O’ahu – Page 3 – DMZ hawaiʻi

June 28, 2012

Court Confirms No Live-Fire Training at Mākua until Army Completes Missing Studies

For immediate release: June 21, 2012

Contact:

David Henkin, Earthjustice, (808) 599-2436, ext. 6614, dhenkin@earthjustice.org

Sparky Rodrigues, Mālama Mākua, (808) 352-0059

Court Confirms No Live-Fire Training at Mākua until Army Completes Missing Studies

Army ordered to report on progress in studying marine contamination, threats to cultural sites

HONOLULU – Yesterday, U.S. District Chief Judge Susan Oki Mollway issued an order confirming that no live-fire training may take place at Mākua Military Reservation (MMR) on O‘ahu until the Army completes new studies of potential military contamination of marine resources at Mākua and new surveys of Native Hawaiian cultural sites at risk of destruction from military training. Judge Mollway previously found that the Army’s failure to carry out these studies violated two court-ordered settlements with Mālama Mākua, a Wai‘anae Coast community group that first sued the Army in 1998 to secure comprehensive review of the impacts of military training at MMR.

“Last year, the Army said it wanted to keep open the option of conducting live-fire training at Mākua,” said Earthjustice attorney David Henkin, who represents Mālama Mākua. “Yesterday’s order makes clear that the court will hold the Army to the promise it made in 2001 that it would first complete these important studies before any live-fire training can occur.”

In October 2010, Judge Mollway determined that the Army violated its obligation under a 2001 settlement with Mālama Mākua to complete comprehensive subsurface archaeological surveys to identify cultural sites that could be damaged or destroyed if mortar rounds, artillery shells, and other ordnance go astray during training exercises, as they have in the past. Despite the passage of nearly two years since that ruling, the Army failed to take any steps to carry out the required surveys. In yesterday’s order, Judge Mollway instructed the Army to file quarterly progress reports to “update the court on the progress of these surveys.”

The Army also must report on its progress on studies of contamination of limu (seaweed) and other marine resources in Mākua’s nearshore waters on which Wai‘anae Coast families rely for subsistence. In her October 2010 order and in a separate order following a June 2011 trial, Judge Mollway concluded the Army had violated the terms of a 2007 settlement with Mālama Mākua when it failed to conduct these marine studies.

“We have been waiting over a decade for the Army to make good on its promises to conduct meaningful studies to let us know if military training at Mākua is poisoning the food that we put on the table to feed our keiki (children) and to identify cultural sites that military training threatens to destroy,” said Mālama Mākua president Sparky Rodrigues. “We’re pleased that the court will be now be keeping tabs on the Army to make sure we finally get accurate information about the harm to public health and cultural sites that military training at Mākua can cause.”

Mālama Mākua is a non-profit, community organization based on the Wai‘anae Coast of O‘ahu. Formed in 1992 to oppose the Army’s open burn/open detonation permit application to the EPA, Mālama Mākua has continued to monitor military activities at Mākua and has participated in a number of community initiatives to care for the land and resources at Mākua.

Earthjustice is the nation’s leading non-profit environmental law firm. The Mid-Pacific Office opened in Honolulu in 1988 and represents environmental, Native Hawaiian, and community organizations. Earthjustice is the only non-profit environmental law firm in Hawai‘i and the Mid-Pacific and does not charge clients for its services.

June 16, 2012June 29, 2012

E Ola Ke Awalau o Puʻuloa: Kanaka Maoli speak on Puʻuloa / Pearl Harbor

Hawaiʻi Peace and Justice presents:

Kanaka Maoli speak on Puʻuloa

DATE: June 19, 2012

TIME: 6:00-8:00pm

LOCATION: Center for Hawaiian Studies, UH Manoa Classroom 202, 2645 Dole Street

COST: free

WHAT:

Kanaka Maoli panelists will present historical, cultural, environmental and social significance of Ke Awa Lau o Pu’uloa (Pearl Harbor) and engage in a dialogue about its past, present and future.

