Reactions to story from The New York Times

The New York Times has one of those "your tax dollars at work" stories in the form of "Costly Lesson on How Not to Build a Navy Ship." The article recounts how the Navy set out to build a new type of vessel, "littoral combat ships," which would become

Deep Thoughts With Kevin May 20th, 2008 by Kevin Heh, time for some linky love from Kevin, along with the usual snide commentary that may or may not have anything to do with anything. Oh look at that….they’re performing sex change operations on 7-year olds now.  Cue your standard rant about how the world is going to hell in an Amish woven hand basket. Ted Kennedy is recovering from having two seizures this weekend. Doctors are doing tests to find out the reasons for the seizures. Both a heart attack and a stroke have been ruled out since Teddy does not have the required organs. Mary Jo Kopechne was unavailable for comment. McCain gave a major speech last week on basically how he envisions his first term to go. I’m still waiting for someone to give the conservative rebuttal. It appears rather hip lately to tell they GOP they are a bunch of incompetent morons, despite this being a little like explaining that the sky is blue and water is wet. Also popular is explaining how the GOP can change it. Of course, conservatives have been writing articles like this since 2006 and we all see how that’s gone. Want to know how the American Conservative Union has rated your Representative or Senator?? Well they have their new ratings here. Any doubt that the American people are still avidly opposed to amnesty or have changed their views on illegal immigration?? Consider those doubts disproven. An excellent rundown of all the “benefits” of ethanol. The best pron distribution system ever invented by Al Gore, is now threatening to collapse under the weight of it’s own success…..namely widespread sharing of videos. Anyone want to place a bet on what the most popular video topic is??? How NOT to build a Navy ship. Full Disclosure…I work for one of the defense contractors mentioned. But this type of situation is pretty common really. For some reason, defense contractors have an absolute hard-on for Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) technology, despite the fact that it’s seldom acceptable for military use. Part of this is a desire to reach private industry level efficiency, which is fairly unrealistic. It also doesn’t help that the government loves to re-design on the fly and change requirements well into the development process. This situation is the norm, not the exception. Canada has lost track of over 41,000 illegal aliens. I suppose I probably should take some comfort in the fact that we’re apparently not the only incompetent boobs in this field, but I don’t. McCain’s newest ad. Watch it and then explain to me how it’s not equally applicable to EVERY candidate for any federal office. Admirable goals sure, but as they say, the devil is always in the details. And with considering the schmucks McCain has as advisors, I’m not entirely certain the devil himself isn’t actually crafting those details. I believe this may be the first electoral vote breakdown prediction of the season. My how the time goes by. Before you know it we’ll be reading the first post-mortem “How we fucked up….again” by conservative columnists. With polar bears apparently now a threatened species, I think this is probably relevant. Polar ice is now the thickest it’s been for this time of year in 25 years. Since the summer driving season is approaching, it will soon be considered fashionable to talk about oil company price gouging and record profits and blah blah blah. It’s probably worth remembering how an oil company’s finances match up against five different tech companies. I’m sure Bill Gates will be called before a congressional committee investigating price gouging any time now. Tags: blargefuss, Deep Thoughts With Kevin, too lazy to come up with something else

Last week's NYT article on the difficulties with the Littoral Combat Ship is quite fantastic. The LCS project publicly began in November 2001, but the ship is a natural outgrowth of shifts in USN doctrine in the 1990s. Contrary to the general belief that the Navy continues to prepare to defeat the Imperial Japanese Navy/Red Fleet/People's Liberation Army Navy on the high seas, 1990s doctrine focused on the ability of the Navy to affect developments on shore. Primarily in the documents ...From the Sea and Forward... From the Sea, the Navy began to think seriously about how to project power on land. This was entirely reasonable given the disintegration of the Red Fleet, the weakness of the PLAN, and the overwhelming dominance of the Allied navies over any potential enemies. Whatever criticisms can be made of the Zumwalt destroyer, it can hardly be said that the ship is a relic of Cold War Mahanianism; the ship's mission is to directly support US and Allied land forces engaged in a Gulf War I style battle. Older platforms, from aircraft carriers to submarines, were similarly refocused away from high-intensity sea combat to land attack capability. As the article notes, the critical moment for the LCS was the attack on the USS Cole. The Cole attack freaked out the Navy, because it indicated that expensive, high capability platforms could be damaged or destroyed through inexpensive means. Frankly, I think that the Navy rather overstated the threat of these kinds of attacks; the Cole incident could not have been repeated in a wartime setting, and modern naval vessels can deliver ordnance at ranges that make the prospect of swarming small attack boats considerable less dangerous. Nevertheless, the LCS wasn't, in my view, a bad idea; lots of small, relatively inexpensive ships can carry out more missions that a few large, expensive vessels. The LCS, with its operational flexibility (different mission modules are supposed to be switched in and out for different tasks) seems to me to be an ideal contributor to the vision of a 1000 Ship Navy in which the USN and other navies provide global maritime security, but also would have an important part to play in a high intensity littoral war. But all of this depends on the LCS being really cheap, and it isn't so cheap. A lot of ideas that weren't terrible went into the development of the LCS, but there have been some negative interactions. As the article details, the Navy decided to use a variety of civilian technologies in design and construction. Unfortunately, as the process of construction has gone on, the Navy came to the unsurprising conclusion that these technologies would not meet naval specifications. Courses had to be changed in mid-construction, leading to substantial delays and cost overruns. Another problem was the drive for privatization in acquisition, which led to minimal oversight of the Lockheed and General Dynamics construction processes. The privatization movement, based on the idea that government supervision was inefficient and undesirable, in effect made government oversight impossible by gutting the capacity of the services to manage large projects. This is not to put the blame on GD or Lockheed, as they were simply responding to the structure of the situation. In fairness, the changing government requirements make the entire construction process very difficult. And so what we have is a ship that is expensive and late. As I mentioned above, I think the project is still worthy; others disagree. It's hard to imagine where the Navy will find a vessel that's as inexpensive as the LCS (especially given that the operating cost of the LCS is supposed to be low because of its relatively small crew; we'll see if that works out), and without the LCS the size of the Navy will decline substantially.

FOTO: AUSTAL Austal ha botado el trimarán Independence, segundo barco de la clase LCS. Con 127 metros de eslora, destaca su gran plataforma de vuelo y hangar, que puede conducir dos operaciones simultáneas de helicópteros H-60 o de un CH-53. Las pruebas de mar se iniciarán a finales de año. Austal es el constructor de los LCS del equipo General Dynamics. Mientras, el New York Times publica Lesson on How Not to Build a Navy Ship.

What happens when we pay an airplane maker to build a boat...for the first time? Massive cost overruns, unbelievable delays and a fabulous fightin' ferry boat. Yesterday's NY Times offers a Lesson On How Not To Build A Navy Ship:A project heralded as the dawning of an innovative, low-cost era in Navy shipbuilding has turned into a case study of how not to build a combat ship. The bill for the ship, being built by Lockheed Martin, has soared to $531 million, more than double the original, and by some calculations could be $100 million more. With an alternate General Dynamics prototype similarly struggling at an Alabama shipyard, the Navy last year temporarily suspended the entire program. The program’s tribulations speak to what military experts say are profound shortcomings in the Pentagon’s acquisitions system. Even as spending on new projects has risen to its highest point since the Reagan years, being over budget and behind schedule have become the norm: a recent Government Accountability Office audit found that 95 projects — warships, helicopters and satellites — were delayed 21 months on average and cost 26 percent more than initially projected, a bill of $295 billion. In a narrow sense, the troubled birth of the coastal ships was rooted in the Navy’s misbegotten faith in a feat of maritime alchemy: building a hardened warship by adapting the design of a high-speed commercial ferry. As Representative Gene Taylor, the Mississippi Democrat who leads the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces, put it, “Thinking these ships could be built to commercial specs was a dumb move.” Behind the numbers in the Accountability Office study, experts say, is a dynamic of mutually re-enforcing deficiencies: ever-changing Pentagon design requirements; unrealistic cost estimates and production schedules abetted by companies eager to win contracts, and a fondness for commercial technologies that often, as with the ferry concept, prove unsuitable for specialized military projects. A totally predictable outcome. Fer crissakes the Navy asked a new boat builder to build a new boat in a new way. Fast: In their haste to get the ships into the water, the Navy and contractors redesigned and built them at the same time — akin to building an office tower while reworking the blueprints. To meet its deadline, Lockheed abandoned the normal sequence of shipbuilding steps: instead of largely finishing sections and then assembling the ship, much of the work was left to be done after the ship was welded together. That slowed construction and vastly drove up costs. “It’s not good to be building as you’re designing,” said Vice Adm. Paul E. Sullivan, commander of the Navy branch that supervises shipbuilding. No shit Admiral.Despite the problems, the Navy secretary, Donald C. Winter, and other top Navy officials say they remain committed to building 55 of the ships, once a steady, fixed-price production run can be assured. Even at about $500 million apiece, Navy officials add, the coastal ships would be a bargain compared with most Navy combat vessels. “Bargain” is such a relative concept. In this case it's like calling a $200 Neiman-Marcus hairbrush a bargain 'cuz everything else in the store is so damn expensive. Lockheed is a major military contractor so it should be a cinch for them to build a boat. Except: Lockheed had virtually no shipbuilding experience. But in keeping with a Pentagon policy that called for letting big military contractors run complex projects with minimal government supervision, the Navy made the companies primarily responsible for all phases of development — from concept studies to detailed design and construction. In theory, the contractors’ business and technological acumen would save taxpayer dollars. But the Navy agreed to reimburse the companies for cost overruns rather than setting a fixed price, leaving little incentive to hold down costs. Fixed prices? Who needs fixed prices? It's no surprise how much military contractors love this type of deal. Since fixed prices emerged in the ‘70s, they’ve been whining how it doesn’t “work” for them. Here’s what we’re supposedly getting for our money:The Lockheed proposal called for a steel single-hull ship 378 feet long and 57 feet wide. It would have a spacious flight deck and space for two helicopters, a stern ramp and side door near the waterline for launching and recovering small boats, and large interior compartments that could be quickly reconfigured for different weapons systems. But as Lockheed and the Navy were completing contract negotiations in 2004, the rules changed drastically. Commercial ferry standards, the Navy determined, would not do. The underlying principle behind the decision, Admiral Sullivan said, was that the new ships had to be able to “hang tough in a storm and take some battle damage and still survive long enough” for the crew to be rescued. Dunno. Regardless of context the phrase “’still survive long enough’ for the crew to be rescued” doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. This should be of paramount importance to the Navy's central concept in building any ship let alone turning a high-speed civilian ferry into a warship. (Kinda reminds me of the ole SNL sketch: "New Shimmer is both a floor wax and a dessert topping!") In a show of supreme stupidity, the Navy thought they'd somehow save money this way. It's equivalent to trying to turn a DC-10 into a warplane: “They were eager to take advantage of commercial practices and the lower cost of buying off the shelf, but they did a lousy job of understanding the war-fighting requirements,” said the military expert, who asked not be named because he was involved with the program. “It was like, ‘You mean you want to put wheels on that car?’ ”Ugh. More like do you wants wheels, seats, an engine and a roof with that car? How the hell could the Navy start building anything without "understanding the war-fighting requirements?" That is insane. They are the fucking Navy! It gets worse: Ultimately, there were nearly 600 significant engineering changes affecting nearly all parts of the ship, according to the Navy. 600 goddamn major engineering changes = completely fucking different boat. While the Navy may have felt rushed, Lockheed was in an even bigger hurry to get this boat built:At Lockheed, executives say they feared that slowing down construction would put them at a disadvantage in their battle to win the contract over General Dynamics. Now we get to the crux of the problem. But surely the Navy’s own oversight could save the day, right? Wrong. So very, very wrong: Yet if the project was troubled, the Navy’s oversight at Marinette was less than robust. Because of staffing reductions, the Navy office responsible for supervising shipbuilding initially dispatched no one full time to Wisconsin. Even after a team arrived, it failed to appreciate the severity of problems. “We had very junior people on site,” Admiral Sullivan said. This project was a major priority for the Navy. When they eventually sent supervisory staff to the boatyard, for some reason the Navy chose “very junior people.” Heckuva job, Sully. What could be worse than one plane builder working on their first boat? Two plane builders working on the same boat. Lockheed brought G .E. Aviation along for the ride with absolute disastrous results: The most wrenching setback came in autumn 2005, when a key gear for the propulsion system was cut incorrectly, forcing a 27-week delay in ship construction. Rick Kennedy, a spokesman for G.E. Aviation, the General Electric division that produced the gear, said a machinist had misread a drawing; G.E. absorbed the additional cost. Shipbuilders usually start with the engine space, which contains the most machinery, then build around it. Because of the gear problem, Mr. McCreary said, “We did just the opposite.” A 27-week delay over one gear? You have to be fucking kidding me. Even I know that you measure twice and cut once. If my master shipbuilder great-uncle Warren was still alive, this would make his head explode. And still the program soldiers on. Once the Navy evaluates the two prototypes, it can select one or order a mixed fleet. While it could opt for a different approach, military experts say that seems unlikely, given the need for the new ships and the money and effort already expended. Yes, like a fool losing big on one slot machine, the Navy won’t change it’s game because it has already lost too much money on its current course. They're betting sooner or later it's gonna payoff. Sooner or later either Lockheed or General Dynamics will work it out: The Navy recently restarted the program, inviting the two companies to submit fixed-price proposals for three additional ships. Lockheed, still hoping to win the entire prize, said the problems encountered with the Freedom would not be repeated, now that the company has a finished design. “It will be great, the next time around,” said Mr. North, the program manager. “Lead ships are truly hard.” I bet they are. Especially when you’re building a ship for the first fucking time. The problem with these DOD development projects is with the decade or so it takes to get it right, if they get it right, we may no longer need it. That's if we really needed it to begin with. Either way the end product is inevitably incredibly more expensive than ever anticipated. If you can stomach it, read the full Times story here. -AF +Note: All emphasis in the Times article is mine.

Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:43:29 -0700 (PDT) From: jane w Subject: Riad's Death Hi Gabrielle, I heard that Riad was found bound and gagged in a lake and the death report says suicide! Awful. Watch the interview of this lovely man. He sent books, clothes, school supplies to Palestinian children. Jane ------- Palestine Solidarity Committee wrote: Dear All, As some of you might know our friend and often partner-activist , Riad Hamad, from Austin, passed away this week. The circumstances of his death were tragic and confusing. Riad's dedication to the Palestinian rights, non-violent activism and Palestinian economic development was unparalleled. He founded the Palestine Children's Welfare Fund (PCFW), which raised millions or dollars for projects benefiting children, women and families in the occupied territories. Much of this money was raised through selling Palestinian fair trade goods in the US. Riad was also a dedicated husband, father of two young-adult children and a middle school educator. To honor Riad's work the University of Texas Palestine Solidarity Committee is attempting to raise 1,000 dollars for PCFW and donate it in memory of Riad. We will also have an olive tree planted in Palestine with a plaque commemorating Riad and his work. There will be a public memorial in the near future and we would like to have everything in place by then. We send this letter to ask each of you to pledge $10-$100 towards this effort. We know most of you are students or work for some non-paying NGO, so we appreciate whatever you can give. For some of you this might be your first exposure to the Palestinian cause, Riad or PCFW--all of which are surrounded by misnomers. Below is a link to an interview Riad did with Free Speech TV, we encourage you to take a minute to watch and remember what a dedicated and inspired person he was. http://www.freespeech.org/fscm2/contentviewer.php?content_id=344 http://www.legacy.com/Statesman/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=107901527 <http://www.legacy.com/Statesman/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=107901527> Please make donation checks out to Palestine Solidarity Committee and mail them to: Palestine Solidarity Committee Student Services Building 4.400 #294 100 West Dean Keeton Street Austin, Tx 78712-1534 Until we meet beneath the olive tree, Palestine Solidarity Committee, past and present members ________________________________________________________________________________ Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:21:35 -1000 From: Chuck Prentiss <prentissc001@hawaii.rr.com> Subject: County Convention Aloha All: Reminder: The Oahu County Democratic Party convention is coming soon on May 2nd and 3rd at Dole Cannery. All members are urged to attend, especially the voting members who are the precinct president, 1st. vice-president, and district council member. This is our important kickoff to win in November. I hope to see all of you there. The registration forms are available online at www.oahudemocrats.org. You may also call State Party headquarters at 596-2980. Chuck Prentiss, Region 9 Chair, Windward Democrats. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:25:29 -0800 From: Democratic Party of Hawaii <dphstaff@inbox.com> Subject: Democratic Party of Hawaii: **Correction: PDH and ADA Workshop is on 4/26** **We are sending this out at the request of the Progressive Democrats of Hawaii and the Hawaii Chapter of the Americans for Democratic Action** Aloha, Are you a delegate or alternate to the State Democratic Convention coming up on May 23-25? Do you know someone who is? Would you like to submit a resolution to be considered at the convention? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you should join us this Saturday April 26th for a pre-convention workshop! This workshop is intended to help delegates be organized and prepared so they can be effective at the convention. It will be an opportunity to network with other like-minded delegates and help to promote a progressive agenda for the Democratic Party of Hawaiâ^À^Øi. What: Workshop for Delegates to State Democratic Convention When: Saturday, April 26, 9:30am - noon Where: Harris United Methodist Church, 20 S. Vineyard Blvd (corner of Nuâ^À^Øuanu) How: Bring ideas and drafts for resolutions and be ready to network! Sponsored by: Progressive Democrats of Hawaii (PDH) and Americans for Democratic Action, Hawaii Chapter (ADA) Please spread the word to anyone who may be interested!! AGENDA 1 9:30 Introductory Remarks 2 9:45 Overview of what to expect at the State Convention 1 General agenda & timeline 2 Resolutions, rules, platform 3 Election of delegates, SCC, party Chair, natâ^À^Ùl committee man/woman 3 10:00 Relevance of Resolutions 4 10:15 Questions from Audience 5 10:30 Break-down into 7 resolution committee sub-groups [Government Operations, Education, Environment, Business & Economic Development, National & International Affairs, Labor, Health & Human Services] 1 Identify moderator & note-taker 2 Create list of topics that group wants to see resolutions for 3 Start rough drafts of priority resolutions 4 Network with other like-minded delegates 6 11:30 Come back together as one big group 1 Brief report from each group 2 Reminders on deadlines & information on how to submit resolutions 3 Opportunity for members of platform & rules committees to report on the issues that are emerging in their committees 4 Guidelines on how to submit platform & rule changes 7 NOON Pau Even if you aren't able to make this meeting, will you please let us know if you are a delegate or alternate that is interested in working with us: info@pd-hawaii.com Aloha, Rachel Orange Co-Chair, Progressive Democrats of Hawaiâ^À^Øi http://pd-hawaii.com/blog ____________________________________________________________ Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:53:30 -1000 From: mike reitz <mreitz@pacbell.net> Admiral Fargo to take helm of Superferry Posted on: Friday, April 25, 2008 4:30 PM HST Admiral Fargo to take helm of Superferry Associated Press Hawaii Superferry has announced retired Adm. Thomas Fargo has been named to succeed John Garibaldi as president and CEO of the beleaguered company. Fargo headed the Hawaii-based U.S. Pacific Command, the nation^Òs largest military command, from 2002 until 2005. He then retired after 35 years with the Navy. Garibaldi will become vice chairman and continue to serve on the board of directors. The Superferry linked Honolulu with Maui and Kauai for a brief time in August before legal troubles and protests shut down the operation. The Honolulu-Maui service resumed in December with the 350-foot Alakai making daily roundtrips. The company has announced a second Maui roundtrip will be run four days a week commencing May 9. The Honolulu-Kauai service remains on hold. INCLUDEPICTURE "http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/graphics/mastlogo.gif" April 25, 2008 Fargo named new Hawaii Superferry CEO Advertiser Staff Retired Adm. Thomas B. Fargo has been named as president and CEO for Hawaii Superferry, the company announced late this afternoon. Fargo's appointment is effective Monday. John Garibaldi, the current CEO, will become vice chairman and continue to serve on the board of directors, a company statement said. Fargo headed U.S. Pacific Command from May 2002 until February 2005 and retired from the Navy after 35 years of service. He also served as commander-in-chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. He is a managing director of J.F. Lehman & Co., and serves on the boards of Hawaiian Airlines, Hawaiian Electric Industries and USAA, the company said. He previously served as president of Trex Enterprises Corp. