2. Kucinich will be in Hawaii Sept 13-15th!!
3. Train One Midwife, Save Thousands of Lives
4. This for voters: Wondering what "they" think of Hawaiians?
5. CUBAN SALSA Dance Jam!- Friday - SEPT. 7
6. Millions of Colombians Were Displaced - They Need Our Help!
7. Brasscheck TV: Traitors
8. stock market - comments
9. Action Alert: Your congressperson is home--here's what you can do for
Peace.
10. Bottled Water, a Scam? Could Be!!!
11. george carlin video -- the truth
12. All that you can be: Military recruitment in Hawaii's public high
schools
13. The Peace Center -Half-Life-Film
14. Tourism, Hawai'i Writing, and Monkey Waterfall August 17 and 18
15. Modern Day "Termination" - Could happen to an akaka Gov Entity! -
comment
16. Disappeared News - 2 new articles
17. DMZ A'ole Strykerz & Military Build up in da Aina
18. The Maladies of Affluence
19. Stone Age diet may aid diabetics (and others)
20. cities and counties that have passed impeachment resolutions
21. Law students to visit Kaniakapupu
22. ONIPA'A: A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FOR QUEEN LILIUOKALANI SUNDAY, 9/02,
10A~4P, IOLANI PALACE
23. Meet your Congressional Representatives!!!
24. Speaking up for Haloa (our elder brother) on Kaua'i
25. 'the shift'
1. Let the members know about Draft Al Gore and join www.AlGore.org
Date: Wed, 01 Aug 2007 21:04:40 -1000
From: Annelle Amaral <acamaral@yahoo.com>
E M A I L N E W S A L E R T
Hawaii needs Al Gore to get into the game! Oahu County Democrats: Join the
Hawaii Draft Al Gore movement at : http://www.algore.org. Sign up in the
Hawaii grooup (click Groups in upper lefthand corner or see longer url at
bottom) and go down the list to Hawaii. We need you to sign-up to give the
draft Al Gore movement a push.
Draft Al Gore in 2008, in other words, re-elect President Al Gore (he won
in 2000).
Hawaii needs Al Gore in this race to give it more substance and a broader
appeal and a win!
Al Gore has under his belt, eight years in the House, eight years in the
Senate, and eight years as Vice President. Not to mention six and half
years since then as an amazingly effective worldwide activist.
Gore has an important world view with such ideas as expressed in "The
Assault on Reason", a best-seller that takes on the sustainability of our
American democracy itself as well as our society and our environment.
Further, he has joined John Edwards in calling upon Americans "to be
patriotic about something other than the war.."
Al Gore is a political titan able to manage a federal government and to be
a credible representative of the United States to a world in great need of
diplomatic leadership who does not engender antipathies.
About Iraq, Al Gore has said (Sept. 2002): "The President is proclaiming a
new uniquely American right to preemptively attack whomsoever he may deem
represents a potential future threat. The administration has not said much
of anything to clarify its idea of what would follow regime change, or the
degree of engagement that it is prepared to accept for the United Staes in
Iraq in the montha and years after a regime change has taken place....If
what America represents to the world is leadership in a commonwealth of
equals, then our friends are legion. If what we represent to the world is
an empire, then it is our enemies who will be legion."
Join us now! http://www.algore.org/get_involved/gore_groups/hawaii_gore.08
Patrick Stanley 26-03
patstanley1@hawaiiantel.net
Democratic Party
State Chair:
Mike McCartney
County Chair:
Annelle Amaral
Region 9 Chair:
Charles Prentiss
District 51 Chair:
Albert Lewis
Precinct 1 President:
Vacant
________________________________________________________________________________
2. Kucinich will be in Hawaii Sept 13-15th!!
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 01:54:55 -1000
From: Robin Rae <Art4Peace@hawaii.rr.com>
I am a coordinator for the Kucinich campaign in Hawaii, and we now have
confirmed dates for Dennis' Hawaii visit. He will be here Sept 13-15th
(Thu-Sat). We are still working on details for specific events, but our
tentative schedule as to what islands on which days is as follows:
Sept 13, Thu: Oahu (TV/radio spots)
Hilo (UH-Hilo speaking event)
Kona (Aloha Theater speaking event)
Sept 14, Fri: Oahu (TV interview)
Maui (radio show, private fundraiser, speaking
event)
Sept 15, Sat: Oahu (or Kauai)
Oahu (Dem Women's Caucus presidential forum, priv
fundraiser, speaking event)
Dennis' wife, Elizabeth, will be visiting us as well. She will also be
speaking at various events around the islands.
We will need help in many areas at all of these events! So if anyone would
like to take part in any way, please contact me. This is going to be lots
of fun! Mahalo!!
In Peace,
Robin Rae =^. .^=
(808) 387-9238
Art4Peace@hawaii.rr.com
http://Kucinich.us
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Train One Midwife, Save Thousands of Lives
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 09:42:42 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Mavis Leno, Campaign for Afghan Women and Girls"
<feministmajority@mail.democracyinaction.org>
Feminist Majority Foundation
I am writing to ask for your help with a dire situation for women and
girls in Afghanistan. One in six women will die as a result of childbirth
or pregnancy-related complications. Maternal mortality rates in
Afghanistan are simply unacceptable.
Experts believe that the most effective strategy to reduce these needless
and tragic deaths is to train more midwives to assist in pregnancy and
childbirth. For only $3,000, a new midwife can be trained in Afghanistan.*
One midwife will in turn be able to promote the health and well-being of
countless Afghan women and their new infants. This is extremely important
in a country where the healthcare system in most provinces has been
devastated and is not functioning. Electricity and supplies are often
scarce. Many medical professionals have fled the country. Most Afghan
women, even if they are pregnant, have never seen a doctor. Family
planning is rarely available.
And all of this is under U.S. watch -- after we promised to provide
Afghanistan with a "Marshall Plan" and to free Afghan women.
We have an opportunity to help Afghan women and girls by providing funding
to train midwives. Please, donate now -- as generously as you can -- to
help train a midwife in Afghanistan. Your support will save lives.
Half of your generous contribution will go toward a midwife training
program run by the Shuhada Organization -- an Afghan women-led non-profit
organization, founded and led by Dr. Sima Samar, which operates hospitals,
clinics, and schools in Afghanistan.
The other half of your contribution will support the Feminist Majority
Foundation's Campaign for Afghan Women and Girls, which I chair. Our
public education campaign works to increase funding and resources for
Afghan women-led non-profit organizations, as well as education and health
programs, and to provide support for some 25 Afghan refugee women a year
to attend college in the U.S.
Please, while this email is in front of you, make as large a donation as
you possibly can. The lives of Afghan women and girls depend upon it.
For Women's Lives,
Mavis Leno
Mavis Nicholson Leno
Chair, FMF Campaign for Afghan Women and Girls
P.S. If you are interested in forming a fundraising action team in your
community to raise more funds for Afghan midwives, please email Susie
Gilligan at sgilligan@feminist.org.
*When we last wrote to you on this issue in June, we indicated that $2,000
could train a midwife in Afghanistan. Since then, the Afghan Minister of
Health has increased the standard for midwife training from a 12-month
course to 18 months?accordingly, the cost has gone up!
-----
Train a midwife -- save Afghan women's lives.
Half of your donation will go towards training midwives, and half will go
towards our public education campaign for Afghan women and girls.
One in every six Afghan women is dying in childbirth or from
pregnancy-related complications.
Please, donate now to save Afghan women's lives.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
4. This for voters: Wondering what "they" think of Hawaiians?
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 11:29:51 -0400 (EDT)
From: KahiwaL@cs.com
http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=8935
Prez Avoids the Rez
By Louis Gray 8/13/2007
In what was supposed to be a meeting that has been put off for over 200
years, the meeting of those seeking this country's highest office were at
last going to tell the Native Americans why they should vote for them has
been so far ignored again. But, it is not too late to make the right
decision.
Prez on the Rez was to be a vital stop for Democratic candidates wishing
to be President of the United States. There were certainly signs that the
event set for August 23, 2007 in Morongo, CA, because leaders like
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean has been strongly
supportive of Indian participation in the election process. As planned by
INDNSLIST Executive Director Kayln Free, the meeting to be held as part of
Campaign Camp August 20-25th. The camp was wildly successful last time in
assisting candidates with many Indians winning seats all across the
country.
So, you would think given the last presidential election came down to
several hundred votes, that anyone would be worth campaigning, especially
a segment of society which is growing in political clout and clearly an
untapped source of new voters. That is apparently of little or no
consequence to some candidates running for the democratic presidential
nod. Senator Hilary Clinton has so far dismissed any attempt to meet with
Indian leaders or to seek their vote. Oh, she has repeated the very
process that Indians want to see go away; don't campaign in Indian
country, just put some Indian on an obscure committee. That is not seeking
our vote and it does nothing to rev up the vote in Indian country.
Clearly Senator Barack Obama as a man of color would understand the unique
needs of Indian people need to be addressed with a personal visit. But, it
appears so far, he is just going to ignore the Indian vote all together.
Barack has come up with no Indian position or any effort to reach out to
the Native community. His campaign strategy is a mystery. It is a little
to the middle of the road; and you won't find Native Americans in the
middle of the political road, they remain on the fringe. To gather the
Indian vote you have to go off the road and visit with leaders who aren't
on any big donor list or where your usual stump speech will work. You have
to develop an Indian position. Maybe Barack doesn't know what he would
tell the Indian voter yet.
Senator John Edwards is someone who has sought out the Indian vote and has
jumped off the freeway to visit Indian country. He did so vigorously
during the last election cycle and made some inroads in Indian Country.
One can only guess, but perhaps he believes he has done enough. He too has
chosen to not commit to Prez on the Rez. That is unfortunate because it
appears he is being advised poorly. One staffer was heard saying something
to the effect that Indians have to vote democrat; where else can they
vote? Well, they can stay at home, vote Independent, or vote Republican.
They can also vote for another democratic candidate.
Now the good news; Governor Bill Richardson is coming. The New Mexican
governor has spent years in congress, as a United Nations Ambassador,
Secretary of Energy and someone who actually negotiated a cease-fire in
Darfur. His choice to come to Prez on the Rez is certainly welcomed as is
Congressman Dennis Kucinich's decision to seek the Indian vote. Of course
those close to the campaigns of all that are running will tell you that
Richardson and Kucinich are two the most courageous men running for the
highest office. Not a bad trait for those will be counted on to make tough
decisions.
Change occurs when good people do something. But, we must ask ourselves
will we change now, or do we have to wait another four years to see if we
are important? Can we afford to wait to see if our communities are worth
fighting for? Do we prove them right or do we prove them wrong? Would our
warrior elders allow this fight to go unchecked? Are our children worth
fighting for?
For Clinton, Obama and Edwards it is not too late nor is it too late for
Indian people to appeal to their campaigns and to tell them "you need to
come to Prez on the Rez if you want my vote."
We have nothing to lose at this point and everything to gain by letting
them know how we feel. Do you feel your vote is important? Call or email
them today and let them know what you think; it might be your only chance.
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~---------------------
5. CUBAN SALSA Dance Jam!- Friday - SEPT. 7
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 06:30:06 -1000
From: tuamoree dibiase <dhirad@hotmail.com>
CUBAN SALSA
DANCE JAM
Sept. 7
Dance Salsa, Rueda, and other popular dances
to the latest sounds from Havana
with
DJ Gene.ius One at Honolulu's newest Latin venue.
Salsa dance lesson at 9pm.
Lots of free parking, large dance floor.
Dream to Dance Studio, 661 Auahi St. #201,
9pm-Midnight
$5
Call 295-4815 or 722-3265 for more information
http://quebola.us
------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Millions of Colombians Were Displaced - They Need Our Help!
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 11:22:03 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Emily L., Care2 Action Alerts" <actionalerts@care2.com>
On June 21, Congress gave Jose and his younger brother, Edward, good
reason to smile as the House passed an important Colombian-assistance
bill.
Tell the Senate it's their turn to pass this bill for Colombia.
