Mahalo to Graham Ellis for his article on my peace work and Malu Aina. 

Jim Albertini – Puna Hero

Malu ‘Aina Annual Appeal

December 2022

Aloha friends,

     Once a year, during this Holy season, I write to ask for your help to sustain the work of Malu ‘Aina, an all-volunteer organization committed to justice, peace, and a living planet for generations to come.

     2022 marks 43 years since the founding of Malu 'Aina. Some of you have been with us from the start. Others more recently. Please know, we appreciate all of you for your solidarity and donations of support. You are our base. To maintain our independence and critical voice, we do not seek corporate or government funding. We started grassroots and want to stay grassroots.

  We remain committed to the principle of non-violence, kapu aloha, as our guiding light. We believe deeply that the means we use must be in line with the end that we seek. Currently, we are in transition to the next generations of leadership.  It's a slow process but we hope the vision of Malu ‘Aina will be carried forward for generations to come. Your ideas, and suggestions for next-generation leaders, are encouraged.

  We continue to grow food at Malu ‘Aina to share with people in need, but with limited volunteer farm help. We have long served as an emergency food pantry. Each week we also write a new peace leaflet for widespread distribution and conduct a peace vigil at the downtown Hilo Post Office/Federal Building. Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, marked 1104 consecutive weekly peace leaflets, for a vigil that started the day after Sept. 11, 2001. You can read the new weekly leaflet on our website www.malu-aina.org. In addition, we continue our efforts to de-militarize Hawaii and the planet and shift resources from warfare to healthcare, education, and protecting the environment. Protecting the planet from nuclear war and climate disasters are the two biggest challenges facing human civilization.

  We have plenty of work to do.  Our 40 year-old-farm tractor was not running for nearly 2 years. We had difficulty finding parts. But thanks to the help of a volunteer mechanic friend and your financial help it’s now running again. A younger driver would be helpful to this senior citizen turning 76. Mahalo for your continued financial support and solidarity in this journey of working for justice, peace, and aloha ‘aina. You are a blessing and very much appreciated.

With gratitude and aloha,

Jim Albertini

Donations are tax deductible if checks are made to Center for Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box 489 ‘Ola’a (Kurtistown), Hawaii 96760. A Pay Pal account (Donate Button) has also been set up on our webpage www.malu-aina.org. To receive our posts, please send me an email ja@malu-aina.org with a request. You can also reach us by phone (808) 966-7622. Mahalo.

Disasters!

It seems the poor always suffer the most

      Whether it’s natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, lava flows, etc.) or man made disasters (war, climate disaster, toxic pollution, etc.) it seems the poor always suffer the most. The rich have more options. The poor have few, if any, options.

      In most natural disasters, those with money can easily relocate, and often have a second or third home to go. Some poor people don’t even have enough gas money to get to a disaster shelter. Who bore the burden in hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, and hurricane Harvey in Houston? Poor communities also usually bear the burden of toxic pollution. Flint Michigan’s lead water is a case in point. The Hawaiian Homestead area in Keaukaha in Hilo has as a next door toxic neighbor -–the airport, dump, fuel tanks, sewage plant, harbor, chemicals, etc.

      In wars such as Vietnam, the rich like Donald Trump and George Bush, easily found ways to avoid the draft and they certainly didn’t go to jail for nonviolent resistance to the war. The poor end up drafted or enlisting and dying in a rich man’s war for resources. In today’s wars, those being killed, injured and made refugees are disproportionately poor. Look at Palestine, Syria, etc.

      Puna, Hawaii, the site of the current lava flow, is the poorest district in the state, with thousands of lots in substandard subdivisions, many in high risk lava zones or near the toxic neighbor –Puna Geothermal Venture. Read the book “Land & Power in Hawaii” by George Cooper and Gaven Daws. Also read the article by Alan D. McNarie http://www.civilbeat.org/2018/05/big-island-how-land-schemes-turned-lava-fields-into-subdivisions/ By contrast the Kona-Kohala coast on the west side of Hawaii island is known as the Gold Coast with it’s many rich gated communities and high end resorts. The resorts never built housing for their employees, so many employees have to commute from distant Puna and Ka’u poor districts. Economic apartheid!

      I haven’t heard of one hotel offering free or discounted rooms to people displaced from the lava. And what of long range plans for people who have been displaced and have lost their homes, farms, businesses, etc.? Is it not the role of government to help? But where will the money come from you ask? That’s easy. From the FY 2019 Donald Trump proposed U.S. military budget of $681.1 billion. After all, what are we defending? And once we have recovered from disaster, we can begin the work of building a new economy from the ground up. That starts with growing food to feed Hawaii’s population instead of importing 90% of food consumed here. That will demand policy changes away from addiction to war and catering to the rich. The endless growth of tourism and militarism is killing Hawaii and the planet. Pele is telling us we need a fresh start and that we need to work together.

Live Aloha! Blessed are the Poor…

1. Mourn all victims of violence. 2. Reject war as a solution. 3. Defend civil liberties.
   4. Oppose all discrimination, anti-Islamic, anti-Semitic, anti-Hawaiian, etc.
   5. Seek peace through peaceful means and work for justice in Hawai`i and around the world.

Contact: Malu ‘Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action

P.O. Box 489 Kurtistown, Hawai’i 96760 Phone (808) 966-7622. Email: ja@malu-aina.org

Sign up on our website to receive our posts  http://www.malu-aina.org/

May 25, 2018 Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet — 870th week – Fridays 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office

Press Release — Possible Puna Geothermal Venture wild wells from Earth quakes or lava.

Lava within 100 yards of the Puna Geothermal Plant (PGV) which has more than 6 geothermal wells.

Malu Aina 966-7622

Jim Albertini ja@malu-aina.org

P.O. Box 489 Kurtistown, Hawaii 96760  website www.malu-aina.org

Below and attached is a Geothermal Emergency Map produced by the Big Island Rainforest Action Group (BIRAG) more than 25 years ago.  The map, as I recall, is based on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prepared for Puna Geothermal venture (PGV) that cited the possibility of wild wells caused by Earth quakes or lava flows.  Wild wells are those that can’t be capped resulting in uncontrolled venting of Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) resulting in an 4.1 mile radius (8.2 mile diameter) permanent evacuation zone around the PGV plant and a warning/alert area of 15 miles radius from the plant..  (At the time the map was prepared there was a wild well in California at the Geysers still uncontrollable after 30 years which fortunately was far from populated areas.)

It should be noted that Hydrogen Sulfide H2S  which comes out of geothermal wells is different than the gas that comes out of the lava –Sulfur dioxide (SO2).  Hydrogen sulfide at low levels has a rotten egg sulfur smell but at high levels is deadly and is odorless and colorless.  It is a heavy gas so collects in low areas.

I personally gave a copy of this map to Hawaii County Civil defense director Talmage Magno on Friday, May 18 at the Hilo Civil defense office.
Jim Albertini