One week ago was the 8 decade anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
This attack by Japanese warplanes was deemed an attack on national security and there was an aggressive response.
Any external threat to our way of life is deemed a threat to national security.
But internal threats are glossed over like it's almost nothing.
Red Hill, which is basically just up the hill from Pearl Harbor is the location of fuel storage tanks built by the US military in the years after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Those fuel tanks are just about 100 feet above the aquifers that provide water to Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii, and it's largest city.
Those fuel tanks are old, outdated, and are currently leaking petroleum into our water supply.
People living in the military bases nearby already had to evacuate due to the illnesses they received from using that water.
Businesses that operate in nearby areas had to shut down indefinitely, furloughing workers who already had to struggle during the pandemic.
Yes, the Navy is currently trying to contain the leak but the damage is already done.
If a foreign power did that to our water, it would be deemed a threat to national security, and it would be considered an act of war.
But since the US military has been negligent with those fuel tanks, it's not considered a threat to national security.
But it sure is a threat to the people on the island of Oahu.
The fuel in those tanks needs to be moved out of there ASAP!
Yes, the logistics are easier said than done, but it must be done.
-------
PS: an Independent Hawaii would have much more incentive to remove those fuel tanks than the US government would. After all, the US government is based in DC, Hawaii's concerns are too "out of sight, out of mind" for them. An independent Hawaii would have to be responsive to environmental concerns, especially with the water supply that reaches a population center.
I mean what good is it to say "we need the US to protect us from China" if Red Hill is the perfect target for China's missiles. Those fuel tanks are making us sitting ducks for an attack by internal and external attacks. Move those damn fuel tanks already!
-----
learn more at
Timothy Hurley, “Worst-Case Scenario Puts Oahu Aquifer at Risk,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, December 5, 2021, https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/12/05/hawaii-news/worst-case-scenario-puts-oahu-aquifer-at-risk/.
Anita Hofschneider, “State Finds Red Hill Contamination Far above Health Thresholds for Drinking Water,” Honolulu Civil Beat, December 10, 2021, https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/12/state-finds-red-hill-contamination-far-above-state-standards-for-drinking-water/.
Associated Press. “Navy Suspends Military Tank Farm After Hawaii Aquifer Contamination.” Huffington Post. December 6, 2021. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hawaii-navy-red-hillcontaminated-water_n_61aec1ffe4b07c4c95c1f906.
Lee Cataluna, “The Red Hill Water Crisis Is A Wake-Up Call For Oahu,” Honolulu Civil Beat, December 8, 2021, https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/12/lee-cataluna-the-red-hill-water-crisis-is-a-wake-up-call-for-oahu/.
“Hawaii Military Officials Address Petroleum Product Detected in Water from Red Hill School,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, December 1, 2021, https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/12/01/breaking-news/hawaii-health-officials-say-water-from-school-tests-positive-for-petroleum-product/.
Kevin Knodell, “Navy Divers Work to Remove Fuel Contaminants at Red Hill Water Facility,” Honolulu Star-Advertiser, December 13, 2021, https://www.staradvertiser.com/2021/12/13/hawaii-news/navy-divers-work-to-remove-fuel-contaminants-at-red-hill-water-facility/.
Kristy Tamashiro, “Workers Left Jobless as Water Contamination Crisis Forces Businesses to Shut Down,” KHON, December 13, 2021, https://www.khon2.com/local-news/workers-left-jobless-as-water-contamination-crisis-forces-businesses-to-shut-down/.