Island Breath: The SuperFerry & the military

http:/= /homepage.mac.com/juanwilson/islandbreath/body.html=20 ID#0603-20

SUBJECT: MILITARY=20 INTEREST IN HAWAII SUPERFERRY

SOURCE: JUAN=20 WILSON juanwilson@earthlink.net

POSTED 13 OCTOBER 2006 - 2:00pm = HST

Superferry & US Military

movie= on=20 autsral.com, manufacturer of Superferry. showing military use. Click = image to=20 play.
Visit http://www.austal.com/ for=20 more details about Westpac Express use by the military=20

by Juan=20 Wilson on 13 October 2006

The = Director of=20 Hawaiian Department of Transportation wrote an article in The = Garden=20 Island News about the Superferry and all the hurdles it has had = to go=20 through in order to come on line.

Read it = here..
http://www.kauaiworld.com/articles/2006/10/13/opinion/edit02.txt=

I=20 have written a reply to the article. They may or may not print = it, so in=20 case they don't, I have reproduced a copy below.

To the=20 Editor of the Garden Island News,

Rodney=20 Haraga, Director of Hawaii DOT, wrote an opinion piece, = on=20 10/13/06, entitled =93Superferry has run the gantlet=94. = He argues=20 there is no need for an EIS (Environmental Impact = Statement) or=20 for that matter, an OEIS (Oceanic Environmental Impact=20 Statement) before beginning operation of the Superferry. =

What Mr. Haraga failed to mention anywhere in = his=20 article were the words =93Military=94, =93Navy=94, = =93Stryker=94 or =93Westpac=20 Express=94. When the military dimensions of the = Superferry=20 operation comes into focus there is good reason for both = an EIS=20 and OEIS.

Some background: This month a Federal = court in=20 San Francisco has found the Army violated the National=20 Environmental Policy Act when it did not consider all=20 alternatives in its decision to install the Stryker = brigade in=20 the Hawaiian Islands. The court ordered the Army to = prepare a=20 supplemental environmental analysis to answer the = question, "Why=20 Hawaii?"

The Stryker is a eight wheeled assault = platform=20 that can carry a 105mm cannon or the 25mm Bushmaster = machine=20 gun. Both can fire Depleted Uranium (DU) rounds. So can = the M113=20 Armored Personnel Carrier, the Apache Attack Helicopter = and the=20 Cobra Gunship Helicopter. The Superferry is designed to = carry=20 them all.

DU, in a projectile, does two things. = It=20 delivers a huge kinetic impact of white hot uranium to a = target.=20 This destroys the target. It also conveniently gets rid = of a wad=20 of =93low level=94 radioactive waste from an atomic = power plant or=20 weapons program; they have no place to put the stuff. As = such,=20 DU munitions are an environmental impact that keeps on = giving=20 and giving.

Why worry about Depleted Uranium? = Just ask=20 any Gulf War Veteran. The contamination of the modern=20 battlefield with radioactive depleted uranium 238 is an=20 intractable problem with a 4.5 billion year half-life. = Dating=20 back to 1991, tens of thousands of US veterans claim = they have=20 been permanently disabled by widespread use of these = toxic=20 munitions in Iraq.

The military denies that it = has used=20 DU munitions in Hawaii, but DU weapons debris has been=20 discovered at Schofield Barracks and documented by the=20 Associated Press. Will these weapons ever be fired on = other=20 islands?

The Superferry is not just a means for = Oahu=20 residents to have a day at the beach on Kauai It is also = a cheap=20 way to deliver military attack systems throughout the = Pacific=20 Theater. The Superferry is part of the Navy=92s Westpac = Express=20 program.

The builder of the Hawaiian Superferry = is=20 Austal USA. They have constructed other Westpac Express = ships=20 that are virtually identical to the Hawaiian Superferry=20 conforming to the same military specs. They are used to = ferry US=20 Marines, and their equipment, between Okinawa and other = Japanese=20 islands. Is any of that cargo ever contaminated with DU? = Will=20 the Superferry be?

