Sunday, April 11, 2010

Musings: Military Encroachment

Orion, Triangle and Pleides were marching toward Makaleha when Koko and I went out into the night and gazed up at the starry sky, which by morning was dotted instead with streaks and puffs of clouds, some tinted pink, others pale orange or gray.

We ran into my neighbor Andy, who also was not planning to take his dog on this morning’s Kauai Humane Society-sponsored walk on the Path — or rather, that small portion of the Path where canines are allowed. I heard the walk being billed on the radio as a statement of the people’s rights, a strong voice for beach access, but the logic for such claims escaped me.

Having to obey a whole host of rules to use an area that previously was unregulated doesn’t seem to be an expansion of the people’s rights, and since you can’t legally stray more than 10 feet on either side of the Path with a dog, it actually works to hinder access to the beach itself. You can look, but you can’t touch.

Scientists are trying to get a closer look at what monk seals do when they’re not lying on the beach. And why? So the Navy can determine just how much they can harass the critically endangered creatures with sonar and other military training exercises without being sued under the Endangered Species and Marine Mammal Protection acts.

The Navy is paying for NOAA to do the research, which seems to create a conflict of interest, seeing as how NOAA is also the regulatory agency for Navy activities that affect marine life. And in the past, we’ve seen NOAA cave in to Department of Defense pressure when it comes to sonar use. It also raises the question of whether the study, which emphasizes the seals’ range and dive depths, two questions critical to sonar use, was designed primarily to satisfy the Navy, rather than to generate data that could enhance the survival of the species.

Because much as scientists love to glue on transmitters and affix tags and bands, we don’t really know how these devices affect the animals. Just check out the picture that accompanies The Advertiser story. The caption states the seal is “oblivious to the transmitter on his back,” but even if that were the case when the photo was taken, I’m quite sure it no longer will be the minute he rolls over.

It is obviously disturbing, in an alien abduction sort of way, to capture, immobilize and tag any animal, so if you’re going to traumatize them, it should be for a really good purpose. And in my book, that doesn’t include having the government spy on seals to help pave the way for sonar training.

Save that for us humans, who have unwittingly allowed the government to track our every move through the ever ubiquitous cell phone. As Steve Chapman notes in The Chicago Tribune:

For years, the cops may have been using it to keep close tabs on you without your knowledge, even if you have done nothing wrong.

They don't have to get a search warrant — which would limit them to situations where they can show some reason to think you're breaking the law. All they have to do is tell a judge that the information is relevant to a criminal investigation and send a request to your service provider.

This does not appear to be an uncommon event. Al Gidari, an attorney for several service providers, told Newsweek they now get "thousands of these requests per month."

Oh, and the data are not limited to your movements today or in the future. The government can also see records of where you've been in the past.


Or as Damien Marley sings:

So beware of them cellular and pager. ‘Cause as I see them I see danger.

I see danger in plans for the military, which already controls extensive acreage in Hawaii, to encroach onto even more land through its new demand for biofuel crops and some 6 million square feet of solar panels.

The Navy and Department of Agriculture have already signed an agreement to expand use of renewable energy sources, using Hawaii as the testing ground, which had DOA’s Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan crowing:

”This charter partnership, under the agreement, gives us the chance to tap the under-utilized agricultural potential of Hawai'i," Merrigan said at a news conference.

So instead of actually growing crops to wean our dependence on imported food, Hawaii’s farm land will be used to further entrench the military’s presence in the Islands and its wasteful, destructive and deadly activities everywhere.

And it’s not just land they be needing, but water. Just two days after The Advertiser printed its glowing account of the Navy's hearty appetite for alternative energy and biofuels, it published an editorial saying that the state Commission on Water Resource and Management should favor A&B’s Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar over kalo farmers in deciding the allocation of water from Nā Wai Eha, “the four streams” of west Maui.

