Malu 'Aina

Hoodwinked?

“Don’t be hoodwinked by Obama’s claim that the Iraq war is ending.  We still have 50,000 troops there, tens of thousands of contractors and the biggest Embassy in the world. While we watch President Obama try to put a positive spin on a disastrous war we should have never started, let us redouble our efforts to bring ALL our troops home–from Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Ann Wright  –Hawaii resident, U.S. Army colonel (retired), official of the U.S. State Department (retired)

“No American should be allowed to forget that the nation of Iraq, the society of Iraq, have been destroyed, ruined, a failed state. The Americans, beginning 1991, bombed for 12 years, with one excuse or another; then invaded, then occupied, overthrew the government, killed wantonly, tortured … the people of that unhappy land have lost everything — their homes, their schools, their electricity, their clean water, their environment, their neighborhoods, their mosques, their archaeology, their jobs, their careers, their professionals, their state-run enterprises, their physical health, their mental health, their health care, their welfare state, their women’s rights, their religious tolerance, their safety, their security, their children, their parents, their past, their present, their future, their lives … More than half the population either dead, wounded, traumatized, in prison, internally displaced, or in foreign exile … The air, soil, water, blood and genes drenched with depleted uranium … the most awful birth defects … unexploded cluster bombs lie in wait for children to pick them up … an army of young Islamic men went to Iraq to fight the American invaders; they left the country more militant, hardened by war, to spread across the Middle East, Europe and Central Asia … a river of blood runs alongside the Euphrates and Tigris … through a country that may never be put back together again.”
William Blum, author www.killinghope.org
see article http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article26280.htm

Beware of Army DU Safety Claims!

The Army is stonewalling community involvement in seeking the truth about DU radiation contamination at Pohakuloa.  The Army has repeatedly made unreliable safety claims based on questionable assumptions, scientific methodology, and no peer reviewed studies.
The bottom line is this:  the Army does not want to risk having to shut down Pohakuloa if it is determined that the presence of DU and other military toxins pose a threat to the health and safety of the troops who train there and resident and visitors of Hawaii Island. While the Army says that health and safety is the primary concern, in truth it is continuing the military mission that trumps all.

Malu Aina calls for an end to all live-fire and activities at PTA that create dust. Comprehensive, independent monitoring and clean up, to protect health and safety should be done at military expense.  The entire process needs to be transparent and have the confidence of the community, which to date is sorely lacking.  The military made similar safety claims to troops and residents in the early days of atmospheric atomic bomb testing, they said much the same thing about agent orange exposure during and after the war in Vietnam, Gulf War syndrome, etc. etc.. all to be proven eventually wrong, and in some cases deliberately misleading or lying to the troops and the public.

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1. Mourn all victims of violence. 2. Reject war as a solution. 3. Defend civil liberties. 4. Oppose all discrimination, anti-Islamic, anti-Semitic, etc. 5. Seek peace through justice in Hawai`i and around the world.
Contact: Malu `Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box AB Kurtistown, Hawai`i 96760.
Phone (808) 966-7622.  Email ja@interpac.net   http://www.malu-aina.org
Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet (Sept. 3, 2010 – 468th week) – Friday 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office

Today’s Army presentation “By Invitation Only” at the Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) about Baseline Human Health Risk Assessment for Depleted uranium (DU) was a real dog and pony show.  Of the 50-60 in attendance, it appeared that I was the only token opposition community member.  Most in attendance were military people of various types and military contractors, along with a scattering of elected officials including State House Reps Jerry Chang, Mark Nakashima, Faye Hanohano, Clifton Tsuji and County Council person Pete Hoffman. There may have been a few others that I did not recognize, but clearly there were a lot of people in military uniform –Army, Marines, and representatives of the Navy, perhaps Air Force too. A separate meeting was held for the press prior to the “invited guests” meeting

Prior to the 2PM presentation, nine community members held signs opposite the PTA main gate. Signs included: Stop Radiation Cover Up, Aloha Aina, Stop the Bombing, Military Swallowing Hawaii, Are you Breathing DU? DU Causes Cancer, birth defects, etc.  There were eleven screaming “Gathering of Eagles’ with over 30 large American flags hurling insults toward us on two bull horns from across Saddle Road. It’s amazing how disrespectful some people can be in the name of protecting “freedom & democracy” and “family values.”  Though Hawaii has paid a heavy price under US occupation, the people of Iraq and Afghanistan have it worse under U.S. bombs and widespread DU poisoning and destruction of their homes, infrastructure, and land.

The two highest ranking Army officials inside the meeting were Major General Michael J. Terry, Commanding Army General in Hawaii, and Col. Douglas Mulbury, Commander Garrison Hawaii.
The person who did the power point presentation was Greg Komp, Senior health physicist, Office of the Director of Army Safety, Washington, D.C. Komp is the same guy who was quoted in an Aug. 30,2007 Army News article (Army.Mil/News) who said, “Today DU is not used in military training, but in the 50s and 60s it was used anytime you needed a heavy weight.”   By his own admission there is reason to believe there is a lot more DU at PTA and other military ranges.  The Army said that DU has been banned in training since 1996.  But given the fact that Davy Crockett DU spotting rounds have been officially used in Hawaii since 1962 that leaves a lot of room for other DU rounds used besides Davy Crockett.