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 22:04:41 -1000 From: Viviane Lerner <vivlerner@gmail.com> Hirono: Air Force dropping plans for Big Isle training route http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080425/ BREAKING01/80425088 April 25, 2008 Hirono: Air Force dropping plans for Big Isle training route Associated Press U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono says the U.S. Air Force has abandoned plans for a low-altitude training route over the Big Island. The C-17 cargo jets that would have used the route were expected to travel over the communities of Honokaa and Waimea, raising concerns about noise and pollution. Hirono says the Air Force decided it could satisfy its training needs without the proposed training route. The island Democrat says the decision by Air Force officials shows their willingness to be sensitive to the community^Òs needs. Dozens of Big Island residents opposed to the plan turned up at a Hawaii County Council committee meeting Monday to voice their concerns. -------- Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 05:18:51 -0400 From: KahiwaL@cs.com Subject: The C-17 Flyovers - A Shibai! > I smell a rat - a danged conspiracy. > >They must stay up nights - to try to figure out ways to harass the >people. > >With the DU and Stryker situations at Pohakuloa and the observatories on >Mauna Kea - plus GM - all issues that the people have come out fighting >fresh in their mind - it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out >that when they thought this project up - that they would run into lots of >opposition - and that at that time - they could cancel the thing and >appear to be good citizens and gracious visitors. > >Or, are they just testing us - to see if we are awake. Or is it just >another way to show us that they are beligerantly occupying our 'aina, >but allowing us to win some victories. > >Whatever it is - the people are starting to get smart and are becoming >activists - in protecting their kuleana. > >ku ------- Date: Sun, April 27, 2008 From: kepalo <kepalo@hawaii.rr.com> Subject: Re: The C-17 Flyovers - A Shibai! They still practice like crazy at Kaneohe Marine Corps. kepalo >_______________________________________________________________________________ From: orakwa@paulcomm.ca Subject: Fw: MNN Mohawk War Chief: We're not leaving Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:37:21 -0700 Tyendinaga Mohawk Aserakowa [War Chief] speaks from the front line ^Ö ^ÓWe^Òre not leaving^Ô. OPP: ^ÓWe^Òre coming in at dark to take you out!^Ô MNN: April 25, 2008. Aserakowa 613-243-4993 still at the quarry. Shawn Brant was doing a media interview with APTN News in Tyendinaga on Deseronto Boundary Road. Ontario Provincial Police came along with an outstanding assault charge. They arrested Shawn. They hauled him off to jail. Then the OPP closed both ends of Deseronto Road. The Aserakowa came down to see what was going on. Steve Flynn of Aboriginal Response Team ART of the OPP showed up. We talked. Flynn told the Aserakowa about Shawn. By then we had men at both ends of the road. He talked about opening the road. Flynn said, ^ÓYou walk away and we^Òll walk away. Okay?^Ô Both Flynn and the Aserkowa agreed. ^ÓWe will get in our cars and you^Òll get in yours^Ô, said Flynn. It turned out to be a set up. The Rotiskeneketeh started moving off the road. Suddenly about 10 OPP jumped about 5 of our guys, threw them in the ditch, beat them up and arrested them. They hauled them off to jail. No reasons were given for the arrests or assaults. The OPP is certain not operating on an honorable nation to nation model. It is not even offering the kind of fiduciary protection for indigenous rights as it is supposed to, according to the supreme Court of Canada. Since when have the colonial institutions ever acted to protect Indigenous people? After behaving like thugs and beating up our guys, the OPP pulled out their weapons and pointed them at us. For our safety, we retreated back to the quarry. We didn^Òt want to get shot. Once we got there cops swarmed us from every direction. They were everywhere as far as we could see, armed to the teeth with their guns pointed directly at us all the time. Then they came over with loud speakers, told us to come away from the quarry, down the hill, with our hands up in the air ^Ówhere we can see them^Ô. We told them, ^ÓFuck you. This is Mohawk land. We^Òre not leaving^Ô. They raised their weapons and aimed at us again. ^ÓYou^Òre going to have to shoot us^Ô, we told them. Then there was more build up. They told us they are coming in at dark to take us out. They are moving Mohawk people off Mohawk lands at the end of a gun barrel. The Mohawks are unarmed. The OPP have SWAT Teams, ambulances, dogs and we can^Òt see if they ships in the water. Arrested are Clint Brant, Steve Hill, Dan Doreen, Shawn Brant and Mac Kunkel. We don^Òt know where they^Òve been taken. Six Nations people have closed down three roads. Akwesasne guys are on the International Bridge. In Kahnawake there will be closures. They will be coming after us at about 8:30 pm EDT, as soon as it gets dark. We^Òre not moving. We know that. We don^Òt know what^Òs going to happen. This is Ipperwash, 1990, Gustafsen Lake, Six Nations, the list goes on. If they harm any of those guys at Tyendinaga, there^Òs no saying what will happen. The message from the men is that we will defend the land. That^Òs our duty according to the Kaianerekowa, Great Law of Peace, the law of Turtle Island. SEND URGENT OBJECTIONS TO PREMIER MCGUINTY OF ONTARIO; PRIME MINISTER STEVEN HARPER; JULIAN FANTINO COMMISSIONER OF THE OPP: tell them to call off their thugs and stop breaking the peace. They have a obligations under international law to resolve any disagreements peacefully. They have an obligation to keep the peace, not to break it. LIVES ARE AT STAKE. MNN Mohawk Nation News SUPPORT: To:RDONM@MBQ-TMT.ORG>, <info@mbq-tmt.org>, <enibourg@sutton.com> Subject: Stop attack on Mohawks The whole world is watching. Stop your attack on the Mohawks now. The land is theirs and the world supports them. They are right and you are wrong. Pat Rasmussen World Temperate Rainforest Network PO Box 154 Peshastin, WA 98847 509-669-1549 patr@crcwnet.com <mailto:patr@crcwnet.com> www.temperaterainforests.org <http://www.temperaterainforests.org> Subject: RED ALERT IN CALEDONIA!!!!!!!!! FORWARD OUT ASAP! Ok everyone- Just got a phone call from Jacqueline House at Six Nations. In protest to what the Canadian govt. and OPP armed officers are doing at Tyenindega, the Six Nations have now BLOCKED the By-Pass road at Caledonia!!!!! 3 Men have been arrested and have been jailed at Tyenindega. Jacqueline House stated that all relatives with connections to people at these Reserves, PLEASE CALL and try to mobilize help to the area ASAP. Thanks everyone, please, PLEASE keep our relatives in your prayers, Bluejay I've contacted the OPP to let them know that badge or no badge, they are not absolved in the eyes of our Creator for that which they do. This activity will be monitored by the world. Dieter of Germany FOR INFORMATION CALL: 518-358-3660 Warchief: 613-243-4993 Jan Hill 613-961-8515 613-827-1547 Dan 613-919-1354 Rotiskenekete 613-849-1314 613-827-4991 OPP Easter Headquarters 613-284-4500 L.G. Beechey Chief Supt. Commander Eastern Region R. Don Maracle 613-396-3089 Cell 613-391-9249 GENOCIDE IS HAPPENING AT THIS HOUR AT TYENDINAGA. THEIR POSITION IS THEY ARE NOT MOVING. THEY ARE GOING DOWN. THEY WILL DEFEND THEMSELVES. THEY ARE NOT GIVING UP THE LAND. Kahentinetha Horn MNN Mohawk Nation News See Category: ^Ó Tyendinaga ^Ó ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: orakwa@paulcomm.ca Subject: MNN Fri. Apr. 25 Mohawks under OPP seige - need help! Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:26:42 -0700 URGENT CALL: FRIDAY APRIL 25TH 2008- MOHAWKS OF TYENDINAGA UNDER ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE SIEGE - SHAWN BRANT ARRESTED ON FAKE WEAPONS CHARGES ON CULBERTSON TRACT - OPP CRUISERS AND VANS SURROUND ^Ö 20 DOWN BY TRAIN TRACTS ON DESERONTO ROAD AND BRIDGE ST. MNN. At 2:45 pm. today, Friday, April 25th, 2008, Shawn Brant was arrested for an incident that happened on Monday on Slash Road. He was attacked by Deseronto citizens who were trying to run our blockades. He had no weapons whatsoever. The OPP are trying to make Shawn out to be the leader there. He is not. DEMAND THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF SHAWN BRANT, POLITICAL PRISONER. The Ritiskenekete have slashed OPP cruisers windows and chased them off Deseronto Road. APTN and support from Six Nations, Kahnawake are on their way. Anyone who can go there and help should call 613-391-5132 for information. There will probably be a raid of the illegal Thurlow Quarry that the Mohawk took over a year ago. Shawn Brant was taken to Napanee. Needed urgently: deer meat, fish, non- perishable food, water, Camping equipment, communications equipment, fuel, gas, propane, mobile phones, phone cards, rain coats, gas masks, towels, soap, wet wipes, tooth bushes and tooth paste, bear spray, gloves, work shoes, boots, runners, socks, radios, two-way radios, hand held radio, flashlights, tents, lanterns, wood for the fire, cooking utensils, plates and silverware, first aid. To go there on the TransCanada Highway 401, to #49 to Slash Road, to Deseronto boundary. Or Marysville Road south to Bayshore Road, turn left all the way to the quarry. Runners should be dispatched to go there to carry information from the site to supporters. Supporters should contact OPP, Ontario government, band council chief to stop this aggression and attempted blood bath. All nations council meeting tonight. OPP heat is going on at the quarry. Need help now. Kahentinetha Horn MNN Mohawk Nation News Dan 613-919-1354; Rotiskenekete 613-849-1314 ^Ö 613-827-4991 email davidrmaracle@aol.com OPP Eastern Regional Headquarters 613-284-4500 fax 613-284-4597 lg.beechey chief supt. Commander, Eastern Region, Smiths Falls. MBQ R. Don Maracle, 613-396-3089, CELL 613-391-9249 RDONM@MBQ-TMT.ORG 613-396-3424 ext. 106 info@mbq-tmt.org Jan Hill 613-396-6742 Emile Nibourg 613-561-0984 fax 613-544-7868 enibourg@sutton.com BACKGROUND: This situation could be more complicated than appears at present. The Canadian Special Forces, which is the main military unit that would be active in the United States under the "Civil Assistance Plan", is moving the so-called Joint Task Force 2 to the Trenton area, just 25 miles from Tyendinaga. They will be forming a new special forces battalion. Land in the Trenton area is being secretly bought up by the government for a base and training site. A total of 400 hectares (1.5 square miles) will be purchased. This is Mohawk land. Could this be the reason for the over-the-top reaction by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)? Or is it a case of insiders trying to profit from foreknowledge of the government's plans? ----- JTF-2 plans $220M move Counter-terrorism unit expected to vacate Dwyer Hill for Trenton David Pugliese, with files from Jessey Bird, The Ottawa Citizen Published: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 The Canadian military has earmarked $220 million to build a new base for the Joint Task Force 2 counter-terrorism unit, with plans calling for the secretive formation to move out of Ottawa sometime after 2010. Defence Construction Canada, a Crown corporation that handles the Defence Department's building needs, is asking for "expressions of interest" from contractors and consultants for the development of what it calls a multi-functional training and administrative campus. The new facility is to be in "Eastern Ontario," with the specific location considered secret at this point, according to the information provided so far to construction and engineering contractors. But Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier has recommended to cabinet that JTF2's new base be located at Canadian Forces Base Trenton. Public Works and Government Services Canada has already purchased three properties adjacent to CFB Trenton for the Defense Department. Those total just under 130 hectares. Another 270 hectares are also being looked at for purchase. "It's a number of properties that we're continuing to negotiate with," said Public Works spokeswoman Meeta Bhimani See Category: ^Ó Tyendinaga ^Ó New MNN Books Available Now! The books below, email us: Mohawk Warriors Three - The Trial of Lasagna, Noriega, 20/20 $20.00 usd The On-Going Confusion between The Great Law and The Handsome Lake Code $20.00 usd The Agonizing Death of "Colonialism" and "Federal Indian Law" in Kaianere'ko:wa/Great Law Territory $20.00 usd Who's Sorry Now? The good, the bad and the unapologetic Mohawks of Kanehsatake $20.00 usd Rebuilding the Iroquois Confederacy Karoniaktajeh $10 usd Warriors Hand Book Karoniaktajeh $10 usd Mail checks and money orders to... MNN P.O. Box 991 Kahnawake, QC J0L 1B0 Purchase t-shirts, mugs and more at our CafePress Store http://www.cafepress.com/mohawknews Subscribe to MNN for breaking news updates http://www.mohawknationnews.com/news/subscription.php Sign Women Title Holders petition! http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Iroquois Link to MNN Get the code and banners to link to Mohawk Nation News. http://www.mohawknationnews.com/pg.php?page=promote.html Your Support Make a contribution to our newsgroup. Secure your online transaction with PayPal®. http://www.mohawknationnews.com/pg.php?page=donate.html Nia:wen, Kahentinetha Horn kahentinetha2@yahoo.com Speaking & Contemporary Native Issues Workshops Katenies katenies20@yahoo.com Manager Stay tuned! www.mohawknationnews.com Please forward this email to a friend! ________________________________________________________________________________ From: orakwa@paulcomm.ca Subject: MNN "Nia:wen" from Mohawk of Tyendinaga Apr. 24/08 Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 07:59:21 -0700 ^ÓNIA:WEN^Ô SAY MOHAWKS OF TYENDINAGA FOR WORLDWIDE SUPPORT FOR THEIR RESISTANCE ON APRIL 20 AND 21 WHEN ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE ATTACKED ^Ö ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTION STOPPED, HARASSMENT CONTINUES MNN. April 24, 2008. Said one of the Rotiskenekete, ^ÓWe want to thank everyone all over the world for their support of our peaceful way of defending our land. We all condemn this kind of corporate corruption and white collar organized crime^Ô. Det. Weese of the OPP at Napanee Ontario was the commander in charge. He was mad that he could not charge or take anybody to jail. The OPP have informed us that, ^Ó We have a zero tolerance rule. We are taking back jurisdiction of Tyenindaga and this starts now!^Ô The Rotiskenekete said, ^ÓWe have a zero tolerance rule too. We want all the foreign cops out of our territory immediately^Ô. The real estate agents, Emile and Theodore Nibourg of Kingston, who wanted to build $35 million condominiums on the Bay of Quinte in Deseronto on Mohawk Territory, backed off. Their undated signed notice stated, ^ÓIn light of recent events in the Town of Deseronto, Nibourg Developments wish to announce that they will refrain from the pursuit of a development of the Culbertson Tract^Å^Ô We doubt if they^Òll be back. Said a Rotiskenekete, ^ÓWe don^Òt want any development on our land!^Ô There should be an investigation of the Nibourg^Òs trespassing, their actions that forced the Mohawks to respond and the paranoia they created which brought in the attack forces of the OPP. On Sunday, April 20, the Mohawk had set up an encampment to resist the development that was to start on Monday morning. They did not come in. On Monday night rowdy non-natives roamed the streets of Deseronto carrying signs and shouting racist threats at the Mohawks. They looked pretty organized. On Tuesday morning over 900 troops swarmed onto Mohawk Territory in a military style ^Óshock and awe^Ô tactic. Fully armed SWAT Teams, cops, choppers, police boats in the Bay and a lot of undercover swooped in at 9:45 am. They spared no expenses. They closed the perimeter on the encampment to start kicking heads, beating up people and arresting us. They arrived and were disappointed to find there wasn^Òt a Mohawk in sight. It was a traditional disappearing act. There was no evidence that any Mohawks had ever been there. Not one was touched or arrested. This failed attack cost over $1 million. All that ^Óoverkill^Ô and not one arrest? The OPP are now looking for ^Ófall guys^Ô. Last year we took over the illegal Thurlow Quarry. Since then the Rotiskenekete have been cleansing the land of OPP. The OPP have now set up check points to all roads leading into our territory, to harass, question and delay our people^Òs comings and goings. ^ÓIf they think this over, they^Òre wrong. If they keep this up, we will resist. They^Òre constantly throwing the first punch putting us in the position of having to defend ourselves^Ô. On May 29th 2008 the ^ÓAssembly of Colonial First Nations^Ô wants another ^Óhanding-out- pamphlets-day-of-action^Ô. The Mohawks say: ^ÓIf you can^Òt drink your water, stand on the road; if your band council is corrupt, stand on the road; if your kids are committing suicide or not coming home at night, stand on the road; if the cops are harassing you or putting your people in jail for protecting our land, stand on the road; if justice fails, block the rails^Ô. They also suggested that if anyone gets into trouble, just tell them that the colonial government and their servant, Phil Fontaine, set it all up. Everyone knows Phil is a ^Óbi-polar schizo^Ô who plays both sides^Ô. [Phil, don^Òt forget to take your meds.] We are the Ongwehone [true people] who live according to the Kaianereh^Òko:wa [Great Law of Peace] and we are here to protect Onowareheh [Turtle Island]. The Kaianereh^Òko:wa walks with us, is in our minds, under our feet, over our heads, on our land, every where on Turtle Land. That^Òs who we are. Corrupt and tainted foreign corporate laws are meant to extort and exploit us and our lands. These foreign entities have no authority or jurisdiction over us. We stand on moral principles and our philosophies of living in peace with the environment. We Kanion^Òke:haka [Mohawks] stood on the Kaianereh^Òko:wa, the Two Row Wampum and rejected the illegal jurisdiction of the foreign laws. The law of the land is our law. It has been instilled into us for thousands of years. Canada^Òs constitution is an illegal permit issued from Europe on other people^Òs land, passed by the British Parliament and its people. Their corporate laws, statutes and regulations are illegal and do not apply here without our informed consent. We never gave it and we never will. It just doesn^Òt belong here. These colonial visitors have to deal with us. Their ^Ómight makes right^Ô position does not apply. The OPP have no right to touch us or talk to us. They are nothing more than ^Óprivate security guards^Ô for a corporation, something like Wal Mart. The true relationship is nation to nation. Canada, get real, colonialism is over. There was a heavy armed police presence; non-natives did not want to understand that they are living illegally on Mohawk land. They refuse to make it right. They^Òve been ^Ñtook^Ò for over 100 years by opportunistic colonists who are working for big foreign banks. OPP protocol provides that the ^ÓAboriginal Response Team^Ô ART is supposed to talk to us. They did not. They decided to browbeat us into submission, to force us to surrender our land and resources through their use of force and threats to kill us. The Mohawks advise, in such situations, ^ÓDon^Òt negotiate. Just stand on the road^Ô. When we learned that the cops were setting us up to cut our throats, we just didn^Òt go there. All they wanted to do was to apply their military force and practice using their new lethal toys and tactics on us. So, ignore them. Stand on the roads or disappear if you have to^Ô. Our argument was not with the OPP who are the security guards of the colonists. ^ÓWelcome to Wal Mart^Ô, these greeters say. It was between us and our visitors. If they attack, we are willing to defend ourselves until we win. That^Òs what the Kaianereh^Òko:wa says. Our message to the colonist, OPP, Canada, Ontario governments and developers is ^ÓStay away. Or we^Òll go through this resistance again, again and again^Ô. We know that we have more than just hunting and fishing rights on our ^Óreserves^Ô through their colonial ^Óband council^Ô system. It^Òs all ours! We still have the Beaver Hunting Grounds, the ^ÓBowl with one spoon^Ô philosophy, the Nanfan Treaty and the Haudenosaunee Territory. We will never concede anything. We will help each other survive, take care of the land and animals and never stop defending our land. Every single business on our territory, Indigenous and non-native people everywhere supported us. They see that we strengthen our sovereignty by strengthening our ties with them. The OPP came to hunt us down and caught nothing. They are now looking for people to charge, arrest and sue. They harass us on all the roads leading into our territory. They sit there and monitor our cars, take our pictures and write things down. We are going to protect our people. There will be no arrests and no harassment of us! Instead of participating constructively in their own society, the OPP are spying on us, justifying their existence through small minded voyeurism. They are like those pitiful souls that don^Òt have healthy relationships in their own lives. They deal with their unsatisfied instincts in perverted ways by spying on others, going to strip clubs and ^Ópeep shows^Ô, engaging in predatory activities and generally ^Ójerking off^Ô! Anything to do with Indigenous is considered ^Ónational defense^Ô because it is their theft of our lands and resources we are standing in the way of. And who^Òs in charge of national defense? None other than the ^ÓHaitian against the Nation^Ô, Governor General Michaelle Jean. Instead of talking to us, she^Òd rather keep hitting the ^Óbig easy^Ô button to try to get us out of the way. We wear camo. Never mind that camo can be found in the children^Òs departments of Wal Marts and Zeller^Òs everywhere. It scares the cops. They pretend it^Òs a threat. We will continue to wear camo. We want to remind the colonists of nature and the colors of mother earth. Kahentinetha Horn MNN Mohawk Nation News Rotiskenekete 613-849-1314 ^Ö 613-827-4991 email davidrmaracle@aol.com OPP Eastern Regional Headquarters 613-284-4500 fax 613-284-4597 lg.beechey chief supt. Commander, Eastern Region, Smiths Falls. MBQ R. Don Maracle, 613-396-3089, CELL 613-391-9249 RDONM@MBQ-TMT.ORG 613-396-3424 ext. 106 info@mbq-tmt.org Jan Hill 613-396-6742 Emile Nibourg 613-561-0984 fax 613-544-7868 enibourg@sutton.com -------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 07:51:06 -0700 (PDT) From: Laweleka <laweleka@yahoo.com> Subject: [livingnation] Google Alert - occupation, hawaii Typical American, its all about being Americans, looking for patriotic citizens specifically citizen compliant listeners. Clintons own words indeed "I think sometimes it takes unfortunately longer than it should to educate people about the justice of a cause like war reparations, or for the people of Guam that suffered under the Japanese occupation during World War II. Just yesterday I rushed to the Senate to vote on behalf of giving the benefits that were promised during World War II to the Filipino veterans who served with American forces. All these years later, we still haven't done it - all these years later we still haven't provided the reparations that the people of Guam were promised. "As your president I will work very hard to remedy this injustice. I am committed to doing so." Now what does this all have to say about her ? If I was the person writing the article I would've entitled it "Clinton Failed To Go To Hawaii Because She Did Not Want To Have Issues Raised About The More Then 100 + Years Of American Occupation Of The Hawaiian Kingdom" The woman is shaaallllllllllllowww ...... Why should we not be surprised ? Lawe --------- Hillary Clinton emphasizes sensitivity to Guam's issues KUAM.com - Dededo,GU,USA ... people about the justice of a cause like war reparations, or for the people of Guam that suffered under the Japanese