Keep in mind that the board of = the=20 Superferry corporation is chaired by John Lehman (Reagan = Secretary of the Navy 1981-87), a veteran of the neo-con = Heritage Foundation and Project for the New American = Century. He=20 has been joined on the board by several associates from = his=20 investment consulting firm, Lehman Inc. Interestingly, = one board=20 member, John Shirley, has been a consultant to Lehman = and has 34=20 years of experience in senior positions at the Navy = Division of=20 Naval Reactors.

Pacific Business News reported = on March=20 26, 2005, that with Lehman=92s expertise, the Superferry = plans to=20 operate a Westpac Express, essentially to carry military = equipment and ferry vehicles from Oahu to the Big Island = on a=20 daily basis. Lehman told PBN that =93This logistical = plan will=20 make it easier for soldiers to train when the Stryker = Brigade=20 comes to Hawaii. The brigade will be stationed on Oahu = and=20 conduct training exercises on the Big Island.=94 =

The=20 Superferry is intended to transport vehicles and = equipment that=20 could be contaminated with DU dust in the field. After = battle=20 simulations on the Big Island, will this cargo be = inspected for=20 traces of depleted uranium before it is loaded onto the=20 Superferry? Will the Superferry itself be inspected for = DU after=20 carrying military shipments?

It seems prudent to = examine=20 the possibility of the spread of DU contamination = throughout the=20 Hawaiian islands by battlefield equipment transported on = the=20 Superferry.

Moreover, an OEIS should be = conducted to see=20 if a Superferry, operated by the Navy, under its = protocol for=20 Westpac Express and not civilian ferry operations, will = be=20 subject to US and international marine law. From what we = have=20 seen of the Navy=92s RIMPAC war games off Kauai this = summer and in=20 2004, it is unlikely that Navy plans on complying with = such=20 regulations. We worry that a Westpac Express use of the=20 Superferry will not use civilian avoidance procedures = and sonar=20 limitations needed to assure the safety of sea=20 mammals.

The cynical view is that the Superferry = can=20 become part of the Navy=92s Westpac Express fleet on the = cheap...=20 at least cheap to the Pentagon. The people of Hawaii = will be=20 footing the bill for the harbor improvements. The = investors=20 (friends of Lehman Inc.) have federal and state = guarantees on=20 their money. Even if the civilian operation goes = belly-up, the=20 Navy can still lease the ships for a song and not have = to deal=20 with Matson or Young Brothers anymore.

Words do = matter.=20 The use of the word =93gantlet=94 in the title of = Mr.Haraga=92s=20 editorial is interesting. A =93gantlet=94 is a track = construction=20 used allowing a train to remain on its own track at all = times.=20 Not likely the meaning of the word he had in mind. He = probably=20 meant a =93gauntlet=94. That is a form of punishment, in = which the=20 offender is made to run between two rows of men who = strike at=20 him as he passes.

We need an EIS and OEIS to = assure the=20 people of Hawaii that the Superferry will not be a = vector for=20 contaminating our islands with depleted uranium and = destroying=20 the lives of sea mammals with Navy operations=20 = protocol.

An Iraqi tank = destroyed by a=20 DU shell along the highway next to a school on the outskirts of = Baghdad=20

SUBJECT: MILITARY=20 INTEREST IN HAWAII SUPERFERRY

SOURCE: JUAN=20 WILSON juanwilson@earthlink.net

POSTED: 6 OCTOBER 2006 - 3:30pm = HST

Stop=20 Military carrying DU Munitions to outer islands!

US Marine core M113 APC's = waits for other=20 equipment to load onto West-Pac Express (HSF clone)
The M113A1 = Ultra can=20 use Depleted Uranium munitions in 25 mm Bushmaster machine=20 guns.

The military=20 is the Superferry
by Juan Wilson on 6 October = 2006

The = Hawaii=20 Superferry is designed to military specifications for moving = Light=20 Armored Vehicles (LAV) , like the Stryker's and M113s, as well = as=20 helicopters and most of the rest of the equipment needed by = assault=20 troops like US Army and Marines forces.

The plans are for = the=20 Superferry to carry such equipment from Oahu to the outer = islands on a=20 regular schedule. The LAV's like the Strykers and M113's as well = as=20 attack helicopters are equipped with Depleted Uranium (DU) = ammunition.=20

After = being fired in=20 practice, or the battlefield, DU munitions distribute a fine = dust of=20 toxic radioactive material around their impact point. This = radioactive=20 dust is Uranium-238 with a half-life of 4.5 billion years. This=20 radioactive dust gets in the soil and gets airborn.