The bill in front of the Senate today would help 3.8 million Colombians -
los desplazados - who were forced off their lands by Colombia's
long-running conflict.
The bill includes a large increase in humanitarian aid - aid to help
Colombians who were displaced, strengthen the judicial system, invest in
rural development and help farmers turn away from growing coca, the main
ingredient in cocaine.
The bill increases development aid and shifts the focus from military and
police aid. It also provides for economic development activities for
Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities.
Help Mercy Corps persuade the Senate to support this much-needed new
approach to Colombian aid!
If you cannot see the links in this email, please visit:
http://go.care2.com/e/scal/L3Ki/JVYC
Thank you for making a difference!
Emily L.
Care2 and
ThePetitionSite Team
________________________________________________________________________________
7. Brasscheck TV: Traitors
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:03:02 -0700 (PDT)
From: Kekahuna Keaweiwi <kekahunakeaweiwi@yahoo.com>
Sharing. Sorry for dups....Jaunita, make sure Sherry gets this. I hope she
considers Imihana's future well being.
These two videos are worth looking at. They bring an honest and unspun
perspective to our lives. Too many young and innocent lives have been
lost. Sadly enough, we never feel the full weight and pain until someone
close...someone we love immensely....someone.dear to us is killed
For those of us with kids soon to graduate.....it is wise to seriously
consider the Political/Presidential Campaignes that will influence
wheather our kids will be sent into harms way, beit of their own
choice...or by an all service DRAFT that is being manipulated back into
law.
We all have a choice. We cannot claim ignorance...apathy...or denial any
longer. Our children's lives with repsect to current & future wars is in
our hands as well as those the people in this country elect into office.
No! I am not promoting any candidate....I am promoting common sense and
courage so all parents can take part in our children's future....and
choose to do the right thing for our kids.
Foster
Note: forwarded message attached.
[ Part 2: "Included Message" ]
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 05:51:37 -0400
From: Brasscheck TV <news@brasschecktv.com>
Foster
People talk about impeaching Bush and Cheney.
That would be a good place to start.
I think there's also a case to be made that they belong in prison.
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/133.html
- Brasscheck
P.S. Please share Brasscheck videos and e-mails with your friends and
colleagues. That's how we grow.
Brasscheck TV
2380 California St.
San Francisco, CA 94115
------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. stock market
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 11:10:37 -1000
From: mike reitz <mreitz@pacbell.net>
Not the stock market, but the banking system open market...basically they
made available huge amounts of cash to the banks to insure their liquidity
(reserves). The most curious thing (and politically cagey but dangerous
thing) is that The Fed, instead of having US Treasuries be the collateral
for these "loans" (or repo agreements) took mortgage-backed securities.
Meaning, yes, that all that bad paper floating around the collapsing
housing market is what is underwriting this cash. But you're primary
observation about desperation and risk is right on point...this is now
just a much bigger house of cards.
I have a long boring article on the subject I'll send you (or anyone else
who is interested) rather than posting to the list...unless there's enough
demand.
m
------
From: HOONANEA@aol.com
Sent: Monday, August 13, 2007 9:15 PM
Aloha
CNN said the other day that the Federal Reserve "injected" billions of
dollars into the stock market to keep it from falling too far. A couple
days later other central banks did likewise.
I never heard of such a thing happening before. Anyone else? Seems
pretty desperate ... and puts the whole Fed at risk.
rg
________________________________________________________________________________
9. Action Alert: Your congressperson is home--here's what you can do for
Peace.
Date: Thu, 02 Aug 2007 15:17:08 -0400 (EDT)
From: Tikkun/Network of Spiritual Progressives <info@nsp.org>
The Network of Spiritual Progressives
A Project of the Tikkun Community
What YOU can do for peace while your Congressperson and Senators are
back in your distrcit during the month of August and first week of
September.
August Action Alert : Turn Up the Heat on Congress !!!
--An NSP Perspective
During the month of August, U.S. Senators and Congressional
Representatives will be back in their home states and districts. It is
vitally important that all of them - Democrats and Republicans - get a
loud and clear message from their constituents that Congress must bring
the Iraq War to an end. In September, the House and Senate will vote on
another $142 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for FY 2008.
If Congress accedes to the President's request, the White House may have
all the money it needs to continue the war virtually until the end of the
Bush Presidency.
The message the anti-war movement is conveying is simple: Congress must
the use the "power of the purse" to remove all U.S. soldiers and
contractors from Iraq on a rapid and binding timeline. Congress must also
enact legislation to ensure that the White House does not begin a new war
in Iran.
These are the exact words sent to us from the United for Peace and
Justice. Unfortunately, in our estimation, that simple message is not deep
enough to mobilize Americans in time to cut off the funding. There needs
to be another dimension: a positive vision of what happens next, both for
Iraq in particular, and for the U.S. in relationship to the world after we
get our troops out of Iraq. We are part of the UFPJ, and have repeatedly
tried to get them to understand this message, but based on the
communication we received this morning, they simply still don't get it,
and hence will not succeed in blocking the funding.
We have the answer to these questions that befuddle many Americans. We are
calling for the U.S. to announce that it will turn over its bases to an
international peace force composed of Muslims from non-neighboring
countries plus troops from other countries who have not been engaged in
fighting Iraqis, donate all the monies needed to pay for such a force and
to rebuild Iraq, publicly repudiate its entire strategy of domination and
replace it with a strategy of generosity toward others as the best way to
achieve Homeland Security (no, Mr. Obama?not start another war in Pakistan
to prove how tough we are on terrorists as you seemed to suggest on August
1st, and no, Ms. Clinton, not refuse to talk to those we deem our
enemies), and launch a Global Marshall Plan which dedicates 1-2% of the
GDP each year for the next twenty to eliminating poverty, homelessness,
hunger, inadequate education, inadequate health care, and repairing the
global environment.
So while the anti-war movement UFPJ people suggest (and we agree) that
this is a good time (in August, when your elected representatives are on
vacation and usually holding meetings in their home districts) to hold
demonstrations, leaflet, and challenge those who have either supported the
war or been lukewarm in their opposition to it, we want to suggest that
the anti-war movement become a Peace Movement by advocating for the
specific program presented in our last paragraph (details are on our
website www.spiritualprogressives.org under the category of the Global
Marshall Plan and the Strategy of Generosity).
What Kind of Actions will work? UFPJ suggests
Negative Publicity for Those Who Support the War: During the most recent
session of Congress, there were for the first time significant votes on
Iraq. This gives us the best opportunity to generate negative publicity
for those legislators who are voting to continue the war. Find out how
your Rep. and Senator have been voting on Iraq here:
http://www.capwiz.com/peaceactionwest/keyvotes.xc/?lvl=C
Many constituents are not aware that their officials keep voting for the
war. Flyers, letters to the editors, press conferences are all ways to
educate the public and ratchet up the pressure. You can also attend a town
hall meeting and ask your members of Congress about their votes and why
they don't want our troops to come home.
Meetings with Members of Congress or their Staff: If you are forming a
delegation, try to assemble a diverse group, which could hopefully include
a member of the clergy, a union representative, an Iraq vet, or a family
member of someone serving in Iraq. Our central message is "All troops out
of Iraq, " "No New War in Iran!" On the House side, we encourage you to
use a new tool: 70 Congressional represenatives recently signed a letter
sent to President Bush saying they will only provide funds for a complete
withdrawal of U.S. troops. Urge your representative to sign on if he or
she has not yet done so. For talking points for your meetings, and for the
text of the letter, visit the UFPJ Legislative page on our web site:
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/congress
Call-A-Thons, Postcards and Emails: Many member groups around the country
will be using this month to hand out flyers and set up information tables
to educate constituents and to facilitate the flow of messages into
Congressional offices. Find ideas and resources here:
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?list=type&type=114
Vigils and Demonstrations: This is an excellent time to hold local
marches, demonstrations or vigils outside the home offices of elected
officials. It would be useful to check on the Declaration of Peace
http://www.declarationofpeace.org/ and Iraq Summer
http://www.noiraqescalation.org/iraq_summer/ websites to see what events
may have been planned and to list your event if you are planning one.
All this makes most sense for the people who think it will work to just be
an anti-war movement. We don't agree. While we support all of these
activities, we think that the frame of consciousness needs to be
different, and that we should be talking specifically about the ideas we
proposed above for how to get out and the vision of the Global Marshall
Plan and the Strategy of Generosity.
Specifically, we want you to ask your elected representatives in your city
council to pass a resolution endorsing the Strategy of Generosity and the
Global Marshall Plan, and your state legislators, and ask your
Congressional and U.S. Senate reps to endorse this approach publicly.
Sample RESOLUTION
BY COUNCIL MEMBER__________________________________________________:
WHEREAS, the city of _________________ affirms the highest American
values of love, caring, kindness, and generosity;
WHEREAS, the unbridled pursuit of narrow self-interest, both through
military tactics and through economic means, has bred anti-American
sentiment in other parts of the world and contributed to widespread
poverty and environmental degradation;
WHEREAS, standing in solidarity with all of the peoples of the world and
actively caring for each other is a more effective means to achieve
long-term security and survival than is violence and militarism;
WHEREAS, the Global Marshall Plan will call for
? Dedication of least 1-2% of the gross domestic product of the G-8
nations, starting with the United States as a leader by example, every
year for the next 20 years to eliminating global poverty, homelessness,
and hunger; to improving education and health care; and to restoring the
global environment; ? Creation of an international, unbiased,
nongovernmental mechanism for receiving the funds (including both foreign
aid and alternative sources of financing) and distributing them in a way
that is environmentally sensitive, respectful of native cultures,
safeguarded against corruption, protected from manipulation to serve elite
interests, and empowering of the people in each region; ? Revision of
trade agreements in which the U.S. is currently involved so that they no
longer privilege the most powerful and economically successful Western
countries and the elites of other countries at the expense of the poor of
the world and so that they protect farmers at home and abroad; and so that
they support working people in organizing, receiving a living wage, and
working under adequate safety and health conditions and environmental
safeguards; ? Hands-on involvement from peoples of the Western world,
starting with the United States, through a greatly expanded peace and
justice corps open to people of all ages and compensating them with
college tuition and room and board or generous stipends; ? Training armies
of the world to become experts in ecologically sensitive construction of
those aspects of their own societies that need relief and reconstruction,
including agriculture, health care, housing, infrastructure, education,
and appropriate technology; and ? Worldwide training in techniques of
nonviolent communication, respect for cultural and other diversity,
environmental sustainability, family and parental support, stress
reduction, emergency health techniques, diet and exercise, and caring for
others who are in need of help.
WHEREAS, the enactment of a Global Marshall Plan will benefit the City of
____________ by holding generosity and caring as organizing principles
for American society, which will change the tone of the society;
WHEREAS, the enactment of a Global Marshall Plan will benefit the City of
____________ by eventually redirecting funds from war and defense to
programs to eliminate domestic poverty and thus by eliminating a root
cause of violence in our community;
WHEREAS, the enactment of a Global Marshall Plan will benefit the City of
___________ by eventually reducing federal spending on the military
budget, which is currently $439 billion, thereby redirecting funds to the
states and cities and assisting in the balancing of our City budget;
WHEREAS, the enactment of a Global Marshall Plan will benefit the City of
__________ by encouraging individuals to express their innate tendencies
toward generosity and caring rather than those toward domination and
control, thereby strengthening human relationships and creating a
stronger City;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the ____________ City Council
supports the enactment of a Global Marshall Plan in a spirit of humility
and with great sensitivity to cultural differences and environmental
sustainability;
[Paragraph for use where member of Congress has not yet become involved]
FURTHERMORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the ____________ City Council urges
Rep.________________to become an advocate for the Global Marshall Plan in
the U.S. Congress.
Whatever you do to change our war-oriented consciousness?tell us about it.
Tell us what you tried and problems came up for you, questions that you
couldn't answer, resistances that you couldn't overcome, etc. But also
tell us what did work, and what you think you did specifically to make the
communication work! Send that info to Nichola@tikkun.org.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Bottled Water, a Scam? Could Be!!!