occupation during World War II. ... http://www.kuam.com/news/27578.aspx Google Alerts <googlealerts-noreply@google.com> wrote: All eyes will be on Guam over the next week or so as local Democrats hold a historic caucus on May 3. The island's nine delegate votes are crucial to that party's presidential nominees, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. KUAM News spoke with Senator Clinton via satellite earlier today, to inquire the candidate's stance on several issues facing our quality of life and her plans to integrate the island community into her goals if elected our nation's next commander-in-chief. When noting how the U.S. Department of Defense is currently looking to increase its presence locally, citing that thousands of U.S. Marines and their dependents be transitioned from Okinawa, along with Air Force and Navy personnel and equipment to local military installations, we asked the Democrat senator from New York if elected president, would she continue with this current initiative put forth by the Bush Administration? "I think it makes a lot of sense," she responded. "Obviously I will review it, but I feel strongly that moving more of our assets to Guam is in the best interests of the people of Guam and of the United States." The process of survivors and their families of being compensated for their wartime suffering has been a decades-long wait for the community, often spanning generations of Chamorros. Clinton has previously stated her strong support for such the granting of reparations, but repeated efforts to achieve this endeavor have fallen on deaf ears in Washington. Of this very painful oversight, she said, "I think sometimes it takes unfortunately longer than it should to educate people about the justice of a cause like war reparations, or for the people of Guam that suffered under the Japanese occupation during World War II. Just yesterday I rushed to the Senate to vote on behalf of giving the benefits that were promised during World War II to the Filipino veterans who served with American forces. All these years later, we still haven't done it - all these years later we still haven't provided the reparations that the people of Guam were promised. "As your president I will work very hard to remedy this injustice. I am committed to doing so." We also briefly discussed the role of Guamanians in voting for a United States president (more accurately, the lack thereof). As it's so often said that there's no other place where you will find more patriotic "Americans than in the Land Where America's Day Begins", Clinton said she stands behind empowering all Americans, island residents included, with this very basic privilege. "It seems to me that it is long past time that we remedy this inequity," she explained. "It doesn't reflect American values; it is out of step with the move towards equality and full citizenship rights, and I will do everything I can to make sure the people of Guam's vote are counted." Drawing on the past, KUAM News noted how Ms. Clinton's husband, former president Bill Clinton, during his historic 1998 visit to Guam mentioned his support on issues like self-determination, the return of federal excess lands back to original landowners, and increasing Guam's share in Compact impact funding. "I intend to follow-up on those commitments because I share them," she said. "Unfortunately at the time we had a Republican congress that was not very receptive. And until just last year we still had a Republican congress. It's difficult to push through some of these initiatives, but as president I hope that I will have more Democrats in the Congress, and I will work with your representative to make sure that we finally give the people of Guam the support, and the rights and privileges that I think you're entitled to have. So I'm looking forward to having your support, I'm excited about participating in the events on April 26 and May 3." Clinton also took a moment to appeal to her fellow countrymen, saying, "I earnestly and humbly ask for the support of the people of Guam. I will never forget my visit in 1995 - it was a wonderful experience and I was excited to tell my husband how important for him to go to Guam. And indeed he was there in 1998, and we both have very fond memories of Guam and of the people there. "And I hope that I will earn your support to be your president." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 08:39:17 -0700 (PDT) From: nukefreepacifik@riseup.net Honolulu Star Bulletin article "Brown tree snake seen on Mokapu" the brown tree snake was not introduced to guahan, it was brought on a military cargo ship from new caledonia. although the snake is said to have wiped out most of our native birds, in the early late 1940s and early 1950s the u.s. conducted more than 60 nuclear testings in "micronesia" with radiation fallout reaching our island. imagine the implications of a bird eating such contamination. also, the u.s. military sprayed ddt continuously throughout the 60s and part of the 70s. wouldn't this as well contribute to a decline in native populations? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:09:20 -0400 From: Tara Mack <tara@edliberation.org> Subject: [edliberation] Seattle Teacher Refuses to Administer WASL Test to Students Seattle Teacher Refuses to Administer WASL Test to Students citing multiple harms test causes students, teachers, schools, and parents From: *Parent Empowerment Network PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: April 20, 2008* Contact: Juanita Doyon, Director, Parent Empowerment Network, Spanaway, 253/973-1593 Carl Chew, Seattle Teacher, 206-265-1119 email ctchew@earthlink.net Carl Chew, a 6th grade science teacher at Nathan Eckstein Middle School in the Seattle School District, last week defied federal, state, and district regulations that require teachers to administer the Washington Assessment of Student Learning to students. "I have let my administration know that I will no longer give the WASL to my students. I have done this because of the personal moral and ethical conviction that the WASL is harmful to students, teachers, schools, and families," wrote Chew in an email to national supporters. School District response to Mr. Chew's refusal was immediate. After administrative attempts to dissuade his act of civil disobedience had failed, at the start of school on the first day of WASL testing, April 15, Mr. Chew was escorted from the school by the building principal and a district supervisor. Mr. Chew was told to report to the district Science Materials Center where he was put to work preparing student science kits while district administration and attorneys consulted on an appropriate penalty for what was labeled, "gross insubordination." Mr. Chew attended one hearing at Seattle School District Office, where he was accompanied by a Seattle Education Association representative. On Friday, April 18, Mr. Chew received a letter from Seattle School District Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson which began, "This letter is to inform you that I have determined that there is probable cause to suspend you from April 21, 2008 through May 2, 2008 without pay for your refusal and insubordination to your principal's written direction to administer the WASL at Eckstein Middle School." During his weeklong struggle with the district over consequences, Mr. Chew was supported by allies throughout the state and nation. "Carl Chew is saying 'No!' to high stakes testing and a resounding 'Yes!' to student needs and to teacher professionalism," stated nationally renowned education activist and author Susan Ohanian of Vermont. "There are many more teachers who are ready to follow suit. They just need an example and leader," states one Washington teacher. Organizations and individual allies are now working to replace Mr. Chew's lost wages. "Though a minor gesture in response to your so much larger gift, I plan to contribute to your salary for the two-weeks the schools aren't paying," was the response of one colleague from Washington. Parent Empowerment Network will be presenting Mr. Chew with a check for $200 to help alleviate his loss of wages and is encouraging organization members to also support Mr. Chew with words of encouragement and monetary contributions. The Vermont Society for the Study of Education and Colorado's Coalition for Better Education have also pledged contributions. The following is a full statement of Mr. Chew's reasoning for his refusal to administer the WASL. On April 15 I refused to give the Washington Assessment of Student Learning to my 6th grade students at a Seattle Public Schools middle school. I performed this single act of civil disobedience based on personal moral and ethical grounds, as well as professional duty. I believe that the WASL is destructive to our children, teachers, schools, and parents. It is important for me to note that my disobedient action was not directed at any individual. I love being a teacher; my students are fantastic; my fellow teachers collaborate with and help me every day in numerous ways; and my school administration has always shown a willingness to listen to and support the teachers. I understand that my action has caused people pain, and I am truly sorry for that, but I could no longer stand idly by as something as wrong as the WASL is perpetrated on our children year after year. Though my act of civil disobedience was individual, I do not stand alone in my strong beliefs. Any Internet search for high stakes testing will reveal highly regarded educators, distressed parents, and sensitive teachers with a wealth of thoughtful writing and case studies supporting my views. The WASL is bad for kids. To my mind the measure of successful childhood is that each child learns about who she or he is and how the world works, gains an assertive and confident self image, and feels safe, well fed, and happy. Schools, along with parents and communities, need to contribute wisely to this goal. Unfortunately, the WASL creates panic, insecurity, low self esteem, and sadness for our children. o It is written in the language of White, middle and upper class students, leaving all others behind. o It is presented to children in a secretive, cold, sterile, and inhumane fashion. o There is no middle ground--children either pass or fail--which leaves them confused, guilty, and frustrated. o Numerous questions on the test are unclear, misleading, or lacking in creativity. o It tests a very narrow definition of what educators know children need to become well-rounded human beings. o The WASL is given at a prescribed time regardless of a child's emotional or physical health. The WASL is bad for teachers. For meager pay teachers are asked to work in extremely challenging situations, keep absurdly long hours, and, when it comes to the WASL, function in an atmosphere of fear. o A majority of teachers loath the WASL but feel unable to speak out freely against it due to their fears of negative consequences for doing so. o Because administrators are constantly pushing to meet federal guidelines for yearly score improvements, their relationships with teachers can become strained and unpleasant. o Administrators and teachers suffer under the knowledge that if they do not achieve improvement goals (measured by WASL passage alone) they can be sent to retraining classes, lose their students to other schools, or have their "failing" school handed over to a private company. o Before administering the WASL teachers mandatorily sign a "loyalty" oath promising they will not read any of the test questions. o Teachers feel devalued by the amount of time most of them have to devote to test practice and proctoring--upwards of four weeks for actual testing and many more weeks for WASL prep in many cases. o Teachers feel used and depressed when, half a year after the test is given, they are presented with dubious WASL results--amateurish and misleading Power Point charts and graphs telling them next to nothing about their students' real knowledge and talents. o Teachers' relationships with parents are compromised because they cannot talk freely with them about opting their child out or other WASL concerns. The WASL is bad for parents and families. o Parents have been shut out of this costly process. o Most of them are misled by official statements about what the purpose of the WASL is. o Many of them do not realize that they have the right to