A strong ‘no’ to Homeland Defense Radar
What a shame that neither Sen. Hirono nor Rep. Kai Kahele are considering anywhere but Kaua‘i for the Homeland Defense Radar-Hawai‘i. Kaua‘i better wake up. This behemoth is slated for Kaua‘i, not any other island or location.
The 27 acres of our Westside needed for this is nothing compared to the enormous area that will be subjected to the strongest radar we have or will ever have. Radar is not a benign thing just because it is invisible. It’s going to kill birds flying through it, it’s going to cause boat and helicopter tours to avoid it for safety.
Locating the HDR-H on Kaua‘i will give us a huge load of radar dwarfing. what we are already subjected to from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, and it will be 24/7. Do Hirono or Kahele want this on their island of O‘ahu? No. It should not be on, or near, any populated island. If it’s slated for our state, then put it on Kaho‘olawe. Even that’s too close. And no one wants to subject Kaho‘olawe to that. But it’s OK to subject Kaua‘i to it?
Last but not least, locating incoming hypersonic missiles by radar does not mean we have a guarantee of an intercept.
What is our best deterrent? The fact that any nuclear strike will be met with a retaliatory strike. That’s what makes the nuclear nations hold their fire. A monstrous radar not so much.
Truckloads carrying 1 million cubic yards of cement, and rerouting tour boats and helicopter tours aside, this HDR-H is going to blanket us in radar stronger than anything we currently have from PMRF.
It’s not going to guarantee intercepts if it’s built, especially for incoming multiple missiles or missiles with decoys. But it’s going to guarantee that birds flying through it will be killed and humans on Kaua‘i and especially on the Westside will be adversely affected with an additional radar load over and above what we are already getting 24/7 from PMRF.
The HDR-H will be 85 feet tall and delivering radar for thousands of miles.
Pay attention, Kaua‘i. Your political reps do not want it on O‘ahu. They want it here.
Paulo Tambolo, Wailua Homesteads
Ship a car in, ship a car out
Aloha traffic fans;
Perhaps we should take a page from Catalina Island. You ship a car in, you ship a car out.
Applies to everyone. Car dealers, car-rental agencies, individuals, state, county, hotels, everybody!! Inconvenient, you bet. Outrageous, you bet. But, try to get from Kealia to Lihu‘e midday. Inconvenient, you bet. Outrageous, you bet.
Exceptions, you bet. Place a usury fee on all exceptions. Make it hurt. $5,000? This might offset some of the vast registration fees we pay now.
Just a thought.
Aloha.
Dale Winters, Kapa‘a