This presentation is sponsored by the Hawaii Council for the Humanities through a grant to Hawaii Peace and Justice. Our presenters, Dr. Jon Osorio, Dr. Leilani Basham, Andre Perez and Koa Luke will tell the “hidden” histories of Pearl Harbor, from the mo’olelo of its ancient past and sacred sites to its present uses. Pearl Harbor is a site of great historical importance to Hawai’i, the U.S. and the world, but the discourse is unbalanced and incomplete. Most people know only of Pearl Harbor and the Japanese attack and World War II. This is an opportunity to unearth its Hawaiian past and open doors for its future.

WHO:

Dr. Leilani Basham, assistant professor, West Oahu University – Hawaiian Pacific Studies will share her research regarding old place names and stories.

Dr. Jonathan Osorio, professor in Manoa’s Hawai‘inuiakea School of Hawaiian Knowledge will be presenting a Kanaka Maoli historian point of view from a paper he published entitled Memorializing Pu’uloa and Remembering Pearl Harbor.

Andre Perez, a Hawaiian cultural practitioner and community activist/organizer. Andre will present work being done at Hanakehau Learning Farm (off shore of Pu’uloa) showing how Hawaiians today can take grassroots approaches to reclaim and restore lands impacted by militarism and industrialization, creating a space where Hawaiians can come to teach, learn and reconnect with the ‘aina and engage in Hawaiian traditions and practices. Andre will explain how these types of efforts are building blocks towards a Hawaiian consciousness of self-determinations and sovereignty.

Koa Luke: University of Hawaii Library Science graduate student. Koa will talk about his ohana’s history and experience growing up in Waiawa, an ahupua’a of Ke Awa Lau o Pu’uloa.

http://www.wp.hawaiipeaceandjustice.org/2012/06/16/kanaka-maoli-speak-on-puuloa/

June 14, 2012

Fortress Oahu: “Some people get paid, but who’s paying the price”

Joan Conrow wrote a feature story in the Honolulu Weekly critically examining the military’s impacts in Hawai’i. Here’s a snippet:

Fortress Oahu

by Joan Conrow | May 23, 2012

Cover

With roots planted in the 1893 overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani and a presence that extends through the entire archipelago, the military’s influence in Hawaii is surpassed only by tourism.

The military controls some 236,000 acres throughout the state, including 25 percent of the land mass of Oahu, and thousands of square miles of surrounding airspace and sea. Yet as a branch of the federal government, the Department of Defense (DoD) operates in the Islands with little public oversight and virtual impunity, except when national environmental laws come into play.

Notwithstanding, it’s burned up native forests, dumped hazardous materials into the ocean and killed protected native species. It’s rendered land unusable with its unexploded ordinance, disrupted neighborhoods with its noise, dropped nearly every bomb known to man on the island of Kahoolawe. It’s unearthed ancient burials, launched rockets from sacred dunes, shut off public access mauka and makai. And in the course of a century, it’s transformed Waimomi, once the food basket for Oahu, into Pearl Harbor, a giant Superfund complex comprising at least 749 contaminated sites.

So why do our people, and politicians, allow the militarly to stay, aside from the fact that it is well-armed and deeply entrenched here?

Money is the answer most often given. DoD expenditures in Hawaii totaled some $6.5 billion in 2009 — about 9 percent of the state’s gross domestic product.

“Yes, some people get paid, but who’s paying the price of that?” counters Kyle Kajihiro of Hawaii Peace and Justice, a non-profit organization. “There are losers in this, and unfortunately, it’s often native people,” he adds, citing damage to ecology and cultural sites, and Hawaii’s being perceived as “am accessory to the militarization that extends from our shores.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

June 14, 2012

64 Drone Bases in the U.S., including two in Hawai’i

Public Intelligence produced an interactive map and table of known U.S. drone bases within the U.S. Hawai’i is listed as having two such bases: Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay has the Raven drone. Wheeler Army Airfield has the Shadow.

Wired magainze reported “Revealed: 64 Drone Bases on American Soil” (June 13, 2012)

We like to think of the drone war as something far away, fought in the deserts of Yemen or the mountains of Afghanistan. But we now know it’s closer than we thought. There are 64 drone bases on American soil. That includes 12 locations housing Predator and Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles, which can be armed.