opt their children out of testing with no consequences, though in practice schools have illegally put inappropriate pressure on parents and children who have opted out. o Many of them do not realize that teachers are, in many cases, not allowed to discuss any reasons why they might want to opt their child out. (Teachers in California went to court to secure the right to inform parents of their right to opt their children out of that state's testing.) o Like children, parents suffer from the same feelings of guilt and unhappiness when their children fail. o Parents are not informed that the test is biased, culturally insensitive and irrelevant, and not a real measure of anything. o The WASL graduation requirement has kept thousands of families from knowing whether or not their students will be allowed to take part in graduation ceremonies and celebrations--the culminating reward for 13 years of public school attendance and achievement-- with friends and families. The WASL is bad for schools. Even in the best of times purse strings are rarely opened adequately to public education. Where a private school needs to charge $20,000-$30,000 to educate a child well, public schools are given a third or less of that for each student. Simply, schools are strapped for cash, many of them struggling each year to fund their needs with an ever shrinking pot of money. o While schools are generally underfunded, Washington will spend a projected $56 million in 2009 to have a private corporation grade WASL tests. These tax dollars are needed right in our schools providing more teachers, smaller classes, tutors, and diverse educational experiences for our students. o While the federal government requires that school districts use high stakes testing to qualify for federal dollars, tests are not fully funded by the federal government. o WASL is one of the most difficult tests used to fulfill the federal requirements, with one of the highest failure rates. o Instead of safe, exciting, and meaningful places for our children to spend half of their waking hours, schools have become WASL or test mills bent on churning out students who are trained to answer state-approved questions in a state-approved manner. The WASL is just bad. o Most, if not all, teachers will agree that assessment is vital. Wise teachers know that assessments which are also learning experiences for students and teachers are the best. The WASL categorically is not a learning experience. o I believe that individual students are entitled to their own learning plans, tailored to their own needs, strengths, and interests. Teachers know it is definitely possible to do this in the context of a public school. The WASL categorically treats all children alike and requires that they each fit into the same precise mold, and state-mandated learning plans based on WASL scores fail to recognize individual strengths of students. o Passing the WASL does not guarantee success in college, placement in a job, a living wage, or adequate health care. o WASL will decrease the high school graduation rate. Thousands of students who have completed all other requirements and passed all required classes will be denied diplomas because of WASL failure. o High-stakes testing has not proven beneficial to students, teachers, schools, or communities. In the real lives of students, teachers, and parents the WASL is an ongoing disaster. o When I was a teacher at Graham Hill Elementary in Seattle, a number of my students received their WASL scores to find that they had "failed". When I looked at the notices being sent to their parents I saw that each student had come to within just a few points of actually passing and that their scores were well within the grey area, or "margin of error," for the test. The "test scientists" aren't sure whether the student passed or failed, yet the school tells the student he or she failed. These students cried when they saw the results. o When I first started teaching, Graham Hill could afford Americorps tutors, numerous classroom aides, and had money for fieldtrip buses and ample supplies. By the time I stopped teaching there, Americorps was gone, there were no classroom aides except for parent volunteers, and everything else was in short supply. o Teaching and testing during my last year at Graham Hill was challenging. I was on my own in a room with 29 students, 10% did not speak English, 50 % of them spoke another language at home, several of them were homeless, and many of them had severe emotional challenges due to parental pre-natal drug use, violence, and abuse. o No one ever asked me or any of the teachers I know whether high stakes testing was a good idea. In fact, we teachers are made to jump through seemingly endless hoops to prove our worthiness to be professional, certificated educators. Public school teachers are responsible for the educational lives of over a million students in Washington State, yet, in the end, no one actually wants to listen to what teachers have to say about what is best for the students in our care. Portside aims to provide material of interest to people on the left that will help them to interpret the world and to change it. Submit via email: moderator@portside.org Submit via the Web: portside.org/submit Frequently asked questions: portside.org/faq Subscribe: portside.org/subscribe Unsubscribe: portside.org/unsubscribe Account assistance: portside.org/contact Search the archives: portside.org/archive __________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 10:33:17 -0700 (PDT) From: "CodePink Hawaii (Oahu)" <codepinkhawaii@yahoo.com> Peace Vigil/Mini Film Festival Aloha Friends for Peace, You are invited to the following event... FREE Burma Mini-Film Fest Featuring several short films on human rights violations in Burma Third Thursday, May 15; 6:30~8:30 pm Pacific Justice & Reconciliation Center 19 N. Pauahi St. & Nu`uanu Ave; Chinatown, Honolulu ________________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:40:21 -0400 From: FeedBlitz <feedblitz@mail.feedblitz.com> Subject: Disappeared News - Some things never change "DISAPPEARED NEWS" - 1 NEW ARTICLE 1. Some things never change 2. More Recent Articles 3. Search Disappeared News Some things never change by Larry Geller I think they must be confusing me with bb 840F1757-0C22-400C-9AE6-89409EFD03B3. I'm in a different select group, according to another funny promo that came in the mail yesterday (Duke Aiona for governor supporters).... More Recent Articles * Shakeup in Iwilei begins * Rice rationing/hoarding spreads at big (but rice-short?) box stores * One win for Hawaii's Sunshine Law * Counter pundits * (sob) All that work on the public access TV bill and then this... ________________________________________________________________________________ From: Luigi Cocquio <lcocquio@hawaii.rr.com> Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2008 21:12:29 -1000 Subject: Hoa'Aina O MAkaha Open House ALOHA Hoa' Aina O Makaha has a special invitation for you for a special occasion We hope you are able to come to our "FARM OPEN HOUSE" MAHALO [ Part 1.2, Image/JPEG 35KB. ] [ Unable to print this part. ] [ Part 1.3, Image/JPEG 88KB. ] [ Unable to print this part. ] [ Part 2, Application/MSWORD 1MB. ] [ Unable to print this part. ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:49:37 -0400 From: KahiwaL@cs.com Subject: Fixing the Economy is Not as Easy as it Sounds! >*Fed Action Could Hurt Stocks, Economy* >*By David Frazier* > >Several months ago, I wrote an article, "Checkmate -- Fed & Treasury are >Cornered," in which I stated that the Federal Reserve's lowering of >short-term interest rates would fail to stimulate the U.S. economy and >lead to higher inflation. > >Since that time, inflation rates have risen substantially, with the >consumer price index mounting to an annual rate of 4 percent in March, >from 2.8 percent in September 2007. Meanwhile, the prices of crude oil, >gasoline, and jet fuel have gone through the roof -- all are up 47 >percent since Oct. 11. > >The inflation in jet fuel prices has resulted in large operating losses >at several airlines for the first quarter of 2008: > > - United Airlines -- the world's second-largest airline by passenger > traffic -- announced earlier this week that it lost $537 million during the > first quarter > - Northwest Airlines Corp. posted a first-quarter loss from continuing > operations of $191 million > - Delta Airlines reported a loss of $274 million (excluding a > bankruptcy-related charge) > - JetBlue Airways and AirTran Airways' also reported substantial > first-quarter losses > >In response to rising operating costs, United Airlines said that it will >eliminate approximately 1,100 jobs, reduce its domestic capacity, and >raise airline fares. Delta and Northwest made similar announcements. > >Apparently, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke didn't understand the negative >consequences that drastic interest-rate cuts would have on the economy. >Or perhaps he felt that helping people to stay in homes that they >couldn't afford (by indirectly lowering adjustable-rate mortgage rates) >was more important than enabling persons who live on a fixed-income to >afford to eat, pay their electric bills, and drive their cars. > >Yet, the Fed plans to cut its target Fed funds rate once again next >Wednesday, according to recent trading activity in the interest rate >futures market. If the Fed makes such a move, the value of the U.S. >dollar will likely resume its descent and inflation rates will certainly >rise even higher. > >Such inflationary pressures would likely lead to a continuation of the >recent slowdown in consumer spending and would lead businesses to >continue cutting back on their capital investments. In other words, the >Fed's efforts to stimulate the economy by lowering short-term interest >rates will have the opposite of the intended effect -- economic growth in >the U.S. will likely continue to slow. > >Contrary to conventional thinking, my research indicates that the Fed >needs to stop lowering short-term interest rates -- perhaps must even >raise rates slightly -- if it really wants to stimulate the economy. >Raising rates by a quarter of a point would likely halt the decline in >the dollar and even help it rebound. > >A stronger dollar would force oil prices lower because oil is priced in >dollars. (The slumping value of the dollar means that oil producers have >to hike up the price of oil in order to receive the real value of the >oil.) That would, in turn, release the noose on business operating costs >and free up spending money for consumers. After all, the price of oil is >indirectly or directly related to all types of consumer goods, as well as >food, electricity to heat/cool homes, and gasoline. > >Perhaps Mr. Bernanke and his colleagues on the Federal Open Market >Committee will come to this same realization and decide to hold interest >rates next week and in the following months. If not, we may be facing an >even scarier scenario than recession. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---------------------------- Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 07:57:22 -1000 From: Brad Parsons <mauibrad@hotmail.com> Subject: HI Superferry: Smorgasbord 4/25/08 Saturday, April 26, 2008 HI Superferry: Smorgasbord 4/25/08 There is so much stuff out there, I can't blog it all. Recently I have been doing more comments on other people's blogs. So here is some of that: 1.) From the LA Times yesterday, http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/?p=1755, be sure to read down through the comments, they include one from "Tig Krekel Says: April 24th, 2008 at 12:21 pm Jeff is completely wrong on passenger counts^Åover the next 4 days alone, we will have more than 1500 riders...Regards, Tig Krekel HSF Lead Director" Check out the other comments too. ;) Was thinking some more about that ^Ó1500 over 4 days.^Ô Actually, that is only an average of 188 people per one-way trip or 375 per round-trip and an estimated 63 vehicles per one-way trip or 125 per round-trip. That daily average would probably NOT cover just their fuel expenses. Those numbers are only slightly more than what we have been counting recently. Considering that an extended (two week) Japanese visitors Golden Week is kicking in beginning today and that HSF^Òs best customer appears to be Roberts Hawaii, I might have expected more bookings of Japanese visitors on HSF during the next couple weeks, esp. since Japanese visitors were using Aloha Air quite a bit in the past. Roberts also appears to be monitoring the forecasted transit conditions as they have not been seen on ^Órough^Ô days. Nevertheless, today, Sat., and Sun. will be calm days for them to do better. 