To bolster its stance, it referenced an alliance that had been formed just the day before:

But the death of sugar isn't something new and HC&S has been slow to transition toward new crops, and less thirsty ones. That's why yesterday's announcement of an alliance among HC&S, the Department of Energy and the Navy for biofuels production is so encouraging. Receiving adequate water from the commission should be seen as a commitment by HC&S to agriculture, and the federal dollars will help support its fulfillment.

I’m sure the timing of this alliance, orchestrated by good old Sen. Inouye as CWRM deliberates in the Nā Wai Eha case, is merely a coincidence, just as it’s a coincidence that once again the plantations and the military that helped to cement their power have joined forces, supposedly for the public good.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

When the Big Five starts growing for DOD, kiss diversified ag and land reform goodbeye.

Anonymous said...

wonder if she speaks monkseal?

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100411/LIFE/4110323/When+animals++talk+++Haneo+gets+the+message

Anonymous said...

"So instead of actually growing crops to wean our dependence on imported food, Hawaii’s farm land will be used to further entrench the military’s presence in the Islands and its wasteful, destructive and deadly activities everywhere."

-- and/or do a great deal to push forward research and development, best practices, and adoption generally of alternative fuels and "green" energy generation

not too unlike military r-n-d helping develope lithuim battery technology (to where now it can be used in cars). the internet, nanotechnology, bla bla. lots of examples


dwps

Anonymous said...

How exactly does "it actually works to hinder access to the beach itself"? I mean seriously, if I were in a wheel chair, it improves my access.

I guess you have your beliefs but I think your perspective on this should change.

Dawson said...

not too unlike military r-n-d helping develope lithuim battery technology (to where now it can be used in cars). the internet, nanotechnology, bla bla. lots of examples

The argument is specious. Those developments were corporate outgrowths of university lab/government funded research projects. The military doesn't do that kind of basic scientific research in Hawaii, only on the mainland, where the big universities, think tanks and hardware resources are.

Joan Conrow said...

How exactly does "it actually works to hinder access to the beach itself"? I mean seriously, if I were in a wheel chair, it improves my access.

Because the Path has been designated a linear county park, it is my understanding that you can't legally cross it to reach the beach if you're with a dog. Even in the section where dogs are allowed you can't veer more than 10 off either side of the Path.

Let us not forget that the coastline, particularly a concrete path on the coastline, is not synonymous with "the beach."

Anonymous said...

Let us not forget that the coastline, particularly a concrete path on the coastline, is not synonymous with "the beach."

you are single minded and anti-handicap - some people may have a different vision of what a 'beach' is or isn't, you mind is very narrow on this subject.

Anonymous said...

They should make it like Venice Beach or Santa Monica Beach in the LA area.

Anonymous said...

"The argument is specious. Those developments were corporate outgrowths of university lab/government funded research projects. The military doesn't do that kind of basic scientific research in Hawaii, only on the mainland, where the big universities, think tanks and hardware resources are."


-- its more of a review of past and current activity spanning 10-15 yrs in HI than an "argument"

-- as we know, across the US, Dod/Darpa has financed much generally (nano, material science, etc). this creates/refines the tech, and brings the costs down enables civilian adopted (tho i prefer the obama direct civilian RnD approach myself). anyways (1) the feds (and i think we are limiting this to DoD examples) do do this as to "sustainability-related" technology in HI, and (2) more examples can be offered of the DoD being an enabler of such "green" tech in HI (so not just RnD, but local adoption / usage)

-- one RnD example off the top of my head: UH Manoa, "Hawaii Natural Energy Institute School of Ocean and Earth Science" is exploring with US military RE trying to set up an advanced battery fabrication plant in HI (think "grid storage"). they are still at the batt testing phase last i knew

-- one of the dynamics driving this and related items is Executive Order 13423 (which directs to feds to do certain "green" things, use 30% less energy, use recycled materials, etc etc)

-- that order has a kauai impact, for example, shown in part by different solar and biofuel (and i think alge-to-fuel?) projects looking to sign up PMRF as a customer and get a real life scalable project going (part of the idea is - the feds/DoD/base help get it going, then the supplier can expand and offer it to other parts of the island at a reasonable cost...bus fleets, individuals, etc)

-- so, some of this HI/DoD work is in buildings, and some of it on open land. and it is hardly "further entrench[ing]...wasteful, destructive and deadly activities everywhere." quite the opposite really


and that is what i am talking about. nice try though, rook


dwps

Anonymous said...