One concern raised is the use of drones on U.S. domestic populations:

The possibility of military drones (as well as those controlled by police departments and universities) flying over American skies have raised concerns among privacy activists. As the American Civil Liberties Union explained in its December 2011 report, the machines potentially could be used to spy on American citizens. The drones’ presence in our skies “threatens to eradicate existing practical limits on aerial monitoring and allow for pervasive surveillance, police fishing expeditions, and abusive use of these tools in a way that could eventually eliminate the privacy Americans have traditionally enjoyed in their movements and activities.”

As Danger Room reported last month, even military drones, which are prohibited from spying on Americans, may “accidentally” conduct such surveillance — and keep the data for months afterwards while they figure out what to do with it. The material they collect without a warrant, as scholar Steven Aftergood revealed, could then be used to open an investigation.

As with Osprey accidents that were discussed in a previous post, another danger of drones may be the number of accidents. Nick Turse has compiled interesting information about drone accidents here and here. Just this week, Wired reported, “Navy Loses Giant Drone in Maryland Crash” (June 11, 2012):

The Navy was all set to roll out its upgraded spy drone, a 44-foot behemoth. Then one of its Global Hawks crashed into an eastern Maryland marsh on Monday. It’s the latest setback for the Navy’s robotic aircraft.

An unarmed RQ-4A Global Hawk went down during a training exercise near the Naval aviation base at Patuxent River, Maryland on Monday, CNN reports. Local news has footage of the wreckage. No one was hurt except the Navy’s pride.

Thanks to Jon Letman for sharing some of these links.

June 14, 2012June 14, 2012

Osprey crashes, Japanese city rejects Osprey, and Marines want to bring Osprey to Hawai’i?

The Honolulu Star Advertiser reported that”Marines’ copter plan raises fear of noise” (June 12, 2012):

The public has nearly a month to weigh in on Marine Corps plans to station MV-22 tiltrotor Osprey and H-1 Cobra and Huey attack-utility helicopter squadrons at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, but any community opposition likely will boil down to a single topic, according to the secretary of the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board.

“In one word,” said Bill Sager, “it’s the noise.”

[. . .]

“Several people have expressed concerns to me,” he said.

While the Marines opened a 30-day comment period on their proposals last week, “People will have no way of evaluating the noise impact of an Osprey until they actually hear it,” Sager said.

It seems a major concern for us in Hawai’i ought to be safety. Today, an CV-22 Osprey crashed in Florida, injuring five:

An Air Force CV-22 Osprey crashed Wednesday during a routine training mission north of Navarre, Florida, injuring five crew members aboard, a military official said.

In April two U.S. troops died in an Osprey crash in Morocco. Last March, a Marine pilot died and radioactive strontium 90 was released into Kane’ohe Bay when helicopter crashed on Ahu o Laka sandbar in the bay.

Okinawans have been strongly opposing the stationing of Osprey aircraft. The city of Iwakuni on the main island of Honshu was proposed as a temporary base for the Osprey until facilities were available in Okinawa. However, Japan Today reports that “Iwakuni balks at U.S. deployment of Osprey aircraft” (June 13, 2012):

Safety concerns after a recent crash have put plans to briefly deploy the U.S. Osprey aircraft to a city in Yamaguchi Prefecture on hold, officials said Tuesday.

Opposition to the plan to temporarily base the helicopter-like planes in the city of Iwakuni has been rising since the fatal crash in April left two Marines dead in Morocco.

Japan’s defense minister said Tuesday he may go to the city of Iwakuni to persuade local officials to accept the temporary deployment. But after meeting with ministry officials on Monday Iwakuni’s mayor said he needs more assurances that the aircraft is safe.

The Marine Corps released a Final Environmental Impact Statement on its proposals on the basing and statewide training of Osprey tiltrotor and Cobra and Huey attack-utility helicopter squadrons. The 30-day comment period began Friday June 8. The proposal is to expand the Marine Corps in Hawai’i :

24 MV-22 Osprey aircraft
18 AH-1Z Viper Super Cobra helicopters
9 UH-1Y Huey helicopters
1,000 Military personnel
1,106 Family members

The Marine Corps helicopter Environmental Impact Statement can be viewed at:

www.mcbh.usmc.mil/mv22h1eis/index.html. Select the “documents” tab.

