 Aloha, happy Friday. I'm Kaui Lucas this week with a little centipede bite on my lip if it looks a little strange and speaking of bites Tomorrow is going to be a big one for Javier Ocasio who's my guest today. He is running for Congress for CD1 and He is an amazingly progressive young man. He's he's actually older than he looks. I just want to say you're Your age because you look about 19. You're really 38 20s a lot And and and you spent 15 years in in the military industrial complex didn't you that's right? So you speak from experience when you when you talk about when you talk about that So you came on my radar because I was I was trying to figure out who to vote for I had my reasons for not voting for the front runners and you know, it's like well Who are these other people and I I read your interviews and I listened to your speaker's corner on think-tok kauai I said wow, he's pretty interesting. What's his story? And now you're here. Thank you. Thank you for the invite so For those who haven't done their research on you Javier Tell us the story of of what motivated you to do this really big step Well, I um, I had been participating in a lot of activism since my daughter's death That's what you know was the main catalyst and how long ago was that that was she passed away April 2010 so six years ago and In March 2011 I had left the military as a result of that and after that I was just riddled with questions why why why why why as any parent would be you know Their child passed away and the answers that I got as I investigated the causes of her death opened up doors That led to more questions that led to more questions and the root cause of the problem was corruption lobbying The pharmacy industrial complex, I guess you could say you know the government and I was just I was appalled at what I discovered And I I just felt like I had to do something about it, you know Death is the ultimate price anyone pays for a mistake or you know for a wrongdoing and you know children should be paying that price So I did everything I could You know To try to make a difference, you know went to occupy Wall Street and then after that went to DC protest and marched You know joined several groups And when I moved to San Francisco I joined another progressive group and attended regular meetings and marches and tried to make a difference then when I finally moved to Hawaii The focus of coming to Hawaii was just to focus on healing and recovery But then when Bernie Sanders campaign started that fire got reignited again And I started to take steps to not just educate myself on his campaign, but to see what I could do to help and You know eventually I made the decision that I had to help in a way that was strategically help Bernie's vision And that was to get progressives into Congress. So regardless of the odds. I made the choice. I filed the paperwork and here I am So were you able to meet Jane Sanders when she was here? I did a very lovely woman very very lovely very very kind compassion from her is You know when you meet certain people you can feel their compassion Other to other people you can feel them trying to be compassionate. No, she was just her compassion was just one of those that just exudes so Before your daughter's death you were an active duty service man Originally from Puerto Rico, correct So you would be the would you be the first congressman from Puerto Rico, I don't know if I would be the first congressman originally from Puerto Rico But anyway, you understand islands even though you haven't been in Hawaii terribly long, right? You've been here. How long a total of five years now? Okay, and you have family You have a brother here in his family Okay, so um talk about Kuwait and or Iraq and The role that you were playing and that the United States was playing and How that has helped to form where you are today Well, we got to Kuwait and to Iraq a few things became really really clear just Undeniably so and I'll give you one example for Kuwait. So in Kuwait There is a road that's lined on the left and the right-hand side of this road with nothing but all of the vehicles That the US military has destroyed Whether they are friendly or enemy civilian Emergency medical service helicopter you name it. It's just lined on this road And you're not allowed to take pictures or video or anything like that But when you drag on this road, which is really long and it's just riddled with all the destruction that we've created You get your first glimpse at all the things that we have done, you know in that country alone Then once you make it to Iraq and you start to Even amongst the bubble that you work in in your section or your platoon or your company certain things start to become clear And that is when you watch TV you look at the narrative that's portrayed that the people back home see versus the narrative You know to be true where you are and there's usually a huge difference Can you give us a line from that narrative that you? Would that we didn't hear back in the United States It's really tough to remember Sorry, it's just been a long time. Yeah, so there was a Cognitive dissonance between what you were hearing from the media and what you were living on a day to day Yes, as a soldier. How did that? How did you how did you work that out? Or didn't you that's what I call I Was morally compromised my morals my ethics my values were compromised on a daily basis Because you're forced to acknowledge that your duty in your role per the contract you sign in the oath that you took is X But as a human being as you witness certain things as you see certain things, you know Your spirit your soul calls out and you this is inherently wrong so a lot of that time that I spent in Iraq was spent focusing doing my job and Trying not to think about The other side of that coin about the things we were doing and things that were happening because there's one particular incident that a friend