From: KahiwaL@cs.com
Sent: Thursday, August 02, 2007 4:39 AM
http://www.alternet.org/environment/58604/
Pepsi Forced to Admit It's Bottling Tap Water
By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!. Posted August 2, 2007.
Pepsi is being forced to change the labels on its Aquafina water to admit
it is tap water. But that is just the tip of the iceberg, as activists are
ramping up campaigns against the water-bottling giants, Coke, Pepsi and
Nestle. AMY GOODMAN: The soft drink giant Pepsi has been forced to make an
embarrassing admission: Its bestselling Aquafina bottled water is nothing
more than tap water. Last week, Pepsi agreed to change the labels of
Aquafina to indicate the water comes from a public water source. Pepsi
agreed to change its label under pressure from the advocacy group
Corporate Accountability International, which has been leading an
increasingly successful campaign against bottled water.
In San Francisco, Mayor Gavin Newsom recently banned city departments from
using city money to buy any kind of bottled water. In New York, local
residents are being urged to drink tap water. The U.S. Conference of
Mayors has passed a resolution that highlighted the importance of
municipal water and called for more scrutiny of the impact of bottled
water on city waste.
The environmental impact of the country's obsession with bottled water has
been staggering. Each day an estimated 60 million plastic water bottles
are thrown away. Most are not recycled. The Pacific Institute has
estimated 20 million barrels of oil are used each year to make the plastic
for water bottles.
Economically, it makes sense to stop buying bottled water as well. The
Arizona Daily Star recently examined the cost difference between bottled
water and water from the city's municipal supply. A half-liter of Pepsi's
Aquafina at a Tucson convenience store costs $1.39. The bottle contains
purified water from the Tucson water supply. From the tap, you can pour
over 6.4 gallons for a penny. That makes the bottled stuff about 7,000
times more expensive, even though Aquafina is using the same water source.
Gigi Kellett of Corporate Accountability International joins us in Boston,
the group spearheading the Think Outside the Bottle campaign. We're also
joined by freelance writer Michael Blanding. Last year he wrote an article
for Alternet.org called "The Bottled Water Lie." We welcome you both to
Democracy Now!
I want to begin with Gigi Kellett. Talk about Pepsi's admission.
GIGI KELLETT: Well, after a couple of years of our Think Outside the
Bottle campaign, we have been asking of the bottled water corporations to
come clean about where they get their water, what is the source of the
water that they're bottling, because most people don't know that Pepsi's
Aquafina, Coke's Dasani, come from our public water systems. And so, after
thousands of phone calls, thousands of public comments submitted to the
corporation, and us taking these demands directly to the corporation's
annual shareholder meeting this year, Pepsi last week made the
announcement that it would reveal that it gets its water from our public
water systems.
AMY GOODMAN: Now, where exactly does Pepsi get it? Which public water
supply?
GIGI KELLETT: Well, that is the issue that we're really looking at next,
is what cities are they bottling the water in. You know, here in
Massachusetts, it's coming from Ayre, Mass. So we want to make sure that
on those bottles it says: "Public water source: Ayre, Massachusetts." That
way, people know exactly what they're getting when they're buying that
Aquafina bottled water.
AMY GOODMAN: Ayre being the name of a town in Massachusetts.
GIGI KELLETT: Ayre is the name of a town, right. Exactly.
AMY GOODMAN: And what happens to the town? They have their public water
supply, and they have the plant for Pepsi?
GIGI KELLETT: That's right. We want to make sure that -- you know, Pepsi
has certainly taken a lead on this for the bottled water industry, and we
want to make sure that Coke and Nestle also follow suit. One of the things
that we're finding as we're talking to people about this issue on the
street is that they don't know where the water is coming from. And the
bottled water corporations have spent tens of millions of dollars on ads
that make people think that bottled water is somehow better, cleaner,
safer than our public water systems. And in reality, we know that that's
not true. And so, we want to make sure that we're increasing our people's
confidence in their public water systems once again and knowing that we
need to be investing in our public systems.
AMY GOODMAN: Gigi, can you go further on who owns what? You mention
Nestle. What does Nestle own?
GIGI KELLETT: Nestle owns several dozen brands of bottled water. The
bottled water brand they source from our public water systems is called
Nestle Pure Life. They also own Poland Spring, Ozarka, Arrowhead. The list
goes on. And regionally, it's distributed across the country. And then we
also have Coca-Cola, which bottles Dasani water, and, of course, Pepsi
with Aquafina.
AMY GOODMAN: And when it comes to being tap water, what is the difference
between plain tap water and distilled water from these public sources.
GIGI KELLETT: Well, there's very little difference. You know, our public
water systems go through a very rigorous testing and monitoring system and
is tested by the Environmental Protection Agency. So we want to make sure
that people know that our public water systems are much better regulated
than these bottled water brands, which don't have to go through the same
rigorous type of process.
AMY GOODMAN: We're talking to Gigi Kellett, associate campaigns director
of Corporate Accountability International. Michael Blanding, a freelance
writer, has written the piece "The Bottled Water Lie." Michael, what is
the lie?
MICHAEL BLANDING: Well, there are actually several lies, I think, that the
bottled water companies perpetrate, but I think the main one is exactly
what Gigi said, that this image bolstered by, you know, millions and
millions of dollars of advertising that bottled water is somehow better
for you, it tastes better, it's more pure. And in many cases, that's
simply not true. People are paying enormous premiums for bottled water and
don't even realize the fact that in many cases not only does tap water
taste the same, but that it's actually more tightly regulated and actually
healthier for you. There have been, you know, several cases of bottled
water that's actually been contaminated and found to contain hazardous
chemicals. And tap water, there's actually a rigorous testing and
monitoring of the water supply that actually in many cases makes it
healthier.
AMY GOODMAN: When we come back from break, I want to talk about some of
those cases of contamination, but also talk about the community struggles
that are working to take back their water supply. Our guests are Michael
Blanding, who wrote "The Bottled Water Lie," and Gigi Kellett of Corporate
Accountability International. Stay with us.
AMY GOODMAN: Now, Michael, you begin your piece by talking about Antonia
Mahoney. Talk about who she is.
MICHAEL BLANDING: She was someone who was just walking down the street in
downtown Boston when the folks at Corporate Accountability -- Gigi and the
folks in her group -- were holding something called the Tap Water
Challenge, which was a taste test between tap water and various bottled
water brands, Aquafina and Dasani. And I stood there during the afternoon
and watched many people come up who were bottled water drinkers and could
swear that they could tell the difference and that they could recognize
their brand.
And Antonia Mahoney was one of those who -- she actually had given off
drinking tap water a few years ago and was drinking only Poland Spring and
knew that she would be able to tell Poland Spring from all the other types
of water that she was drinking there. And it turned out that what she
thought was Poland Spring was actually the tap water from Boston, the good
old tap water, which -- we actually have very good tap water that comes
from western Mass here. So she was very surprised and shocked, and decided
right there that she was going to leave off her contract of paying $30 a
month for Poland Spring water, which she got delivered to her house. So it
was very -- and there were other experiences like that during the day that
I witnessed.
AMY GOODMAN: Michael, you write about the problems of a suspected
carcinogen chemical, bromate. You talk about the contamination of Dasani
water, owned by Coca-Cola, in 2004. Explain what the problems are, the
contamination issues.
MICHAEL BLANDING: So, ironically, one of the processes that actually takes
the tap water and purifies it -- it's called ozonation -- can actually in
some cases have a byproduct, which is bromate, which is, as you say, a
suspected carcinogen. And the largest case of contamination was in the
U.K. in 2004, right when Dasani launched in the United Kingdom. They had
something like a half-million bottles of Dasani water actually found to be
contaminated, and people were getting sick. And it's just indicative of
the lack of controls and the lack of monitoring that you find with bottled
water.
And it's not an isolated case. There have been many others that have
occurred. Most recently up in Upstate New York, with an independent
bottled water company, there were multiple cases of bromate contamination,
as well.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about the issue of filtering? First of all, I
don't know if people realize when something says "public water source"
that it means tap water. But then, what it means for that tap water to be
filtered -- you talk about additional techniques like reverse-osmosis.
MICHAEL BLANDING: Right, yeah. So there are various techniques that the
companies use, and they tout them as these proprietary techniques that
they go through seven different phases of filtering, and all the rest of
it. And when you look at it, though -- reverse osmosis is the main one,
which is basically just pushing water through a membrane to remove
contaminants, and it's actually very similar to the type of process that
can be found in home water filters, just the kind that you attach to your
tap for a couple of hundred bucks. So -- it's not as sophisticated as they
might pretend that it is.
AMY GOODMAN: And internationally, the movements, from Bolivia to Peru, La
Paz, all over.
MICHAEL BLANDING: Yeah. What's interesting is that, here in the United
States, there are several communities that have actually had plants take a
lot of water from their groundwater up in Michigan where they can actually
see the water level of one of their streams declining because of the
massive amount that Nestle was taking from their water.
And it's even a more critical issue in other countries where water
scarcity is a real problem, so places like India, where Coca-Cola and
Pepsi have actually really depleted communities, and farmers have been
unable to grow their crops, it's kind of been a double whammy. They've
taken the water, and then the water that they -- the waste water they've
dumped back has been polluted, in many cases. And so, that's one issue, is
just the depletion of water from the plants themselves.
And then the other issue, which I know Gigi could talk about, is just the
perception that comes across that somehow tap water is -- municipal water
is somehow not as good as water that's been privatized. And so, you have
-- it sort of starts this steady creep of where privatization of water
sources becomes OK. And there have been many communities, like in Bolivia,
where water supplies have been privatized and have been sold back to --
water that was previously free has, you know, skyrocketed in price. And
people have taken to the streets and protested and actually got the
private companies to leave.
AMY GOODMAN: Gigi Kellett, let's talk about the tainting of the image of
the municipal water supply in this country, the effect of the bottled
water advertising industry campaigns.
GIGI KELLETT: Well, this is something that's of real concern to our
organization and our members and activists across the country, because we
are seeing this -- who are we turning to to provide our drinking water?
And there are -- these bottled water corporations are spending tens of
millions of dollars every year on ads that effectively undermine people's
confidence in their water.
There was actually a poll done by the University of Arkansas earlier this
year that found young people tend to choose bottled water over tap water,
because they feel it's somehow cleaner or better than their public water
systems. And as we've already mentioned here, we know that in reality
that's not true. So there is a real concern about the impact that these
bottled water corporations are having on the way we think about water.
And our Think Outside the Bottle campaign is aiming to change that, and
we're having real success with cities like San Francisco and Ann Arbor,
Mich., and New York City, taking a lead on putting their public water
systems back in the forefront and not contracting with bottled water
corporations, for example, like in Salt Lake City and in San Francisco.
And we're seeing restaurants turn to the tap in lieu of bottled water. So
there's a lot that people are starting to look at in terms of this
industry and what changes we can make to promote our own public water
systems here in this country and make sure that they have the funding they
need to thrive, and that also we're looking internationally to make sure
that countries that may be cash-strapped also have the resources they need
to have good, strong public water systems and not turn to privatization.
AMY GOODMAN: Gigi, tell us about what happened in Salt Lake City and in
San Francisco, with the mayor announcing that city money cannot be used to
buy bottled water.
GIGI KELLETT: That's right. You know, the mayor of San Francisco, Gavin
Newsom, after we had been working with his staff there, working with the
San Francisco Department of the Environment and the San Francisco Public
Utilities Commission, they looked at how much money they were spending on
bottled water every year. It was close to a half-million dollars. And they
said, "We're the forefront. We're cities. We're the forefront of ensuring
that people have access to good, safe, clean water. And we're also now at
the forefront of dealing with the waste that results from the bottled
water industry. So we need to take a stand as a city." And in June, Mayor
Newsom issued an executive order saying that the city would no longer be
buying bottled water. And he joined with the mayor of Salt Lake City,
Rocky Anderson, and also the mayor of Minneapolis, R.T. Rybak, to put
forward a resolution at the U.S. Conference of Mayors calling on a study
to really look at what are the impacts of bottled water on our municipal
waste. So it's a real great leadership that we're seeing of these cities.
