Hilo Federal Building public pot to pee-in to appear forthwith

A voice mail was left for me on Feb. 3, 2010 from Alan Yamamoto of Sen. Inouye’s office that signage will be posted today with directions to a public men’s room at he Hilo downtown Federal Building.
Finally, finally, finally –government in action. See below for background.

Press Release February 2, 2010
Re: No pot to pee in at Hilo’s downtown Federal Building
further contact: Jim Albertini 966-7622
ja@interpac.net

Hilo’s downtown Federal Building that houses the Post office and numerous other Federal offices has been without a public men’s room for several months.    The Building is undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation but remains open.

Local Peace activist, Jim Albertini, who on behalf of Malu ‘Aina, has been conducting a weekly peace vigil fronting the building for 437 weeks (going on 9 years) every Friday from 3:30-5PM said he’s “peeved.”  Albertini said, “it is a disgrace that a port-a-toilet hasn’t been provided. It shows a lack of consideration, even contempt, for the public.  The government can spend trillions of tax dollars on wars for empire, and bailing out wall street bankers, but can’t even provide a toilet for it’s citizens in a major government building.” Albertini said he called the Congressional offices of Dan Inouye and Mazie Hirono to demand action.  Albertini said he voiced his concern to the security guard at the Hilo Federal Building and was told that the public “women’s rest room” would also be closing soon.  When the security guard was asked who was in charge of the building, he said GSA in Honolulu.

Albertini wonders why the construction contractor hasn’t provided a port-a-toilet for the public, or if federal employees in the building have spoken up for the public.  Albertini said “the security guard told me that the construction company workers use a private restroom in the building.  When asked why that restroom couldn’t be opened for the public, the security guard said he didn’t know.”

Albertini said “the no-rest-room is a minor issue compared to the slaughter of war, but it becomes a major concern when someone needs a rest room.  Congress certainly takes good care of themselves with federal spending.   You can be sure they will never be without.  In fact, Congress recently voted themselves a pay raise but announced a 2 year freeze in social security cost of living increases for ordinary senior citizens.  So much for “sharing the pain.”  The arrogance of those in government can be astounding.”

(LET’S PLAY MUSIC)

& POT LUCK

TIME: 5 – 8PM

(Pot Luck 5-6PM, Music 6-8PM)

PLACE: KEA’AU COMMUNITY CENTER

(Located behind the Kea’au Police Station and Family Clinic)

DATE: LAST SUNDAYS OF THE MONTH

(Next dates:  Jan. 31st, Feb. 28th, March. 28th)

Come and have fun!
Eat, play music, sing and talk story
for justice & peace!

For more information:

Malu `Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action
P.O. Box AB Ola`a (Kurtistown), Hawai`i  96760.
Phone (808) 966-7622 Email ja@interpac.net   http://www.malu-aina.org

How is the Right organizing to build power in the U.S.?
What are the ramifications for the peace and social justice movements?
How do these trends affect us in Hawai‘i?

Speaker:  Chip Berlet, Political Research Associates

Monday, February 8th, 2010

7 – 9:00 pm

Kea’au Community Center

The Right-Wing Populists who spawned the Tea Bag and Town Hall protests against Obama are a growing force and working to take over the Republican Party. Meanwhile, centrist Democrats are dominating the Obama Administration and dismissing populist anger at government bailouts that feed the wealthy and starve the poor.

Now, Ultra-Right activists are recruiting from among the angry Tea Bag Populists and targeting immigrants, people of color, Muslims, Arabs, reproductive rights activists, and lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered persons. And they are spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories about economic woes & foreign policy.

Chip Berlet, senior analyst at Political Research Associates, has spent over 25 years studying prejudice, demonization, scapegoating, demagoguery, conspiracism, and authoritarianism. He has investigated far right hate groups, reactionary backlash movements, theocratic fundamentalism, civil liberties violations, police misconduct, government and private surveillance abuse, and other anti-democratic phenomena. He is a lively speaker defending democracy and diversity. Berlet is co–author, with Matthew N. Lyons, of Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort, which received a Gustavus Myers Center Award for outstanding scholarship on the subject of human rights and intolerance in North America. Berlet has appeared live on ABC’s Nightline, NBC’s Today Show, and CBS This Morning.

Sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee – HI, World Can’t Wait HI, MANA UH Manoa chapter, Malu Aina & Truth 2 Youth.   For more information contact: 966-7622

What’s Happening?

Speaker: Army Col. (Ret) and former State Dept. Diplomat

Ann Wright

Monday, February 22, 2010

7-9PM Keaau Community Center

Sponsred by: Malu ‘Aina center for Non-violent Education & Action
P.O. Box AB Ola’a (Kurtistown), Hawaii 96760 Phone 808-966-7622
email ja@interpac.net   Visit us on the web at www.malu-aina.org

Ann provided the materials below:
Biographical materials and links to articles I have written are at www.voicesofconscience.com

My March, 2003 letter of resignation from the State Department is at http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0303/032103wright.htm.