They should make it like Venice Beach or Santa Monica Beach in the LA area.

April 11, 2010 8:13 PM

I was thinking east coast with boardwalks and ADA compliant paths for access but west coast, especially Venice is a great ADA example.

Anonymous said...

"cross it to reach the beach if you're with a dog"

I don't need a dog, I need a wheelchair and I don't want to cross it, I just want to to see it and be near it.

Burnt Sugar said...

When we talk about large scale ag, even if we are using the most sophisticated tech out there currently today, which essentially cuts labor force needs in half, and requires some levels of technical skills for at least half of those workers, as well as supers and crew chief leaders, you are still talking about a significant number of people needed for stooped over labor work, in the hot sun, able to withstand that sort of a physical job. Too many people cite the whole "Hey, we can rehire all of those retired sugar workers.

They are probably dying to get back into ag. We will just hire them." Ok, lets be realistic. The majority of those folks would be 50,60, even sometimes 70 and 80 years old. These types of workers truly are some of the most amazing people you will ever meet.

They can do things with seemingly frail looking bodies that would embarrass most teenagers due to a lifetime of hard physical labor. However, frankly there are simply not enough of these people to go around. This rare group of amazing individuals needs to be supplemented by younger crews.

That is a necessity and a fact. So, where will these people come from? Most of the people here would rather work on their own pieces of property and farm for themselves and sell their produce rather then go and stoop labor in someone else's, unless the job was a technical or supervisory position. So where does that leave large scale commercial ag? Needing to import labor.

Now, you have just gone backwards 150 years into Hawai'is past. You need worker housing. You need to provide for them. They will eventually assimilate. Where will they live permanently? Will they come on worker Visas? How will they get along with the locals? How will you treat them? Will they be on contract?

Now, I am coming from a former ag supervisory angle on this. So the issue is far more complicated. Right now, workers are being imported from Asian countries and Mexico to fill out the labor force from local ag workers because the pool is so thin.

They are currently being housed on private properties scattered throughout the islands, and right now do not have it so bad, but the fact remains that they are indentured contracted workers. Their freedom of movement is curtailed, there are language barriers and fraternization is watched carefully by the handlers.

They are not allowed to currently bring spouses or children, so they lack female companionship which is also a concern for various reasons, as it was a major area of concern 100 years ago. Immigration issues are also a concern.

Costs for them to purchase equipment and clothing,as well as food and housing are taken out of wages exactly as it was done 100 years ago in Hawaii, as well as all personal needs. As you are all well aware, isolation, inflated costs and homogenous groupings contributed to much of the strife suffered by indentured workers in Hawaii.

It is a fact that over half of all laborers returned to their countries of origins many times poorer then when they began for most what was a 7 year journey. This is the human side of this issue.

Dawson said...

"...and that is what i am talking about."

No, what you're doing is PR -- attempting to sell the myth that the military serves the Greater Good of the World, including the silliness of equating military presence on Hawaii with world-changers like the internet.

Keep hawking the snake oil. Businesses and governments that profit from the military will doubtless stand and salute. Others, not so much.

Anonymous said...

They should make it like Venice Beach or Santa Monica Beach in the LA area.

April 11, 2010 8:13 PM

Very simple solution. Go back to Venice beach or Santa Monica. Leave our beaches alone.

Anonymous said...

"No, what you're doing is PR -- attempting to sell the myth that the military serves the Greater Good of the World, including the silliness of equating military presence on Hawaii with world-changers like the internet.