AMY GOODMAN: And, Gigi, what about the effect that the water in the
plastic bottle has? Is there any kind of leeching out? People think that
they're getting healthier water in all sorts of ways, but what about the
impact of that plastic?
GIGI KELLETT: Well, there are a number of concerns about the impact of the
plastic, yes, of course, in the leeching. These bottles that are made are
single-serve bottles, so they're not intended to be reused, because of the
potential for leeching of the plastic into -- when you're drinking the
water. And then, of course, there are the environmental impacts of the
bottles that are ending up in our landfills and on the side of the road as
litter. They're not being recycled. Only about 23 percent of these plastic
bottles are being recycled. So it's a huge impact for our environment and,
of course, for people's health. So we want people to be looking at turning
back to the tap and thinking outside the bottle.
Amy Goodman is the host of the nationally syndicated radio news program,
Democracy Now!
________________________________________________________________________________
11. george carlin video -- the truth
Date: Fri, 03 Aug 2007 15:18:50 -0700
From: Rebecca Cummings <beckyspi@mac.com>
This video says it all, and it's short enough (3 min) to down load w/ dial
up -- I did
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18100.htm
Becky
I will be harsh as truth, and as uncompromising as justice. On this
subject i do not wish to think, or speak, or write, with moderation. No!
no! Tell a man whose house is on fire to give a moderate alarm; tell him
to moderately rescue his wife from the hands of the ravisher; tell the
mother to gradually extricate her babe from the fire into which it has
fallen; but urge me not to use moderation in a cause like the present.:
William Lloyd Garrison (1805 - 1879)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. All that you can be: Military recruitment in Hawaii's public high
schools
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 18:23:00 -1000
From: Scott Crawford <scott@aloha.net>
http://www.haleakalatimes.com/news/story2614.aspx
Haleakala Times
August 14, 2007
All that you can be
Military recruitment in Hawaii's public high schools
When it comes to military recruitment in public schools, no child's
information is left inaccessible.
According to a brief section of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB),
any school receiving federal funding is required to provide military
recruiters with middle and high school students' names, phone numbers, and
addresses upon request. Meanwhile, the Pentagon maintains a Department of
Defense (DoD) database known as the Joint Advertising and Market Research
Studies Recruiting Database that contains extensive information on
approximately 30 million Americans ages 16 to 25.
The database is updated daily and includes information such as social
security number, grade point average, ethnicity, areas of study, height,
weight, email address, selective service registration, and phone number.
Individuals may opt out from being included in this database but must
repeat this process upon changing address. Many objectors claim that this
database violates the Federal Privacy Act.
The military also uses the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery as a
means of information gathering. The "most widely used multiple aptitude
test in the world," the DoD develops and maintains the test and more than
half of America's high schools participate. Students' scores determine
which occupations best suit them. Taking the ASVAB is also a requirement
for military enlistment.
In order for their tests to be processed, students are required to sign a
waiver that allows the military to keep any information provided on the
form for various uses. In most cases, military recruiters automatically
receive copies of students' scores, names, grades, sex, addresses, phone
numbers, and post-graduation plans unless the school decides against
releasing this information.
"Many students will take the ASVAB and not know what it is," Pitcaithley
says. "It gives the military a foot in the door to accessing students."
One mother says that during her son's freshmen orientation this summer at
Baldwin High School on Maui, a guidance counselor mentioned the ASVAB as a
free test offered to students by the military.
"The counselor told us that you don't have to join the military if you
take the test, but didn't even bring up the fact that the military will
have a record of the students' information and that they may be subject to
recruitment," the mother says. "I don't think the schools are trying to be
covert but I think they may be misguided." The mother prefers not to
reveal her name because she does not want her son to have problems at
school, nor does she want people to think she is unpatriotic. The Baldwin
guidance office could not be reached to determine whether the school
releases ASVAB information to the military.
Recruitment and Military on Campus
Hawaii ranked fourteenth in the nation in 2006 for the number of
active-duty Army recruits per 1,000 youth ages 15 through 24, according to
an Army report requested by the National Priorities Project (NPP). The
report also ranked Honolulu number 22 out of the top 100 U.S. counties for
the number of active-duty Army recruits in 2006.
Combined with the 116,000 retired military personnel living in Hawaii, the
military-connected population totals 217,030 (17 percent of Hawaii's total
population). The 2000 U.S. Census found that Hawaii has the largest
percentage of its population in the military among the states."
In addition to military recruiters' ability to gain access to student
information, in many cases they also command a strong presence on high
school campuses.
Pete Shimazaki, who has been a teacher on Oahu in various capacities for
the past five years, says he witnessed an Army recruiter holding a push-up
contest at Farrington High School on Oahu that required students to fill
out their name, address, and phone number on a clipboard before competing
for an Army T-shirt.
Shimizaki, who is also coordinator for Oahu's truth in recruiting group,
CHOICES, mentions that in some schools recruiters also hold assemblies,
give presentations in classrooms, have their own desks at schools, and
volunteer to chaperone at school functions.
"You can't go anywhere without seeing military advertising," he says.
"There are calendars, lanyards, book covers, and recruiters everywhere."
The DoD's spending on recruiting stations and advertising surpassed $1.8
billion in 2006. When you include the pay and benefits of 22,000 military
recruiters and other related costs the total amount spent is around $4
billion per year, according to the NPP.
A teacher at Hilo High reports that the principal, a former marine,
allowed an Air Force jazz band to perform during lunch one day, and while
the band was warming up, the students heard the music from their
classrooms, got excited, and the classes were disrupted. During the
performance, a large banner unraveled before the band revealing a phone
number to call to enlist.
"That was nasty. That was not fair," says the teacher, who chooses not to
reveal her identity in order maintain her reputation at the school. "If
you're going to show the military's side, you have to offer other sides of
the story."
Clare Loprinzi says that when she was substitute teaching at Kealakehe
High School on the Big Island two years ago, the career and counselor
office walls were covered in military posters with only two posters for
colleges. She says she posted two truth-in-recruiting posters that were
taken down that same day. Loprinzi says she also aired on the school's
morning announcements and discussed with students some of the realities of
military life including the number of women who are raped in the military.
"I was really active at Kealakehe two years ago and then I wasn't asked
back to substitute the following year. Even though teachers told me they
wanted me to teach for them, they were told by administration to not ask
me to teach for them" Loprinzi says. "If I can't speak the truth, then
I'm not teaching. You're not going to find other teachers who are willing
to speak up like me. They are afraid to lose their jobs."
Other Hawaii teachers contacted for this article were unwilling to speak
out on the subject of military and recruiter presence on campus. Several
throughout the state, however, reported witnessing military recruiters
approaching special education students.
"We thought this was criminal," says Diaz, who was contacted by concerned
teachers. "The students already have cognitive problems that could affect
their decision-making. It's scary."
Kajihiro, who hears about military and recruitment abuses through his work
with AFSC, says that one teacher reported that his school offered a
military recruitment fair without offering any alternative careers or
information.
"Schools should not be used for recruiting," Kajihiro says. "Schools have
an obligation to offer a world of possibilities^ÊI think it's true that
some people gain positive experiences from the military, but there are
other ways to serve the public without taking a life."
"The relationship between recruiters and students is an area between
adults and kids that people aren't monitoring," says Catherine Kennedy,
coordinator for Truth2Youth on the Big Island. She mentions several
instances she has heard of nationwide in which recruiters have had sexual
relations with students. The Associated Press reports that in 2005 more
than 80 military recruiters were disciplined for sexual misconduct with
potential enlistees and that 722 Army recruiters have been accused of rape
and sexual misconduct since 1996.
JROTC The Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps reports more than 3,200
units nationwide, 501,000 students enrolled, and 700 schools on waiting
lists to obtain programs. State education funds and federal DoD funds
totaling $600 per JROTC student per year supply instructor salaries,
learning materials, uniforms, and equipment. Principals may choose to
allocate school funds for additional program needs. Of Hawaii's 46 public
non-charter high schools, 24 have JROTC programs.
"We're pretty saturated, naturally, as a small state," says Lt. Col.
Antoinette Correia, Hawaii JROTC coordinator. "The JROTC curriculum
focuses on civics, physical fitness, and optional extracurricular
activities such as rappelling, military skills, marksmanship, obstacle
courses, and drill and ceremony." She reports that six of the state's
JROTC programs offer marksmanship in which cadets fire pellet guns. The
JROTC curriculum, a three or four year program for high school students,
was developed by the military and is taught by retired military personnel.
It emphasizes military service as one of the several ways one can serve
and lead the country.
"These recruiters and JROTC instructors are not certified teachers, yet
they are given the same access to students as teachers," Pitcaithley says.
"This makes parents and students think they have to trust them."
West Hawaii Today reported on April 12, 2007, that a male teacher
allegedly had sexual relations with a female student in the tenth grade at
Kealakehe High School before the school's Easter break this year. West
Hawaii Complex Area Superintendent Art Souza confirms the teacher in
question is a JROTC instructor. Souza says the investigation is complete
but that a final decision has not yet been made as to what will happen to
the instructor, whose name has not yet been released.
"This is a complicated situation," Souza says. "We have to deal with the
teacher's contract with the DOE, the police investigation and criminal
proceedings, and the teacher's contract with the military."
Objectors argue that JROTC is yet another way for the military and
recruitment to expand its influence in schools. An AFSC executive summary
reads: "Public schooling strives to promote respect for other cultures,
critical thinking, and basic academic skills in a safe environment. In
contrast, JROTC introduces guns into the schools, promotes authoritarian
values, uses rote learning methods, and consigns much student time in the
program to learning drill, military history and protocol, which have
little relevance outside the military."
Cadets are required to wear JROTC uniforms once a week. At some schools,
cadets carry the flag at football games, hold drill meets, and march ahead
of the class at graduation ceremonies.
"I've seen JRTOC teachers yelling at kids and being really intimidating,"
says Loprinzi of her experiences at Kealakehe High School. She adds that
instructors often approach less popular kids to sign up and that students
have told her JROTC teachers encourage students to enlist in the military
in order to have their college paid for.
"Recruitment is not our goal," Correia says. "The kids JROTC attracts are
often those who can't find a place in high school. We give them a place
where they can belong and where they can feel good about themselves."
Although the AFSC reports that 45 percent of JROTC cadets join the
military after high school, Correia says this figure is around 20 percent
for Hawaii programs.
About Face, Forward March, and Community All Stars
The National Guard sponsors three extracurricular programs-About Face,
Forward March, and Community All Stars-that are available to students
throughout the nation. In Hawaii, these programs are available in varying
degrees on Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, Maui, and the Big Island.
The program pays students $15 per after school session and are available
at schools for 12 to 19 year olds, depending on the program. The programs
claim to offer work and life skills, critical thinking exercises,
supplemental guest speakers, budget and meal planning, among others.
Program directors say that these programs are not used for recruiting.
Opting Out
There are options for parents who want to safeguard their children from
recruiters and the programs they promote. The NCLB act, states that
students or parents can opt out from having their information released to
the military. Still, questions remain as to whether people are aware of
this option.
In Hawaii, the number of students who opted out from having their personal
information released to recruiters rose from 1,913 to 21,836, nearly a
quarter of the secondary student body, from the 2005/2006 to 2006/2007
school years. "Students can initiate opt out requests by turning in some
formal writing,"says Greg Kanudsen, communications director for the Hawaii
State Board of Education (BOE). "Parents don't even have to sign." He also
explains that opt out requests are valid only for the school year in which
they are submitted. One must opt out each year in order to keep
information private.
Ann Pitcaithley, coordinator for Maui Careers in Peacemaking, notes that
in her experience promoting truth in recruiting she has found that a high
percentage of parents are unaware that their children may opt out. Many
cases, however, have been reported in which recruiters have contacted
students regardless of the fact that they had requested otherwise.