2.) HSF might also get a cargo bump if Aloha Cargo pilots go on strike soon. See: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2008/Apr/24/ln/hawaii804240371.html "Aloha pilots sanction walkout" By Rod Ohira, April 24, 2008. "Aloha Airlines pilots last night voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike of the carrier's cargo operations. No strike date was set. 'It means should we need to strike, we will,' said John Riddle, a 23-year Aloha pilot and member of the union's master executive committee." 3.) THE radio interview was mentioned in a Honolulu Advertiser reporter's blog at: http://capitolnotebook.honadvblogs.com/2008/04/22/guerrila-radio/, check out the comments. 4.) Disappeared News has a good link to the audio of that KKCR radio interview of the two former Austal welders at: http://disappearednews.com/2008/04/second-program-on-alleged-superferry.html. The two welders are Carolyn Slay who worked on the Alakai and Wayne Jenkins who worked on the sister ship currently being built. Carolyn Slay has the additional recently filed federal lawsuit along with 21 other plaintiffs: Adams et al v. Austal, U.S.A., L.L.C. Case Number: 1:2008cv00155: http://dockets.justia.com/docket/court-alsdce/case_no-1:2008cv00155/case_id-42983/. 5.) Lastly for now, the New York Times had a good article today on a related story, "Lesson on How Not to Build a Navy Ship" by Philip Taubman, April 25, 2008: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/25/us/25ship.html?th&emc=th, see also Andy Parx's blog and comments on this. He has had a few good ones recently. Amazing how some aspects of this story can be covered by a small radio station on an island, then the largest state newspaper...in a blog, then the largest west coast newspaper...in a blog, and finally the east coast newspaper of record all in a little more than a week, but the more shocking aspects of the story still not be reported to the public, except by a small little radio station in paradise. Aloha, Brad _________________________________________________________________ Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 08:31:40 -1000 From: mike reitz <mreitz@pacbell.net> Subject: Fiji Fighting Canadian Use Of Fiji Trademark Fiji Fighting Canadian Use Of Fiji Trademark Saturday: April 26, 2008 (FBC) Fiji's Attorney General's Office has compiled a submission to the Canadian government to stop companies in that country from using the name `Fiji' on their products. Radio Fiji quotes Principal Legal Officer in the Attorney General's Office Iliesa Tuiloma as saying they have been informed by former trade commissioner to Canada Ashwant Dwivedi that a certain brand of tinned fish carries the Fiji name despite it being packed in Canada. Tuiloma says Fiji's name is a national emblem and can not be used to promote the products of other countries. http://www.radiofiji.com.fj/fullstory.php?id=10817 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~-------------------- Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 11:48:00 -0700 (PDT) From: Marakita Mehmet <maraki_tanga@yahoo.co.nz> New Zealand's Maori rediscover themselves in tattoos New Zealand's Maori rediscover themselves in tattoos Tattoo Paul Watson / Los Angeles Times Oriana McLeod endured the stinging pain of Mark Kopua's tattoo gun for an hour and a half, and felt the better for it when she saw the design, which depicts the sea and the tossed net of Te Hukiad, a venerated ancestor and tribal leader. â^À^ÜIâ^À^Ùve just found a calling with my Maori-tanga, my Maoriness. Itâ^À^Ùs a reawakening,â^À^Ý she said. Ta moko, an art form that once seemed destined for oblivion, is again a solemn declaration of the native people's identity and dignity. By Paul Watson, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer April 15, 2008 NEW PLYMOUTH, NEW ZEALAND -- With a little ink, some stinging pain and a helping hand from the ancestors, Mark Kopua can heal a wounded soul. He is a modern master of an ancient art called ta moko, one of the world's oldest forms of tattooing and a renewed source of pride for New Zealand's indigenous Maori people. * Maori history told in ink Photos: Maori history told in ink To those who know how to read the twists, turns and spirals of the ink lines, they tell a rich history of a person's accomplishments and ancestry. The centuries-old designs turn the faces and bodies of women and men into testaments to their identity, and offer spiritual healing. "I learned very quickly that moko was therapy for people," Kopua said. "If you ail inside, and you get taken to a grandparent for advice, the elders are involved in your healing. This is very similar to that." The designs have both fascinated and frightened outsiders for generations. In the 19th century, curiosity seekers traded gunpowder with the Maori for the tattooed heads of their dead warriors. Dozens of the dried heads are in a macabre collection hidden away in New York's American Museum of Natural History. The tattoos also brought scorn on the Maori from missionaries and other foreigners who saw them as primitive. Even today, some Maori adorned with moko complain that they suffer discrimination when looking for work, or just a drink at a bar. But in recent years, as Maori stand up to safeguard their culture, an art that once seemed doomed by the onslaught of Western culture is again a solemn declaration of Maori identity and dignity. Their sacred, serpentine designs now adorn foreign celebrities such as British pop star Robbie Williams and boxer Mike Tyson, and Maori are vigorously defending their claim over motifs that many feel are being exploited by outsiders. More than 565,000 people, or one in seven New Zealanders, are Maori, according to the most recent census, in 2006. After a steady exodus from the countryside in recent decades, 85% of Maori today live in towns and cities, said Ngahuia Te Awekotuku, who wrote a book on ta moko. Now members of the urban mainstream here, including Maori police officers, teachers, office workers and businesspeople, are shrugging off any fear of being stared at or shunned by colleagues and are going for full-glory moko. Some wear their moko where the passing world can't miss it, such as the simple curved lines on a woman's chin or the florid tapestries that cover a man's face and scalp. Others go for more intimate tattoos, like broad spirals that play out across buttocks and thighs. Many find spiritual solace in the tattoo parlor, where Kopua helps them get in touch with their ancestors. Serendipity helped convince Oriana McLeod that the time had come for her first tattoo. The 47-year-old Maori woman's path crossed Kopua's at a recent world music festival in this west coast town. Feeling the urge to discover the moko that would announce her spiritual rebirth, she phoned several family members to ask their approval. Her father, a tribal elder, not only gave his blessing, but encouraged her with the news that Kopua, 46, was a distant relative. "This is my time," she thought, and took the chair next to Kopua's worktable. A bear of a man with a whisper of a voice and large tattoos emblazoned across his face and arms, Kopua picked up his pistol-shaped tattoo gun in a large hand sealed in a black latex glove. Then, like a painter touching the tip of a fine brush to his palette, Kopua dipped the gun in a small pot of ink and began injecting McLeod's upper arm, drawing free-form from an encyclopedic memory of traditional designs. For an hour and a half, McLeod turned her head away, or closed her eyes, wincing as Kopua worked on his creation, which depicted the sea and the tossed net of Te Huki, a venerated ancestor of her tribe who extended his power over a vast area by marrying the daughters of several local chiefs. Like two sets of roiling waves, the pattern of curves and swirls and what seems a squid-like eye transformed McLeod's right shoulder into a page of her family history. Called whakapapa, this genealogy is the expansive network of bloodlines and kinship that makes someone Maori. Moko can also honor an important event in a person's life, such as graduating from college, getting married or experiencing an epiphany, said Te Awekotuku, a professor of Maori culture at the University of Waikato in Hamilton. It's similar to a soldier getting "Mom" tattooed on his arm, or a Latino kid in East Los Angeles declaring his gang affiliation with special symbols and colors on his hand, she said. "I think what you see in the barrios of L.A. -- the imagery, the sacredness, the assertion of identity and pride -- is actually no different from us," she said. "Just as in the Maori world, they have recurrent symbols that have particular messages for the wearer, the viewer and the family member." Like most other Maori, she wishes tourists and the trendy would respect what the tattoos are saying and not try to warp them into fashion statements. "Even though it's expressed through art on the skin, it's very much about belonging," she said. "And if you don't belong, you shouldn't wear it." Even so, Maori tattoos adorn bodies of numerous foreign celebrities. Pop star Williams stirred up a controversy in 2000 when a Maori artist tattooed the singer's arm in New Zealand. A Maori cultural expert complained that the design had been filched from his tribe. That same year, 50 artists set up a national forum, called Te Uhi A Mataora, to set design and health standards for Maori tattoo artists and protect traditional motifs against abuse in New Zealand and abroad. "They're very, very sacred designs that are being used in very, very insensitive ways," Kopua said. "For example, some designs that come off people's faces and heads have been put on cups and plates and all those sorts of things." Maori are also offended by the misuse of moko on people's bodies. Tattoo artists mimicking Maori designs without understanding them draw the patterns upside down, put motifs reserved for women on men or distort the designs in other ways. "Most of the moko are genealogical," Kopua said. "So when somebody just snatches a design that represents another person's ancestors and puts it anywhere they please, that takes it out of its true context. Our reaction to that is very, very strong." In 2006, activists complained when a Hollywood costume shop put a "Maori Face" tattoo kit on its shelves. French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier caused a bigger stir last year when men and women modeling his clothes in European editions of Vogue were made up with moko on their faces. Maori are asserting copyright over their designs at the World Intellectual Property Organization, a United Nations agency in Geneva that promotes the protection of copyrights and patents They have also created toi iho, a registered trademark for authentic Maori-made arts and crafts. While they fight for their copyright, Maori are quietly struggling to reclaim the dignity of tribal warriors who fell long ago. The ta moko artists group is working to track down and reclaim the preserved heads of warriors, which are also being stored in New Zealand's Te Papa Tongarewa museum in Wellington for proper burial, Kopua said. Since 1907, the American Museum of Natural History has had 35 Maori heads in its anthropology collection, but they are in storage and out of public view, said Charles McLean, senior vice president of communications and marketing for the New York museum. The museum has "periodic discussions" concerning requests for their return, McLean said. But "we are not currently in discussions with anyone from New Zealand about the heads," he added. Kopua thinks much of the outside interest in ta moko today probably stems from the feeling among many foreigners that they've lost contact with their own past, a mistake he urges Maori to avoid by proudly wearing their history on their skin. "We're telling our own kids in the next generation: 'These are our ancestors. They're worth being proud of.' We also tell them: 'These are our struggles, and they're the same struggles of our ancestors. And we're fighting for them now.' " When Kopua finished McLeod's tattoo, she seemed slightly stunned, almost