2013 Christmas Appeal

Dear Friends,                                                                                            December 2013

Christmas, with its message of “Peace on Earth, Good Will to all,” is a special time of year to pause and reflect. It’s a time to take stock of what is really important in life, the values we hold dear, including our family and friends. It is during this season that I send out an “Annual Appeal” to help sustain Malu ‘Aina’s work for justice, peace, and aloha ‘aina (love for the land). It’s also a time to say thank you for the solidarity over the long haul.

      Malu ‘Aina has been planting seeds and sharing food with people in need, the least among us, for 33 years, and all of you have been part of that effort in one way or another. This sense of caring for one another, providing mutual aid, is one of our core values. Oh how I wish we were seeing less need and more justice and joy, but that is not the case. The gap between rich and poor is widening. It appears that personal gain for the .1% has displaced concern for the common good. For many, hope of a better life, is in short supply.

     Malu ‘Aina is now in its 637^thconsecutive week of sponsoring a Friday Peace Vigil at the downtown Hilo Post Office/Federal Building. Each week a new peace leaflet is prepared for worldwide distribution on the internet and on the downtown street corner. 637 weeks is more than 12 years of ongoing wars and trillions of dollars spent for death and destruction. There seems to always be enough money for new weapon systems and wars, but never enough money for building a more just world, meeting basic human needs and caring for the earth.

      Together, we want to see a change in priorities, a world where we fight less and talk more; where love and kindness, not violence, is affirmed as the law of our being; where everyone has the basic necessities of life; where “justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream;” and where we treat the earth, our mother, with the respect she deserves.

      In this Holy season, and the year around, we are truly blessed by the gifts of your solidarity – your peace, good will, aloha, and financial help.  Thank you for the sharing of your lives. Together, we help each other keep the faith and never give up the promise of peace and hope for future generations, The English philosopher, Sir Francis Bacon, advised centuries ago that “wealth, like manure, only does good when we spread it around.” Today, even Pope Francis agrees. Amen!

With gratitude and aloha,

Jim Albertini for Malu ‘Aina

Donations are tax deductible if checks are made to: Center for Non-violent Education & Action

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

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 justice in Hawai`i and around the world.

Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet (December 6, 2013– 637th week) – Friday 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/15/1255844/-Pope-Francis-Thou-shalt-not-frack?

Two events coming up on Sat. Oct. 19th in Hilo

10-11AM  “Walk For Palestine” –Freedom and Equality for Palestine.  Meet at Kalakaua Park across from the downtown Post office.  Sponsored by: Global H.O.P.E., Malu ‘Aina. Jewish Voice for Peace, and Hale Lokahi.  For information: B. Smith 935-0622

Noon -2PM “Protest Against Fracking” on highway in front of Walgreen’s in Hilo.  Please join Occupy Hilo, Paradise Action Women’s Alliance, Puna Pono Alliance, and Malu ‘Aina for a sign waving rally in solidarity with the Global Frackdown 2. This is an aloha filled, peaceful, family friendly event. Bring your own sign or borrow one of ours and take part in a worldwide action to raise awareness about the dangers of fracking. 

Mission Statement: Fracking for oil and gas is inherently unsafe and the harms of this industry cannot be fully mitigated by regulation. We reject the multi-million dollar public relations campaign by big oil and gas companies and urge our local, state, and national officials to reject fracking. We stand united as a global movement in calling on governmental officials at all levels to pursue a renewable energy future and not allow fracking or any of the associated infrastructure in our communities or any communities. We are communities fighting fracking, frac sand mining, pipelines, compressor stations, LNG terminals, exports of natural gas, coal seam gas, coal bed methane and more. Fracking is not part of our vision for a clean energy future and should be banned.

https://www.facebook.com/events/190213177814583/—

Aug. 19, 2013 No More Geothermal protest at HELCO, Hilo, Hawaii

A videographer walked the line and counted 442 people standing in protest on both sides of the street fronting HELCO today from 10AM- till noon today.  I haven’t seen that many Puna folks out since the rainforest protest in 1990.   It was a lively gathering, including drumming, chants, and lots of creative signs. People actually marched more than 20 miles from Pahoa to Hilo over 3 days, including many senior citizens. The final leg today had about 200 coming in from Panaewa/Puainako.  Organizers did a great job.  They delivered a petition to HELCO CEO Jay Ignacio with over 3400 signatures.  This was a big event for Hilo.  The response from cars passing by was enthusiastic.  HELCO is not loved.  There should be coverage in the Trib tomorrow.  HELCO and the powers that be better take this seriously.  If they push forward with more geothermal there is likely to be large scale non-violent civil disobedience, similar to what helped stop the destruction of the Wao Kele O Puna rainforest by 500MW of geothermal energy planned there.
Jim