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Letters

Depleted decency

Sep 9, 2009

I am outraged to find from a Honolulu Weekly article (“Chain reaction,” 8/26) that the military has lied about the presence of Depleted Uranium (DU) and Depleted Uranium Oxide (DUO) in Hawai’i for many years. Equally outrageous, is the fact that the military cannot account for thousands of pounds of “lost” DU throughout the Islands.

The military must be held accountable for its alleged intentional and/or potential criminally negligent behavior related to DU and DUO. The possibility that my children and grandchildren, who have been raised and born on the Islands, may have DUO in their lungs, skin and bloodstream, is extremely upsetting to me and my wife.

Officials at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Agency must act, both as regulators and as human beings, to hold the military accountable for their alleged duplicitous, negligent and potentially criminal behavior. Such behavior cannot stand without immediate governmental response in a democratic and civilized nation.

This accountability includes locating and cleaning up all DU in the Islands. Further, the most stringent environmental conditions must be placed on any permit granted to the military regarding the collection, storage and disposal of DU in Hawaii. The military must also establish a substantial monetary fund to provide free and competent medical testing, treatment and financial damages, now and in the future, for victims of their actions, both in the Hawaiian Islands and elsewhere.

The first rule of life and ecology is consequences. The military must deal with the consequences of its unconscious and insensitive actions in our beautiful homeland. As Dr. Pang stated in the Weekly article, “It’s a basic decency issue.”

Please act now with decency, conviction and courage to meaningfully and comprehensively address this important issue.

Tom DiGrazia

Kailua

Celebrating Hawaii, nature, culture and wellness for over 35 years!
SURFER, The Bar

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