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ALOHA....come on in, the natives are friendly.
9 Dec 2003 - Second Class Citizens
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Once upon a time there was a beautiful Navy Base tucked in along the coast on the leeward side of Oahu. The name of this Base was Barber's Point Naval Air Station. It was well maintained, had a beach, and camping areas that were available to both the military and the civilians. Several years ago, in conjuction with a few Hawaiian groups, the Honolulu Advertiser started a campaign to have the base returned to the State of Hawaii. Finally, the Navy gave into the mounting pressure to return the base, and the base was returned to the State of Hawaii. It was given the Hawaiian name of Kalaeloa. The newspaper and the various Hawaiian groups had all kinds of pie in the sky dreams about what was going to be done with this base. Now, after several years of having this base in their hands, it has turned into a huge trash heap. The beach is unusable now, and the restroom facilities have been vandalized and the septic system backed up to where raw sewage is flowing out of the ground. The camping area has been taken over by the homeless. The same newspaper that advocated the turn over of the base to the state is now advocating the basing of a aircraft carrier at Pearl Harbor and the basing of a new Army Striker Brigade here. Today the paper trumpeted the basing of a new destroyer here.....with their $15 million in salaries. This is the same newspaper that has played a large part, in cahoots with the pork loving Congressional delegation from here, in the closing of several training areas....and of course the Navy Base that would host the aircraft aboard the carrier that they want. This is the same newspaper that never has anything good to say about the military....except for the pay roll that is spent here in the Islands. They love to bleed the military of their pay, and the Federal Government of a multitude of federal funds but they do not want to give them the space needed to train, or to provide a decent life for the military and their families. It is such a shame to see a once thriving, well maintained base turned into a dump. The State clains now that it can not afford to maintain it. So typical of everything in this state.....they (politicians and newspaper) want everything handed them on a silver platter, they expect the federal government to pay their way, and they have no idea what they are doing when they start. Another example, one of many, is the large pay raise given the police department. Now they have no idea how it is going to be funded. The fire chief just retired, so as to take advantage of the retirement package offered after 25 years. He is now being hired, while drawing full retirement pay, at his full pay ($122,000), for 90 day periods as they claim that they can not replace him. And so it goes....day after day.
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 ~Ozone 
Please show me your location, it is easy
You can email the author at TotalAlkalinity@earthlink.net
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