Wal-Mart opens in Hawaii amid protest

[The1calledTKE]

HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) -- Wal-Mart opened a store in Hawaii on Wednesday with hundreds of eager shoppers rushing past a handful of protesters who accuse the giant retailer of desecrating ancient gravesites.

Customers lined up hours ahead and then poured into the discount store after a traditional Hawaiian blessing and the untying of a lei at the main doors.

Native Hawaiian groups had tried to stop the opening until 44 remains of Hawaiians unearthed during construction could be reburied at the Wal-Mart site.

"Wal-Mart's pitch is that it's slashing prices for you. In this instance, it's slashing graves," said Moses Haia, a Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. lawyer who has filed a suit against the store.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Cynthia Lin said the retailer is treating the Hawaiian remains with respect, placing them "in an air-conditioned, darkened trailer in a secure location on the site." State approval is needed to rebury them on the site, she said.

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/US/10/14....ap/index.html

It sucks they built the store on a burial site. I am suprized the state hasn't given them the ok to re bury them there. I don't know much about Hawaiian tradition but wouldn't be better to move them to a better location rather than back at Wal-mart?

If you find bones at a burial ground, YOU DON'T MOVE THEM. You put them back when you found them, even if it's under a Wal-Mart. It's one thing to disturb them, but moving them and having them interred somewhere else is the ultimate disrespect. That's Hawaiian culture.

Our H-3 Freeway cuts through about 5 different burial sites. I get chills just driving on it.

The State doesn't do jack shit when it comes to Native Hawaiian issues. That's why we have organizations like the Legal Corp., Alu Like, and `Iliulaokalani that lobby for Native Hawaiian rights and recognition.

Cynthia Lin can just kiss my ass. There's no respect for keeping remains in "air-conditioned trailers".

This whole "Wal-Mart/Sam's Club Super Block" was a bad idea from the beginning because they're building this shit in an already congested part of town. With the traffic from existing business AND residential areas, it's just going to create too many headaches. The last thing we need is another fucking Wal-Mart.

When they found the bones, they should have stopped things altogether. I'm no kupuna nor am I kahuna, but I wouldn't be surprised if all hell breaks loose in the store.

If I didn't have to work yesterday, I would have gladly been one of those protestors outside.

[Tom Earp]

Since I do not want to drop the F Word, screw Wally World!

Doing more to corrupt Retail business, Kill Small Town Business, and placing and screwing Employees better than any other Biggie Business!

Shop, K-Mart! I do!

[AznSAE]

question: did walmart build on top of an existing cemetary that no one knew about? and, was the land marked with tombstones?

Originally posted by AznSAE
question: did walmart build on top of an existing cemetary that no one knew about? and, was the land marked with tombstones?

I can't remember what the land was used for back in ancient Hawai`i (haven't done research on it), but when Hawaiians were buried (commoners, anyway) they were often buried in unmarked graves or placed in remote caves. The ali`i (royalty, or high ranking chiefs) had their own special burial sites. The Hawaiians didn't have a written language until missionaries came in the mid 1800s.

When I was growing up, the land went undeveloped for YEARS. I can't even remember anything being on that lot (which takes up about 4-5 blocks, btw).

Not long after they broke ground, they found the bones.

It's not uncommon to hear about finding bones. Like I said earlier, construction of the H-3 freeway went on and on Maui, the uber sophisticated Grand Wailea Resort (where you stayed, Kiki) was built even though the found over 180 remains on the property.

[The1calledTKE]

After watching this movie



I would never want to go to a place on top of a burial site. That movie scared the crap out of me as a kid.

[Munchkin03]

At the very least, they could show some form of respect to the fact that this is a burial ground. That's what's happened, for the most part, with the African Burial Ground in Lower Manhattan. It was unearthed during construction (of what I don't know), and now they're working on paying homage to those buried there.

Just another example of Wal-Mart's assiness and low-brow behavior.

[33girl]

Originally posted by Munchkin03
Just another example of Wal-Mart's assiness and low-brow behavior.

Amen - I already hate Wal-Mart enough for several small cities worth of people, but this is absolutely repulsive.

[mmcat]

an air conditioned darkened trailer...gee how much respect is that?
when will they get it?

[IowaStatePhiPsi]

Yet another reason for me to avoid Wal-Mart.

And way to go Wal-Mart: lowering the bar for corporate responsibility.

I am soo happy! Walmart is getting rid of the exsisting store
and building a super center here this coming yr and right next to it is going to be a sams club.

they built a disturbution center here last yr and so i knew before long we would get a supercenter here in california! i am happy happy happy happy! i love supercenters so i can shop and get geroceries at the same time!

[winnieb]

Originally posted by cutiepatootie
I am soo happy! Walmart is getting rid of the exsisting store
and building a super center here this coming yr and right next to it is going to be a sams club.

they built a disturbution center here last yr and so i knew before long we would get a supercenter here in california! i am happy happy happy happy! i love supercenters so i can shop and get geroceries at the same time!

Walmart is not a good neighbor to have. Like everyone has said -- they have no sense of corporate responsibility, none.
They are too large, too powerful, and do too much damage to small communities. In addition to moving into the little towns and putting store owners out of business they do very little (in terms of their size) to give back to the communities they overtake.

As far as having a SuperCenter near you, I can atest from having one about 1miles from my house-- it is hell. So we have a Walmart grocery store-- most of my town will tell you that we don't have a grocery store. The local store went out of business a few years ago. There is a store in the next town (4 miles). Like everyone else, I do shop at Walmart--- somethings are just cheaper and its close to home. But if I want to buy produce, meat, or deli food you don't go to Walmart-- nothing is fresh. The store is dirty as well, as Walmart seems to attract every trashy person from a 20mile radius.

[AXO Alum]

Originally posted by alphagam-alum
But if I want to buy produce, meat, or deli food you don't go to Walmart-- nothing is fresh. The store is dirty as well, as Walmart seems to attract every trashy person from a 20mile radius.

[hijack] - that's funny that you say that b/c here we drive 30 minutes to Super Wal-Mart. Not only are the prices great, but the produce dept is huge and always have fresh stuff coming in -- I guess it just depends on where the store is. Now the other WM in town (not a super center) fits your last statement -- except usually its the employees fighting with each other. We were in there late one night and two employees started fighting - physically! [/hijack]

[winnieb]

Originally posted by AXO Alum
[hijack] - that's funny that you say that b/c here we drive 30 minutes to Super Wal-Mart. Not only are the prices great, but the produce dept is huge and always have fresh stuff coming in -- I guess it just depends on where the store is. Now the other WM in town (not a super center) fits your last statement -- except usually its the employees fighting with each other. We were in there late one night and two employees started fighting - physically! [/hijack]

HAAHAHA-- you will see anything and everything at Walmart--- a couple of years ago we went in around 1am, walked down an aisle and what to we see-- two Walmart employees "pleasuring" each other in the aisle behind a skid of product.

[hoosier]

Jobs? Keep Your Stinking Jobs!
The Chicago Sun-Times reports on the Windy City's War against Wal-Mart:

Eighteen months after the Chicago City Council torpedoed a South Side Wal-Mart, 24,500 Chicagoans applied for 325 jobs at a Wal-Mart opening Friday in south suburban Evergreen Park, one block outside the city limits.

The new Wal-Mart at 2500 W. 95th is one block west of Western Avenue, the city boundary.

Of 25,000 job applicants, all but 500 listed Chicago addresses, said John Bisio, regional manager of public affairs for Wal-Mart.

As blogger Steve Bartin notes, "The morons who run Chicago don't appear to want jobs in the city of Chicago."

URL for this article: http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110007872