of Mine told me after the deployment which he was you know alongside me on that I had no idea about because Certain information is compartmentalized based on your mission requirements, right? So as a result of that you don't have access to information That I might have and vice versa and we're not allowed to talk about it But after my daughter's death one of my friends who was on you know some of these flights that were confidential told me about a couple of instances and where You know we literally killed dozens upon dozens of women and children and we were responsible for picking up their bodies Or my friend was and putting them in unmarked graves and I was like that's that's us That's the good guys doing that so when my daughter passed away and he felt it because he was carrying all these little kids That were charred and burned you know Anyway, so yeah, there's a lot of things. They don't tell you you know, but what we've done over there that we know about That the national narrative can't afford to have so they omitted So when you came back started getting active in these groups you The occupied movement talk about the occupied movement Well, I was investigating my daughter's death and we had already you know filed suit once we had made certain discoveries and Once the occupied movement started, you know I paid attention to what was being put out on the Internet versus what was being put out in the national media And there was a huge contrast in the narrative and I felt this ginormous pull to go out there and participate to do whatever I could to contribute in any way and And can you give any sort of specific example of that? I My initial intent in going over there was to try to help them to be more efficient and more focused in their own Perceive as a soldier. Yeah, all right. You tell me you want to do x. I want to help you do x Especially if I believe that's for the greater good and I went there and they were very very Suspicious they thought I was an infiltrator. They thought I was a plant because of how I stand how I talk how I dress You know because of years in the military so then nobody ever really trusted me But I partook in the marches, you know, I did everything I could to support and help and just and just be there So what did you learn? As you were living with the Occupy movement in DC, I mean that is certainly a very you will be the only senator I'm quite sure who has had that experience The biggest thing that I learned is is that it's not it wasn't a bunch of teenagers It wasn't a bunch of young kids. There were grandparents. There were parents There were Z would one great grandmother, you know, who was out there? There were children and teachers that would go there on a daily basis and try to get information and educate themselves because The kids and check this out the kids knew that what they were watching on TV was a lie So they asked their teachers to take them down there and for like a field trip and they did and I managed to talk to some of those classes And they were all astounded as to what the narrative that I was able to provide versus what they were seeing on TV So there's this fundamental connect that we are all making versus the deceptions We're being broadcast and versus what we know to be true without even having to be there So even though the Occupy movement as a whole got a lot of bad rap that was manufactured Because if you actually participated if you actually went there aside from all the disagreements aside from all the humanity that you could witness there and those microcosms There was everyone. There were grandparents. There were parents. There were children. There were sisters, you know, there were twins You know, even though even some of the homeless put their homelessness aside and asked what can we do to help you guys to help us We've put their homelessness aside. What does that mean? That means when you usually live on the street as in your homeless Through no fault of your own your first instinct to survival, you know, you have to get food You have to shelter, you know, sometimes people compete for space to save zones, etc. Etc. And there were several people that let those concerns to the side completely did not worry about themselves and ask what they could do to help us and That spoke a lot and I got to know some of those people some of those people spoke multiple languages. One of them had a master's degree others Fell on bad times. One of them whole family passed away and then like the courts and the banks get in and was left with nothing And then you know was left homeless. It's story after story after story Of the reality of our scenario was just made clear so I think on a broader scale after these Primaries the primary season the leading up to the conventions the dissonance between What was portrayed in social media versus the corporate media, right? I think I think the message is a little little easier to believe now. Do you do you get that feeling? Yes. Yeah, I do because Even people that don't have the experience to substantiate what they believe to be a deception are being Clued in on the reality of the deception And it's it's finally taking hold Finally taking hold and people are not only using their voice, but they're seeking out information So fear and fewer people are looking to the tube and more to the Internet so Now you're living in Hawaii. You've been here for a while. You've you've gotten your your feet wet and Have been learning some of our history. Yeah, so one of the the focuses I have on the show is is talking about the the future of native Hawaiians the future of the governance of Hawaii as perhaps a sovereign nation again or some sort of some sort of solution to the Overthrow and it's aftermath, right? So you We spoke briefly about this on the phone and I thought you had some remarkable Ideas so would you talk about that place? Well as far as Hawaii, I've always felt that Hawaii was a