What about stopping Military Special Ops armed training in Hawaii parks, beaches, and near shore waters?
WHAT ABOUT STOPPING MILITARY SPECIAL OPS ARMED TRAINING IN HAWAII PARKS, BEACHES, AND NEAR SHORE WATERS?
See Washington State court victory against military story below.
Whidbey Environmental Action Network (WEAN):
WEAN, an organization with 30 years of accomplishments for the natural environment, won a court case in April 2022 in Thurston County Superior Court, which found that Washington’s State Parks and Recreation Commission had been “arbitrary and capricious” in granting the United States Navy use of state parks for military training. Their permission to do so was vacated in an unusual and lengthy ruling from the bench. The case had been filed by WEAN with the support of the Not in Our Parks Coalition to challenge the Commission’s approval, given in 2021, for its staff to proceed with permitting the Navy’s plans for war training in state parks.
The public had first learned that the U.S. Navy was using state parks for war rehearsals in 2016 from a report at Truthout.org. There followed years of research, organizing, education, and mobilizing of the public by WEAN and its friends and allies, as well as years of lobbying pressure by the U.S. Navy, which flew in numerous experts from Washington, D.C., California, and Hawaii. While the Navy can be expected to keep pushing, WEAN won its court case on all counts, having persuaded the court that unannounced warlike actions by armed troops in public parks was damaging to the public and the parks.
WEAN impressed people for years with its dedicated efforts to expose what was being done and to put a stop to it, building a case against the environmental destruction of war exercises, the danger to the public, and the harm to resident war veterans suffering PTSD. The state parks are locations for weddings, for the spreading of ashes following funerals, and for seeking quiet and solace.
The Navy’s presence in the Puget Sound region is less than positive. On the one hand, they tried (and will likely try again) to commandeer State Parks for training in how to spy on park visitors. On the other hand, they fly jets so loud that the state’s flagship park, Deception Pass, becomes impossible to visit because jets are screaming overhead. While WEAN took on the spying in state parks, another group, Sound Defense Alliance, addressed the Navy’s making life untenable.
A small number of people on a small island are having an impact on Washington State and developing a model to be emulated elsewhere. World BEYOND War is very pleased to honor them and encourages everyone to hear their story, and ask them questions, on September 5.
Accepting the award and speaking for WEAN will be Marianne Edain and Larry Morrell.
Information on Hawaii Special Ops below.
PRESS RELEASE For immediate release Sat. Jan. 19, 2019
Re: State DLNR Needs to Stop Military Special Ops Training on Hawaii Public Shorelines, Parks, etc.
further contact:
Jim Albertini, president Malu 'Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box 489 Kurtistown, Hawaii 96760 Phone 808-966-7622 email ja@malu-aina.org visit us on the web at www.malu-aina.org sign up on our website to automatically receive our posts
Hundreds of military training missions are planned per year in public areas involving groups up to 46 people, with each training lasting between 4 and 96 hours. And this is why they want to do the training —
Today, the US empire has 95% of the world’s foreign military bases, with personnel in more than 160 countries, many personnel conducting “Special Ops — covert unconventional warfare with drones and assassination teams to maintain US economic global domination. See http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/50951.htm
The late author William Blum said: “American people are very much like the children of a Mafia boss who do not know what their father does for a living, and don’t want to know, but then wonder why someone just threw a firebomb through the living room window.”
Statement by Jim Albertini
“The Hawai’i State Department of Land & Natural Resources (DLNR) appears asleep. The DLNR needs to stand up and act to protect public resources by stopping military Special Ops training on Hawai’i public shorelines, parks, etc. in public areas OUTSIDE of military bases on all islands These Special Ops, including covert surveillance and assassination training involve the Navy, Army, Marines, and Air Force. Covert military Special Ops are a rapidly increasing part of US military policy worldwide. This massive Military intrusion into our coastal nearshore waters, public shorelines and public spaces will irreversibly damage natural and cultural resources. These marine environments are crucial to sustaining Native Hawaiian cultural practices, fragile ecosystems supporting diverse species and fishing grounds used for generations.