"My daughter opted out and was contacted by recruiters at least twice on
her cell phone," explains Ave Diaz, who launched Careers in Peacemaking
in 2005. "They finally ceased when she told them her mother was a peace
activist."
Lies and Truth in Recruiting
Former Navy Officer Pablo Paredes, who made headlines in December 2004
when he refused to deploy to serve the war in Iraq and is now a
spokesperson against the war, says the two most common recruitment myths
are money for college and job training.
According to an article by Sam Diener of Peacework Magazine, 57 percent of
veterans who sign up for the Montgomery GI Bill never receive money for
college, and the average payout for veterans who do has been $2,151 a
year. The maximum one may receive is $9,036 a year for four years, "still
less than the in-state tuition room and board at many state universities,
and only a fraction of the cost of a private college," Diener writes.
One must serve a minimum three years of active duty, receive an honorable
discharge, and pay $100 per month for the first 12 months they are in the
military in order to be eligible for MGIB. Those who are later ruled
ineligible receive no refund.
"Military job training is often restricted to military needs and therefore
does not transfer well into the civilian world," Paredes explains. He
says he cannot utilize his Navy technical expertise outside of the
military, and because of his discharge conditions, he neither received
money for college, nor was he refunded the $1,200 he paid.
Shimazaki, who served as a medic in the Army from 1986 to 1989, says he
did receive money for college but that "it wasn't worth it."
He adds that recruiters told him before he enlisted that if he became a
medic in the military he would be able to get a job in a hospital
afterward. When he was discharged just before the Gulf War, he found it
impossible to find such a job because his skills did not transfer.
"I experienced first hand the pressure from recruiters. They don't operate
on full disclosure," he says. Currently, Shimazaki is working toward
obtaining his Hawaii DOE certification and is student teaching this school
year. He also volunteers for the GI Rights Hotline.
"I am concerned with the proliferation of militarism in schools. I have
the privilege of seeing what's been happening in public schools and it's
alarming," Shimazaki says. "The recruiters use scare tactics. They make
students think they'll never survive financially after high school without
joining the military."
Reports and videos of recruiters telling students they won't have to go to
Iraq if they join, they can get out of the military easily if they change
their minds, and they can choose where they are based flood the Internet
via YouTube, peace websites, and blogs.
Since the advent of the war in Iraq and NCLB, truth in recruiting groups
have been sprouting across the nation with a mission to offer students the
"other side" and alternatives to joining the military that they say
recruiters and educators fail to mention. There are currently four such
groups in Hawaii-Truth2Youth on the Big Island, CHOICES on Oahu, Careers
in Peacemaking on Maui, and Kauai Peace Ohana on Kauai.
"The objective of CHOICES is not to tell people not to join the military,
but to inform young people of the realities of war and the alternatives to
military service so that they can make a choice," Shimazaki says. Similar
to other truth in recruiting groups, CHOICES aims to show students other
ways to finance college and serve their communities.
"We strive toward advocacy versus activism," Kennedy says. "Average
teenagers aren't going to know that they don't have to listen to or can be
skeptical of what recruiters say. Recruiters only give one side of the
story. They're under enormous pressure to reach their quotas. Being a
recruiter is a really good job compared to others in the military. They
get regular hours, they won't be deployed, they get a car and a cell
phone, and they can be close to their families. So recruiters have to
keep this job by getting more recruits."
A facts and statistics sheet compiled for truth in recruiting states,
among many other things, that all provisions of a military contract are
subject to change, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder affects one out of every
six soldiers, soldiers who served in Iraq are committing suicide at higher
rates than in any other war where such figures were documented, 90 percent
of recent female veterans report sexual harassment within the military, a
third of which reported being raped, and that alcohol misuse rose form 13
to 22 percent in the year after soldiers returned from Iraq and
Afghanistan. This data was compiled from the DoD, the Veteran's
Association, the Army Times Publication, and the GI Rights Association.
Last year Kennedy and Pitcaithly were successful in holding assemblies in
several schools on Maui and the Big Island in which Paredes spoke about
the realities of the military and war.
"The kids were just stunned," Kennedy says. "They knew nothing about war.
Kids in a history class I spoke to couldn't even define 'civilian
casualty.'"
Pitcaithley says she also sets up tables at career fairs, holds workshops
in classrooms, and gives presentations to youth groups.
"We take an interactive approach with students. We ask them about their
presumptions about the military and their experiences with recruiters and
then we debunk their ideas and present the realities," says Pitcaithley,
who also conducts an extensive review of the enlistment contract with
students.
The Hawaii BOE Controversial Issues Policy states: "Student discussion of
issues which generate opposing points of view shall be considered a normal
part of the learning process in every area of the school program^ÊTeachers
shall refer students to resources reflecting all points of view."
There is also a federal ninth circuit court ruling mandating that when the
military comes to a high school, students have a legal right to hear
diverse views.
"If schools are allowing recruiters into the schools they have the
obligation to offer alternative information and opposing viewpoints about
the military and war," Kajihiro says.
"The kids aren't getting facts. They're getting an aggressive military
marketing campaign," Kennedy says.
Despite the policies and rulings in favor of truth in recruitment, these
groups often experience difficulties gaining access to schools. First,
they must find a teacher who is willing to support them or invite them to
speak to the class, and then, they must obtain approval from the principal
to enter the school.
"It's very, very hard work," Kennedy says. "It's intense. It's me versus
the six young, good-looking recruiters for each branch of the military.
Sometimes teachers don't return my calls and say they don't have time for
me to do a presentation because they're focused on passing tests.
Sometimes it's the principal that doesn't want to let us in."
She adds that some teachers are afraid to be perceived as unpatriotic and
that other newer teachers are afraid to lose their jobs if they are not
tenured. "Are they really serving kids by giving us the runaround?" she
asks.
"There's a lot of fear concerning this issue," Kajihiro says. If you're
working in a school there's a lot of pressure. If you say anything that
the military doesn't like you'll be branded as unpatriotic."
Kylie Wager
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
13. The Peace Center -Half-Life-Film
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 20:37:01 -1000
From: MarshaRose <mrjoy@hawaii.rr.com>
At
The Justice and Reconciliation Center
19 N. Pauahi Street
Honolulu's Chinatown 96817
The Peace Center
Join Us!
Marshall Islanders are the first victims of World War III
The Pacific Traditions Gallery Presents the film "Half-Life" by Dennis
O'Rourke
Thursday August 16th.
6:30p.m.
This compelling and beautifully crafted film reveals the effects of United
States nuclear testing on the [IMAGE][IMAGE]inhabitants of the Marshall
Islands, tiny atolls in the mid-Pacific.
August 2007 we observed the 62nd anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki and we are still haunted by the absence of knowledge of the
bomb testing at the "Pacific Proving Grounds".
After World War II, the Marshall Islands were entrusted by the United
Nations to the care of the United States, who generously staged some 67
nuclear tests in this Pacific paradise.
The film combines declassified U.S. Defense Department archival footage of
the Bravo Nuclear Test with contemporary interviews of the people of
Rongelap. This documentary focus on Operation Bravo, an explosion over
1,000 times bigger than Hiroshima, detonated in (the film claims) full
knowledge that winds would carry radiation straight to two of the atolls.
Navy officials stood by in specially insulated ships as kids played in the
nuclear 'snow'; US propaganda films crowed over the 'stupendous blast' and
the (quote) 'happy, amenable savages' providing 'valuable data' on the
bomb's hideous long-term effects.
The evidence gathered in Half-Life presents a restrained but chilling
picture of a cynical radiation experiment on a human population whose
welfare had been assigned to the United States at the close of World War
II.
With terrifying calm, the film examines the facts leading up to the Bravo
test, the role of the United States government in Marshall Islands nuclear
testing and the long-term consequences of Bravo. In a sense, the Marshall
Islanders are the first victims of World War III. The parable of Half-Life
is a true one that haunts our past, present, and future.
Direct Cinema Limited distribute the films of Dennis O'Rourke
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
14. Tourism, Hawai'i Writing, and Monkey Waterfall August 17 and 18
From: Craig Howes [mailto:craighow@hawaii.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 7:50 AM
Dear Colleagues
I'd like to draw your attention to the Monkey Waterfall free performance
this weekend at Honolulu Hale (City Hall). In addition to raising a
number of issues in humorous and serious ways about tourism, identity, and
Hawai'i, it also features performances of texts that many of us read and
teach. Selections from the work of Lili'uokalani, Alani Apio, Victoria
Nalani Kneubuhl (this semester's Distinguished Visiting Writer in the
English Department), Lee Cataluna, and Dennis Carroll will be featured,
and the performers include actors Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl, Dann Seki,
Janice Terukina, Jason Kanda, Misa Toupou, Neal Milner, Matthais Maas, and
dancers Esther Izuo, Malia Yamamoto, and Esther Izuo. There will also be
a barbershop quartet, the Butoh group Tangentz, singers Chris and Debbie
Kelsey (Chris is a doctoral student in the English Department), and Giinko
Marachino, Sammie Akuna's dance performance troupe.
Parking is free, the performance is free. Please pass this on to others
you think might be interested.
Craig Howes
* * *
Monkey Waterfall to Perform Shrines to Paradise at Honolulu Hale
Who are we, and what is hidden behind our most popular icons - hula
dancers, Japanese wedding sites, missionaries, tour guides, Waikiki?
Shrines to Paradise, a multi-media extravaganza featuring dance, music,
theatre, and storytelling, will begin at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, August 17
and Saturday, August 18 inside Honolulu Hale. Admission is FREE.
Parking is also free at the Frank Fasi Municipal Building parking lot.
Shrines to Paradise explores why people travel and takes the audience
behind the masks, image, and glitz that Hawai`i presents to the world.
Monkey Waterfall Director Yukie Shiroma will collaborate with Native
Hawaiian and local artists to create a full-evening production of dance,
song, and storytelling.
Like other Monkey Waterfall site-specific productions, the
performers interact with the spectators. Audience members will be greeted
with lei by a "tour guide" at the entrance of Honolulu Hale, and escorted
through the various performance events. Dancers, actors, singers, and
visual artists will turn City Hall into a carnival-like setting.
Monkey Waterfall, a Honolulu-based dance theatre company, was founded by
Yukie Shiroma, Ben Moffat, and Michael Harada to explore the intersection
of dance and theatre. The company uses Asian and Western dance, theatre,
storytelling, masks, and puppets as tools to create performances.
This program is supported in part by the Hawai`i State Foundation on
Culture and the Arts and the Mayor's Office of Culture and the Arts.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
15. Modern Day "Termination" - Could happen to an akaka Gov Entity! -
comment
Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 03:46:31 -0400 (EDT)
From: kahiwal@cs.com
If this bill should pass the congress and Mr. Bush - it would amount to a
modern day "Termination." As I and others have discussed the possibility
- we have been met with remarks like - "The u.s. doesn't do these things
anymore."
The danger of this process is that - upon "Termination" - all Cherokee
"trust" lands will be confiscated by the u.s. - WITHOUT compensation.
A "Termination" would give the u.s. the best title to our lands (if this
bill were aimed at a Hawaiian "Government Entity").
In the case of "akaka," - ALL of the so-called "ceded lands" that the
Governmental Entity might be able to negotiate from the feds AND the state
- will be subject to this kind of confiscation without compensation.
I'm not sure about others - but - if only for one reason - THIS is one of
the best reasons why I oppose "akaka." This kind of possibility - the
"total" loss of our lands without compensation is wayyyy too high a price
to pay for the fake "sovereignty" and "government to government
relationship" that "akaka" offers.
We have lost millions, if not billions, of valued lands already - Pearl
Harbor [the u.s. got its "use" by (1887) treaty, now it claims full
title], Schofield (another theft), Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (another
theft), Haleakala National Park (another theft), Bellows (another theft),
parts of Pohakuloa (by Executive Order - that the army now claims to be
"theirs" - yep - they say its "our" land) and others.
That "akaka" puts the rest of the so-called "ceded lands" in jeopardy is
an excessive risk that OHA and other pro-akaka interests are taking.
