POLIHALE STATE PARK, Hawaii -- In Washington, officials are keeping a close eye on Hawaii amid concerns that North Korea will fire a missile at the state.
But in Hawaii itself, Paula Rego isn't worrying. As she sits on a beach here on the westernmost point on the island of Kauai -- Hawaii's closest publicly accessible spot to North Korea, which is 4,500 miles northwest -- the 37-year-old resident has more pressing concerns. One is comforting Noah, her sobbing 2-year-old son, who was just whacked with a toy lightsaber by his older brother.
Mrs. Rego and her family are part of a group of 21 people from five families who camped at this state park for Father's Day. "By the time you know you're in an earthquake, it's too late to do anything about it," says Mrs. Rego, a former California resident. "It's the same thing with a missile."
Reports that North Korea is planning to test-fire a missile with a 4,000-mile range toward Hawaii around July 4 have prompted U.S. officials to beef up defenses around the islands, a sign of the escalating tensions between the U.S. and North Korea over Pyongyang's recent moves to restart its nuclear-weapon program. But on Hawaii, many residents are indifferent, going about their daily lives and expressing more concern about issues such as the state's weak economy.
The islands' laid-back culture gets partial credit for the nonchalance about the missile. "There's a saying on this island," says Andrew Rego, Paula's husband and a Kauai native. "If can, can. If no can, no can." Translation: There's no point in fretting over what is beyond control.
Many residents don't believe North Korea will risk a missile launch for fear of American retribution. Some say they think the country lacks the technological know-how to send a missile across half the Pacific Ocean, given previous missile-test failures. North Korean long-range missiles have failed three tests in the past 11 years.
Though the North Korean missiles don't carry warheads, the U.S. nonetheless doesn't want any country -- let alone a hostile one -- to fire its missiles toward American territory. And some U.S. officials favor shooting down an incoming missile to demonstrate American capabilities in case of actual hostilities as a deterrent.
Residents are confident the U.S. military is taking measures to protect Hawaii, especially given that the state's Pearl Harbor was attacked in World War II. Maj. Gen. Robert G.F. Lee, who as Hawaii's adjutant general directs the state's Army and Air National Guard, says Hawaiian residents and tourists aren't in danger. "I'd encourage visitors to visit our state," he says. "You will not be at risk."
That President Barack Obama hails from the islands is also reassuring to some residents. "It would be suicide" for North Korea to shoot a missile, says 49-year-old Martin Steinhaus, a Kauai resident who was camping with the Rego family. He adds that Hawaii "is dear to [Obama], so he's going to find an amicable solution."
Hawaii residents have other concerns, such as finding or keeping jobs. The state's tourism industry has been slammed by dual recessions in the U.S. and Japan. Unemployment in the state is at a 30-year high of 7.4% and rising. To close a massive budget deficit, Hawaii's governor has proposed cutting state employees' salaries 14% by furloughing them for three Fridays a month.
At the beach, the Regos were holding a Father's Day campout with four other families. The families knew of the missile threat, but that didn't deter them from setting up beach umbrellas and a half-dozen tents. "We're defying him," Mr. Rego jokingly says of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
As the sun sinks toward the horizon, Mr. and Mrs. Rego sit on the sand with Lissa Lang and Lisa Lewis to watch the sky turn a brilliant orange. They joke about facing annihilation as they look west toward North Korea. "At least we'll be at ground zero and we'll be done with quickly," Ms. Lang says. "We'll have a good sunset."
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