This weekend, amidst spending time with my family and a few new friends, I was reminded rather blatantly of why I am so eager to be off this rock.  Don’t get me wrong, Hawaii is beautiful, and I have the pictures to prove it!  I prefer the other islands, but even Oahu with its obesity of population has its beautiful beaches, mountains, and oceans.  But beneath the superficial beauty of the land, lies an ugly monster of hate, ignorance, and predjudice. 

In the three years that I have been here, I can count on one hand the number of Kama’aina (or people who have lived in Hawaii long enough to consider themself local) who have actually shared their “Spirit of Aloha” with my Haole (who is not descended from the aboriginal Polynesian inhabitants of Hawaii, especially white) family.  When we first moved here on military orders, we were so excited!  Having met only a handful of people who have ever visited Hawaii, we were told two things: the culture can be rich and beautiful but the people can be ugly (or rude).  Even in our little welcome briefing we were warned of the anti-military sentiments and racial tensions in certain areas on Oahu.  I have witnessed it in conversation, I have read it in the mommies forum that I am part of, and I have seen it first-hand. 

In my mind, its one thing to curse the Haole.  I can sometimes empathize (because of my own Heritage) with the Hawaiians who are struggling to keep their culture pure and alive, especially when true Hawaiian blood is becoming more and more watered down.  I DO NOT understand the blatant blinders put in place that allow SOME of these same Hawaiians to protest and bash our military.  I have talked with other military members and their families and they too have either witnessed this outright HATE or have been victim to it.  Very few of these incidents make the news, that would be bad for tourism, which is already hurting in today’s economy.  But I know of at least two young servicemen who were singled out while walking around Waikiki and attacked by groups of young Hawaiian men.  Thankfully, neither man was hurt severely, having been helped by .. get this… TOURISTS.  But one married military couple was not so lucky. (http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Feb/27/ln/FP702270352.html) And the worst crime about their attack was that the local government put a spin on it so that the attackers could claim road rage even in view of what witnesses had stated!

But this weekend, as we were leaving Bellows AB, we were met by this:

About 100 protesters stood outside Bellows.  Most were calm and simply stood their holding up signs saying they want the military to leave Hawaii.  Others were crude, shouting curses and making rude gestures to those of us leaving the base.  Our Freedom of Speech allows them this protest, regardless of its base in ignorance.

Now, I have debated with young Locals about the impact of the military in their beloved islands.  The biggest argument they come up with is that the military has hurt thier land environmentally.  Okay, so I can agree with that.  Of course, the bases here will impact the environment.  But so do the sky high condos, the thousands of cars that drive in circles around the island, and the cruise ships, tankers, and shipping vessels that support their way of life.  Another argument they pose is how the bases that have been shut down (Barber’s Point) have left behind so much trash (buildings, slabs, etc), but fail to admit that most of the communities around this island are pretty trashed up as well and nevermind that the military is ACTIVELY working to clean up after itself, and has turned much of its abandoned housing over to private companies for affordable housing to the Hawaiian populace.  And if I bring up any of the following, regarding jobs and the local economy, they blatantly ignore it!  But I will rehash all that for you all. 

” ‘Hawaii ranked fourteenth in the nation in 2006 for the number of active-duty Army recruits per 1,000 youth ages 15 through 24, according to an Army report requested by the National Priorities Project (NPP). The report also ranked Honolulu number 22 out of the top 100 U.S. counties for the number of active-duty Army recruits in 2006.

Combined with the 116,000 retired military personnel living in Hawaii, the military-connected population totals 217,030 (17 percent of Hawaii’s total population). The 2000 U.S. Census found that Hawaii has the largest percentage of its population in the military among the states.’ ”  (http://counterrecruiter.wordpress.com/2007/09/07/hawaii-aggressive-military-recruitment-presence-meets-resistance/)

 The amount of money paid to DOD civilians in 2006 alone: $665,408; the amount of money SPENT in Hawaii by the military in 2006 alone: $ 1,863,310;   (http://www.nationalpriorities.org/nppdatabase_tool)

The military presence in Hawaii produced 18,337 jobs in 2006. (http://cochawaii.com/_library/documents/new-pdfs/imp%20mil%202008.pdf)

So while these protesters have thier Freedom of Speech, and the hatred that is spouted against the military presence here is protected by the local government, I have my experiences and my pictures to remind me that Paradise, like beauty, is only on the surface.

(and if you are thinking about traveling to Hawaii, PLEASE do not waste your time and money on Oahu.  Spend the little bit extra and visit Hawaii (the Big Island), or Kauai (the Garden Isle), or Maui.  I promise you your travels will be better there, and the natural beauty supplemented by friendlier locals!)

I have loved living here strictly because God’s creation cannot be denied!  These islands are beautiful!  But I leave here knowing that I will never be back.  I leave here knowing that everything I learned about this culture I learned on my own, because no Kama’aina was willing to answer my questions or teach me the things they love about their culture.  I leave here with bittersweet taste in my mouth, thankful for those few locals who treated me as a person, and sad about those who blame me and my family for the past.