The Trees of Kuroda Field

On the upper floor of the Army Museum not far from this field is a display of Hawaiian winners of the Congressional medal of Honor. Staff Sergeant Kuroda was among them. This field is a park in the middle of Waikiki and has a wide variety of vegetation.

 I'm always surprised by how long and massive the branches of tropical trees are. They need to spread wide to gain the most exposure to the sun.

 Can you spot the breadfruits in this small breadfruit tree?

 In this close up they are easier to see. 

 Seeing this tree swallowing an old fence reminds me of Old Man Willow that held Merry and Pippin captive near the beginning of The Lord of the Rings.

 This Banyan tree is actually across the street from the park in the courtyard of the Hale Koa  Hotel.

These tropical trees are quite a change from our trees in the Northwest. I hope you enjoy looking at the evidence of warm weather and sunshine while experiencing a vicarious walk through the park.

Democracies, Republics and Universal Suffrage

POLITICAL WARNING AS REQUIRED BY -- OH, WAIT, THIS ISN'T A TV AD.

Today's post is a little different. No photos, no travelogue and a mix of optimism, pessimism and personal opinion. Now you've been forewarned so you can read or not depending. . .

By most measures we live in what is still a great country. Definitions of "great" change over the years but even today, with the growth of big government and increased restrictions on freedoms, I would say we live in a great country.

Like greatness, the right to rule or direct the government of a tribe, collection of tribes, state, country or collection of countries has changed over the years.

In primitive times it was usually brute strength that decided who was boss of the group, whether it was a family or a small group of people. Later, as groups grew larger, various methods of determining the leader and/or ruling class developed.

In primitive tribes and other smaller groups there often rose some kind of hereditary leadership passed from father to son (and sometimes from mother to daughter) which was supported by a shaman or medicine man in a sort of symbiotic relationship. The chief was supported by the man who had entree to the spirit world and in return the chief would protect the medicine man. The reigning shaman would pick a bright youth and train him in the art so the spirit world disproportionately maintained its influence. In some cases a council of elders or some other collection of advisors would help the chief rule in a more equitable manner.

In many groups castes or class lines developed and were rigidly observed and jealously enforced by the ruling class. Sometimes there would be a physical sign of belonging to the superior class such as the bound feet in China, caste marks in India or the flat heads of some of the Chinook Indians here in our own Northwest. Only members of the special ruling class could bind the feet or the heads of its members or wear the mark of a special class. I won't mention here the desire of some people in our "modern" society to obtain and/or flaunt signs of belonging to a superior class, but clothes, houses, cars and even purses and shoes come to mind.    

In many societies, the right to rule was derived from God, or the Gods. From Japan, where the ruler was actually called "God" (Tenno - "Heavenly Sovereign") to the western countries where the right of a king to direct the government of a country was God given and unquestionable by the common man, God(s) gave the right to rule.

There were exceptions to the rule by God-given right but even in ancient Greece where democracy as we know it got its start (and only lasted a couple hundred years), the right to vote was limited to a small percentage of the total population.

In order to preserve the right of directing the government of any society there had to be rules to prevent much dilution of those rights. Slavery was one of the common ways to have productive workers without allowing them to have a say in their governance. Even that early democracy in Greece had lots of slaves and slaves were, and still are, a common way to get work done without permitting such persons to vote. Even today there are estimates of 46 million people living in slavery around the world. Class distinctions and slavery have been very effective in maintaining a voting elite.

There are also political systems that allow, or encourage, or force, all their people to vote but allow only one choice for that vote. I guess these systems haven't developed much beyond the brute strength philosophy of the early families of humans but they are pretty effective in maintaining the existing political structure of a society. Until eventually the people revolt. . .

Only in the past couple hundred years have we had serious discussions about systems of government where the leaders are chosen by some sort of vote by a cross section of at least some of the people of the country.

It's interesting to consider the progression of "voting rights" as we know that idea today. We started (in our country) with only certain landed males being able to vote and have added other males, former slaves, females, younger citizens (reduced minimum age from 21 to 18), re-enfranchised felons who have completed their sentence (in some jurisdictions), Indians (Native Americans) and others until today virtually every citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States is eligible to cast a vote.