Written comments on the EIS must be postmarked or received online by July 11 to become part of the official rec ord.

Comments can be made online by selecting the “contact” tab at www.mcbh.usmc.mil/mv22h1eis/ index.html or by mail to: Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific 258 Makalapa Drive, Suite 100 Pearl Harbor, HI 96860-3134 Attn: EV21, MV-22/H-1 EIS Project Manager

June 13, 2012

Kaʻala Farm a modern kīpuka in the fire

The fire that began in the Lualualei Naval Reservation and burned 1200 acres in Waiʻanae, including the traditional hale pili classroom at the Kaʻala Farm and irrigation pipes, spared the loʻi kalo. The farm is a real kīpuka, a green oasis of life amidst the charred landscape.

The Honolulu Star Advertiser reported “Seeds planted for farm’s revival” (June 13, 2012):

Kaala Farm Cultural Learning Center sits like an oasis in upper Waianae Valley bordering the Waianae Forest Reserve after last week’s wildfire spared it from heavy destruction. Only a grass hale (left of the green taro patches) and adjoining area with a composting toilet building and lau hala grove were destroyed.

Oahu’s largest brush fire this year swept through Waianae and Lualualei valleys charring almost 1,200 acres, but leaving 100 acres near the Waianae Kai Forest Reserve mostly untouched — except for a nearly 3-decade-old, 30-foot Hawaiian grass hale.

[. . .]

Enos estimated that it will cost more than $150,000 to replace the hale, built in the mid-1980s. But the real loss of a structure that has come to symbolize Hawaiian culture in a place used for teaching, cultural ceremonies and gatherings may be immeasurable.

The wildfire fire began June 4 at Radford Street and Kolekole Road on Naval Magazine Lualualei. It spread into the forest reserve. The Navy said Tuesday that it could not determine how the fire started.

PHOTO BY DAVID SMITH

As we have described before, places such as Kaʻala Farm are cultural and political kīpuka, oases in the lava flow that restore the life of the forest:

Enos described the area as being like “kipuka” — which he described as the area that is spared during a lava flow. “It’s like when the lava goes around an old forest area, sparing it. It’s a sanctuary because that’s where seeds come.

“We’ve become a kipuka — for us now is the time for regrowth and restoration — bringing people together, so the culture of the land survives.”

He said that it will take upward of $150,000 to rebuild the hale, which was styled after a canoe hale found in the City of Refuge in Kona.

Ohia logs will have to be cut and brought in from Hawaii island, Enos added.

However, he said the rebuilding of the hale will be used as a workshop for the Waianae community.

“We hope to use the opportunity to bring the community together. It is important to have a place of refuge to talk about the land, water and self-sufficiency.”

Kaala Farm was established as a Model Cities Waianae Rap Center in 1976, and organizers purchased the Waianae Valley land from the state. More than 4,000 students and 2,500 adults participate in its educational programs annually, according to its organizers.

[. . .]

Anyone interested in making a donation to Kaala Farm — including financial and/or materials/supplies contributions, should contact Kaala Farm at 696-4954 or kokuakaala@gmail.com. Donations are also being accepted via check at any First Hawaiian Bank location c/o “Friends of Kaala Farms Cultural Learning Center.”

There are still unanswered questions about the origin of the fire, the explosions that many Lualualei residents saw and heard during the fire, the disaster safety plan for ordnance accidents, or the slow fire response from the Navy. This also raises questions about what kinds of munitions are being stored in Lualualei and when and how the Navy will leave Lualualei. The naval magazine has been all but inactive when most of the munitions were moved to the West Loch branch near the Pearl Harbor Naval Station. Long ago, he navy tapped the source of Pūhāwai stream and diverted the water to the base, leaving ancient loʻi kalo dry. If those areas had been in cultivation, like at Kaʻala Farm, the fire would not have been able to spread into some of the areas where it did.