Despite = denials, the=20 US military has used these munitions in Hawaii and plans to = continue=20 using them.

The = Superferry board=20 is led by Ronald Reagan's Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman, = and=20 several of his cronies. They have invested money in the HSF = holding=20 company and stand to make a great deal of money with it's = operation.=20

The use = of the=20 Hawaiian Superferry by the military is a direct threat to the=20 environment and the health of Hawaiians. It is ironic that the = people of=20 Hawaii are footing the bill and covering the risk for much of = the=20 infrastructure improvements that are required to bring these = dreadful=20 weapons to our islands.

The = articles below=20 are more background material supporting the case that the = Superferry is=20 a dangerous military program being foisted on Hawaiians "for = their own=20 good".

It is = time for a ban=20 on the transportation of toxic radioactive materials on civilian = ferrys=20 before it is begun. You can help by making your voice=20 heard.

Stryker=20 Teams Train With New Vehicles
by = Jason Kaye 8=20 September 2006 on http://www.spacewar.com%0d/

A long wait is = over for=20 Stryker Mobile Gun System (MGS) crews of the 4th Brigade, 2nd = Infantry=20 Division. The 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry, received its = complement of=20 MGS vehicles last month after more than a year of waiting. They = are the=20 first vehicles to be fielded in the Army.

"I think its = going to=20 give the infantry a whole new dimension of what they can do. = Armor and=20 infantry have kept each other at arm's length for years and = years," said=20 Sgt. 1st Class David Cooper, an MGS platoon sergeant with B = Company,=20 2-23 Inf. "We've got some growing pains, but once we get out = there and=20 they see what we can do, we're going to be everybody's=20 friend."

Each infantry company is slated to receive three = vehicles, though crews don't expect to operate together except = on rare=20 occasions.

The vehicles carry crews of three, and are = equipped=20 with a 105 mm main gun and a state-of-the-art fire control = system. The=20 MGS also has an onboard coaxial machine gun that's fire=20 controlled.

"You can literally shoot smiley faces with it = at 900=20 meters," said Cooper. "Even minus the big gun we can give the = infantry a=20 lot of support."

[Editor's note:=20 The 105mm cannon and the 25mm Bushmaster machine gun are both = standard=20 weapons on Stryker vehicle configurations. Both can be equipped = with=20 Depleted Uranium munitions]

The 105 mm is capable of = firing=20 four types of rounds: SABOT, a depleted-uranium armor-piercing = round;=20 HEAT, high-explosive anti-tank; HEP, high-explosive plastic; and = a=20 canister round. The rounds are loaded using a hydraulic = auto-loader in=20 the rear of the vehicle.

The HEP and canister rounds give = Stryker=20 units new capabilities, especially in urban areas. The HEP can = blow=20 holes in reinforced concrete walls, but unlike the rounds from = an=20 Abrams, won't continue through the target and into surrounding=20 buildings. The canister provides as effective anti-personnel=20 capability.

"The vehicle's basic role is to support the = infantry.=20 It's not there to take on tanks or go toe-to-toe in the = wide-open desert=20 like we did with the Abrams," said Sgt. 1st Class William Ozmet, = an MGS=20 instructor from Fort Knox, Ky. "Its primary function is blowing = a hole=20 in the wall or blowing up bunkers."

Over the past year, = the crews=20 have been training with TOW-ITAS Humvees or other Stryker = variants.=20 Finally having the vehicles gives the crews a chance to delve = into=20 training.

"I can actually start focusing on our training, = both on=20 our mission tasks and working with the infantry," said 1st Lt.=20 Christopher Lilley, the MGS platoon leader in B Co.

The = MGS also=20 comes equipped with training software that allows Soldiers to = train on=20 various engagements in their own vehicles, instead of going to a = simulator somewhere else.