Disregarding for now whether that vote has any significance, we might ask: Should all of those people be entitled to vote? If a person doesn't know the difference between a governor, senator, president or dog catcher, should that person be able to cast a ballot? If a person doesn't know whether she lives in Seattle or London or Los Angeles? If he has Alzheimer's advanced enough that he doesn't remember his own name? If she doesn't care about voting and only registers for "ballot by mail" because some activist signed her up and ends up voting her ballot?

These are questions that are difficult to decide but impact the value of my vote, or your vote, or the vote of any person who is knowledgeable and motivated to act as a responsible citizen. In a democracy where every person is entitled to vote do we really want the apathetic, irresponsible or incapable person to vote? If they do "vote" do we want their vote to carry the same weight as the vote of other, more responsible citizens?

Disregarding these questions for a moment, consider the idea that your vote might be worthless anyway. In Washington we have 12 electoral votes. Because we are a "blue" state with the big chunk of voters in the Puget Sound Basin voting Democrat, if you vote Republican your vote will be disregarded outright, at least for the presidential election, because those 12 electoral votes all will be cast for the Democratic candidate and individual votes for other candidates are relegated to an interesting footnote.

On the other hand, if you vote for a Democratic elector, once the number of votes cast is enough to put the state's 12 electoral votes in the Democratic column, all the additional Democratic votes are wasted too. No matter how many more Democratic votes are cast there will never be more than 12 electoral votes tallied for the Democratic candidate.

If the whole process makes you scratch your head, join the crowd of questioning voters who are proposing different ways of electing the POTUS.

Voting for local candidates sometimes makes more sense and voting for Initiatives, referendums and other direct votes for new laws is a more direct (democratic?) way of tolling the opinion of the people. Not saying that those "direct" ways of voting are best because sometimes they bring about undesirable ends and impose uninformed "majority" rule on undeserving minorities.

It's been said that "Money buys votes" and whether that means trying to sway voters' opinions via advertising or paying workers to gather signatures on initiatives and other requests for change from the people, it seems to be true. Occasionally a candidate who spends less is elected but it's about as common as an incumbent politician being defeated. In both cases it is an uphill battle.

Since there are so many questions about our way of electing our political representatives a person would think there would be more interest in working for change to develop a better system. That doesn't seem to happen since most of our voters just shake their heads and say, "That's just the way it is."

Traditionally people fought (literally, in many cases) for religious reasons, when they were hungry or were insecure. In our country religion has become more and more a non-starter, none are really hungry (despite the government declared "poverty line") and very few are insecure in their personal lives. Despite the uptick in violent crime in some neighborhoods of some cities, most people live safe and secure lives.

I think our people don't care much about change as long as they have a relatively easy life. Americans, for the most part, don't know what danger, or hunger, or voter fraud, or incompetent government is all about. Only when our government runs out of money, voter fraud becomes common and widespread or we completely eliminate the possibility of a poor person becoming a successful entrepreneur (class migration) will we have a real grassroots call for change.

Overall, our "democracy," "republic," "democratic republic," "representative democracy," "constitutional democracy" or whatever name you want to call it has worked. I see a need for changes and others see need for other changes, but our system has allowed a certain governmental stability while permitting changes dictated by changing perceptions of right and wrong, desirable goals for government and yes, even the value of our people themselves.Will it survive long in the natural tide of the rise and fall of nations? Only you and other motivated voters can answer that question.

Election day is a little over a week away. In some quarters it generates less interest than the impending change back to standard time. So cast your vote, friends. The value of your vote is magnified by all those who don't vote and your vote might even have some influence on local or state-wide elections.

Hawaii Army Museum at Ft DeRussy

Today seemed like a good day to take a break from the usual tourist activities here in Waikiki so I walked over to the Army Museum to see what was new since I last toured the place ten years ago.

The museum is housed in the old Battery Randolf right on Ft DeRussy. The Hale Koa Special Services Hotel is close by. In fact you can see the corner of the one of the hotel buildings above the trees and below the tall blue building in the upper right side of this photo. Also nearby are the historic Royal Hawaiian and Moana Hotels.

The front of the building has a static display of some old guns and a couple small tanks. On the roof is a Bell AH-1 Cobra "Snake" with armament from the 1967 era in Vietnam.

Many of the concrete walls in this old building are twelve inches thick with the seaward walls designed to withstand a direct hit from a 2,000 pound artillery shell, the doors are the original steel doors and the roof is at least 14 inches thick with an additional 12 inch false ceiling in the ammo handling rooms.

