Nuclear “Regulators” like Bank “Regulators:”
The Public be Damned
On Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) held a meeting with the U.S. Army about whether to grant the Army a “License to Possess” Depleted uranium (DU) in Hawaii at Schofield Barracks on Oahu and the Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) on Hawaii island. The meeting, instead of being held in Hawaii, was held in Maryland. The public could listen by phone to the 2 and 1/2 hour meeting and ask questions for 1/2 hour after the meeting ended. While no formal decision was made, the writing is on the wall. A license will be granted to the Army. The mongoose, once again, will be put in charge of guarding the hen house.
None of the actions requested by citizens are likely to be included in the license requirements such as stopping all bombing, live-fire, and other activities that create dust at PTA until there is comprehensive, independent, testing and monitoring to determine the full extent of radiation contamination at PTA. To date, less than 1% of Pohakuloa’s 133,000-acre base has been checked for DU contamination.
In effect, the NRC is licensing military nuclear waste dumps in Hawaii and allowing those dumps to be bombed, which risks spreading fine particles of radiation wherever the wind takes them. Although requested to speak up for citizen health and safety, the State Dept. of Health made no comment, nor did it ask any questions at the meeting. In fact, there was no indication that anyone from the DOH even bothered to listen to the meeting proceedings.
It is a fact that DU exists at Schofield Barracks and PTA, and perhaps other present and former military sites in Hawaii, including Kaho’olawe and Makua Valley. How much is not known. A minimum of 700, perhaps more than 2000, DU Davy Crockett spotting rounds have been reportedly fired at Pohakuloa. DU cluster bombs, and more than a dozen different DU penetrating rounds, DU bunker busters, etc. may also have been fired at PTA and elsewhere. All branches of the US military use DU weapons today.
Given the fact that at least three MDs and a naturopathic doctor on Hawaii Island have patients who tested high for uranium in urine, the NRC, Army and Hawaii Dept. of Health should provide free urine tests for people who work at Pohakuloa, travel the Saddle Rd regularly, and other concerned residents and visitors of Hawaii Island. One Hilo MD reported he has a cluster of patients who have tested high for uranium; Citizens called for further urine testing at the NRC/Army meeting but there was no indication that such action would be forthcoming.
It’s clear that we cannot rely on so called “regulators” to fix the problems they helped create. It’s as true for the nuclear industry as it is for the banking industry. And the Army can’t be trusted to police itself. Secrecy, lies, and deception are their standard operating procedure. The U.S. military mission takes priority over the health and safety of it’s own troops and Hawaii’s people and land. What’s needed is a people’s movement of non-violent resistance to stop the bombing at Pohakuloa to protect the people and land of Hawaii against further attacks by the U.S. military. It’ time to Free Hawaii!
Aloha 'Aina! Stop the Bombing! Free Hawaii Now!
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 (Dec. 14, 2012 – 586th week) – Friday 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office
