Cancel Pohakuloa Lease April 29, 2022 Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet
Tuesday, April 26th, 2022U.S. War Machine
Boldface Lies!
Cancel Pohakuloa Toxic Area (PTA) Lease NOW!
Where are the voices of religious leaders, and elected officials – at
the county, state, and federal level against war and militarism, and
for return of Hawaiian lands?
Military authorities at the 133,000-acre Pohakuloa Toxic Area (PTA) located in the center of Hawaii Island, repeatedly lied for years saying that Depleted Uranium (DU) radiation weapons were never used in training at PTA. And then the cat jumped out of the bag. Legal documents proved Depleted Uranium was used at Pohakuloa, Schofield Barracks, likely at Makua Valley, and possibly Kaho’olawe and other sites in Hawaii. DU radiation has a half-life of 4.5 Billion years.
Pohakuloa military authorities were not the only military officials caught lying. There is a long history of military lies. The US war machine has proven to be a habitual liar. Remember the Tonkin Gulf lies and Pentagon Papers about the US war in Vietnam? How about US false claims of WMDs in Iraq? And what war machine lies are we being fed today about Ukraine, Russia, China, etc.?
Here’s another example of military lies in Hawaii. In the 1960s, around the same time the Army got a lease of State land at PTA (23,000-acres for 65 years at a total cost of $1), the Army also got a lease of state lands in the Waiakea forest area south of Hilo. The Waiakea forest is Hilo’s watershed. The Army told the state it wanted to do “Weather testing.” The Army was lying. The Army secretly tested chemical and biological weapons in Hilo’s watershed, including sarin nerve gas that is so toxic it kills at 1/50 of a drop. The Army repeatedly denied such testing was going on, but Hawaii’s US Congressional Rep. Patsy Mink confirmed the tests. Then Hawaii County mayor, Shunichi Kimura spoke out. The Army lied to us, he said. Cancel the State lease of land to the Army. There was a community uproar and the state lease was canceled. How many people got sick and died from the Army’s poison is still unknown. Hunters say there are areas in the Waiakea forest where little or nothing grows today, more than 50 years after the chemical and biological secret weapons testing.
Congresswoman Patsy Mink and Mayor Shunichi Kimura were people with the courage to stand up to the military. Where are such people today – our County, State, and Congressional elected officials? Who will speak out and say — Stop all Bombing and other live-fire training at PTA now. Clean up the massive military toxic mess at the 133,000-acre base. Return all PTA lands, the entire 133,000-acres to Kanaka Maoli. Return all stolen lands and end the illegal US occupation of Hawaii.
On Monday, April 25, 2022, there was a public meeting in Hilo on the military extension of its 23,000-acre state lease at PTA. Only 2 people spoke in support of extending the military lease. All the others for 2 hours spoke against any lease extension. The vast majority of speakers were Kanaka Maoli. There was NO media coverage and no elected officials or church leaders spoke out Why? Pohakuloa is the Big Island’s Red Hill. We all live downhill, downwind, and downstream of the Army’s Pohakuloa Toxic stew, where millions of live-rounds have been fired annually for more than 70 years. For ways to comment on the record for PTA lease see https://malu-aina.org/?p=8003 Cancel PTA Lease Now!
Enough is Enough!
1. Mourn all victims of violence. 2. Reject violence & war as solutions. 3. Defend civil liberties.
4. Oppose all discrimination, anti-Islamic, anti-Semitic, anti-Hawaiian, anti-Black, anti-Asian, etc.
5. Seek peace through peaceful means and work for justice in Hawai`i and around the world.
Malu ‘Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box 489 Ola’a (Kurtistown), Hawai’i 96760
Phone (808) 966-7622 Email ja@malu-aina.org to receive our posts.
For more information http://www.malu-aina.org/
April 29, 2022, Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet – week 1074– Fridays 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office
-- Jim Albertini Malu 'Aina Center For Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box 489 Ola'a (Kurtistown) Hawai'i 96760 Phone 808-966-7622 Email ja@malu-aina.org Visit us on the web at www.malu-aina.org