Once the 4th Bde. completes = training,=20 instructors from General Dynamics Land Systems will move on to = equip and=20 train Soldiers in Hawaii and Pennsylvania. Training for those = units may=20 change according to lessons learned here, but the vehicle itself = is=20 expected to remain mostly unchanged.
"I'm confident that this = will=20 turn out to be a successful piece of equipment for us, the = infantry and=20 the Army," said Lilley. =

Uranium revelation upsets isle=20 activists

By Rosemarie Bernardo = on 6=20 January 2006 in the StarBulletin.com

Army = e-mails=20 detailing the presence of spent metal at Schofield are = troubling,=20 critics say. Several environmental and native Hawaiian groups = are=20 accusing the Army of misleading the public after the groups = discovered=20 that a heavy metal known as depleted uranium was recovered at = Schofield=20 Barracks' range complex.
During a news conference yesterday, = the=20 groups said the Army has repeatedly assured the public that the = heavy=20 metal was never used in Hawaii.

"These recent = revelations, then,=20 indicate that the Army is either unaware of its DU (depleted = uranium)=20 and chemical weapons use or has intentionally misled the public. = Both=20 possibilities are deeply troubling," said Kyle Kajihiro, program = director of the American Friends Service Committee and member of = DMZ-Hawaii/Aloha Aina.

Some members of the various groups = read=20 about the depleted uranium in e-mails detailing documents = submitted in=20 federal court in December, showing that heavy metals were found = at=20 Schofield Barracks' range complex area during clearing=20 efforts.

The e-mail was submitted as part of an ongoing = discovery=20 process. At the end of November, attorneys representing the 25th = Infantry Division filed a motion in federal court to amend a = 2001=20 settlement so soldiers can resume live-fire training at Makua = Valley.=20 The motion is scheduled to be heard Monday.

fired DU munitions found at = Schofield Army=20 facility on Oahu. photo by AP

Depleted uranium=20 tail assemblies have been found in a Schofield Barracks range = impact=20 area, prompting some to question the Army's=20 forthrightness.

The clearing was being done to prepare for the = expansion of=20 additional training space and the construction of a rifle and = pistol=20 range for a new Stryker brigade combat team.

Depleted = uranium is=20 a byproduct of radioactive enriched uranium and has been used by = the=20 U.S. military in bullets and other weapons designed to pierce = armor.=20 Some researchers suspect exposure to depleted uranium might have = caused=20 chronic fatigue and other symptoms in veterans of the first Gulf = War,=20 but there is no conclusive evidence it has.

In a letter = sent=20 yesterday to Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commanding general of the = 25th=20 Infantry Division, Kajihiro wrote that several groups were = outraged by=20 the use of the uranium, which they say poses a public health = hazard even=20 in small amounts.

During community discussion on the = Stryker=20 Brigade environmental impact statement in 2004, Army officials = assured=20 the public that depleted uranium was never used in Hawaii, = Kajihiro=20 said.

Fifteen tail assemblies from spotting rounds made = of D-38=20 uranium alloy, also called depleted uranium, were recovered in = August by=20 Zapata Engineering, a contractor hired by the military to clear = the=20 Schofield Barracks' range impact area of unexploded ordnance and = scrap=20 metal, according to a news release from the 25th Infantry=20 Division.

In an e-mail dated September 19th, a contractor = told an=20 Army official at Schofield:

"We have found = much that=20 we did not expect, including recent find of depleted uranium. We = are=20 pulling tons of frag and scrap out of the craters in the western = area to=20 the point where it has basically turned into a manual sifting = operation.=20 Had this not been a CWM site, we would have moved mechanical = sifters in=20 about 5 weeks ago but the danger is just too=20 high."

Dr. Fred Dodge, Waianae resident and = member=20 of Malama Makua, said, "DU is a heavy metal similar to lead. It = can be=20 toxic particularly to the kidneys," and could cause lung cancer = if the=20 metal in dust form is inhaled.

But U.S. Army Garrison = Hawaii=20 officials said the recovered depleted uranium has low-level=20 radioactivity and does not pose a threat to the = public.

The tail=20 assemblies are about 4 inches in length and an inch in diameter. = Army=20 officials said they are from subcomponent remnants from training = rounds=20 associated with an obsolete weapon system that was on Oahu in = the=20 1960s.