“Hawai’i is already one of the most militarized places on the planet with over 100 military installations including nearly 25% of the island of Oahu and now the military wants to expand its warfare operations into coastal nearshore waters, shorelines, beaches, public parks, and inland non-federal land locations. These crown and government lands and waters fall within the claimed jurisdiction of the State and belong to the public trust. Therefore, DLNR has a responsibility to ensure the safe and responsible use of Hawai’i’s natural resources. Many of the DLNR officials in charge of protecting Hawai’i’s natural resources that I’ve talked to were completely unaware of these planned military Special Ops and showed little or no interest in standing up to this military.
“A Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared to supposedly analyze the potential impacts of the Special Ops. See it here Environmental Assessment Open for Public Review It made a Finding of No Significant Impacts (FONSI). THE FINDING IS A LIE! The deadline for public comments on the Draft EA was Jan. 7, 2019. Who is the military kidding? The Draft EA said there are hundreds of proposed trainings planned per year involving groups up to 46 people, with each training lasting between 4 and 96 hours. The training may involve air and submarine drones, boats, helicopters, etc. The Special Ops EA has three action options: a preferred option for Special Ops training, a 2nd modestly scaled down version option, and instead of a NO Action third option, it notes continued Special Ops training as currently taking place without explaining where, how many, and the kinds of ongoing Special Ops training.”
“A specific point to invalidate the Draft EA and require a full EIS is that the draft EA is incomplete and does not cover all the Special Ops that have been planned. I will cite one specific case below involving armed Navy Special Ops planned for Mauna Kea Recreation Area and the slopes of Mauna Kea that was not included in the Draft EA Special Ops. Given this fact, there is reason to believe there may be additional Special Ops also planned for other areas that were also not included in the draft EA Special Ops. Here is the link for the Navy Special Op planned for Mauna Kea Recreational Area. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BctJ9aw2rcJJQG3YNsM9SrqRGqWBnfiV/view?usp=sharing This Mauna Kea Park Special Op according to press reports of Nov. 28, 2018 (Hawaii Tribune-Herald and West Hawaii Today front page articles) was cancelled due to community opposition. But this was done after the Draft EA Special Ops was published.”
Here are some of the DLNR people I spoke with in person or by phone:
1. Shelly Habel, DLNR conservation & coastal lands 1-808-587-0377. When I explained my concern about the military Special Ops, Ms. Habel said “I was wasting her time.” She was completely unaware of the Military Special Ops EA and appeared not to care.
2. Gordon Heidt, DLNR Big island Land Division Manager 961-9590 was unaware of the Military Special Ops EA but read in the newspaper about Malu ‘Aina and others stopping Special Ops training at Mauna Kea park.
3. Jay Hakeyama, DLNR Forestry and wildlife Hilo office 974-4221 Unaware of Military Special Ops EA. He referred me to Aquatics Division
4. Jordan Carter, DLNR Aquatics Resources Hilo office 961, 9530 Unaware of Military Special Ops EA, but appeared concerned and referred me to DLNR director’s office, Suzane Case on Oahu 1-808-587-0400
5. DLNR Director’s office 1-808 587-0400. I called on the afternoon of 1/17/19. After I explained my concern to the person who answered the phone, I asked to speak to the director or one of her staff. I was put on hold for 15 min. and then the same person said she would pass on my concerns. When I asked the person with whom I was speaking for her name for my record, she refused to give it to me and hung up on me. All this on the very day of the 126th anniversary of the US illegal overthrow of the government of Queen Lili’uokalani and the Hawaiian Kingdom with the assistance of the U.S. military.
6. Chris Yuen, BLNR Board member from the Big island 963-6966 I’ve known Chris for decades and actually spoke to him on Thanksgiving day about the Special Ops then planned for Mauna Kea park. In my phone call with Chris on1/17/19 I told him of my experience trying to get help from DLNR pushing back to the Military Special Ops without success or even knowledge by many DLNR people of the military special ops plans. I gave him a link to my post on malu-aina.org website http://malu-aina.org/?p=5820 for further info on the Military Special Ops and he said he would look into it.
7. Sam Lemmo, Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands Administrator 1-808-587-0377. I emailed him a copy of my testimony to the Navy EA. I called on 1/17/19 and asked his secretary for Sam to return my call. Sam returned my call and left a brief message on Friday, Jan. 18th 3:07PM when I was at the Malu ‘Aina weekly peace vigil in downtown Hilo.
Jim Albertini, President Jan. 19, 2019
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
