aloha,

Jim Albertini

President

P.O. Box 489 Ola’a (Kurtistown), Hawaii 96760

Phone 808-966-7622 < tel:808-966-7622 >  Email ja@malu-aina.org < Caution-mailto:ja@malu-aina.org >  Caution-www.malu-aina.org < Caution-http://www.malu-aina.org >

Also on Sept. 30, 2016 I hand delivered to :t. Col. Marquez another letter with 3 requests, one requesting access for Makahiki ceremony to a cultural site –the ahu at Pu’u Kapele that I and others built years back.   See below.  To date that access has been denied.

Malu ‘Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action

Christopher M. Marquez

LTC, FA

Commanding Officer

U.S. Army Garrison

Pohakuloa Training Area

P.O. Box 4607

Hilo, Hawaii 967200607                                                                                                                                                                                                          September 30, 2016

Aloha LTC Marquez,

I read the Sunday, July 31, 2016 Hawaii Tribune-Herald, Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce (HICC) Activity Special Report, where there was a photo of a military drone and caption “Pohakuloa Advisory Council and MAC (Military Affairs Committee) members tour the Pohakuloa Training Area on page 13. Our organization would like to request a similar briefing and tour to that of the HICC. Among sites we would like to visit besides the drone field, and the launch pads for the Davy Crockett DU spotting rounds, is the ahu at the base of Pu’u Ka Pele to offer ho’okupu during Makahiki that I and many others, including the Kapele family from Kona and members of Royal Order of Kamehameha constructed quite a few years back. We would request a weekend visit during the month of November.

Mahalo for your assistance in this matter.

With gratitude and aloha,

Jim Albertini

President

P.O. Box 489 Ola’a (Kurtistown), Hawaii 96760

Phone 808-966-7622 Email ja@malu-aina.org < Caution-mailto:ja@malu-aina.org >  Caution-www.malu-aina.org < Caution-http://www.malu-aina.org/ >

  

— Jim AlbertiniMalu ‘Aina Center for Non-violent Education & ActionP.O. Box 489Kurtistown, Hawaii 96760Phone 808-966-7622email ja@malu-aina.org < Caution-mailto:ja@malu-aina.org > visit us on the web at Caution-www.malu-aina.org < Caution-http://www.malu-aina.org > sign up on our website to automatically receive our posts

2017 Pohakuloa fact Sheet

Military Pohakuloa Training Area

Fact Sheet

1. 1. The Military Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA), located in the center of Hawaii Island is the largest military training area outside the continental United States. PTA encompasses 133,000-acres, and is nearly 5 times the size of Kaho’olawe Island, or larger than the islands of Kaho’olawe and Lanai combined.
   2. The land at PTA is Hawaiian Kingdom government and crown lands. It’s been used as a military training area since WWII. Over 84,000-acres were simply seized through presidential executive order #11167 at no cost. Nearly 23,000 acres are leased by the Army from the State of Hawaii for 65 years at a total cost of $1.00.
   3. Po-haku-loa is translated to mean: The Land of the Night of Long Prayer. Pohakuloa is known as the sacred heavenly realm of unity between the three great mountains – Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, and Hualalai. To bomb Pohakuloa is considered desecration and sacrilegious to Hawaii’s native people –the Kanaka Maoli.
   4. Military documents claim that up to 14.8 million live-rounds are fired annually at Pohakuloa by all branches of the U.S. military and other countries. Weapon systems of all sorts are used at PTA, including small arms, artillery, helicopter gun ships, bombing by fighter jets, B-52, B-1 and B-2 bombers, etc.
   5. In 2007, the Army confirmed that it has used Depleted Uranium (DU) radiation weapons at PTA dating back to the 1960s. The number of DU rounds fired is not known but the Army has said it is prohibited from firing DU weapons in training at PTA since 1996. Comprehensive, independent, testing and monitoring to determine the full extent of radiation contamination at PTA is being opposed by the military.
   6. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) drone aircraft are used in training at PTA. A drone airfield has been constructed less than 1 mile on the Hilo side of Mauna Kea Park between the old and new Saddle Rd.
   7. PTA contains many important cultural and historic sites and has the highest concentration of endangered species of any U.S. Army installation in the world, native and endangered birds such as, Nene, Palila, Amakihi and many others.
   8. PTA has known health hazards – lead, radiation, and other military toxins, and is located in a dry environment adjacent to a Girl Scout Camp where continued bombing and military maneuvers, together with frequent high winds, risk spreading the contamination in small dust particles. Pohakuloa is also subject to flash flooding. Flooding risks the introduction of military toxins into the ground water and toxins being flushed all the way down into the ocean, endangering humans, plants and animals.
   9. On July 2, 2008, the Hawaii County Council, by a vote of 8-1, passed Resolution 639-08 calling for a halt to all live-fire at PTA due to the presence of Depleted Uranium radiation. The Army has ignored the Council’s call.
   10. Overall, Hawaii is the most heavily militarized group of islands in the world. The Bayonet Constitution and the Reciprocity Treaty of 1887 stationed the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor, lead to the removal of Hawaii’s Queen in 1893, and continued U.S. occupation ever since.

Malu `Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box 489 Kurtistown, Hawai`i 96760.
Phone (808) 966-7622 Emai ja@malu-aina.org http://www.malu-aina.org

Please submit testimony on Water Bill #65  Important points to stress noted below,  Mahalo.