An interview on Iraq, Afghanistan and accountability of government officials was published last week in the Maui Time: http://www.mauitime.com/Articles-i-2010-01-21-72193.113117_Retired_Colonel_Ann_Wright.html

My writings on 3 trips to Gaza and Egypt in 2009 are:

Gaza Freedom March  www.gazafreedommarch.org
Ann Wright, “Israel and Egypt Continue to Squeeze the Lifeblood out of Gaza,” Commondreams.org, January 17, 2010
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/01/17-1

Ann Wright, “Gaza and Israel: David and Golaith, Classic Assymetric Warfare,” afterdowningstreet.org, December 20, 2009

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/sites/afterdowningstreet.org/files/Article-Gaza-David%20and%20Goliath%20PDF%2012202009.pdf

Ann Wright, ”Breaking the Siege of Gaza: Government Refuse While Citizens Act,” Commondreams, July 1, 2009

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/07/01-0

Ann Wright, “President Carter and Citizen Activists Witness Destruction in Gaza,” Commondreams, June 18, 2009

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/06/18-3

Ann Wright, “Israeli Police and Military Brutalize Peaceful Protesters at Netanhayu’s Speech,” Huffington Post, June 15, 2009

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ann-wright/israeli-police-and-milita_b_215477

Ann Wright, “With The Women of Gaza On International Women’s Day: We Will Not Be Silent!”, Huffington Post, March 19, 2009
www.huffingtonpost.com/ann-wright/with-the-women-of-gaza-on_b_173021.html

Ann Wright’s February 9 interview on Gaza on Grit TV Israel’s Crimes http://lauraflanders.firedoglake.com/2009/02/10/israels-crimes/

Ann Wright’s article “The Israeli Smashing of Gaza and International Silence”

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/02/13-7

Ann’s article “Under Siege Again, But Gaza Will Not Die”

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/02/11-11

Ann’s article “Can Gaza Be Rebuilt Through Tunnels?”

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/02/24

Ann’s book: Dissent: Voices of Conscience   www.voiceofconscience.com

People are justifiably angry over billion-dollar bank bailouts, corporate mega-bonuses at taxpayers expense, giveaways to insurance companies, high unemployment, foreclosures, politicians in the pockets of lobbyists, the lack of true health care reform, etc., etc.  But where is the outrage over the escalating military budget and trillion dollar wars of empire disguised as a war on terror.

Congress just passed a record new Pentagon budget of $708 billion (with an Afghan war-fighting supplemental request of $33 billion, still pending but sure to pass). If you add all aspects of the national security state to the official Pentagon figures, the true budget for the American war machine (past, present and future) tops $1 trillion annually.

Militarism has become the religion of the U.S. empire.  It’s 700 plus overseas military bases are largely unquestioned  You find very few “Right to Life” and Tea bagger folks questioning sacred war spending.  How come these war gods of metal are so idolized by church going people?  Faith in a God of love is out the window.  Today, it is in arms we trust.

For 50 years the military-industrial complex used the red scare, fear of the Russians, to fuel the cold war.  Today, the word “terrorist” has replaced “communist” to justify a war without end.  Fear is the major factor that keeps the war machine running.  And of course huge profits for the arms makers and other war contractors.  But what are the costs?

Over 5,300 U.S. military personnel are dead, 35,000 have serious physical wounds, hundreds of thousands have serious mental wounds, more than one million dead Iraqi and Afghan civilians, infrastructure, homes and economies of both countries destroyed and the land contaminated with radiation from depleted uramium weapons used by the U.S.. The total dollar cost is in excess of $3 trillion for Iraq alone ($10,000 for each man, woman and child in the U.S.) –according to Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize-winning economist.

If you do not believe that 9-11 was an inside job to trigger wars of empire under the cover of a “war on terror,” then consider the following two questions asked by U.S. war veteran, Nick Egnatz: “Is it possible that changing our policies of empire (economic exploitation and military dominance) might actually stop people from wanting to kill us?  Or are we, as American citizens, content to sit back and allow our government to continue the policies of empire at the expense of the rights and well-being of all the peoples of the world, U.S. included?”

Break the Silence!  Speak Out!

Stop the Wars and End Occupations

1.  Mourn all victims of violence. 2. Reject war as a solution. 3. Defend civil liberties. 4. Oppose all discrimination, anti-Islamic, anti-Semitic, etc. 5. Seek peace through justice in Hawai`i and around the world.
Contact: Malu `Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box AB Kurtistown, Hawai`i 96760.
Phone (808) 966-7622.  Email ja@interpac.net  http://www.malu-aina.org

Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet (Jan. 29, 2010 – 437th week) – Friday 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office