Posted by Uncle Charlie on October 23, 1998 at 02:07:28:
In Reply to: Kaho`olawe lay-off posted by Jeff on October 22, 1998 at 11:21:19:
: Uncle Charlie, I read about the Kaho`olawe laid-off workers and the discrimination going on. Could you tell me a little more about the project and things?
: Mahalo,
: Jeff
Aloha Jeff, in 1975(read on my webpage about how the dream to claim Kahoolawe back forthe Hawaiian people). Well finally after all the protest and two people dying in the waters of Kahoolawe, protesting the military use of the island for bombing, it was stopped. The Navy returned the island back to the State of Hawaii to be given to a Sovereign Hawaiian Nation when it was formed. Congress was to set aside 400 million dollars to clean the island up of the unexplouded ordinance on the island. Two years ago we worked on methods to clean up the island(test clean up) twenty million dollars was used in the effort. In this "test" clean up method were tried and tested. According to the Navy, they designed all kinds of new methods. Majority of the people that are working on the island is not from Hawaii. A force of mostly 20 Native Hawaiians doing the most dangerous jobs, with the smallest pay got laid off. But everyone else is still working. A lot of these mens rented rooms on Maui and left their homes on Molokai after 3 weeks they get laid off. This is very unfair especially because the island was ment for the Hawaiians and not for this big mainland companies to get rich. Western greed for money has always overcome common sense. Uncle Charlie