Around ten years ago, when the base was originally slated for possible closure (prior to 9/11 build up madness), a group of us led by Vince Dodge hiked in to inspect different sites. We hiked to the source of the Pūhāwai stream and saw the dry loʻi beds as well as the massive pipe that diverted millions of gallons of water from the natural stream flow. Since the naval base was underutilized even then, the water was spilling out of the overflow valve onto pavement. It was not even placed back into the stream a few yards away.

When we inspected the stream beds we saw that there were traces of water percolating up but not enough to flow. The dream then as now is to restore the sites to productivity.

But whose vision will drive the conversion of Lualualei valley from military to civilian use? Will it be the developers who wish to create industrial parks, subdivisions and highways in agricultural lands, including a new tunnel and road through Pōhākea pass? Will it be the Navy planners who have gotten into the real estate business by “disposing” of excess military land on the real estate market through sale or lease for profit? Or will it be the residents and traditional practitioners of Waiʻanae who wish to restore ancient wisdom of land stewardship and sustainable practices? That chapter is yet to be written.

June 6, 2012

Wildfire that began in Lualualei naval base burns for third day, damage to cultural center and explosions reported

The wildfire in Waiʻanae continues to burn. The Honolulu Star Advertiser reports:

Fire crews were busy in Waianae Valley this morning as Oahu’s largest wildfire of the year burned for a third day.

At least one Marine Corps CH-53 helicopter was to rejoin the Honolulu Fire Department’s air operations this morning, the Navy said.

Nine people took refugee in a Red Cross Shelter at Waianae District Park Tuesday night.

The flames are burning on two fronts — along the back of Waianae Valley into the forest reserve and another on the side of the ridge closer to Waianae Valley Road.

Firefighters were responding to brush fire calls on both sides of Waianae Valley. One flare-up was reported near Kamaile street on the Makaha side of the valley, a valley resident said.

Since Monday, the blaze has destroyed nearly 1,200 acres of brush in both Waianae and Lualualei Valleys.

According to the paper, “the fire began on government property near the Lualualei Naval Magazine at 1 p.m. Monday.”

It spread to the neighboring Waiʻanae valley and destroyed the traditional hale pili (thatched structure) at the Learning Center at Kaʻala, one of our partners in the Waiʻanae Environmental Justice Working Group:

Butch DeTroy, manager of the Kaala Farms Cultural Learning Center on Waianae Valley Road, said the wildfire destroyed an A-frame grass hale Tuesday that had been used as a classroom for up to 60 students.

The fire also destroyed half of a two-mile pipeline that supplies water to Kaala Farms taro fields on its 98-acre property.

DeTroy said he was forced to leave area Tuesday morning before the fire swept through his property.

Firefighters were able to save a kitchen facility, but the grass hale, which was 30 feet high, was destroyed.

DeTroy said a stream that borders the Waianae Kai Forest Reserve probably prevented the fire from creeping down the moutain into the nature preserve — home to native koa, sandalwood and aalii.

But the newspaper failed to report on the explosions. Gary Forth of MAʻO organic farm and environmental activist Carroll Cox reported witnessing explosions on the Lualualei Naval Base. Lucy Gay of the Leeward Community College Waiʻanae extension wanted to know, where is the Navyʻs disaster plan for such dangerous materials? And if there are disaster safety plans, why wasn’t the community apprised of them?

May 18, 2012

USS Carl Vinson sailor charged while APEC agent seeks immunity from murder charges

The Honolulu Star Advertiser reports “USS Carl Vinson sailor charged with burglary and criminal property damage” (May 18, 2012):

A sailor from the visiting aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson is charged with burglary and two counts of criminal property damage after he allegedly broke into an occupied Waikiki apartment early Wednesday morning.

Bail for Christopher Rico, 20, was set at $11,000 Thursday night.

Courtesy: Honolulu Police

The USS Carl Vinson has a perfect record in the last two port visits:

This is the second time in two visits that a sailor from the carrier has gotten in trouble with the law. Police were called in June of last year when a 22-year-old Navy man ended up naked in the bedroom of a McCully apartment. The resident of the apartment decided not to press charges in that case.

