No new lease
I am a retired U.S. Army Colonel and served 29 years in the U.S. Army/Army Reserve.
I believe the 65-year leases of 30,000 acres of Hawaii state land by the U.S. military that end in 2029 should not be re-leased by the Department of Land and Natural Resources no matter what the amount the U.S. military offers.
The leases on 23,000 acres at Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island, 4,370 acres at the Kawailoa/Poamoho Training Area, 1,170 acres at the Kahuku Training Area, and 760 acres at the Makua Military Reservation were given away essentially for free, with the state charging only $1 for each parcel for 65 years!
The three areas on Oahu are one-third of the 18,060 federal and state lands used for military training on the island, while the 23,000 acres at Pohakuloa are 17% of the 133,000 acres that comprise the largest military training area in the state and in the Pacific region.
We are subjected to a daily dose of the U.S. military build-up for what the Indo-Pacific command is calling “our enemy China.” We know what happens when the U.S. tries to resolve disputes through military action — millions of persons dead and wounded, including tens of thousands of U.S. military, as evidenced by the wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
Ultimately, disputes with countries are resolved not by military action, but by dialogue, so why are we spending trillions on weapons that ultimately do not solve the situation?
Living in Hawaii, I think we should want to be known as an area of peace and dialogue using the Hawaiian technique of ho‘oponopono — rather than as a base for projecting the U.S. propensity for killing over using diplomacy to reduce tensions with other countries.
A first step would be reducing the U.S. military footprint in Hawaii by refusing to re-lease 30,000 acres currently used by the U.S. military.
The U.S. Army is seeking public comments on the environmental impact statement concerning the re-leasing proposal by Sept. 1.
You can email comments to: usarmy.hawaii. nepa@mail.mil or go online to fill in the form at https://home.army.mil/hawaii/ index.php/OahuEIS. Comments may also be mailed to: Oahu ATLR EIS Comments, P.O. Box 3444, Honolulu, HI, 96801.
Ann Wright
Honolulu
‘This is real’
Time to pull together! Our health care is about to be maxed out by all the unvaccinated persons catching this Delta variant.
Last weekend, Lt. Gov. Josh Green was working up in the Hawi ER. A patient came in with a heart attack. He had been vaccinated. The issue was there was no bed available for him due to the huge surge from the Delta variant — 98% of those admitted are unvaccinated — taking up needed beds. Totally preventable. It took several hours to locate a bed in a hospital.
We are looking at the potential of no care for those with health emergencies due to this overwhelming surge. This is so sad, and also our health care providers are being stressed to the limit.
The answer: Everyone wears masks, social distance, don’t go out if you are sick, and get vaccinated if you are not.
This Delta variant has changed the playing field. The original COVID was able to infect one to two persons. Now the Delta can infect up to nine persons! Very transmissible. This is real. This is not made up!
We all need to be respectful of each other and be aware that our inaction and actions do create a ripple affect — maybe preventing someone from getting needed medical attention.
Resources are stretched. Please kokua!
Helen Behrmann
Naalehu