It appears that the Army really doesn’t want to know how much DU has been used at PTA.  It doesn’t want to risk having to shut down the base if it is determined that the presence of DU and the stew of other military toxins pose a threat to the health and safety of the troops who train at PTA and residents and visitors of Hawaii Island.  While the Army says that health and safety is the primary concern, in truth, it is continuing the military mission that trumps all other concerns.  That’s why the community has been stonewalled from day one in this entire DU investigation.  The community has not been welcomed as equal partners.  The process has not been transparent and therefore the confidence of the community is sorely lacking when it comes to military assurances that ‘DU poses no health dangers.” Or that DU “hypothetically exposed persons are below EPA acceptable risk range.”

The military made health assurances to troops and residents in the early days of atmospheric atomic bomb testing, they said much the same thing about agent orange exposure during and after the war in Vietnam, Gulf War syndrome, etc. etc.. all to be proven eventually wrong, and in some cases deliberately misleading or lying to the troops and the public.

If the military really wants to be transparent, the Army need to come out of its bunker, its protected and controlled “Green Zone” on Hawaii Island, and meet and treat the people in the community with respect.  They have repeatedly refused to participate in balanced public forums in the community. Democracy is not by invitation only.   The winds, dust devils, and vehicles that travel through Pohakuloa travel around this island.  Everyone on this island is potentially at risk from military radiation contamination at Pohakuloa which may be far greater than one weapon system called Davy Crockett.  We won’t know the truth until there is comprehensive independent monitoring and testing of the entire PTA base and what’s coming off that base.  Meanwhile, as a precaution, the military should respect the Hawaii County Council resolution passed July 2,2008 by a vote of 8-1 that called for a halt to all live fire and activities at PTA that create dust  until the DU present is cleaned up.  But the Army doesn’t want to clean up.  They want to leave the DU in place and continue bombing.  The Army talks the talk about being “environmental stewards, protecting the environment.”  Let’s see how Green the Army really is.  It’s time to walk the talk and Stop the Bombing! Then clean up your mess, not only at PTA, but all over these islands, and return the land to the sovereign independent Nation of Hawaii.
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Jim Albertini

Malu ‘Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action

P.O.Box AB

Kurtistown, Hawai’i 96760

phone: 808-966-7622

email: JA@interpac.net

Visit us on the web at: www.malu-aina.org

August 31, 2010 Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA)
Baseline Human Health Risk Assessment for Depleted Uranium (DU)

Comments by Jim Albertini for Public release:

The Army is stonewalling community involvement in seeking the truth about DU radiation contamination at Pohakuloa.  The Army has repeatedly made unreliable safety claims based on questionable assumptions, scientific methodology, and no peer reviewed studies.
The bottom line is this:  the Army does not want to risk having to shut down Pohakuloa if it is determined that the presence of DU and other military toxins pose a threat to the health and safety of the troops who train there and resident and visitors of Hawaii Island. While the Army says that health and safety is the primary concern, in truth it is continuing the military mission that trumps all.

Malu Aina calls for an end to all live-fire and activities at PTA that create dust. Comprehensive, independent monitoring and clean up, to protect health and safety should be done at military expense.  The entire process needs to be transparent and have the confidence of the community, which to date is sorely lacking.

As evidence of the Army’s stonewalling and lack of good faith, below are listed questions and statements that will be submitted to the Army with this cover sheet and are available to others upon request:

1.  Seventeen questions submitted in writing by Malu Aina to Army Col. Howard Killian in Nov. 2007 for which answers have never been provided;
2.  Ten questions submitted in writing by Malu Aina to Col. Howard Killian on May 20, 2008 for which answers have never been provided;
3.  Eight questions submitted in writing by Malu Aina to Lt. Col. Warline Richardson on Feb. 21, 2010 for which answers have never been provided.
4.  Three formal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests from myself submitted as follows that have gone unanswered:
A. Nov. 2, 2009 to USAG-HI Public Affairs
B. Nov. 8, 2009 to Lt. Col. Warline Richardson
C. Nov. 8, 2009 Mr. Tad Davis US Army undersecretary for the environment
5.  Statements by the following:
A. Dr. Lorrin Pang, MD statement of Aug. 18, 2010
B. Carol Murry, DrPH statements Aug. 25, 2010 and Dec. 19, 2007
C. Dr. Helen Caldicott, MD statement on DU Nov. 7, 2009
D. Hawaii County Council Resolution 639-08 passed July 2, 2008 by a vote of 8-1
6.   A.  Questions submitted by community member Cory Harden, Aug. 31, 2010
B. Questions submitted by community member Doug Fox
C.  Release of Liability for Access to Schofield Barracks West Range
D. Michael Reimer, Ph.D. appeal for PTA brush fire DU air monitoring by DOH

Jim Albertini,
Malu ‘Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action
P.O.Box AB
Kurtistown, Hawai’i 96760
phone: 808-966-7622
email: JA@interpac.net
Visit us on the web at: www.malu-aina.org