Report on Ed Case meeing in Keaau

[mahina]

Aloha Kakou,

Today Ed Case held "Talk Story" meetings in Volcano Village, Kea`au and Hilo. Yesterday he held meetings in Waikoloa, Kailua-Kona, Ocean View and Pahala.  Next Saturday (April 9th) he will be holding meetings in Honoka`a from 7:30-8:30 AM, Waimea 9:30-10:30, and Hawi from 1-2PM. Here is a brief report on the Kea`au meeting with requests that others share reports from their meetings. 
 
The first 30-40 minutes of the "Talk Story" was one way talking by Ed case.  In my judgement, completely uncessary.  His report could have been given in an information sheet handout and he could have gone directly to comments and questions from the more than 70 people who attended.  He rambled about the Federal deficit, Social Security, and Ice.  As it was there was only about 30 minutes left for Q&A. after he finished talking at us.
Main thing is that lots of people were there strongly against the war and the Stryker build up in Hawaii and in support of military clean up.  I gave Case 6 soil samples from Saddle Rd. going through Pohakuloa Military Training area and asked him to get them tested for 50 military toxins and heavy metals, including Depleted uranium, lead, RDX and perchlorate.  He took the samples and said he would.
Sadly Case's support for the war about the need to stay and stabilize the country, support the troops doing their job, etc. sounded like a Nixon/McNamara rehash of Vietnam staying the course.  I was waiting for him to use the phrase "ther is a light at the end of the tunnel."  He seems completely in denial that the U.S. is the problem not the solution in Iraq.  He fails to see the U.S. as the bull in the china shop.  Or he thinks the bull should be in charge of the clean up.  All in all I think it was important to press him hard on his recent vote for another $80 billion for the war, now totalling more than $300 billion.  Case speaks out of two sides of his mouth about military clean up.  He supports token money for clean up but he supports major Stryker expansion --making more of a mess.  He can't have it both ways.  No more mess.  No more build up.  Time for clean up period.
 
PLEASE LET'S HERE HOW IT WENT AT OTHER 'TALK STORY' CASE MEETINGS.
Aloha,
Jim Albertini
Malu `Aina Center For Non-violent
Education & Action

[caligirl]

1. He isn't likely talking about the draft either is he? If we don't pull out

of Iraq this year look what looms ahead.



http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/04/04/MNG47C2S0B1.DTL


Many in Congress and in wider policy-discussion circles aren't waiting to see the results of the Pentagon's stepped-up efforts. Sens. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. and Jack Reed, D-R.I., have proposed adding 30,000 soldiers to the Army. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., has proposed a 30,000-person increase in the Army and 10, 000 to the Marines, and Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Walnut Creek, wants to add some 20,000 to the Army, 12,000 to the Marine Corps and 29,000 to the Air Force.

A bipartisan group put together by the Project for the New American Century, a group that reflects the thinking of the neoconservatives who have been so influential in determining President Bush's military and foreign policies, sent a letter to congressional leaders in late January. In it, the signatories wrote, "it is our judgment that we should aim for an increase in the active duty Army and Marine Corps, together, of at least 25,000 troops each year over the next several years.''

Signers included not just such neoconservative stalwarts as magazine editor and Fox News contributor Bill Kristol, but also Will Marshall of the Progressive Policy Institute and James Steinberg of the Brookings Institution, a Clinton administration National Security Council official.

Kerry, for one, has put a price tag on his proposed increase. The 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, who says he opposes reinstating the draft, says adding 40,000 people to the regular military would cost $4.5 billion to $5 billion a year in added pay, and $2 billion to $3 billion in more benefits needed to attract and keep recruits.

Military 'stretched'

In proposing a bigger military, Tauscher said the Bush administration is "continuing to stretch the military and turn a blind eye to solutions mandated by Congress'' and "could very well break our military.''




But he warned that if the Iraq occupation drags on, other foreign military operations are launched and a half-million more soldiers are needed, "I don't think we can get there without a draft."




Lawrence Korb, assistant defense secretary under President Ronald Reagan, supports the all-volunteer military. But he said the Bush administration is severely straining the military and faces a deadline.

"You've got about another year,'' said Korb, who is now an analyst at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank. "If you don't cut back in Iraq, your all-volunteer Army and Marine Corps are going to be in big trouble. ''

*****But Phillip Carter, a retired Army captain who is now a lawyer, writer and commentator on military affairs, said there may be little choice but to reinstate conscription. "The all-volunteer model can't produce the numbers that might be needed,'' he said.

He favors the national service idea, and says that in his vision those who opt for military service would only serve as military police, truck drivers or in homeland security posts.

"It's a matter of pragmatism. We're in a pretty bad spot, and it's tough to meet the recruiting goals,'' said Carter. **********

***Pena, who wants to see the military budget slashed by about $100 billion, suggests manpower issues could be addressed by withdrawing the 75,000 troops still stationed in Europe 16 years after the Berlin Wall came down and the 33, 000 in South Korea and Japan.

"It's not that we're overextended,'' Pena said. "We're over-committed. We have too many commitments that are no longer germane to United States interests.'' ***

[Moderator]

3. caligirl

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
copyrighted news source.


Thank you.


DU Moderator

[Goathead]

2. Aloha, Jim!

I was on the Big Island for four years and still have a place in Ocean View. Might be coming back sometime soon. Your farm is in Kurtistown isn't it? I know somebody that worked for you there. PM me and lets' talk story. :hi:
On Ed Case, I've talked with him personally before, he seemed really dismissive and put off by me, like he was "better" than I was or something. He doesn't know how to talk to people in an agreeable manner. He only knows how to turn on the charm and speak politically about things. He's got prep school boy written all over him, even if it was only HPA. I think Ed Case is merely tolerating his Congressional seat while he dreams about the Senate or Governor's mansion. His staff is much better, they are mostly holdovers from Patsy Mink and they seem as if they are trying to continue her work while working with Ed.

[The Sushi Bandit]

4. Ed must go! ... too conservitive... too "Clean"