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Make Your Voice Heard! Make Hawaii & the World Nuclear Free!

Published by jalbertini on October 2nd, 2024 in Hawaii Independence, Military, Pohakuloa, Public Events, Radiation, Social Justice, Take Action!.

Restore Hawaii County’s

Historic Nuclear–Free Law!

Repeal the Military

Exemption!

Support Bill 206

Send an email in support of Bill 206 to counciltestimony@hawaiicounty.gov

     Good News: Bill No. 206 passed the Policy Committee on Health, Safety, and Well-Being on Oct. 1st by a vote of 7-0. Now Bill 206 will go before the full Council in Kona on Oct. 16 and Hilo on Oct. 30. Please mark your calendars and try to testify in person or by video from various Council offices around the island. For questions on the bill or sites to testify call the County Clerk’s office at 808-961-8255

     Hawaii County’s historic Nuclear-Free Law (No, 665) was passed in February 1981. Hawaii County was the first municipality in the U.S. to pass a law declaring itself a Nuclear-Free Zone. Since then, more than 100 or 200, other municipalities have passed similar laws.

     Forty years ago, on July 18, 1984, hundreds of people gathered peacefully on the Hilo docks to protest a visiting US Navy Nuclear-armed warship – the USS Ouellet. After 3 years of requesting the US Navy to respect our County’s Nuclear-Free law without success, our organization announced that we planned a non-violent peaceful swimming protest of the next Navy Nuclear ship visit a month later. A Navy Nuclear ship visit was planned for the July Hawaii Japanese Chamber of Commerce Festival of the Pacific.

On July 17, 1984, the day before the nuclear warship’s scheduled arrival, the Hawaii County Council, under the leadership of then Council chair, Stephen Yamashiro, passed an emergency amendment “exempting the military” from the Nuclear-Free law.  Having an amendment to the Nuclear-Free Law to exempt the military is like having an exemption for smokers from Smoking laws.  It makes no sense. For more on the Hilo Bay Warship Peace Blockade, and for a link to read Bill 206 see https://malu-aina.org/?p=10305 My testimony on Oct. 1st can be viewed here. https://malu-aina.org/?p=10529

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 see https://www.malu-aina.org

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