"You’ve got to be careful when big money comes along and you don’t fight for it. You have to instill it in the next generation to fight for what they got before it disappears. I want these kids to be the stewards of the islands.”
Kokua emcee and Hawaiian musician Kawika Kahiapo is the father of an autistic child and studies have shown that the destruction of the environment may be one of the leading causes of the condition.
“In the past ten years autism in Hawaii has increased 400 percent and Waianae is probably the worst in the nation,” said Kahiapo. “If something raises a red flag to you, don’t sit around like a bump on a log. Do something. Call your Senator.”
Kahiapo described what he saw on the local news earlier and gave him an answer to a puzzling question that only raises more red flags.
“The other day there was a huge cloud, wider than Oahu moving from the north over Oahu. It wasn’t a rain cloud. It was military chafe. Its little pellets, like pieces of Brillo, microscopic pieces of aluminum that are released in the air in a cloud to deflect radar. How does this get introduced to our environment?”
“We need to pay attention to the potential situations that we are adversely affected by it and we need to rally every chance we have.”
This speaking out includes the waveriding brethren and to Johnson it’s a point of contention with the surf industry itself. “The surf industry is pretty far behind, but I believe that people’s intentions are good. Everyone is talking about “greening.” Hopefully we are in a time where we will see a lot of change. We are out there frolicking and enjoying nature but surfboard construction could be a lot better.”
“The surf mags and surf movies can get the information out there to influence the kids. I read an article in National Geographic saying that we are loving our beaches to death. Everyone wants to live on the coast and a lot of coastlines are being strained right now.
“Surfers are the ones to who are lucky enough to be there every day and we are going to enjoying a coupla times a day, hopefully, we are the ones in charge to maintain and keep it beautiful and stay on top of water quality.”
Johnson and his stellar line up of performers including The Girlas and Matt Costa let the music do most of the talking. A major highlight were the amazing sets from Ernie Cruz, Jr who was backed by an all star band of Aloha All-Stars including Johnny Helm and brother John Cruz. The power, passion and positivity pushed the Cruz clan and their friends to empowering and emotionally charged new heights.
Eddie Vedder felt it too. Vedder had been scheduled to make previous Kokua Festivals, but made it this year. “Jack’s form of punishment for me is following Ernie Cruz, Jr. Despite what you hear he’s a bastard,” he joked from the stage.
Vedder and Johnson traded songs all weekend, Jack playing some Pearl Jam and Vedder doing a little Johnson. But Vedder’s debut of an Iraq War protest song, “No More” which he had he written a scant few days before, was direct to the point.