Jim Albertini

 

 

‎Shannon Rudolph‎ to Kona Geothermal on Hualalai?

23 hrs ·

 

Calling All Hawai`i Island Water Protectors!
Email Your Testimony NOW for Bill 65!
HERE: counciltestimony@hawaiicounty.gov

The Hawai`i County Council will hear Bill 65 in committee on Tues. Sept. 19th at 10:30am in the Council Chambers of the West Hawai`i Civic Center.
It’s BEST to TESTIFY IN PERSON in Kona, but people can also testify via video conference from Hilo, Waimea, Kohala, Naalehu and Pahoa sites on Tues. 9/19 at 10:30am.

AGRICULTURE, WATER AND ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE

We thank the Dept. of Water Supply for agreeing that there will be no more basal aquifer wells, public or private, in the thin lens just above sea level, which feeds our fishponds, pools and reef…
But this plan does not go far enough.

Changes we are strongly requesting:
The plan says that they will now rely on existing and new high level / mauka wells. These are the same wells that keep failing and have falling water levels. They have a terrible track record – ten years ago four wells went out at once and there were mandatory restrictions – our current crisis is not a “100 year storm”. The DWS needs to be accountable, show us that you can do it now, let alone expand on these wells.

We need meaningful conservation measures that are measurable and enforceable. How will they also apply this to private users? For example, the Kohanaiki golf course – they are saying they are sustainable using brackish water from 8 wells, pumping 650,000 gallons per day… which is 5% of Keauhou pumpage.

We need meaningful community input in this planning process right now and in the future. The plan has one paragraph that says they ‘might’ hold public meetings in the future.

There needs to be a systematic identification and preservation of impacted natural/cultural resources.
The Aha Moku does not have power to enforce or carry out assessments and there are plenty of kupuna out there who are more knowledgeable – and cultural practitioners who are truly cultural practitioners that know the coastal resources that are impacted.
We want them included in the planning process.

The Water use development plan assumes a steady state recharge of the aquifer, however the 2011 USGS ( US geological Survey )assessment showed a 50% variation in recharge rate between wet and dry years. Most climate models show a drying trend in the future for Kona. This plan needs to plan for a drier future.
We Need a sustainable and practical plan for our future – and the public fully expects to be a part of the planning process.

#

*Bill 65 refers to the Hawai’i County Water Use Management and Development Plan amendments to the Keauhou Aquifer System.

The process for adoption will take at least 3 hearings.

For any Bill to pass, it requires a committee level hearing or hearings and then 2 more council hearings. The process for adoption will take at least 3 hearings. (If the discussion leads to the need for even more additional hearings, for instance, if there is a postponement for making amendments or getting additional information, that is also a possibility.

Council Member, Karen Eoff, has said they will definitely have hearings on this in the Kona Chambers for any final decision-making.

> Here is a link to Bill 65 – the Updated Water Use and Management Plan: ~ IT IS NOT AN “ERROR” page.

http://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/WebLink/DocView.aspx…

 

*You can read or download the PDF version of Bill 65.
The Bill is just 2 pages, but the report is 80 pages and can be found at the same link – but – you have to scroll way down the page to see it.

Your comments are important to this discussion.
Email Your Testimony HERE: counciltestimony@hawaiicounty.gov

Hawai`i County Council:

Valerie T. Poindexter
Phone: (808) 961-8018
Fax: (808) 961-8912
Email: valerie.poindexter@hawaiicounty.gov

Aaron Chung
Phone: (808) 961-8272
Fax: (808) 961-8912
Email: aaron.chung@hawaiicounty.gov

Susan “Sue” L. K. Lee Loy
Phone: (808) 961-8396
Fax: (808) 961-8912
Email: sue.leeloy@hawaiicounty.gov

Eileen O’Hara, Ph.D.
Phone: (808) 965-2712
Fax: (808) 965-2707
Email: eileen.ohara@hawaiicounty.gov

Jen Ruggles
Phone: (808) 961-8263
Fax: (808) 961-8912
Email: jen.ruggles@hawaiicounty.gov

Maile Medeiros David
Phone: (808) 323-4277
Fax: (808) 329-4786
Email: maile.david@hawaiicounty.gov

Dru Mamo Kanuha
Phone: (808) 323-4267
Fax: (808) 329-4786
Email: dru.kanuha@hawaiicounty.gov

Karen Eoff
Phone: (808) 323-4280
Fax: (808) 329-4786
Email: karen.eoff@hawaiicounty.gov

Herbert M. “Tim” Richards III, DVM
Phone: (808) 961-8564 (Hilo)
Fax: (808) 961-8912
Email: tim.richards@hawaiicounty.gov

Talk about a hog wash article on the Kennedy assassination.

More disinformation on the JFK murder.  It was the CIA, Secret service, FBI, Military-Industrial Complex that killed Kennedy with strong evidence pointing to fired CIA boss Allen Dulles as the ringleader. This article about recently released Kennedy assassination files is a modern effort to steer people away from the real culprits.  Read Jim Douglass’ book:  JFK and the Unthinkable: Why he died and why it matters.  Also David Talbot’s book:  The Devil’s Chess Board about Allen Dulles.  Ordinary people sense the truth:  It was an inside job!

Jim Albertini

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/45097-focus-how-the-cia-came-to-doubt-the-official-story-of-jfks-murder