[Editor's note:=20 It is our understanding that research into use of these weapons = did not=20 bear fruit until the 1970's]

"The Army = has never=20 intentionally misled the public concerning the presence of DU on = Army=20 installations in Hawaii. This is an isolated incident and should = not be=20 considered as an attempt to misinform the public,"=20

Col. Howard Killian, commander of the U.S. = Army=20 Garrison Hawaii, said in a written statement.=20

US soldier=20 loading 105mm DU round into Bradley vehicle=20

APFSDS Ammunition
from = http://www.army-technology.com/contractors/ammunition/apfsds.htm

APFSDS=20 (Armored Piercing Fin-Stabilised Discarding Sabot) = ammunition is a=20 type of anti-tank round. It uses kinetic energy to = penetrate=20 armored vehicles, and is often referred to as a KE round. = A fin=20 stabilized sub-projectile or sub-caliber 'dart' of very = dense=20 material such as depleted uranium (APFSDS - DU) or = tungsten steel=20 (APFSDS - TS) is fired at very high speed = (hyper-velocity). The=20 sub-projectile has a high length to diameter ratio, and is = often=20 referred to as a 'long rod penetrator'. By encasing the=20 sub-projectile in a lightweight sabot jacket the = sub-projectile is=20 able to be fired from a much larger caliber gun. The sabot = in=20 effect 'seals' the space between the barrel lining and the = sub-projectile.

The difference in calibers between = the gun=20 barrel and the sub-projectile means that a = disproportionate high=20 charge/propellant level to projectile weight/drag occurs. = This=20 results in massive energy transfer to the low drag = sub-projectile,=20 the sabot ensuring all energy is transferred to the=20 'dart'.

The sabot round rapidly attains = hyper-velocity in=20 the gun barrel. As the sabot round leaves the muzzle of = the gun,=20 the sabot jacket is shed from the sub-projectile 'dart' by = its own=20 drag.The sub-projectile's hyper-velocity ensures that it = strikes=20 its target with devastating impact. By using very dense = materials=20 in the sub-projectile the stored kinetic energy is = magnified=20 greatly. The terminal effect of the sub-projectile = striking the=20 target sees huge kinetic energy release. In milliseconds = the=20 sub-projectile punches through the target armour, = instantaneously=20 generating massive heat and pressure. As the long rod = penetrator=20 enters the vehicle friction with the armour plate creates = burning=20 incandescent spall which sprays the interior. The burning = spall=20 has an explosive effect.

HIGH PENETRATION=20 PERFORMANCE OF KINETIC ENERGY ROUNDS
KE rounds = where=20 used extensively in the Gulf War with great battlefield = success.=20 Combat experience with APFSDS rounds has shown that = penetration=20 generally causes a catastrophic interior explosion, = devastating=20 the crew compartment and often igniting stored=20 ammunition.

The US Army tank crews nicknamed their = depleted=20 uranium M829A1 Armor Piercing, Fin Stabilized, Discarding=20 Sabot-Tracer (APFSDS-T) the 'Silver Bullet'. The = hyper-velocity=20 M829A1 round allowed M1A1 Abrams crews engaged targets at = very=20 long ranges. The penetration characteristics of tank gun = APFSDS=20 darts was so great that enemy tanks could be engaged = behind sand=20 berms, the sub-projectile penetrating between ten to = thirty meters=20 or sand and still achieving a hard kill. It has been = reported that=20 a single M829 round penetrated and destroyed two Iraqi = T-72.=20 Apparently they happened to be in line, the 'silver = bullet' simply=20 punching through the first tank to hit the=20 second.

LONG RANGE TANK = GUNNERY
During=20 the Gulf War the open desert terrain and extensive use of = thermal=20 imaging weapon sights ensured that maximum engagement = ranges were=20 possible. Tank gunnery demonstrable reach a new zenith. = Modern=20 integrated fire control computers are highly sophisticated = and=20 able to link the electro-optical systems/sensors to a = gyroscopic=20 stabilized main gun. Laser range finders deliver pin point = range=20 calculations whilst other ballistic properties such as = windage,=20 barrel wear, air and barrel temperature are also = calculated. The=20 fire control systems therefore achieve 'first round' hit=20 probability on a regular basis
Hyper-velocity APFSDS = rounds=20 have significantly increased the lethal range of tank = fires, and=20 combined with improvements in tank gunnery this has meant = that=20 combat engagement ranges have been dramatically increased. = During=20 Operation Desert Storm a British Army Challenger tank = achieve the=20 longest range confirmed tank-to-tank kill at 5100 meters = or 5.1km=20 with an rifled 120mm APFSDS 'Charm' depleted uranium=20 round.