By the way - our Samoan brother (from American Samoa) is a sponsor of the
above bill. Would he co-sponsor a bill that would "terminate" the
Hawaiian "Governing Entity?"
Search your souls brothers and sisters.
ku
------
Full Text of Bill to Eliminate Cherokee Nation.......
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2824
To sever United States' government relations with the Cherokee Nation of
Oklahoma until such time as the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma restores full
tribal citizenship to the Cherokee Freedmen disenfranchised in the March
3, 2007, Cherokee Nation vote and fulfills all its treaty obligations with
the Government of the United States, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 21, 2007
Ms. WATSON (for herself, Ms. NORTON, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr.
BUTTERFIELD, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CLAY, Ms. LEE, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. AL GREEN of
Texas, Mr. FATTAH, and Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition
to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
----
A BILL To sever United States' government relations with the Cherokee
Nation of Oklahoma until such time as the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma
restores full tribal citizenship to the Cherokee Freedmen disenfranchised
in the March 3, 2007, Cherokee Nation vote and fulfills all its treaty
obligations with the Government of the United States, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) In the 1830s, members of the Cherokee Nation were removed from their
lands in the southeastern United States and forced to migrate to Oklahoma
along a route known as the Trail of Tears. Among those persons forced to
migrate were the Black slaves of Cherokees, free Blacks married to
Cherokees, and the children of mixed-race families, known now as the
`Black Cherokees'.
(2) In 1861, the Cherokee Nation executed a treaty with the Confederate
States of America, thereby severing its relations with the United States
Government. Members of the Cherokee Nation held positions in the Congress
and military of the Confederate States of America and waged war against
the United States during the Civil War.
(3) Following the Civil War, the United States reestablished relations
with the Cherokee Nation through the Treaty of 1866. The Treaty of 1866
declared that the Black Cherokees, also known as `Cherokee Freedmen', were
to be made citizens of the Cherokee Nation and to have all the rights of
Cherokees.
(4) The Treaty of 1866 further guarantees the following:
(A) Laws `shall be uniform throughout said nation' and that if `any law,
either in its provisions or in the manner of its enforcement, in the
opinion of the President of the United States, operate unjustly in [the
Freedmen] district, he is hereby authorized and empowered to correct such
evil.'.
(B) The Cherokee Freedmen are given the right to elect officials and to
representation `according to numbers' on the national council.
(5) Following the Treaty of 1866, the Cherokee National Council amended
its constitution to guarantee the Cherokee Freedmen full rights as
citizens of the Cherokee Nation.
(6) Also following the Treaty of 1866, the Courts upheld the Cherokee
Freedmen's treaty rights, including--
(A) in 1895, the Court of Claims held that the Cherokee Freedmen were
entitled to share in the tribe's land sale proceeds and the Cherokee
Nation's sovereignty could not be exercised in a manner that breached the
nation's treaty obligations to the United States (Whitmire, Trustee for
the Cherokee Freedmen v. Cherokee Nation, 30 CT Cl. 138, 180 (CT Cl.
1895); and
(B) in 1906, the Supreme Court noted that the Cherokee Freedmen are
citizens of the Cherokee Nation entitled to the same property rights as
other members of the Cherokee Nation under the Treaty of 1866 (Red Bird v.
United States, 203 U.S. 76, 84).
(7) In a December 19, 2006, ruling in Vann v. Kempthorne, the United
States District Court for the District of Columbia found that in 1906, the
Dawes Commission registered members of the Cherokee Nation under separate
categories: the `Freedmen Roll' for the Black Cherokees and the `Blood
Roll' for other Cherokees. Individuals possessing African blood were
placed on the Freedmen Roll, where no levels of Indian blood were
recorded. Those possessing no African blood were placed on the Blood Roll,
where levels of Indian blood were recorded. The Dawes Commission declared
that persons recorded on the Freedmen Roll were on equal footing with
those on the Blood Roll.
(8) In 1970, Congress passed the `Principal Chiefs Act' requiring the
Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole, and Cherokee Nations to obtain
approval for their voting laws for selection of the principal chief. The
Department of the Interior drafted a policy stating that it was not
necessary that each of these groups have identical or similar regulations,
but that three conditions are deemed fundamental to the democratic
selection of a principal tribal official. One of the three conditions
stipulated by the Department is that voter qualifications of the Cherokees
must be broad enough to include the enrolled Cherokee Freedmen citizens.
(9) In May 2003, the Cherokee Nation held an election for its officers and
ratification of a new constitution. The vote proposed to amend the 1999
constitution of the Cherokee Nation by removing the requirement that the
United States Department of the Interior and Bureau of Indian Affairs
approve amendments to the Cherokee Nation Constitution. The Cherokee
Freedmen were not permitted to vote or run for office. The election
violated the Treaty of 1866, the 13th Amendment to the United States
Constitution, the Principal Chiefs Act of 1970, and the Department of the
Interior's guidance on the ratification of a new constitution.
(10) In May 2003, the Cherokee Nation held an election for its officers
and the ratification of a new constitution. The new constitution removed
the requirement that the United States Department of the Interior and the
Bureau of Indian Affairs approve amendments to the Cherokee Nation
constitution. The Cherokee Freedmen were not permitted to vote in this
election. The election violated the Treaty of 1866, the 13th Amendment to
the United States Constitution, and the Principal Chiefs Act of 1970.
(11) The Department of the Interior has not recognized the May 2003 vote
to amend the Cherokee Nation's constitution. The Cherokee Nation has
subsequently removed its request for approval from the Department of the
Interior.
(12) Currently, the Cherokee Nation operates under a Principal Chief
elected in violation to the 1970 Principal Chiefs Act and Treaty of 1866,
a National Council constituted without Cherokee Freedmen representatives
in violation of the Treaty of 1866, and a Constitution not approved by the
United States pursuant to Article XV, Section 10 of the 1975 Cherokee
Nation Constitution.
(13) In May 2003, the Cherokee Nation renamed its highest court, formerly
named the Judicial Appeals Tribunal and newly renamed the Supreme Court,
after the Judicial Appeals Tribunal ruled in a 2-1 decision that the
Cherokee Freedmen were entitled to citizenship pursuant to the 1975
Cherokee Nation constitution. Pursuant to the new May 2003 constitution,
which still has not been approved by the Department of the Interior, the
illegally elected Principal Chief appointed two additional judges to the
Supreme Court. The panel of five Supreme Court judges ruled in a 3-2
decision that the Cherokee Nation could hold a vote on the tribal status
of the Cherokee Freedmen.
(14) Operating under the unapproved Constitution, the Cherokee Nation held
an election in March 2007, to remove the Cherokee Freedmen from the
Cherokee Nation. In a vote of less than 4 percent of the total Cherokee
Nation population, the voters elected to remove Cherokee Freedmen not on
the Dawes blood rolls from the Nation.
(15) In May 2007, the Cherokee Nation leadership determined that it would
allow registered Freedmen to vote in the June 23, 2007 election for tribal
officers. Despite the Cherokee Nation's decision to allow Freedmen to
vote, Freedmen's rights as members of the Cherokee Nation are severely
restricted: Freedmen are not allowed to run for office in the June 2007
election in violation of the Treaty of 1866; the registration of Freedmen
entitled to Cherokee citizenship under the 1906 Dawes Rolls has been
halted; and the election is to be held under provisions of an unapproved
constitution and in violation of the 1970 Principal Chiefs Act that
requires the Cherokee leadership to submit its voting requirements for the
election to the Secretary of the Interior for his approval. Further, the
actions of the Cherokee Nation in halting citizenship application
processing and voter registration of Freedmen have disproportionately
reduced the number of Freedmen voters that can participate in the
election.
(16) The manner in which the Cherokee Nation is conducting the
relationship between the United States and the tribal entity is not in the
best interest of the United States Government, citizens of the Cherokee
Nation, and violates existing treaties and laws governing the relationship
between the United States Government and the Cherokee Nation.
(17) Current efforts of the Cherokee Nation to expel members of the
Cherokee Freedmen from the tribal rolls and abolish Department of the
Interior oversight are being pursued in violation of the treaty rights
extended to the Cherokee Freedmen in a treaty agreement between the United
States and Cherokee Nation in the 1866 Treaty and in violation of Freedmen
citizenship under the federally approved Cherokee Nation constitution of
1975.
(18) The Department of the Interior has failed to uphold its fiduciary
responsibility by recognizing the May 2003 Cherokee Nation election for
Principal Chief in which Freedmen were not allowed to vote in violation of
the Principal Chiefs Act and the Treaty of 1866 and by failing to take any
administrative action against the Cherokee Nation leadership for its
decision to sanction a referendum in March 2007 in which the Freedmen were
expelled from the Cherokee Nation.
SEC. 2. SEVERANCE OF RELATIONS WITH THE CHEROKEE NATION.
(a) In General- The United States hereby severs all relations with the
Cherokee Nation, including all financial obligations or otherwise, until
such time as the Cherokee Nation is meeting all of its treaty obligations
and other federal statutory obligations (including all obligations of the
Treaty of 1866, the Principal Chiefs Act, holding elections for tribal
leaders that are in compliance with the Act, and has restored the rights
of all Cherokee Freedmen disenfranchised from the Cherokee Nation in the
March 3, 2007, Cherokee Nation vote), as determined by a final
certification under section 2(d).
(b) Compliance With the Requirements of the Act- The Secretary shall
coordinate with all departments and agencies of the United States
Government to ensure that every effort is being made by the United States
Government to comply with this Act.
(c) Reports-
(1) FEDERAL AGENCIES- Not later than 30 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and continuing annually until the final
certification as determined under section 2(d), all departments and
agencies under the jurisdiction of the United States Government shall
submit a report to the Secretary describing--
(A) all Federal programs under their jurisdiction that provide financial
assistance and other services to the Cherokee Nation; and
(B) the efforts that are being undertaken comply with all requirements of
this Act.
(2) STATUS REPORTS- Until the Secretary certifies to Congress that the
Cherokee Nation is in compliance with its treaty obligations, the
Secretary shall submit monthly public reports to Congress on the status of
the United States Government's efforts to ensure that all departments and
agencies of the Federal Government are in compliance with the requirements
of this Act.
(3) OTHER FREEDMAN INDIANS- Not later than 6 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue a public report to
Congress on the status of freedmen in the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw,
Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole Nations of Oklahoma. The report shall
address whether each of those Indian tribes is complying with all treaty
obligations and Federal laws with respect to its freedmen members, the
level of participation of freedmen in tribal leadership positions, tribal
benefits received by the freedmen, and previous or current efforts on the
part of those Indian tribes to disenfranchise its freedmen members.
(d) Congressional Certification- After the Secretary has certified to
Congress that the Cherokee Nation is in full compliance with all its
treaty obligations and Congress approves the Secretary's certification by
a vote taken on a resolution introduced in both chambers of Congress
certifying that the Cherokee Nation is in full compliance with its treaty
obligations, the final certification of the Cherokee Nation's treaty
compliance shall take effect.
SEC. 3. SUSPENSION OF RIGHT TO CONDUCT GAMING OPERATIONS.
(a) In General- The Cherokee Nation's authority to conduct gaming
regulated under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and to administer any
funds from such gaming are suspended until such time that the Cherokee
Nation is in compliance with all treaty and other obligations with the
United States, as determined by a final certification under section 2(d).
(b) Report- Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the National Indian Gaming Commission shall submit a report to
Congress detailing the actions that have been taken to enforce subsection
(a).
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
(a) `Cherokee'and `Cherokee Nation'- The terms `Cherokee' and `Cherokee
Nation' mean the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
(b) `Cherokee Freedmen', `Freedmen', and `Black Cherokees'- The terms
`Cherokee Freedmen', `Freedmen', and `Black Cherokees' refer to
individuals who can trace their ancestry to individuals listed on the 1906
Dawes Commission Roles for the Cherokee Freedmen.
(c) `Other Freedman Indians'- The term `Other Freedmen Indians' refers to
individuals who can trace their ancestry to the 1906 Dawes Commission
Rolls who are members of the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muscogee (Creek), and
Seminole Nations.