Meanwhile, Christopher Deedy, the State Department security agent assigned to the APEC summit in Honolulu who is accused of murdering Kollin Elderts in a McDonaldʻs restaurant, sought immunity from the charges against him. The Honolulu Star Advertiser reports “Agent claims immunity in shooting” (May 17, 2012):

The State Department special agent accused of fatally shooting a man at a McDonald’s restaurant in Waikiki in November claims he was performing his duties as a federal law enforcement officer and is therefore immune from prosecution under state law, according to records filed in the case this week.

Christopher Deedy, 28, is scheduled to stand trial in state court for murder in September.

However, his lawyer, Brook Hart, filed legal papers seeking to dismiss the case or to at least delay his trial. Hart filed the documents Monday detailing Deedy’s version of the events that culminated in the Nov. 5 fatal shooting of Kollin Elderts, 23, and the reasons Deedy believes he should not be prosecuted.

Circuit Judge Karen Ahn, who is presiding over the case, is not releasing the documents.

Hart says Deedy was in Honolulu as a federal law enforcement officer on an official State Department assignment with the power of arrest and the right to carry a firearm.

The State Department said Deedy was in Hawaii as a member of its Bureau of Diplomatic Security to provide security for leaders attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference.

The judge did not release the motion to dismiss the case at the request of the prosecution. The Honolulu Star Advertiser wrote “Seal motion, prosecutors ask” (May 18, 2012):

City prosecutors are asking a state judge to keep sealed a request to dismiss a murder charge against a State Department special agent and its supporting exhibits, which include surveillance videotapes of the fatal shooting at a McDonald’s Waikiki restaurant last year.

The defense for special agent Christopher Deedy this week filed the dismissal motion and supporting exhibits that include McDonald’s videotapes at the Kuhio Avenue restaurant.

The dismissal request is based on the contention that Deedy was performing his duties as a federal law enforcement officer and is immune from prosecution under state law.

City Deputy Prosecutor Janice Futa said the defense documents and exhibits include arguments related to the merits of the case against Deedy but not the dismissal motion.

She said publicity about the request and supporting exhibits might taint potential jurors and harm the trial proceedings.

[. . . ]

Honolulu attorney Jeffrey Portnoy, who will ask to participate in the case for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser to argue against the prosecution’s request, said keeping information confidential is “woefully inadequate” for a case of such local and national importance.

Ahn is scheduled to hear the prosecution’s request to keep information sealed on Thursday. The hearing on the dismissal request is scheduled for July.

Deedy, 28, is scheduled to stand trial in September on the charge of murdering Kollin Elderts, 23, on Nov. 5. The special agent was here to provide security for leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference.

Will this APEC killing be another Massie incident?

May 16, 2012

Sailor from USS Carl Vinson allegedly terrorized Waikiki residents

In announcing that 2700 Marines may be moved from Okinawa to Hawaiʻi, Senator Daniel Inouye said: “We must build more housing, secure more training areas and improve and expand infrastructure while working with the counties and the state to make certain the Marines transition easily into their new duty station in Hawaii. The one thing I am confident of, is that the people of Hawaii will welcome these brave men and women and their families with Aloha.”

Last night, a sailor from the USS Carl Vinson nuclear powered aircraft carrier allegedly broke into a Waikiki apartment and assaulted the residents. Okinawans have complained about the rates of violence, sexual assault and crime committed by U.S. troops stationed there. Is this what will “transition easily” to Hawaiʻi? Did the assaulted Waikiki residents not show the sailor enough “Aloha”? The Honolulu Star Advertiser reports “Sailor from USS Carl Vinson allegedly terrorized Waikiki residents” (May 16, 2012):

Security guards from a neighboring building helped subdue and capture a 20-year-old sailor, from the visiting aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, who allegedly broke into an occupied apartment in Waikiki overnight and assaulted one of the residents, police said.

