Thoughts on lease
extension for PTA
Up until recently, my wife had never held or fired a handgun. Like most of us, she abhors violence and associates handguns with violence and more so with the havoc of violence.
While on a visit out of state to see my brother, I convinced her to come with us to an indoor gun range. My brother served with the Special Forces during the Vietnam War and was trained as an expert by the military in the proper/safe use of firearms.
Before leaving for the gun range, he conducted a 90-minute course to introduce her to the proper use, safety precautions and reason for using firearms during which she held the weapons, loaded the magazines with plastic bullets, racked and loaded the chamber, released the safety, aimed and pulled the trigger.
All good? Every good husband knows when his wife says “yes” and means “no.” On the ride to the gun range she whispered to me, “I don’t think I can do this.”
We arrived at the gun range with four pistols, three 9mm and one .40 caliber. Before entering the firing area, we were required to sign waivers and watch a short video on the rules of conduct.
We then donned our safety gear comprised of hearing protectors, head covering, safety glasses and covering for our slippers to prevent them from getting burned from the ejected shells. I asked my brother to fire the weapons first so my wife could get accustomed to the noise and the shock. Nothing really prepares you for that first encounter.
We spent around 45 minutes at the range. We took turns firing all the weapons. She shot at least 20 rounds from the 9mm and 10 rounds from the .40 caliber. In all, she hit the bullseye once. My brother’s spacing was consistently within an 8-inch radius.
As a Native Hawaiian, I am uncomfortable with the level of military presence on our ‘aina. There is no doubt in my mind or that of my ancestors that the military was/is the deciding factor resulting in Hawaii’s colonization by the United States.
The military, their guns and cannons tipped the scales of Hawaii’s history and future. And here we are.
Kanaka Maoli, we are presented with an opportunity to engage in a process that affords the U.S. military continued access to our lands, the very same U.S. military that dispossessed our sovereignty in 1893.
The U.S. Army is currently in negotiations with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to extend its lease on portions of the Pohakuloa Training Area. Kanaka Maoli voices were not prominent when the state first negotiated the leasing agreement that is now set to expire, and here we are.
Although the Resolution of Annexation of 1898 granted military concessions, it also preserved and recognized that the citizens of the Kingdom of Hawaii and particularly the indigenous peoples’ rights to benefit from their lands.
I cannot provide an example of where the military in Hawaii has contributed to making my life better. I can, however, think of the many occasions where the military has limited my access to ‘aina.
Going forward, the military is the military. Just like my wife’s apprehension and aversion to violence and my ancestor’s exposure to the violence of 1893 and 1898, we are here. We can choose to take up the weapons for change — the process. Or we can reject the history that has brought us here.
If the military truly values its presence in Hawaii, then it must reciprocate.
Charles Young
Honaunau
Mahalo to the selfless
roadside trash collectors
On frequent Sunday mornings, motorists traveling into Hilo may observe a senior couple inconspicuously picking up and bagging roadside refuge.
It dawns on me this clearly is not an economic enterprise, but a selfless mission of goodwill to the land and the life of Hawaii.
Their action touches the “concept of community” within ‘ohana. For all of us directed towards individual purposes, their activity is actually a service for you and me!
The sustaining beauty of Hawaii implies a stewardship by everyone — and that is the priceless definition of ‘ohana.
Jim Nelson Barker
Keaau
