Today, March 16, 2007, the LA Times published a lengthy article based on my interview with a Times reporter. Go to LA Times, California section, March 16, 2007. Terrific piece of writing by a truly professional writer, demonstrating genuine interest in the subject. The reporter forwarded on to me a bunch of emails from those who had read his article. Maybe this will have the effect of shaming our big dumb govt into finally doing something.
Click Here to read the L.A.Times article.
I just watched the show Return to Tarawa. It was so hard to realize that my Dad was out there somewhere. We must get this island cleaned up.
Posted by: Kim Righetti | April 24, 2009 at 08:33 PM
What more can one state to Dean, but "a job well done."
A big Banzai to Dean Jacobson.
Posted by: Stripe | September 26, 2008 at 01:52 PM
As a reader of the war against Japan in the Pacific, I'm appalled as to the condition of Betio Island. Mr. Cooper, your reward may not come on this earth, but it will come when those who gave their life at Tarawa meet you in heaven. Don't waste your time with the political whores in Washington, D.C.
Posted by: Appalled | June 14, 2008 at 07:51 PM
Leon,
I'd like to echo Dean's comments. I applaud your efforts to lobby the US Government about Tarawa. Alice's recycling program was a terrific start, hopefully it can be expand to composting, some form of sewage system and removal of large items that are polluting the beaches and the groundwater(rusted cars, etc). The waste situation is travesty, as you have expressed, and also serious human health concern for the i-Kiribati in Tarawa.
Posted by: Simon Donner | March 27, 2007 at 05:38 PM
Leon:
I just heard of your efforts regarding Tarawa; I am stunned by your war record, I cannot imagine the quantities of courage that kept you going through all those terrifying battles (I look forward to reading your book). I have lived on nearby Majuro (where the trash problem is almost as bad) since 2001 and know Alice. We both are trying to improve the trash situation by pushing for recycling (as I did with your son in Malibu) and composting. Although the local govt. is hesistant to provide adequate funding, we now have a fledgling recycling/composting operation going. I also have photographed the underwater impact of trash: thousands of plastic bags floating beneath the surface, and textile and Pampers snagged on coral. It is heartbreaking, but the local population does not seem to care. The problem here is that the US has made the Marshallese into a welfare state and failed to provide training in dealing with waste. Consultants come and go, and nothing changes for the better. The imported food is also causing a horrendous epidemic of diabetes...amputations are common place, and most people die before the age of 50 or 60. Add to this the dilemma of the die-off of coral from Global warming and the ongoing sea level rise, this is a society on the edge. (And the US embassy here censors its staff, including a visiting ecologist who was not allowed to comment on climate change in a letter!...what stupidity!)
Keep up the good work, and pass along my greeting to Lee.
Best regards,
Dean Jacobson, Ph.D.
Posted by: Dean Jacobson | March 20, 2007 at 06:10 PM
I was sickened by The LA Times article. I will be contacting my representatives! My dad was there. I wonder if anyone remembers Pharmacist's Mate Tip West?
Posted by: Kim Righetti | March 17, 2007 at 03:20 PM