The 20-year-old man broke into the louvered window of an apartment near Paokalani and Kuhio avenues at about 12:16 a.m. and when residents in the apartment approached him, the suspect became aggressive, police said. The residents, a 30-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman, retreated back into the apartment. But the suspect broke in and assaulted one of the residents, police said.

Security guards from a neighboring building heard the commotion and came to the aid of the apartment dwellers, detaining the suspect until police arrived and arrested him.

The man matched the description of an earlier criminal property damage case and the victims in that case came to the apartment building and identified the suspect, who was in custody for investigation of burglary, criminal property damage and assault.

May 15, 2012

The Merry Month of May: Missiles launched as Hawaiʻi braces for another RIMPAC invasion

May is known as the “Merry Month” for its longer days and warm sunshine. Most of the world observes May 1st as International Workers’ Day or celebrates the ancient pagan rites of spring. But in the U.S., the radical legacy of May Day has been suppressed and supplanted by the typically tame Labor Day. In Hawai’i, on the other hand, “May Day is Lei Day,” a holiday invented in 1927 as the perfect marketing gimmick for the tourist industry. This year, the Occupy movement across the U.S. called for an international day of action on May 1st. Thousands took to the streets in Oakland, New York and other major cities. DeOccupy Honolulu also held a solidarity rally.

While the action did not amount to a general strike, the spirit and symbolism of the action was significant. Activists painted a banner depicting Kanawai Mamala Hoe (The Law of the Splintered Paddle), a Hawaiian human right law that protected ordinary persons from harassment even when sleeping along the side of the trail. This has been a theme of the DeOccupy movement in Honolulu to resist the harassment and eviction of the poor and homeless and to defend access to the commons. A few weeks earlier DeOccupy activists stood with houseless families on the west side of Oʻahu as the City of Honolulu raided and swept them from their dwellings. But the artwork that was to be featured at the May Day event was seized by City workers the day before the event. This led Laulani Teale and other activists to confront Mayor Peter Carlisle at a public May Day concert in Waikiki, where Teale was arrested for “disturbing the peace” to a chorus of tourists applauding her removal. Such is the state of ‘aloha’.

The month of May is also Asian-Pacific American Heritage month in the U.S., but you would never know that in Hawaiʻi. Although Asians and Pacific Islanders comprise most of Hawaiʻi’s population, few if any claim “Asian-Pacific American” as their identity. Why is that? One reason is that since there are so many Asians and Pacific Islanders, people tend to claim a multi-ethnic “Local” identity or else identify with their particular ethnic groups. However, I think the main reason is that despite whatever political affinity with the U.S. a person may have, deep down they realize that Hawaiʻi is not of America. A glance at any map immediately presents this problem to the viewer: Hawaiʻi is 2500 miles from America.

Which brings us to the lingering problem of the U.S. having invaded and occupied the independent Kingdom of Hawaiʻi in order to establish a strategic military outpost in the Pacific and coincidentally to the annual observance that occupies the most space in the month of May in Hawaiʻi: Military Appreciation Month. Most states have an military appreciation day, or a week, but that’s not enough tribute for the game masters of Hawai’i. Orchestrated by the Chamber of Commerce of Hawai’i, the same business association that pushed for the cession of Ke Awalau o Pu’uloa (Pearl Harbor) to the U.S. in 1876 in exchange for duty free sugar exports to the U.S., Military Appreciation Month is a dizzying public relations blitz that can leave one confused about who belongs to this place anyway, which is precisely the point. There are military discounts at restaurants, theaters, and other businesses (no local discounts), special events and media spectaculars, and even a glossy full-color booklet insert in the newspaper.

For the military, this is a good month for announcing military expansion plans or the reoccupation of land formerly returned by the military. It is a good month for an aircraft carrier to make a port call and for the Navy to announce that sonar training may be twice as dangerous to marine mammals than previously thought. It is an excellent month to conduct missile tests on Kauaʻi only a month after sharply criticizing North Korea for doing the same. The Missile Defense Agency reported “Second-Generation Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System Completes Successful Intercept Flight Test” (May 9, 2012):

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and U.S. Navy sailors aboard the USS LAKE ERIE (CG 70) successfully conducted a flight test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system, resulting in the first intercept of a short-range ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean by the Navy’s newest Missile Defense interceptor, the Standard Missile – 3 (SM-3) Block 1B.

