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Tuesday, October 02, 2012

To our Brothers and Sisters in the US Marines 米海兵隊の兄弟姉妹たちへ

(「カマドゥー小(グヮー)たちの集い」から、海兵隊員への「オスプレイボイコット」を呼びかけるメッセージです。知念ウシさんから投稿いただきました。日本語版は下方です。紹介文は本ブログ運営者によるもの。)
MV-22 Osprey heading toward Futenma, October 2.
photo by Sunao
On October 1, six MV-22 Ospreys were flown into MCAS Futenma, and three more on the following day (see New York Times report by Martin Fackler), despite the all-island opposition against their deployment to the Marine base in the middle of the crowded neighbourhood of Ginowan. Back in 1996, sixteen years ago, US and Japanese governments made a promise to Okinawans to return it within several years. Today, the two governments have not only not returned it, but reinforced the base with these bigger, faster, noisier and accident-prone aircraft, sending a clear message to local residents that this base would stay for a while.  Many Okinawans believe that this is a punitive measure for their opposition against the plan to build a new mega-base at Henoko, Oura Bay, and it is simply unacceptable. Here is a message from an Okinawan women's group "Gathering of Kamaduu gua," to the members of the US Marine Corps, with hope that it will speak to the conscience of the women and men who will be not only exposing Okinawan residents but themselves to danger. Author chinin usii, a member of the group says, "Okinawans oppose  MV22 Osprey, not just because they are dangerous. We are also expressing our anger against the denial of our lives, our dignity, and our democracy, throughout the history, and we are also voicing our determination so that such treatment of our people will not be repeated. If we allow this, we will be allowing such injustice to be inflicted on our children and grandchildren, and people in other regions of the world."       @PeacePhilosophy


To our Brothers and Sisters in the US. Marines,

 
    When you joined the Marines, maybe you thought you could help propagate, or protect, democracy in the world.
 
     Now is a good time to think about democracy in Okinawa.
 
     On the question of whether to bring the Osprey to Okinawa, do we Okinawans have a right to participate in that decision?  After all, this is our island, and the sky over it, which the Osprey will be flying through, also belongs to us.  Would it be democratic for the US and Japan to decide to bring it in, ignoring the Okinawans?

     Of course, it would not.

     We Okinawans have expressed our opposition in every peaceful way possible.  100,000 people gathered at an anti-Osprey rally (out of a population of 1,400,000) on Septemer 9.  The conservative Governor of the prefecture is against it.  The Prefectural Assembly is against it.  The conservative Mayors of both Naha City and Ginowan City are against it.  The local government of every other city, town, and village in Okinawa is against it.  Both local newspapers are against it.  Even the PTA is against it.  To ignore all this and bring it in anyway would be to insult the Okinawan people in a way that would never be forgotten. 

     Why do we oppose it?  Because it is dangerous.  It crashes too often.  It has killed far too many Marines.  Everybody knows this; Osprey is notoriously a flawed aircraft.  It was not we who named it Widow Maker.  Yes, it is sometimes an airplane and sometimes a helicopter.  That’s very clever.  But sometimes it is neither.  Then it becomes a big blob of metal in the sky, which can only fall to the ground.  Not clever at all.  We don’t want it falling on us, and we don’t want it falling with you in it.

     As for the danger of the Osprey, we suppose you know all about that.  And we think, perhaps, on this issue we can join forces.  And so we ask you, in the name of democracy, in the name of our dignity and yours, in the name of our safety and yours: join us in opposing the Osprey. 

Don’t get in it, don’t fly it, don’t service it, don’t go near it.  Treat it like the death trap that it is.

     When you joined the Marines, you probably wanted to do something for democracy and for the dignity of human life.

     Now’s your chance.
 

                    Your Brothers and Sisters in Okinawa
                                   

Japanese version below.

 
米海兵隊の兄弟姉妹たちへ

 
 海兵隊へ入ったとき、たぶんあなたは世界で民主主義を広めたり、守ったりするのを手伝えると思ったでしょう。

今まさに、沖縄における民主主義を考えるいい機会です。
 
オスプレイの沖縄配備の決定に、私たち沖縄人は参加しているでしょうか。ここは私たちの島だし、その上の、オスプレイが飛ぶとされる空も私たちのものです。沖縄人を無視して配備を米日が決めるのは、果たして、民主的なのでしょうか。

もちろん、ちがいます。

 私たち沖縄人は可能な限りあらゆる平和的な方法で反対を表してきました。9月9日、(140万人口のうち)10万人がオスプレイ反対で集まりました。保守派の県知事も、県議会も、那覇と宜野湾の両保守派市長も、沖縄の他のすべての市町村も、地元の二つの新聞も、PTAでさえ、反対しています。これをすべて無視してむりやり配備することは、沖縄人を決して忘れられないやり方で侮辱するものでしょう。

 なぜ私たちは反対するのか。オスプレイが危険だからです。墜落しすぎです。あまりにも多くの米海兵隊員を殺してきました。オスプレイは悪名高き欠陥機だということはみんな知っています。未亡人製造機と名付けたのは私たちではありません。そう、オスプレイは時には航空機で、時にはヘリコプターです。とても頭がいいですね。しかし、時には、そのどちらでもありません。そのとき、それは空中の大きな金属の塊となり、ただ、地面に落ちてくるしかないんです。全然頭よくないですね。私たちの上に落ちてきてほしくありませんし、あなたがその中にいてほしくもありません。

オスプレイの危険性について、あなた方はすべて知っているのではないですか。だからこの問題について、私たちはおそらく共闘することができるでしょう。あなた方に呼び掛けます。民主主義、私たちとあなたたちの尊厳、安全の名において、オスプレイ反対に参加してください。

オスプレイに乗らないで!飛ばさないで!そのための仕事をしないで!そばに寄らないで!ちゃんとそれを死の危険だと扱って!

海兵隊に入ったとき、あなたはおそらく、民主主義と人の命の尊厳のため何かやりたいと思っていたはずです。今がそのチャンスです。
  

                 
                                   あなたの沖縄の兄弟姉妹

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