Is It Time For Hawaii To Renegotiate Its Relationship With The Military? …The Red Hill water contamination crisis has prompted outrage, even among those who have traditionally supported the military.
At Kahoolawe, Makua Valley, Pohakuloa and elsewhere, activists defending the interests of Hawaiians and the environment have protested the U.S. military for decades.
They’ve opposed the occupation of Hawaii’s land, the destruction of sacred cultural sites and the disruption of daily life, from low-flying helicopters to inflated housing costs.
But until recently, broad sectors of the community and the state’s political powers have uncritically supported the military. The Department of Defense – driving the second-largest sector of the state’s economy – has been allowed to expand its footprint largely unimpeded.