 Constructed in 1911 to defend Honolulu Harbor it originally had two seven-inch guns on disappearing carriages. These were later changed to two 14-inch guns.

The building is interesting in its own right. The old walls, doors and cubbyholes for lanterns in case of power failure are just as they were when they were built. The shell handling trolleys and handling platforms give insight into the pre-WWII ways of handling big shells.

In November 1914 the Army warned the residents of Waikiki that there would be test firing of the original seven-inch guns. Despite the warnings people were shocked and as the historical notes on Shore Battery Randolf say "no one was fully prepared for the effects of the shock wave that rocked the neighborhood. Little actual damage was done, though dishes rattled and some windows cracked blocks away. To avoid damage in later years, as Waikiki continued to grow, the guns were seldom fired."

As Wikipedia says, the big shock came later: "The Fourteen inch guns of Shore Battery Randolph were fired once in a practice shortly after the Attack on Pearl Harbor, shattering many of the windows in the Royal Hawaiian and Moana, and were not fired again.^[2]"

After the war was over the guns were cut up for scrap and there were several attempts to demolish the battery building. Since they were surrounded by hotels and other buildings dynamite couldn't be used so in 1976 the building was designated as the home of the US Army Museum of Hawaii.

Now that you know a little about the building, let's take a look at some of the exhibits I found interesting.

The history of armed conflict in the old Hawaiian civilizations was interesting. When I see the old war clubs, wooden spears, rock hammers and shark tooth enhancements I wonder if our generals and other leaders would be so willing to go to war if they had to use such tools to kill each other.

There was a good exhibit that highlighted the 442 RCT and other Nisei outfits during World War II. 

There's an extensive exhibit about WWII starting with the attack on Pearl Harbor and going on through the war in the Pacific.

This might bring back memories for some of the veterans and their families who took R&R here at Ft DeRussy during the Vietnam war. This doorway leads into the exhibit on Vietnam.

The newest exhibit features local boy, Eric Shinseki, who rose from a humble birthplace on Kauai, through the ranks of the Army to become Army Chief of Staff.

The exhibit on Shinseki traces his growth from childhood through Army career and retirement. It is well designed and I'm sure it's a source of great pride to the people of Hawaii. 

Climbing Diamond Head

Yesterday was Sunday, things were slow and Diamond Head has been beckoning so I wandered around the Waikiki area for awhile then caught the number 2 city bus to Diamond Head. Rather, I should say I rode the bus to the Kapiolani Community College, the end of the line. From there I walked about a mile up the Diamond Head Park access road, through the tunnel and into the crater.

Most people drove or rode the trolley to the parking lot near the entrance to the park. I was one of the few who took the city bus and walked through this tunnel built in 1943 by the Army Corps of Engineers. The tunnel was wide enough for cars to go both ways at once but if a trolley came along oncoming traffic had to wait since the trolley drove through the middle of the tunnel. 

There is a small park near the entry booth but most people come here to climb to the top so they pay a five dollar fee to park and a dollar per person fee to access the climbing trail. 

The trail was built in 1908 by the Army Corps of Engineers and was used by pack mules and the soldiers who manned the guns and fire control center.

From this point it looks like a stroll in the park but the sidewalk soon ends and the old trail takes over. If you look between the tree branches at the top right center you can see the lookout at the top, elevation 761 feet above sea level.

The trail winds back and forth up the inside of the crater wall. The corners are wide, I suppose so the mules could navigate the trail back in the day. Here you can see the trail including the empty part that leads to the lower left in the photo.

This tunnel is barely wide enough for two people to pass.

There are several sets of stairs. This is one of the longest.

It was windy on top.

Inside one of the old firing centers.

There are plenty of view points at the top but there are the idiots who ignore the signs, climb over a six-foot cyclone fence and walk the ridge out to another old fortification. I wouldn't mind if they fell off, that would be natural selection at its best. I do mind that they wear down the fragile ridge so future generations won't be able to enjoy the place like we do.

Back down at the bottom of the trail I was headed out the access road when I noticed these cats in a field alongside the roadway. Someone had given them pieces of mackerel and filled the water dish.It's hard to see them but there were several cats along the grass and woods near the top of the photo. I guess they make their home in the woods. 