(d) Secretary- The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of the Interior.
SEC. 5. NONCOMPLIANCE.
(a) Effective Date- Notwithstanding any decision by Congress under section
2(d) of this Act, the provisions of this Act shall again take effect if at
any future date the Secretary certifies to Congress that the Cherokee
Nation of Oklahoma is not in full compliance with its treaty obligations
or Federal statutes that govern its relations with the United States
Government.
(b) Private Action- Any Cherokee Freedmen shall have a private right to
bring actions for injunctive relief, declaratory relief, or monetary
damages against the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, officials of the Cherokee
Nation of Oklahoma, or Federal officials for noncompliance with this Act
or for violations of the terms of the Treaty of 1866, the 13th Amendment
to the United States Constitution, or the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968.
The appropriate Federal courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction over
actions brought under this subsection.
SEC. 6. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
The Attorney General shall issue a finding on whether the Federal civil
rights of the Cherokee Freedmen have been violated by either the Cherokee
Nation of Oklahoma or the Department of the Interior, or both. Individual
Freedmen shall also have a private right of action to compel the Attorney
General to investigate federal civil rights violations and provide a
determination of whether a violation has occurred within 180 days of
submitting a complaint describing the violation in writing.
SEC. 7. GAO REPORT ON EXPENDITURE OF FEDERAL FUNDS.
The Government Accountability Office shall issue a public report to
Congress detailing for each of the 5 years ending immediately before the
report was completed the Cherokee Nation's expenditure of all Federal
funds. The report shall include an analysis of Federal funds allocated by
the Cherokee Nation's leadership for its member benefits and services and
for administrative and other purposes. The report shall determine whether
or not the Cherokee Nation is in full compliance with all Federal
regulations and laws regarding the management and disbursement of Federal
funds.
==========
GovTrack is not affiliated with the U.S. government or any other group.
You are encouraged to reuse any material on this site. For more
information, see About GovTrack. Feedback is welcome to operations@...,
but I can't do your research for you, nor can I pass on messages to
Members of Congress. This website is just a pet project of a regular joe.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
16. Disappeared News - 2 new articles
Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 06:13:03 -0400
From: FeedBlitz <feedblitz@mail.feedblitz.com>
"DISAPPEARED NEWS" - 2 NEW ARTICLES
1. Follow Flossie
2.American corporations and consumers also to blame for recalled Chinese
products
3.More Recent Articles
4.Search Disappeared News
Follow Flossie
by Larry Geller Watch this loop from the Weather Underground to
follow the storm's path across the Big Island. To get the latest map, hit
the refresh button on your browser. Once again, you'll find a variety of
weather maps and information gathered at Edward Dung's useful web page.
This image is linked from the Weather Underground -- Big Island Hilo rain
area:
American corporations and consumers also to blame for recalled Chinese
products
by Larry Geller The next time someone lauds the benefits of the "free
market" or "free trade," that is, how corporate greed is supposed to
result in competition beneficial to the consumer, remind them of poison
pet food, lead paint in children's toys and counterfeit toothpaste. All
these things were made in China (though the problem isn't limited to
China) but are sold to you by corporations
go to www.disappearednews.com
More Recent Articles
* Hurricane Flossie: How to follow
* Hawaii's Rep. Mazie Hirono introduces legislation to strengthen
pre-kindergarden education
* Flossie is coming! Flossie is coming! Do you know where your nearest
shelter is? Or who has the keys?
* Osama had better not read this morning's Advertiser
* Community access TV under assault
________________________________________________________________________________
17. DMZ A'ole Strykerz & Military Build up in da Aina
Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 10:30:22 -1000
From: Lcruz <palolo@hawaii.rr.com>
photos from yesterday's demo...
DMZ Military & Strykerz PROTEST
You're invited to view my online photos at the Gallery. Enjoy!
- Pono
If you can't see the pictures in this email, click here to see it in a
web browser:
http://olympus.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=fav1yrk.aeuqcwp4&x=0&y=5y22xf
________________________________________________________________________________
18. The Maladies of Affluence
Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 11:22:32 -0400 (EDT)
From: KahiwaL@cs.com
However, with affluence comes changes in diet. Look at what happened in
Japan.
But look at what's happening to the u.s.'s poverty stricken and a large
portion of the population - Obesity is becoming the norm. with too many
fatty and starchy foods in the diet.
I suspect that u.s. mortality rates are going to skyrocket as a result.
ku
----
Daily Policy Digest
Health Issues
August 15, 2007
THE MALADIES OF AFFLUENCE
Europeans have been exporting their maladies throughout history. They seem
to be doing it again, but in a new way. In the past, the problem was
infection. Now, illnesses associated with Western living standards are the
fastest growing killers in poor and middle-income countries, according to
the Economist.
Consider:
Heart disease -- supposedly an illness of affluence-- is by far and away
the biggest cause of global mortality; it was responsible for 17.5m deaths
worldwide in 2005.
Next comes cancer, another non-infectious sickness, which caused more
deaths than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria put together.
In total, chronic conditions took the lives of 35m people in 2005,
according to the World Health Organization (WHO) -- twice as many as all
infectious diseases.Why are poor countries so vulnerable to the diseases
of the rich? The simplest explanation for chronic diseases' increasing
importance is that people in poor countries now live long enough to suffer
them, says the Economist:
Thanks to better sanitation, more food and improved public health, average
life expectancy in low and middle-income countries has risen from 50 in
1965 to 65 in 2005. The increase in the poorest countries was
proportionately greater: from 47 to 63.
At the same time, because of increased health spending and safer water,
infectious diseases have declined, keeping more people healthy, but at
risk for chronic disease.Yet despite all the evidence that chronic disease
is the world's biggest health problem, most poor countries focus on
infectious disease and their health policies are usually based on the idea
that infections should be controlled before chronic conditions, says the
Economist. These choices no doubt partly reflect bureaucratic inertia at
health ministries and investment in fighting infections by medical
charities and drugs firms.
Source: Editorial, "The maladies of affluence," Economist, August 11,
2007.
For text:
http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9616897
For more on Health Issues:
http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_Category=16
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~-------------------------
19. Stone Age diet may aid diabetics (and others)
Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 11:28:57 -0400 (EDT)
From: KahiwaL@cs.com
Stone Age diet may aid diabetics
Date: Tue Aug 14, 2007 6:12 pm ((PDT))
http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article2727840.ece
By Martin Hickman
People with diabetes could improve their condition by forgoing modern
foods for a "Stone-Age" diet, a study suggests. Scientists at Lund
University in Sweden found a prehistoric choice of fruit, nuts, vegetables
and lean meat better controlled poor blood sugar than recognised
contemporary alternatives such as the Mediterranean diet.
Participants in the study suffered from raised blood sugar and most had
symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Fourteen copied the diet of Palaeolithic
hunter-gatherers, who lived off the land tens of thousands of years ago.
Another group of 15 patients adopted the modern-day Mediterranean diet of
whole-grain cereals, low-fat dairy products, fruit, vegetables and
unsaturated fats.
After 12 weeks, the carbohydrate-linked blood sugar rises had fallen 26
per cent in the Stone Age diet group compared with 7 per cent for the
others.
Dr Staffan Lindeberg, who led the study, said: "If you want to prevent, or
treat, type 2 diabetes, it may be more efficient to avoid some modern
foods than to count calories or carbohydrates."
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~--------------------
20. cities and counties that have passed impeachment resolutions
Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:42:42 -0700 (PDT)