DEPLETED URANIUM = TOXICITY
The=20 use of toxic depleted uranium in kinetic energy weapons = has become=20 contentious following reports from both the Gulf War and = the=20 Balkans. DU rounds released environmental toxins in the = form of=20 depleted uranium micro-spall dust particles. The = suggestion is=20 that this DU dust may well be the main contributing factor = behind=20 'Gulf War Syndrome' and other health issue related to = soldiers who=20 served in these theatres. The military are now faced with = a=20 dilemma between the operational needs of combat = effectiveness,=20 force integrity and survivability against the very real = residual=20 health risks to unprotected personnel operating in = theatre.=20 Although some armies have considered returning to the use = of=20 tungsten steel, such a degradation in combat performance = is deemed=20 unacceptable by many, and the DU APFSDS round are still=20 manufactured and used.

U.S.=20 warned of Depleted Uranium in Kosovo
By Marlise=20 Simons on 9 January 2001 in the New York=20 Times

After the NATO bombing campaign = of 1999,=20 the United States urged allied armies to take special = precautions=20 on entering Kosovo because American ammunition littering = the=20 landscape contained depleted uranium that posed possible = health=20 risks.

A document called ''hazard awareness'' = issued by the=20 Joint Chiefs of Staff warned soldiers and civilians = against=20 touching spent ammunition or other contaminated materials. = It said=20 personnel handling the heads of anti-tank shells or = entering=20 wrecked vehicles should wear protective masks and cover = exposed=20 skin, and people involved in the more hazardous clearing = tasks=20 should undergo health assessments afterward.

The = document,=20 dated July 1, 1999, was circulated among the militaries of = the=20 countries involved in the Kosovo campaign, and Germany, = France and=20 other countries passed along the warnings to their=20 soldiers.

The Dutch defense ministry said it gave = specific=20 instructions about how troops were to confront the uranium = problem=20 before they went to Kosovo. ''Our troops were told to mark = or=20 cordon off contaminated areas, avoid any contact and call = in=20 special demolition units,'' a spokesman at the foreign = ministry=20 said.

A growing number of former peacekeepers from = Europe=20 and Canada have contracted cancer or cancer-like diseases. = At=20 least 15 have died of leukemia -- 6 in Italy, 5 in = Belgium, 2 in=20 the Netherlands and 1 each in Portugal and Spain.
While = acknowledging the hazards, both the Pentagon and NATO, = pointing to=20 medical experts, have denied that any links could exist = between=20 exposure to depleted uranium and the illness and deaths of = veterans.

Defense ministries in several countries = have=20 acknowledged receiving the American document, which has = not been=20 released. It was made available to The New York Times in = Europe=20 today by a military official from a NATO country.
While = NATO=20 officials said it was normal practice to inform troops = about=20 hazardous materials, the warnings about depleted uranium = are=20 likely to deepen concern in Europe. Ten countries have = ordered=20 investigations into possible links between the illness of = soldiers=20 and their exposure to depleted uranium.

Only = American=20 planes fired such uranium-tipped weapons during the = 11-week Kosovo=20 air campaign, using some 30,000.

Uranium is one of = the=20 heaviest metals, which makes it effective in piercing = targets like=20 tanks or concrete. A byproduct of enriched uranium, the = depleted=20 form is only mildly radioactive, but when it pulverizes in = an=20 explosion or fire, its dust is considered potentially = hazardous if=20 ingested or inhaled.

The German government said = today that=20 while it would not order mandatory screening of those who = served=20 in the Balkans, all 50,000 of them could ask for a free = checkup at=20 a military hospital.

Portugal dispatched three = cabinet=20 ministers to Kosovo today and also sent a team of military = inspectors after the recent death of a soldier from = leukemia. The=20 Dutch ministry of Defense said it was reopening the = investigation=20 into the recent deaths of all soldiers, although only two = died of=20 leukemia.