jewel in the Pacific You know when I was stationed in South Korea and I came out here on vacation to know whether or not this is where I wanted to Live I had to sign an extra contract just to be able to come here and then you know as my life Changed and then I moved back over here. I was so ecstatic to be back and With the difference being that this time I really sunk my teeth in about history the culture land You know and I'm still learning but my the way I see Hawaii the way I see a lot of the problems to me It makes too much sense that we For example, we spent billions of dollars on a rail program, right? Because we believe it to be so important and or so necessary But there are other things that if we had that much of an investment on we could solve many of Hawaii's issues You know right away For the long term and improve everyone's quality of life. Well, we're gonna take a little break And when we come back, let's talk about that and then let's invite listeners to call in to four one five eight Seven one two four seven four if you have a question for Javier You're watching think tech Hawaii which streams live on think tech Hawaii comm Uploads to youtube comm and broadcasts on cable OC 16 and a lullo 54 great content for Hawaii from think tech Hello, I'm Patrick Bratton host of global connections here on think tech Hawaii I'm also a professor of political science at Hawaii Pacific University So this show is one of the ways that we collaborate between think tech Hawaii and Hawaii Pacific University Where I talk on my show with a lot of guests about issues dealing with Hawaii the United States and the world So I look forward to seeing and interacting with you online and on my show. Thank you very much Aloha, we invite you to join us on our keys to success show Which is live on the think tech live streaming network series weekly on Thursdays at 11 a.m. My name is denilia Dane LIA and I'm the other half of the duo John Newman our goal for our weekly show keys to success is to provide professional and personal development tools and profound insights on how to achieve success in life career and all business We have a theme focus for each show and our guests have achieved success in their life career and our business They are Frank and candid with their advice and commentaries as this is a live show We have live mess ups as well, which are fun to watch as you see Resources success tips from our guests and other information can be accessed at newman consulting services comm or denilia Dane LIA.org we also invite you to call us to join our weekly conversations or tweet us if you have any questions or comments We want you to participate in the show. I'm denilia Dane LIA and I'm John the other half of the duo We are looking forward to seeing you on our next keys to success show aired live Thursdays at 11 a.m. Welcome back to Hawaii is my name. I'm kawaii Lucas today. We are speaking with Javier Ocasio who is a candidate for U.S. Senate Congress Congress well in the District one CD CD one here for Hawaii and we were talking about how his really Transformative experiences of being in the military in Iraq and Kuwait and then his daughter's death and spending time with the occupied movement has informed his ethics transformed his ethics to a place where he feels compelled to run for office and It's not a it's not a small thing so To stand up for your what you truly believe and know to be true There are people who who think that Progressives are making up stories about the status quo and the the Conditions that we currently currently live on as being wild and what do you say to those people who think it's all a conspiracy theory and You know we should just shut up and Business as usual It's a matter of comparing the conceptual versus the experiential right so if my True life experience conflicts with what you believe without research and or experience Then you have a disconnect and then the discussion should take the form of alright Then may I inform you or have you done any research and those type of people reply? No, and they're just affirmed in what they believe without experience or research You know, there's nothing you can do to convince them All you can state is that well, please just try to understand that my reality What I have lived through when I have scars from the tears I have shed and the blood that has come out of my body is a testament to what I am trying to change and make better So forgive me if we conflict and forgive me if we end up at opposite ends of that battle, but it's necessary so your direct experience of reality as Sometimes in conflict with the way we wish we were right right, okay, so as you said that takes a certain amount of On the receiving side someone has to be open to having their pretty picture of the world and especially the United States Demolished actually It's a very traumatizing thing It is and I understand that because I used to live in the military bubble, right? I was an army dependent and then I grew up as an army dependent and straight in high school joined the military So I became active duty and then for 15 years that dominated my world view It wasn't until that bubble was burst that I had shock after shock I've I have what I've been calling a crash course on life since 2010 one of the You spoke about resilience and and your role in the military is having to learn how to do things You'd never done before and then teach others how to do things. They hadn't done before I thought that's a that is a remarkable skill Resilience is across the board the number one survival one number one predictor of Survival and and health both mentally and physically so I think you're well prepared in spite of your extreme experiences So talk some more about Your vision for Hawaii and how we could how we can do things here that would make for a more compassionate and wonderful way Well, the the first thing that I believe we can do here in Hawaii