Cancel RIMPAC! Masks NOT Missiles!
CANCEL RIMPAC!
De-militarize and De-occupy Hawaii!
RIMPAC stands for Rim of the Pacific military exercises. These destructive war games have been taking place every two years in Hawaii, and waters surrounding Hawaii, since the early 1970s. The war games have expanded far beyond Pacific Rim countries. In 2018 RIMPAC brought 25 nations, over 200 aircraft, 46 ships, five submarines, and over 25,000 military personnel to Hawaii. Some of the countries that participated are far from the Pacific — countries such as France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Israel. RIMPAC 2020 has been scaled back somewhat from it’s usual time frame of late June until early August. It is now scheduled for Aug. 17-31 in Hawaii.
Hawaii is one of the most militarized places on the planet with more than 110 military installation. Nearly 25% of Oahu is occupied by military bases, including the Indo-Pacific Nuclear War Command Center at Camp H.M. Smith above Aloha Stadium. Military covert special ops are carried out all over Oahu and neighbor islands – in civilian areas, on shorelines, and in near shore surrounding waters. Kauai has the Pacific Missile Range Facility testing new hypersonic missiles. Maui has military satellite tracking on Haleakala and the Military High Performance Computer Center in Kihei. The Big Island Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) is the largest live-fire training center outside the continental U.S. PTA is contaminated with a wide range of toxins, including Depleted Uranium (DU) radiation. All total Hawaii has 42,000 active duty military, nearly 10,000 Guard and Reserve, 20,000 civilian military workers, 60,000 military dependents, 18,000 military retirees, and 111,000 veterans.
Hawaii and the entire world is undergoing tremendous trauma from the deadly Coronavirus. We do not need to add to the trauma by RIMPAC. If the military wants to truly protect the people of Hawaii and the world, cancel RIMPAC. Use the money that would have been spent on bombs, rockets and missiles for much needed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health care workers and Covid 19 testing for people in Hawaii, throughout the US and the world.
Wage Peace NOT War! Masks NOT Missiles!
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 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), Hawaii 96760 Phone (808) 966-7622 Email ja@malu-aina.org
For more information and to receive our posts go to www.malu-aina.org
May 29, 2020 Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet – week 974 – Fridays 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office