Several governments said they were still = poring=20 over health records to establish whether cancer rates = among=20 peacekeepers were different from those of the same age = group of=20 the population.

The American document said that = D.U., as=20 depleted uranium weapons are known, ''is a safe and = effective=20 munition.'' But ''residual heavy metal toxicity in armored = vehicles struck by D.U. perpetrators could pose possible = health=20 risks for those that access those vehicles,'' it = said.

The=20 document says soldiers entering armored vehicles hit by = depleted=20 uranium weapons should wear masks and cover exposed skin, = and=20 should be examined and their potential exposure recorded. = The=20 document does not mention radiation, which is said to be = weak in=20 the employed form of depleted uranium. It recommended that = suspicious debris be reported for clearance. It also said=20 potential risks should ''be passed on to both = nongovernmental=20 organizations and returning refugees.''

Despite = such=20 warnings, 14 scientists from the United Nations = Environment=20 Program said they found remnants of uranium-tipped = ammunition=20 still lying around. The team, recently returned from a = two-week=20 mission in Kosovo, said it found remnants of depleted = uranium=20 ammunition accessible to playing children and animals. The = team=20 has urged that contaminated sites be restricted and = cleaned as=20 soon as possible.=20

Kauai = County=20 Government:

Email all Kauai County Council members at:
cokcouncil@kauai.= hawaii.gov

Hawaii = State=20 Government:

State = of Hawaii=20 Executive Branch:
Governor Linda=20 Lingle
Executive Chambers
State Capitol
Honolulu HI = 96813=20
gov@hawaii.gov=20
Lt. Gov. James R. Aiona Jr
ltgov@hawaii.gov=

Hawaii = State=20 Senate: 7th Senatorial District--Kauai and Niihau
State Senator Gary L. Hooser
Hawaii State Capitol = Room=20 208
415 South Beretania Street
Honolulu HI 96813
Phone:=20 808-586-6030
Fax:=20 808-586-6031
From Kauai, toll free 274-3141 + 66030
senhooser@capitol.hawaii.gov= =20

US = Federal=20 Government:

US House = of=20 Representatives: Hawaii, 1st=20 District
Niel Abercrombie
Honolulu=20 Office
Prince Kuhio Federal Building
300 Ala = Moana=20 Blvd.
Room 4-104
Honolulu, HI 96850
phone: (808) 541-2570 = fax:=20 (808) 533-0133
Washington=20 Office
1502 Longworth House Office Building=20
Washington, D.C. 20515
phone: (202) 225-2726 fax: (202)=20 225-4580
mailto:Neil.Abercrombi= e@mail.house.gov%20

US House of=20 Representatives: Hawaii, 2nd = District
Ed Case
Honolulu Office
5104 Prince Kuhio Federal = Bldg
Honolulu HI 96850
Phone: 808-541-1986
Fax:=20 808-538-0233
Washington DC Office
128 Cannon = HOB
Washington=20 DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-4906
Fax: 202-225-4987
ed.case@mail.house.gov

US = Senator from=20 Hawaii:
Senator Daniel=20 Akaka
Honolulu Office
Prince Kuhio Federal = Building=20
300 Ala Moana Blvd., Rm. 3-106
Box 50144 =
Washington=20 Office
Honolulu, HI 96850
141 Hart Senate Office = Building=20
Washington DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-6361
senator@akaka.senate.gov
=
US Senator from = Hawaii:
Senator = Daniel=20 Inouye
Honolulu Office
Prince Kuhio = Federal=20 Building
300 Ala Moana Blvd., Rm. 7-212
Honolulu HI=20 96850
Washington Office
722 Hart Senate Office = Building=20
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-3934
senator@inouye.senate.gov=20

President of the=20 United States
George W. Bush
The = White=20 House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington DC 20500
Phone:=20 202-456-1414
Fax: 202-456-2461
president@whitehouse.gov

see = also
Island=20 Breath: Superferry & Military
Island=20 Breath: Superferry Meetings
Island=20 Breath: Superferry Redux
Island=20 Breath: Superferry Problems