Pohakuloa & U,S, Shibai!
"Bombing Mama for Peace!"
Here’s an example of shibai with recently celebrated
“Earth Day” and upcoming “Mother’s Day” in mind. The Military
Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) had an April 22, 2021 Earth Day
message on its Facebook page. Imagine, a commander of a
133,000-acre base that has been bombed for 75 years with
millions of live-rounds annually, and the land contaminated
with lead, Depleted Uranium (DU), and a wide range of military
toxins, wishing us a “safe and enjoyable Earth Day,” and
looking forward to the return of thousands of school children
visiting the contaminated toxic base for “Experience Pohakuloa
Day.” If that’s not shibai, I don’t know what is. The current
commander at PTA, Lt. Colonel Loreto V. Borce, Jr. (better
known as JR) will be leaving June 4, 2021 after 3 years. He
will be replaced by Lt. Colonel Kevin E. Cronin. When LTC
Borce, a local born Filipino from Kalihi on Oahu, first
arrived at PTA, he promised “openness, transparency,” and
doing things “ohana style.” His promises turned out to be
further shibai. Numerous requests and multiple letters with
questions for basic factual information about PTA have gone
unanswered. No openness, No transparency, and instead of
doing things “ohana style” he has tried to divide people in
our community. We’ve been through a lot of new commanders at
PTA every 2 - 3 years, and it’s all much the same, a
reflection of U.S. global military empire policy of control
and domination on behalf of corporate interests.
Here’s another example of shibai. President Joe
Biden said in his recent prepared address to Congress that
“America won’t back away from our commitment to human rights
and fundamental freedoms.” This from the President of a
country that has hundreds of military bases around the world.
Author Catlin Johnstone says the U.S. works “to destroy any
nation which disobeys it via invasion, proxy wars, blockades,
economic warfare, staged coups, and covert operations. There
is no other government on earth whose violence has killed
millions of people and displaced tens of millions just since
the turn of this century… in order to perpetuate its
iron-fisted domination of our planet.” The mass of refugees
to Europe and the southern borders of the U.S. are from
countries where the U.S. has been overtly or covertly waging
war, creating chaos, rubble, and desperation. The U.S. can try
and point fingers and blame Russia, China, Iran and others
for human rights abuse, but the fact remains as Johnstone puts
it: “the US government is the single worst human rights abuser
on planet Earth.” If you don’t believe Johnstone, ask Native
Americans, families of African Americans whose unarmed loved
ones have been killed by police. Ask Native Hawaiians waiting
128 years for an end to the US illegal occupation of their
sovereign nation.
Stop the Shibai! Stop Bombing Mama!
On Earth Day, Mother's Day
& Every Day!
1. Mourn all victims of
violence. 2. Reject violence & war as solutions. 3. Defend
civil liberties.
4. Oppose all
discrimination, anti-Islamic, anti-Semitic, anti-Hawaiian,
anti-Black, anti-Asian, 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 j...@malu-aina.org to receive
our posts. For more information www.malu-aina.org
May 7, 2021 Hilo Peace
Vigil leaflet – week 1023– Fridays 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office
-- Jim Albertini Malu 'Aina Center For Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box 489 Ola'a (Kurtistown) Hawai'i 96760 Phone 808-966-7622 Email j...@malu-aina.org Visit us on the web at www.malu-aina.org