From: Charlene Light <charlight@sbcglobal.net>
Hi, Thought some of you might be interested in this info. charlene
Cities/Towns/Counties
1. Amherst (MA) (News and Text) [ + ] 11/1/2006
2. Arcata (CA) City Council (News,Text) [ + ] 1/7/06
3. Ashfield (MA) (News) [ + ] 5/24/07
4. Berkeley (CA)(News1, News2, News3, News4, News5) [ + ]
5. Brattleboro (VT) Town Hall ( News1, News2, Text) [ + ] 3/21/06
6. Bristol (VT) (News) [ + ] 3/5/2007
7. Brookfield (VT) Town Hall (News) [ + ] 3/8/06
8. Brookline (MA)(News,News&Text, News) [ + ] 5/30/2006
9. Buckland (MA) (News, News) [ + ] 5/9/07
10. Burke (V T) (News) [ + ] 3/5/07
11. Calais (VT) (News, News) [ + ] 3/5/07
12. Cambridge (MA) (News [ + ] 4/24/06
13. Carrboro (NC) (Resolution Text, Text) [ + ] 3/14/06
14. Colrain (MA) (News, News, News) [ + ] 5/14/07
15. Craftsbury (VT) (News , News) [ + ] 3/5/07
16. Chapel Hill (NC) (News) [ + ] 5/8/06
17. Charlemont (MA) (News) [ + ] 5/7/07
18. Detroit (MI) (News, News, News, News & Resolution Text) [ + ]
05/16/07
19. Dummerston (VT) Town Hall (News, News) [ + ] 3/5/07 [ + ]
20. East Montpelier (VT) (News) [ + ] 3/5/07
21. Fairfax (CA) (News) [ + ] 7/6/2006
22. Ferndale (MI) (News) [ + ] 5/29/07
23. Grafton (VT) (News , News, News) [ + ] 3/5/07
24. Great Barrington (MA) (News, News, News) [ + ] 5/14/07
25. Greensboro (VT) (News , News) [ + ] 3/5/07
26. Guilford (VT) (News, News) [ + ] 3/5/07
27. Hanover (NH) Town Meeting (News) [ + ] 5/9/06
28. Hartland (VT) (News) [ + ] 3/5/07
29. Heath (MA) (News, News ) [ + ] 5/13/07
30. Ithaca (NY) (News) [ + ] 06/06/07
31. Jamaica (VT) (News , News) [ + ] 3/5/07
32. Jericho (VT) (News, News) [ + ] 3/5/07
33. Johnson (VT) (News) [ + ] 3/5/07
34. Lanesborough (MA) (News, News, News) [ + ] 5/8/07
35. Leverett (MA) (News, News) [ + ] 4/28/07
36. Leyden (MA) (News, News) [ + ] 5/19/07
37. Marlboro (VT) Town Hall (News, News) [ + ] 3/5/07, [ + ] 3/8/06
38. Middlebury (VT) (News) [ + ] 3/5/07
39. Middletown (NY) (Resolution Text, News, News) [ + ] 6/11/07
40. Montague (MA) (News, News) [ + ] 6/2/07
41. Montpelier (VT) (News) [ + ]
42. Montgomery (VT) (News) [ + ] 3/5/07
43. Morristown (VT) (News) [ + ] 3/5/07
44. Newbury (VT) (News) [ + ] 3/5/07
45. Newfane (VT) Town Hall (News 1, 2, 3,
4) [ + ] 3/5/07, [ + ] 3/8/06
46. New Paltz (NY) [ + ] 7/2006
47. Northampton (MA) (News, News< /B>) [ + ]
48. Nyack (NY) (News, News, News, Text, Website) [ + ] !Unanimously!
04/12/07
49. Oberlin (OH) (News, News, News, News, News, Audio Report) [ + ]
5/21/07
50. Pelham (MA) (News) [ + ] 6/13/07
51. Peru (VT) (News) [ + ] 3/5/07
52. Plainfield (VT) (News) [ + ] 3/5/07
53. Plattsburg (NY) City Council (News,Text) [ + ] 4/7/06
54. Putney (VT) Town Hall (News, News) [ + ] 3/5/07 [ + ] 3/8/06
55. Richmond (VT) (News) [ + ] 3/5/07
56. Rochester (VT) (News , News) [ + ] 3/5/07)
57. Rockingham (VT) Town Hall (News,Text) [ + ] 4/7/06
58. Rowe (MA) (News) [ + ] 05/24/07
59. Roxbury (VT) (News , News) [ + ] 3/5/07
60. San Francisco (CA) City Council (News1, SF Board of Supervisors
Impeachment Votes Cast and Text) [ + ] 2/28/2006
61. Santa Cruz (CA) City Council Rumsfeld (Text)[ + ]6/8/04
62. Santa Cruz (CA) City Council (Bush) [ + ] 2003 & again in 2/05
63. Sebastopol (CA) (News, News) [ + ] 5/19/06
64. Shutesbury (MA) (News, News, News) [ + ] 5/11/07
65. Springfield (VT) (News) [ + ] 3/5/07
66. Stannard (VT) (News) [ + ] 3/5/07
67. St. Johnsbury (VT) (Town Meeting Survey) [ + ]
68. Stockbridge (MA) (News, News, News) [ + ] 5/21/07
69. Sunderland (VT) (News) [ + ] 3/5/07
70. Takoma Park (MD) (Resolution Text, News, News and Resolution Text,
News) [ ~ ] 7/23/07
71. Telluride (CO) (News, News, News) [ + J ] 7/17/07
72. Tompkins County (NY) (Resolution Text, News, News, News, News, News)
[ + ] 6/5/07
73. Town of Ithaca (NY) (Resolution Text) [ + ] !Unanimously! 7/9/07
74. Townshend (VT) (News) [ + ] 3/5/07
75. Tunbridge (VT) (News) [ + ] 3/5/07
76. Urbana, IL (Text) [ + ]
77. Vershire (VT) (News) [ + ] 3/5/07
78. Warwick (MA) (News) [ + ] 5/24/07
79. Wendell (MA) (News, News) [ + ] 12/6/2006
80. West Hollywood (CA) (Resolution Text, News, CBS Video, Resolution
PDF) [ + J ] !Unanimously! 07/16/07
81. Westminster (VT) (News , News) [ + ] 3/5/07
82. Whately (MA) (News) [ + ] 04/27/07
83. Wilmington (VT) (News) [ + ] 3/5/07
84. Woodbury (VT) (News) [ + ] 3/5/07
85. Woodstock (NY) Town Board
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21. Law students to visit Kaniakapupu
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 01:35:53 -0400 (EDT)
From: bchingkahoola@pol.net
Aloha kakou,
This Sunday there will be a visit to Kaniakapupu by some law students from
stateside.
Kaleimaileali`i HCC will also be doing the fundraiser.
Perhaps one can to up to Kaniakapupu in the morning and go to the
fundraiser for the afternoon shift?
For those who can come, we will be at Kaniakapupu at the usual time this
Sunday, 0900 till pau around noon.
Call me for questions 722-9358.
Malama pono,
Kaho`ola
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22. ONIPA'A: A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FOR QUEEN LILIUOKALANI SUNDAY, 9/02,
10A~4P, IOLANI PALACE
From: Marilyn Leimomi Khan
Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2007 4:45 PM
This is going to be a wonderful event. Please circulate to your family
and friends. A free event filled with entertainment and Hawaiian culture.
Would especially like to ask that you outreach to your non-Hawaiian
friends ...at work, in the neighborhood, etc.
------
MEDIA RELEASE
ALL ARE WELCOME TO 'ONIPA 'A: A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FOR QUEEN
LILI'UOKALANI SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2ND -- 10AM-4PM 'IOLANI PALACE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
CONTACT:
Mona K. Wood, IKAIKA Communications
Tel./Cell. (808) 218-5546
e-mail: ikaikacomm@hawaii.rr.com
HONOLULU HAWAI'I PON0'I COALITION presents 'ONIPA'A: A BIRTHDAY
CELEBRATION FOR QUEEN LILI'UOKALANI, on Sunday, September 2nd, as
follows.
WHO: Kama'aina and visitors - ALL ARE WELCOME!!!
WHAT: 'Onipa'a: A Birthday Celebration for Queen Lili'uokalani -- A day
of learning and sharing the history of Hawai^Ñi, featuring educational
information and displays, all-day entertainment, and a special
multi-denominational Sunday service from 12 noon to 1 p.m., representing
various churches from around the island. ^ÑIolani Palace will also be
open and provide free tours to everyone during this event
WHEN: Sunday, September 2nd, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WHERE: 'Iolani Palace grounds
HOW: The event is FREE to the public. You may bring your own food and
beverages (no alcohol allowed), but there will also be food booths
selling lunch, snacks and drinks throughout the day, including Hawaiian
food.
INFO: For more information, please call (808) 224-8068, or visit
www.huiohawaiiponoi.org <http://www.huiohawaiiponoi.org> .
This special event is dedicated to the memory of Lydia Kamaka'eha, Queen
Lili'uokalani (September 2, 1838 ^Ö November 11, 1917), and all that she
means to Hawai'i.
The event will feature educational materials and exhibits on Native
Hawaiian history and culture. All-day entertainment will feature Hawaiian
music and several halau hula.
A special Sunday service at noon will be conducted by a Native Hawaiian
kahu and include church leaders from various religions and denominations.
Esteemed choral director Nola Nahulu will lead the large choir made up of
various church choirs, choral groups from the Association of Hawaiian
Civic Clubs, University of Hawai^Ñi Hawaiian Chorus, Hawai^Ñi Youth Opera
Chorus, Ka Wai Ola O Na Pukani Leo, Kamehameha Alumni Association and
community choral groups.
^ÑIolani Palace will offer free admission all day long, limited groups at
a time, as an educational public service provided by Friends of ^ÑIolani
Palace and Hawai^Ñi Pono^Ñi.
Some on-site and street parking will be available, as well free parking
for event attendees only from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Kawaiaha`o Plaza
parking structure at the corner of South and Kawaiaha`o Streets. Cars
must vacate the lot by 6 p.m. Other downtown parking lots also offer
low flat rates on weekends.
Organizers would like to stress that everyone is welcome to the event -
kama'aina and visitors, alike, and this is an ideal event for the whole
'ohana!
This is the first of several events throughout the year supported by
Hawai^Ñi Pono^Ñi Coalition. More information on the other events will be
coming soon.
About the HAWAI^ÑI PONO^ÑI COALITION
Hawai^Ñi Pono^Ñi is the title of the Hawai^Ñi national anthem, written by
King Kalakaua in 1874. Literally translated ^ÓHawai^Ñi^Òs own,^Ô Hawai^Ñi
Pono^Ñi connects us to the history of the islands and the heritage of its
Indigenous people, a heritage that enriches us all. The Hawai^Ñi Pono^Ñi
Coalition was formed to educate those who live in and visit these islands
about Hawai^Ñi^Òs true history, its Native Hawaiian people, and the
culture that makes Hawai^Ñi a place like no other.
'O ka po'e i aloha i ka 'aina -- the people who love the land -- come join
us!
Participation in the Coalition is open to any group or individual who
supports Native Hawaiian rights. Founding organizations include:
ALU LIKE, Inc.
Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs
Department of Hawaiian Home Lands
Friends of ^ÑIolani Palace
^ÑIlio^Ñulaokalani Coalition
Kamakakuokalani
Kamehameha Schools
King William Charles Lunalilo Trust
Na Pua A Ke Ali^Ñi Pauahi, Inc.
Native Hawaiian Bar Association
Native Hawaiian Legal Corp.
Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA)
PA^ÑI Foundation
Queen Emma Foundation
Queen Lili^Ñuokalani Trust and Children^Òs Centers
All media inquiries should be directed to Mona K. Wood at (cell.)
218-5546, or via e-mail at ikaikacomm@hawaii.rr.com.
# # #
IKAIKA Communications...a powerful little pr company.
Mona K. Wood
P.O. Box 61448
Honolulu, HI 96839-1448
Tel./Cell. (808) 218-5546
E-mail: ikaikacomm@hawaii.rr.com
________________________________________________________________________________
23. Meet your Congressional Representatives!!!
Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 20:52:38 -0700
From: Democratic Party of Hawaii <headquarters@hidem.com>
Come Talk Story with Hawai`i's Congressional Representatives THIS
SATURDAY!
Congressman Neil Abercrombie and Congresswoman Mazie Hirono will be
visiting O'ahu on Saturday, August 18th to discuss national issues and
community concerns. We invite you to take advantage of this opportunity
to meet, listen to, and ask questions of our Congressional
Representatives.
Congressman Abercrombie will be speaking at Washington Middle School (1633
S. King St.) at 1 p.m.
Congresswoman Hirono will be speaking at Kokokahi YWCA Dining Room
(Kane'ohe Bay Drive) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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24. Speaking up for Haloa (our elder brother) on Kaua'i
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 04:16:33 -0400
From: KahiwaL@cs.com
I'm forwarding this email that includes a "report" of some recent
opposition to GMO kalo activities on Kaua'i. Kanaka Maoli, along with
some Non-Kanaka Maoli, are fighting the good fight. We should be sooo
proud of them.
Mahalo to all warriors who have joined the fray.
ku
___________
Subject: Taro Research Protested on Kauai
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 01:59:33 EDT
Hi,
>Well it was a stellar event, considering we got tv coverage on gmo's from
>Kaua`i, first time ever! Oh other than the kids getting sick at the
>school, that got tv.
>
>Basically they reported it all wrong, they did their best I think, but
>they phrase things wrong. Like the line was 'protest against taro
>research' -we are not against all research just gmo.nbsp; It was brought
>up that Roy Oyama HFB, was saying that kind of thing , that we are
>against all taro research.nbsp; In another (semi unrelated) matter, CTAHR
>asked would it be acceptable by Hawaiians to house native varieties of
>taro tissue culture samples in a cryogenic storage facility in another
>country.nbsp; This other country would be able to share the hawsaiian
>samples with other countries, like a seed bank. I think not, but we
>replied, they would need to speak with Hawaiians, but anyway it's a spin
>against us to broad stroke taro research.
>
>Secondly, it really wasn't a County Council meeting, gmo taro was not on
>the agenda. What happened was this group of 10 folks pulled up in a
>passenger van, went inside to a public council meeting, and two spokesmen
>gave a run down of the ag projects and farms on Kaua`i that the Kaua`i
>Farm Bureau selected to showcase.
>Some where during the presentation, Joann Yukimura (county council/ex
>mayor) said that the gmo taro issue should be put on a future agenda for
>public discussion.
>
>Even with the details a bit off, the day was AMAZING! We looked huge, we
>had tons of red signs and all our banners. We should get an article and
>photo in tomorrow's paper, it will probably be a bit goofy too, but we
>are very grateful. Even the house less folks helped out and were
>interviewed.nbsp; We gave everyone black and green gmo free kaua`i
>tshirts. It was great for me to work with Tommy, and we went on a corn
>tour this afternoon. As we drove to one corn field, the road was littered
>with corn cobs full of seed and little yellow seeds everywhere! They were
>harvesting and lost a bunch of corn when they picked up the dumpster.
>Tommy got the fast course in GMO's!
>
>We gave our local reporters copies of Islands at Risk
>
>Oh, I nearly forgot, the sent the cops out three times. The first guy was
>a plain clothed guy. After talking story he told me that he was an
>intelligence gatherer for the KPD and that our gathering was part of
>yesterday's briefing. He and the next two officer's listened to my gmo
>taro concerns for 10 minutes and agreed we had very valid concerns, and
>their wives felt the same. They would not take my dvd's or books while
>they were on duty! The next two cops watched sceptically until they saw
>me setting up the coffee and food, it was disarming to be serving fruit.
>They had been told there might be violence, not sure who expressed that
>idea, and I explained that for three years we have been working on
>legislation and this was an element of being proactive legislation just
>like they were doing coming to Kauai to see what the ag scene is like. We
>want them to know how we feel. We made some new friends and supporters.
>
>Anyway, this coverage is great, going in to our county fair on this
>coming Thursday. We will be featuring Chris' beautiful taro displays,
>along with the all the usual fare.
>
>I felt all your presence today, and heard you speak through my words.
>Mahalo! stand up for Haloa, Jeri
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25. 'the shift'
Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 22:38:22 -1000
From: 'imiola young <imiola@hawaii.rr.com>
The Shift: 6 Minute Video:
A massive worldwide phenomenon is in progress, offering seeds of great
hope for the future.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18162.htm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gabrielle Welford, Ph.D.
Instructor
University of San Francisco
welford@hawaii.edu
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