is Accelerate and I mean in a fast pace our adoption of solar Because the biggest cost that the average person low middle To you know very very low to no income is power Electricity whether that's gasoline or whether that's for your house or apartment or room that you rent good lord knows There's a whole bunch of room renters here And if you want to give them immediate relief if you want to provide them a boost So they can re-inject some of that money back into the economy is you need to take that burden of having to pay For power all the time the way that we are right now by giving them solar See solar has been adopted predominantly by those that have the money But can already afford to pay for power at the prices that they are That should be turned on its head the investment should be on the lower end of the scale to relieve the poor in the low income from their Additional expenses as a result of the power of price of power here in Hawaii so that then you can bring that up and Transition to completely clean so maybe instead of Focusing so much on snap food benefits or something like that to develop or develop an e-snap Something like that something for a snap is the food supplementation So how do how do you see? Specifically for the native Hawaiian population addressing the historical Wrongs The way I see that is real simple the longer we take to correct what was done the higher the price We're gonna pay and because it's been so long. We're gonna pay a steep price the way I see it and that price is Gonna come in the huge fights and arguments that are gonna happen if an idea like the one I'm about to tell you you know takes any kind of route and that is that we try to Give all the land back to them and create a land trust here in Hawaii you If we cannot remove the buildings we cannot remove the people can't move all the cars But we can get the land back to who originally it belonged we can give them the custody of that We can create a new type of land trust Here in Hawaii and that would create a new dynamic in which the native Hawaiians would have their land back And there would be a huge new dynamic that would have to be figured out that experts would have to come in and you know Give their two cents and do this whole thing But I believe it's a necessary step because only by disconnecting the land From the buildings and the values of those two Can you re-empower a people that have been disempowered and then keep the people that have been here the whole time doing? You know the oppressing so to speak or the occupying will say In check because right now it's extremely lopsided You know the people with the money the people that own the land are calling the shots putting the pressure You know making the deals But if you take the land and you give it back and then you create a mutual land trust of some sort Then you could re-empower a nation that was you know disempowered and Create a new dynamic that would Bring a lot of relief to people because you wouldn't have to pay for land and a house So once again Javier, it sounds like you're asking us to give up our delusions and our addiction to real estate inflation Investments sorry meant to say real estate investment, which Really is the the ground? on which the Local economy rests we whether it's you talk about it through the military or tourism Or just land ownership The primary means of of wealth in Hawaii is based on the land right so well that's quite a little revolution That a challenge the status quo right not just appear But you know economically can't continue the way is there some real-world model that you know of that might get We always study everything before we do it right we would have to do a study on this I got the idea from you know Burlington, Vermont and the land trust that they have over there so if anybody were to research how they did their land trust and how that's organized you know I don't have all the details memorized and how it works but the bottom line was you know they created the land trust which is a private entity and The land value was disconnected from all the housing values so if you purchased the house you would purchase the house value itself and Value would be added to the house solely based upon the improvements that you made you know on the house over time and Then you'd pay a small fee for the lease for the duration that you own the house something like $25 a month And then when you sell the house even if the house appreciates a lot of value You only get a small amount of that back should you sell the house? But you still make some but what it does is it cuts so much out of the price of a house that it makes it More affordable for people that otherwise wouldn't be able to purchase Have you we only have a better man. Yes, ma'am You are not in the army and I am not ma'am What would you like to to say about about tomorrow's election about what What you feel All I want to say is that we face a great deal of many issues and We can either do what we're attached to doing which is what makes us comfortable or we can do what is necessary Which is going to make us very uncomfortable but if we're serious about creating change if we're serious about the environment if we're serious about saving lives and Uplifting and empowering people that we have to let go of our attachment to the way we've been doing things if we really want to Adopt the new whether that means putting new people in the office or re-electing the good ones either way You got to challenge the status quo whether that's in here or in here Wow So we had a little discussion about your next step. What's what's next a special election the special election Yes, I'm going to sign my name and fill the papers so that I can run for the special election to hopefully occupy the office From November 8th to January 3rd. I'm staying for that two month time period Thank you so much. Have your best of luck tomorrow, and you got my vote