At 8:18 p.m. Hawaiian Standard Time (2:18 a.m. EDT May 10) the target missile was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, located on Kauai, Hawaii. The target flew on a northwesterly trajectory towards a broad ocean area of the Pacific Ocean. Following target launch, the USS LAKE ERIE detected and tracked the missile with its onboard AN/SPY-1 radar. The ship, equipped with the second-generation Aegis BMD 4.0.1 weapon system, developed a fire control solution and launched the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IB interceptor.

This video depicts the weaponized concept of ʻalohaʻ, a weapon to neutralize your ability to defend yourself. The Honolulu Star Advertiser covered the story as well – “Pearl Harbor-based ship tests new missile defense system” (May 11, 2012).

But the proliferation of U.S. missile systems in Europe and Asia have actually increased tensions and insecurity. CNN reported “Russian general raises idea of pre-emptive strike against missile shield” (May 5, 2012):

With talks deadlocked between the United States and Russia over plans to deploy a missile defense shield in Europe, a top Russian general raised the possibility of a possible pre-emptive strike against launch sites if a deal could not be reached.

The warning by Gen. Nikolai Makarov followed the conclusion of the international Missile Defense Conference in Russia, where Russian officials lobbied against the missile shield.

“Taking into account the destabilizing nature of the missile defense system and, in particular, creating an illusion of an unpunishable strike, the decision about a pre-emptive use of force will be made in a period of heightened tension,” Makarov said.

And most of all, on even numbered years like this one, May is when the military hypes the RIMPAC exercises that take place later in the Summer. The sci-fi blockbuster movie “Battleship” just opened in theaters. Based on the board game of the same name and set during the RIMPAC exercises in Hawaiʻi, the movie is computer-generated propaganda for the military and its weapons, just like its “Transformers” counterpart. William Cole of the Honolulu Star Advertiser wrote “22 Nations Gear Up for RIMPAC exercises in isles.” (May 9, 2012):

Twenty-two nations, 42 ships, six submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel will participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific exercise scheduled for June 29 to Aug. 3 in and around Hawaii, the Navy said Tuesday.

The world’s biggest international maritime military exercise will be larger than two years ago, reflecting reduced wartime commitments and the growing emphasis on the Pacific.

RIMPAC “provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans,” the Navy said in a news release. The series began in 1971.

This year’s exercise includes units or personnel from Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, South Korea, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz will be the centerpiece of U.S. Navy forces. Surface ships will “battle” three submarines from Pearl Harbor and subs from Australia, Canada and South Korea.

[…]
Training includes amphibious operations, gunnery, missile, anti-submarine and air defense exercises, as well as counterpiracy, mine clearance operations, explosive ordnance disposal and diving and salvage operations.

War games also will have tests of a submarine-launched unmanned aerial vehicle and blue-laser underwater communications, and a “green” emphasis with the largest government purchase of biofuel in history.

Nevermind the human cost and morality of the wars or the dangers of rising militarization around the world, it’s just business:

Hoteliers are expecting an influx of business, with past RIMPAC exercises adding more than $40 million in contracts and spending on shore, the Navy said.

[…]

Thirty-two ships, five submarines, more than 170 aircraft and about 20,000 personnel took part in RIMPAC two years ago.

This would be a good time for federal anti-human trafficking law enforcement agencies to monitor the sex industry when the fleets are in town. The Pacific Alliance to Stop Slavery notes, large port calls are typically when international sex-trafficking organizations transport women to Hawaiʻi to exploit the militarized sex industry:

Hawaii is driven by a tourist-based economy which attracts sex-traffickers looking to establish territory to capitalize on the market of male travelers and transient military personnel.

Law enforcement ought to be more vigilant during RIMPAC, but they probably won’t do anything. After all, a big anti-trafficking bust during an even bigger international military exercise would be bad for business and the military and would not show ‘aloha’ for the visiting troops.