as if she were emerging from a trance. Her arm was sore, but she said her spirit was soaring. "I've had a lot go on in my life," she said, reluctant to go into details with an outsider. "I've just found a calling with my Maori-tanga, my Maoriness. It's a reawakening." With her new tattoo covered in loosely wrapped cellophane to protect against infection, she wrapped her arms around Kopua, squeezing him like a long-lost brother. She whispered something in his ear and smiled. With his beefy hand and soothing voice, and some guidance from the ancestors, he had set her on the right path. paul.watson@latimes.com http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-tattoo15apr15,0,4721289,full.story ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:28:07 -1000 From: UH Announce <announce@HAWAII.EDU> Subject: Cracking the Papaya Code in News@UH Researchers decipher the genetic code of disease-resistant papaya^×in the April 28 edition of News@UH now online at http://www.hawaii.edu/newsatuh/2008/0428/index.php More UH News ^Õ Hilo^Òs Philippe M. Binder examines opposing trends in complex systems ^Õ Honolulu Chancellor Ramsey Pedersen retires after 35 years of service ^Õ CRDG^Òs Morris Lai, Hugh Dunn and Susan York win first place in publications competition ^Õ Manoa presents student employee awards ^Õ Kudos for Maui^Òs Molli Fleming, Hilo^Òs Christopher Frueh, William Mautz, Cam Muir and Jennifer Richardson and Manoa^Òs Beverly Ann Deepe Keever ^Õ School of Hawaiian Knowledge dean finalists visit campus ^Õ Manoa^Òs Jonathan Okamura publishes Ethnicity and Inequality in Hawai'i ^Õ Photo highlights of Honolulu's gazebo project and Manoa's Sustainability Fest ^Õ UH events include Manoa and Hilo^Òs Ngugi wa Thiong^Ño presentations, Windward^Òs Cooney lecture and other more ^Õ Announcements^×Nominations sought for Governor's Awards for Service, Fall 2008 faculty and staff tuition waivers and Manoa tuition payment deadline ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 11:54:17 -1000 From:   shannonkona@gmail.com Subject: Our "Sister" Island Aloha, Passing this on from our "sister" island,  ..fellow downwinders.  In addition.. isn't it curious that when we complained last summer about the open burnings of old munitions on O'ahu, the health dept. said it was perfectly safe ... but now have brought in the "explosives chamber" (CH2MHill) to burn, as the army says, "the largest find of chemical weapons in the history of the U.S." ? Open burnings must not have been so safe after all...  Unfortunately, our friends in Veiques, Puerto Rico aren't so lucky, with continuous, open burnings of munitions. "The powers that be" say it would be too expensive to protect the people of Veiques.  So Sad. So Shameful. So sickening. So evil. Mahalo, Shannon Rudolph - Kona, Hi. ------ Friday, April 25, 2008 Spotlight on Vieques Tropical Disconnect -- Arriving on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico recently, it was clear we have come to an extraordinarily beautiful place. The beaches are gorgeous, the water is crystal clear, the tourist hotels and restaurants are laid-back and the tropical vegetation and terrain are stunning, especially in the fiery light of sundown. Looking below the surface here, though, we found a lingering and ugly controversy involving allegations of environmental contamination by the U.S. military and elevated health risks to long-time residents. In the words of a lawsuit filed by more than 7,000 plaintiffs against the U.S. government, "residents of Vieques experience a 30% higher rate of cancer, a 381% higher rate of hypertension, a 99% higher rate of cirrhosis of the liver and a 41% higher rate of diabetes than the rest of Puerto Rico." From World War Two to 2003, the U.S. Navy maintained a military training and firing range on Vieques, where millions of pounds of bombs, missiles and mortar rounds rained down on the eastern end of the island. Living downwind from the site were more than 9,000 people, many of whom now claim that the accumulated chemicals from all that weaponry made them sick and ruined the land. Among the "explosives, ordnance and contaminants" used here, according the lawsuit, were napalm, agent orange, depleted uranium, white phosphorous, chemical weapons, arsenic, lead, mercury and many other toxic substances. The U.S. Navy has refused to pay medical claims from residents, and says that based on an environmental study, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has concluded "there were no health risks to the residents of the island." Critics say the U.S. government study was incomplete, with a Puerto Rican epidemiologist insisting, "they cannot say that there is no link (between the target practice and cancer risks) because they never tested the population." Two of Nannette Rosa's daughters were treated for cancer after one of them was born with eight tumors in her stomach and intestines and the other developed a tumor on her jaw. Rosa, who sold her house to pay for a trip to New York to seek treatment, says she wants the government to help finance her daughters' care. She also wants a cancer center built on Vieques, where currently there is only a clinic. As the arguments rage, an undercurrent of despair, fear and anger flows along the stunning landscape here. Meantime, contractors are now detonating or retrieving millions of tons of unexploded bombs and other debris from the old firing range that, five years after the Navy left Vieques, has been turned into a wildlife refuge. It, too, is one of the most beautiful places on earth, although signs posted along the beaches there say it's still too dangerous for anyone to visit and is off-limits. by Marc Potter, NBC News Watch -------- Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 15:08:19 -0700 From: Deborah Berman Santana <santana@mills.edu> aloha, The Navy and CH2MHill claim that the chambers are designed for old chemical weapons but not for munitions that were fired but did not explode (UXO). However, the army did use such chambers to explode UXO in Massachusetts. There are many other contradictions in the multiple meetings and documents that we have traded back and forth with them. un saludo boricua, Deborah -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 19:59:56 -0400 (EDT) From: keboi@aol.com Subject: [demilnet_Hawaii] Fargo to take the helm at Superferry Article URL: http://starbulletin.com/2008/04/26/news/story02.html © 1996-2008 The Honolulu Star-Bulletin | www.starbulletin.com Vol. 13, Issue 117 - Saturday, April 26, 2008 STAR-BULLETIN / JUNE 2007 The Hawaii Superferry Alakai makes its way toward Pier 19 in Honolulu Harbor. Fargo to take the helm at Superferry The one-time Pacific Fleet leader says most of his experience is in maritime operations STORY SUMMARY » | READ THE FULL STORY Retired Navy Adm. Thomas Fargo, former head of the U.S. Pacific Command, will take the helm of Hawaii Superferry as the interisland service tries to chart a new course that includes more passengers and fewer disruptions. Superferry officials announced yesterday that Fargo, 59, will succeed John Garibaldi as president and CEO of the company on Monday. Fargo led the Hawaii-based U.S Pacific Fleet for nearly four years before overseeing the Pacific Command from 2002 to 2005. Superferry opponents said Fargo's appointment underscores their concern that the ship's main purpose is as a military vessel. STAR-BULLETIN FULL STORY » Staff and news reports citydesk@starbulletin.com Retired Adm. Thomas Fargo, who once led the U.S. military's largest command, will take control of a fleet of one -- an interisland ferry with a short, choppy history and an uncertain future. Hawaii Superferry officials announced yesterday that Fargo, 59, will replace John Garibaldi as president and CEO of the company on Monday. Garibaldi will become vice chairman and continue to serve on the board of directors. Fargo was in charge of the Hawaii-based U.S Pacific Fleet from 1999 to 2002 and then headed the U.S. Pacific Command, the nation's largest military command, until retiring from the Navy in 2005. "I've got an extensive amount of leadership and management experience, but also my concentration has been in really complex maritime operations," Fargo said yesterday. "So I think that as we look to the future, I'm fundamentally an operator and a leader, and I think my skills match up pretty well to the mission ahead for the Hawaii Superferry." Tig H. Krekel, vice chairman of J.F. Lehman & Co., the majority investor in Hawaii Superferry, said in a statement: "We are excited to have such a talented leader as Adm. Fargo join our Hawaii Superferry management team. "During his 35 years of naval service, Tom was an outstanding manager of complex maritime operations and facilities." Superferry opponents said the appointment underscores concerns about the connection between the ferry and the military. "There are many unanswered questions about that relationship," said Katie Rose, of the Kauai Alliance for Peace and Social Justice. The appointment "raises questions of whether the Superferry might not be a part of a move to use commercial ferries to increase the Navy's capabilities." Rose said the concerns have been raised because John Lehman, who heads the investment company, was secretary of the Navy under President Ronald Reagan, and the firm "invests heavily in military projects." Rose said the environmental impact statement being prepared for the service "should explore the potential for use of the ferry to transport Stryker vehicles to other islands and what that might mean. We deserve an explanation." When asked about the concern, Fargo said in a phone interview, "We're here as a commercial operation to move residents, visitors and businesses between islands. The future is in our commercial operations." Fargo, who is a managing director with J.F. Lehman & Co. and a member of the boards of Hawaiian Airlines and Hawaiian Electric Industries, said: "We are at an important time in developing the operation. "We've shaken it down, learned a lot, and we've seen that people are riding it now." He said 2,000 people are booked to ride during the next four days. The vessel returned to service early this month after weeks of dry-dock repairs, and the company announced this week that it was adding a second Maui round trip that will be run four days a week starting May 9. The Superferry began service by linking Honolulu with Maui and Kauai for a brief time in late August before legal troubles and protests shut down the operation. The Honolulu-Maui service resumed in December with the 350-foot Alakai making daily round trips, but was sidelined by rough waters and repairs. The Honolulu-Kauai service remains on hold. The Associated Press and Star-Bulletin reporter Mary Adamski contributed to this report. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:13:25 +0000 From: Ana <uriohau@gmail.com> Why one in six Maori live in Australia http://www.maori-in-oz.com/index.php? option=com_content&task=view&id=1000&Itemid=212 NZCPR Weekly - One in Six In this issue, NZCPR Weekly reflects on why one in six Maori live in Australia, Guest Commentator Kelly Te Heuheu, Maori Crime Specialist for the Sensible Sentencing Trust, describes the destructive effects of Maori tribalism, and the weekly poll asks NZCPR readers whether the abolition of the Maori seats would make a difference to the country. On Tuesday international "race relations day" - a day to promote the elimination of racial discrimination - will be celebrated by schools from all over the country. In New Zealand, the foundation for racial equality was laid with the Treaty of Waitangi. Under Article One of the Treaty, Maori ceded their sovereignty to the Queen. Under Article Two, property rights were established. And under Article Three, all New Zealanders were given equality under British Law. (An excellent analysis of the Treaty of Waitangi by Hon Sir Apirana Ngata is available exclusively through the NZCPR >>>) It remains a puzzle, however, that in a country where it is unlawful to discriminate on the basis of race, racism is being actively encouraged by the government. Racial discrimination by the state has fuelled deep divisions within New Zealand society. The existence of the Maori seats exacerbates the problem. According to the Electoral Commission, when the 1985 Royal Commission on the Electoral System considered the future of the Maori seats, it concluded that "