Keep hawking the snake oil. Businesses and governments that profit from the military will doubtless stand and salute. Others, not so much."


-- PR? by and large this stuff is pretty well known among those actually trying to move away from oil generated fuel in HI. sorry if its all new news to you

the feds (DOE, DOD) do a range of activities in HI

i cited a couple of them i happen to know of, and why they are doing so

thats all

very simple

and the the reasons for this activity are basically "good" (and this is provable)

and the net impact is basically "good" (and this too is provable)

examples of this were offered, with verifiable detail and citations


but sorry if its all new news to you rook


dwps

Anonymous said...

"Very simple solution. Go back to Venice beach or Santa Monica. Leave our beaches alone."

cute, I live here, and I'm not from there so ...suffer the little children ... i.e. you.

Anonymous said...

"and the the reasons for this activity are basically "good" (and this is provable)

and the net impact is basically "good" (and this too is provable)"

How is that provable? how do you quantify and factor in the violent purpose/actions of the navy?

Anonymous said...

"How is that provable? how do you quantify and factor in the violent purpose/actions of the navy?"

I'm not saying it is right but don't ya'll ever read, anything - could have been covered in the recent PMRF EIS about the rocket launches but you don't read or research, so whatever.

Anonymous said...

"How is that provable? how do you quantify and factor in the violent purpose/actions of the navy?"


-- provable via: (1) actually showing that certain activity (greenish RnD, building alt energy facilities) is occurring here in HI (which is apparently a matter of dispute with rook; perhaps site visits are in order), and (2) the reasonable person standard (is that standard too much to ask for?) that agrees fed (Dept of Defense) sustainability-related (a) technological development / research, and/or (b) actual financing / deployment / adoption falls in the category of a "net good" as either "a" or "b" make it easier for larger local civilian adoption (both in HI, of course, but even some on the mainland too)

hope that at least begins to answer your question

but if one dislikes some aspects of a given agency which blind judgment to everything else that agency does, i dunno, must be tough making sense of the world then (or having any friends, or being successful, or most anything else that requires a bit of nuance)



dwps

Dawson said...

"...how do you quantify and factor in the violent purpose/actions of the navy?"

Exactly. The core of the military conceit is that its purpose is good, its presence is beneficial, and the violence it does is for the greater good.

In fact, a national military is a political construct. It exists to project force or the threat of force by and for the political structures that fund it. The notion that it exists to benefit "the people" is absurd -- when not actively projecting force at the orders of politicians, the military works to benefit the military, at the expense of the people.

Anonymous said...

The Dude: God damn you Walter! You fuckin' asshole! Everything's a fuckin' travesty with you, man! And what was all that shit about Vietnam? What the FUCK, has anything got to do with Vietnam? What the fuck are you talking about? [The Big Lebowski]


what are you rooks talking about?


"Hawaii’s farm land will be used to further entrench the military’s presence in the Islands and its wasteful, destructive and deadly activities everywhere."


-- i thought the idea was thin film PV and biofuels will promote death and destruction?

you rooks only want to talk about vietnam, like walt


dwps

Anonymous said...

"cute, I live here, and I'm not from there so ...suffer the little children ... i.e. you."

Just get back to where you once belonged. Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged. Get back home, your mommy's waiting for you.

Anonymous said...

The members of the Corp all hate the thought of war. They would rather kill them off by peaceful means.

For might makes right and until they have seen the light, they've got to be respected, all their right protected, until someone we like can be elected.

The good the US military does is usually what is known as "unintended consequences" Like the internet itself born by DARPA to maintain command and control during a nuclear attack on the US.

Missing limbs is really a boon to robotics, and we got Tang and Velcro from the space program. Some would argue one need not invade other countries, blow off limbs, or go into outer space to advance the fields of robotics, sugary drinks, or adhesive materials.

Anonymous said...

well, credit is at least due for offering a sensible sounding review (notice the rhyme? just like you ;)


dwps

Anonymous said...

Send in the Marines http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHhZF66C1Dc