Archive for July, 2010

Remembering Hiroshima & Nagasaki!

Saturday, July 31st, 2010

2010 marks the 65 anniversary of these tragic bombings.

Time: 3:30-5PM

Date: Friday, August 6, 2010

Place:  Downtown Hilo Post Office

On August 6, 1945 the United States dropped an uranium atomic bomb, nicked named “Little Boy” on the city of Hiroshima, Japan.  Three days later, on August 9th, a plutonium atomic bomb, called “Fat Man” was dropped on the city of Nagasaki.  Over 200,000 Japanese civilians– men, women, and children, died as a result of these bombings.   Historians now say Japan had already made overtures to surrender, and these bombings did not end the war but were meant as a cold war statement to the Soviet Union that the U.S. would be the major global power following WWII.

Come and join in a commemoration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and to renew our commitment to global nuclear disarmament and No More War!  War Never Again!

We live in a time of ongoing U.S. illegal, immoral, and unwinnable wars in the middle east.  There is mounting evidence that U.S. depleted uranium radiation weapons used in Iraq and Afghanistan are causing increases in cancer, genetic damage and infant mortality.   A July 2, 2010 press release issued by British Dr. Chris Busby, on a recently completed epidemiological study, was entitled “Genetic damage and health in Fallujah Iraq worse than Hiroshima.” Even U.S. troops are being affected.  In addition to the destruction caused by the U.S. in Iraq and Afghanistan, there are increasing threats of a military attack (including the possible use of nuclear weapons) against Iran and North Korea.  Such attacks must not be allowed to happen and the current wars must be stopped.  War is not a way to end war.  Peace and justice must become both the means used and the end sought in international relations.

While the Obama administration has submitted the START arms control treaty to the Senate for ratification, it also plans to spend $80 billion to sustain and modernize the U.S. nuclear weapons complex. The U.S. routinely test fires nuclear missiles from Vandenberg Air Force base in California,  over Hawaii into  the Marshall Islands in the western Pacific.  Two launches were conducted in June and another is planned for September.  There is widespread radiation contamination from the nuclear weapon production system, including plutonium and depleted uranium radiation contamination in Hawaii from weapons testing and training.  Instead of building more weapons of mass destruction, we need to abolish them. And we need to clean up the mess from the weapons already built.

Join the global call to Abolish Nuclear Weapons!

Hiroshima & Nagasaki –Never Again!

Join the Hilo Commemoration on August 6th

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 (July 30, 2010 – 463rd week) – Friday 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office

Malu ‘Aina Taro planting Sat. July 17th

Friday, July 16th, 2010

Aloha Kakou,
Sorry for the late notice, but we’ll be planting varieties of Hawaiian taro tomorrow, Sat. July 17th from 8-11AM at Malu ‘Aina if anyone is interested in helping out.  We need taro pullers, huli cutters and planters so there are jobs for all — from keiki to seniors.  Of course you are always welcome to take some huli home for planting in your yard or in a pot on your lanai.
We won’t be having a pot luck afterwords this time because of other commitments.  We’ll try to get our regular monthly volunteer days going again, usually on the first Sat. of the month
Mahalo for your kokua.  If you need directions call 966-7622 before 8AM.

Jim Albertini

When Will We Furlough the Wars?

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

War spending is stealing jobs & lives!

Thousands of government workers in Hawaii and around the U.S. are being furloughed, and government services are being cut.  Congress failed to extend unemployment benefits to a million unemployed workers.  Yet the U.S. House just voted $33,000,000,000 more in supplemental funding for the wars.  Next year’s federal budget allocates $159,000,000,000 to “contingency operations” for the ongoing slaughter and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.  There seems to be plenty of money for the wars and Wall St. bailouts, but little or no money to help working people, the poor and unemployed, and maintain government services.

I’m puzzled.  Why aren’t government officials and government workers, and everyone else, raising their voices in  protest to stop these endless wars and redirect war spending to unmet human needs at home?   Where’s the outrage?  Why the silence?

The U.S. spends more than $2,000,000,000 per day on its military budget and the figure keeps rising.  While 2 cents out of every federal tax dollar goes to education, 54 cents goes to military spending.   No wonder there are so little funds left to provide needed government services and pay workers a living wage.  Now it’s reported that even Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are heading for the chopping block.  But not the sacred cow of militarism.   The cost of just 1 year’s war funding could pay an annual salary of $30,000 to 5 million workers.
(Read more  http://www.alternet.org/story/145705/)

Many counties and states are even worse off than Hawaii.  In California, more than 200,000 state workers are being put on $7.25 an hour minimum wage resulting in an annual salary of $15,000 when the average state worker had made $65,000 annually.  At that rate it won’t be long until many more people lose their homes and life savings.

Like in Vietnam, the U.S. wars and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan are immoral, illegal, unwinnable, and unsustainable.  They are bankrupting the U.S. morally and financially.  It is long past time to stop the killing, furlough these wars, bring the troops home, and put people back to work at home.  We need to unite for justice, peace, and the earth.   The time is now!

Join the Furlough Friday Peace Vigil!

Jobs Not War!  Break the Silence!

Stand Up & Protest!

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 (July 9, 2010 – 460th week) – Friday 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office

Important article on Military DU contamination in Hawaii

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

http://bigislandweekly.com/articles/2010/06/30/read/news/news02.txt

Army official: We never meant to clean up DU
By Alan D. Mcnarie

Warning of Widening Global War!

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Is an Israel/U.S. Attack on Iran Imminent?

Former Cuba President, Fidel Castro, says: “I do not harbor the slightest doubt that as soon as the warships of the United States and Israel take up their positions – together with the rest of the U.S. military vessels located in the vicinity of the Iranian coasts – and attempt to inspect that country’s first merchant ship, a rain of missiles will be unleashed in both directions. That will be the precise moment when that terrible war will begin. It is not possible to foresee how many ships will be sunk nor of what ensign.”
See  http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25839.htm

Professor Noam Chomsky says: “The increasing threats of military action against Iran are of course in violation of the UN Charter, and in specific violation of Security Council resolution 1887 of September 2009 which reaffirmed the call to all states to resolve disputes related to nuclear issues peacefully, in accordance with the Charter, which bans the use or threat of force.”

“They are gearing up totally for the destruction of Iran,” according to Dan Plesch, director of the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at the University of London. “US bombers and long range missiles are ready today to destroy 10,000 targets in Iran in a few hours,” he said.
See  http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article25841.htm

Take Action!

In the event of such military action this is a call for a mobilization to protest in Hilo at 12 noon on the day following military action.  Gather at the traffic light intersection of Kamehameha Ave. and Pauahi St. on Hilo Bayfront.  Such a military confrontation will be a grave mistake resulting in a widening war of unknown but major international human, financial, and environmental consequences, including widespread radiation contamination.

Meanwhile, we should not wait: join this Friday’s peace vigil; contact both the White House 202-456-1111 http://www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT and our Congressional representatives Mazie Hirono http://www.hirono.house.gov in Hilo 935-3756,  in Honolulu 808-541-1986, in Washington 202-225-4906, Senator Akaka http://akaka.senate.gov in Hilo 935-1114, in D.C. 202-224-6361, and Senator Inouye http://inouye.senate.gov in Hilo 935-0844, in D.C. 202-224-3934, to make clear our opposition to the US initiating such a confrontation with Iran.  Peaceful diplomacy, not military confrontation, must be the way forward in international relations.  Please pass the word.  Mahalo.

No More War!  No WW III!  War Never Again!

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 (July 2, 2010 – 459th week) – Friday 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office