Not In Our Name-Hawai`i: No Strykers!

Not In Our Name-Hawai`i: No Strykers!

Last summer Hawai`i's Senator Dan Inouye announced on his website that a Stryker Brigade would be based in Hawai`i.

It went virtually unnoticed. In November 2003 the U.S. Army attempted to hold hearings on a draft Environmental Impact Statement on the Strykers at private country clubs and exclusive hotels, far away from populated areas. When activists attempted to enter the hearings with signs, several well-known anti-military and sovereignty activists were arrested. Their cases became highly publicized and the community was outraged. The Army backed down but it was too late. A firestorm over the Strykers hit the front pages and whether or not to go along with U.S. plans to base the Strykers in Hawai`i has since become one of the most heated anti-military struggles in recent history. Hundreds of people testified against the Strykers at Army EIS hearings and anti-Stryker brochures and leaflets have been snatched up as fast as they can be printed. Rumsfeld himself issued a statement to the effect that the Strykers would be based in Hawai`i, whether or not the
people of Hawai`i want it.

Virtually no one believes that basing the Strykers in Hawai`i will be good. Indigenous people, in particular, object to yet another military landgrab. Everyone knows the Strykers will further poison and contaminate the islands. Many object to the Stryker's intended use as a weapon to crush dissent and "urban unrest." And yet significant numbers are tempted by promises of additional jobs and money.

The struggle over the Stryker is turning into a heated battle. Not In Our Name-Hawai`i, along with many other organizations, has taken up the fight against the Stryker with a kind of fierce determination rarely seen in Hawai`i. But without national (and even international) support, it is going to be difficult to win. The struggle against the Stryker is being likened to the struggle of the Puerto Rican people against the bombing of Vieques. Hawai`i is a very small place, and the military is very big. We urge people everywhere to find out more about the Strykers and find of linking with Hawai`i's people in the struggle against them. If you want specific suggestions on what you can do, write nionhawaii@yahoo.com.

http://www.notinourname.net/war/stryker.htm