I've been reading about the conflict between the feral cat lovers and the defenders of the native Hawaiian Monk Seals. Apparently the cats shed eggs of a parasite that kills the seals. There have been attempts to control the cat population but so far no solution has been found. If you're interested you can read more here:  http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/hawaiian-monk-seal-deaths-blamed-on-stray-cats-1.12464034

Leaving the feral cats and the Diamond Head park I made my way back down the access road to the bus stop and then back to our condo.

It was an enjoyable hike up Diamond Head. I was tired and ready for a nap when I got back but I recommend the trip. The view is worth the expenditure of energy to get there.

Food Fo Fill Dah Belly in Honolulu

Foods from many countries can be found in Seattle and other cities around the world but here in Hawaii ethnic foods from other cultures are adopted and often adapted to fit the tastes of the locals as well as the original importers. Some dishes have become staples and "fill dah belly" any time any place.

The Hawaiian musubi is a takeoff on the Japanese omusubi or onigiri and is a very popular snack throughout the islands.

There are lots of Japanese tourists so many stores, especially in Waikiki and the big malls have signs in both English and Japanese.

The musubi below are typical. A block of rice topped with fried spam, avocado, sweet scrambled egg, or other protein and wrapped with dried nori (seaweed).

Samples of musubi (left), onigiri (center) and bento (left)

In this store they also had typical Japanese onigiri, rice balls filled with chopped pickle, umeboshi (pickled plum) or shredded salted salmon and wrapped with nori. To the left are bento boxes with a simple box lunch of rice, protein and pickle.

Poke is an old Hawaiian preparation of dried salted fish that could be carried on ocean journeys. In the old days it was often made of the scraps cut from fish when preparing the steaks or fillets. In the 1970's the concept began to spread and soon became popular as an appetizer or entree using Ahi (yellowfin tuna) and other fish and shellfish. Now it is made from many kinds of fish, shellfish, octopus, squid and even vegetables and tofu. There are a variety of sauces so the choices are many.

Poke counter at Don Quijote supermarket wihere I counted 28 kinds of poke.

Across the street from our condo is a local pass through window of a famous poke restaurant in Chinatown. We got some poke bowls to eat in our condo.

The Maguro Brothers take out window across the street.

Ramen is another common food in Hawaii. When walking to the beach this ramen place, Nakamura Ramen, caught my eye. They serve ramen with several kinds of sauces, with or without a soft boiled egg and with various kinds of protein.

The sign on the window says "Oxtail ramen."

I wanted to try their oxtail ramen so ordered the oxtail ramen set which included the ramen, some fried pot stickers (gyoza), a dish of fried rice and a bowl with ground ginger and soy sauce to be added as desired for extra flavor. I ordered the small plate of kimchee on the side.

The oxtail ramen set was well worth the price.

The ramen was very good although the price was a little high at $23.50, but that included the other parts of the set so altogether not so bad.

Testimonials from famous visitors from Japan.

There is a Japanese food court in the Ala Moana Mall. When we visited there I ordered a special ramen with soft egg and pork belly. It was delicious even though the sauce was quite rich.

Ramen at the Shirokiya Food Court had pork belly, soft boiled egg, chopped seaweed and green onions. Delicious.

Udon is another noodle dish found in Honolulu. There is a popular udon place about two blocks from our condo so I found myself having breakfast there the other day.

Plastic display dishes out front.

My udon with soft boiled egg and tempura fried Hawaiian sausage and mushrooms. It made a fine breakfast.

Cafeteria style udon restaurant with various kinds of soup and extras.

When you've had enough food it's time for shave ice. Shave ice is a completely different dish from what we on the "Mainland" know as a snow cone. 

Here in Hawaii the block of ice is put into a machine with a razor sharp knife on the bottom. The block of ice is locked in place then rotates while a very thin shaving of ice falls from the bottom. Many newer shave ice places have a machine that puts out an ultra thin layer of ice, almost like snow. It's every bit as smooth as the best of the rotating machines but not as authentic. 

The ice is packed gently into a dish, some places put a layer of ice cream on at this point, while some places add a flavored syrup here. More ice is packed on top then the people get creative with different kinds of syrups, fruit or other toppings and then sweetened condensed milk is often drizzled over the whole thing.
  

Blueberries, strawberries and small pieces of mochi at highly rated Island Vintage Shave Ice.

Matcha, sweet red beans, and strawberries with mochi.

Strawberry mango with mango poppers and mochi.