Annual Christmas Appeal

Dear friends,                                                                                      December 2014

     I write to ask for your help to sustain the work of Malu ‘Aina. Malu ‘Aina has been planting seeds, sharing food with people in need, and standing up for peace, justice, aloha ‘aina (love for the land) and a living planet for 34 years. You have been an important part of that effort in one way or another, and we thank you for your solidarity in the journey.

     The work for peace, justice, and the environment, like farm work, is never ending. As an all-volunteer organization we do our best to carry on. We know that we can’t do it alone. We can always use more help. We need your financial support and we need the next generation to carry the torch of nonviolence and the spirit of aloha in the work of Malu ‘Aina.

     The widening gap between rich and poor, the growing number of hungry and homeless, the endless wars, private prisons for profit, and corporate GMO domination of agriculture, all speak to a broken system that benefits the few at the expense of the many. It’s a system whose main concern is short term profit despite long term consequences. Catastrophic climate change and poisoning of air, water, and land, and people, plants and animals are secondary concerns to the corporate bottom line.

     Together, we realize that positive change doesn’t come from the top down. It comes from the bottom up. It takes grassroots organizing to clarify vision and unite people for the common good. We have our work cut out. We need to unite issues of peace, justice and preserving the earth realizing that an injury to one is an injury to all. Your support and solidarity helps us from being discouraged by setbacks along the way and to never, NEVER, give up. Blessings of the season to you and your loved ones.

With gratitude and aloha,

Jim Albertini for Malu ‘Aina

PS. 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.  A Pay Pal account (Donate button) has also been setup on our webpage www.malu-aina.org as another convenient way to make donations.  Please click “Subscribe” to receive the Malu ‘Aina weekly peace vigil leaflet (now 690 weeks — see this week’s leaflet below) and other posts for peace, justice and the environment. Other contact information: Phone (808) 966-7622. Email: ja@malu-aina.org  Mahalo. —

It’s the Christmas Season!

What Happened to Silent Night?

“Sleep in heavenly peace!”
It’s War, War, and More War! And Torture Too!

Former Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, who helped end the Cold War, recently issued a warning on current US-Russia relations:
‘We may not live through these days’

“This is extremely dangerous, with tensions as high as they are now. We may not live through these days: someone could lose their nerve,” he wrote in a commentary entitled “To unfreeze relations”

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2014/1210/Gorbachev-on-current-US-Russia-relations-We-may-not-live-through-these-days

It’s Time for Peace: time to defuse, not inflame, tensions!

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.
   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 http://www.malu-aina.org

Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet (Dec. 12, 2014 – 690th week) – Friday 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office

I signed the petition below and I urge you to sign as well and pass it along to others.
Mahalo & solidarity for a GMO free Hawaii,
Jim Albertini

——– Original Message ——–

Subject:	[KYFA-Hawaii] Fw: Stand up for Hawaii County
Date:	Wed, 10 Dec 2014 00:03:53 +0000 (UTC)
From:	lyn howe via KYFA-Hawaii <kyfa-hawaii@lists.ibiblio.org>
Reply-To:	lyn howe <lynhowe1946@yahoo.com>
To:	Know Your Farmer Listserve <kyfa-hawaii@lists.ibiblio.org>

Please take a moment to sign this Center for Food Safety petition below asking the county council to vote for an appeal to the court ruling to overturn bill 113 and allow for a higher court ruling. We all worked hard to get this bill pass and we cannot let it slip by without any comment and an attempt to have it heard in a higher court.

Better yet…. sign the petition AND then let your voice be heard next Wednesday at 9 in Kona when the council will hear PUBLIC testimony and discuss the motion to appeal. The satellite council stations will be open if you are not in the Kona area.

Thank you everyone for your continued support!

Lyn 

View Web Version Like Tweet I signed the petition below and I urge you to sign as well and pass it along to others. Mahalo & solidarity for a GMO free Hawaii, Jim Albertini ——– Original Message ——– Subject: [KYFA-Hawaii] Fw: Stand up for Hawaii County Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 00:03:53 +0000 (UTC) From: lyn howe via KYFA-Hawaii <kyfa-hawaii@lists.ibiblio.org> Reply-To: lyn howe <lynhowe1946@yahoo.com> To: Know Your Farmer Listserve <kyfa-hawaii@lists.ibiblio.org>     Please take a moment to sign this Center for Food Safety petition below asking the county council to vote for an appeal to the court ruling to overturn bill 113 and allow for a higher court ruling. We all worked hard to get this bill pass and we cannot let it slip by without any comment and an attempt to have it heard in a higher court. Better yet…. sign the petition AND then let your voice be heard next Wednesday at 9 in Kona when the council will hear PUBLIC testimony and discuss the motion to appeal. The satellite council stations will be open if you are not in the Kona area. Thank you everyone for your continued support! Lyn  View Web Version Like Tweet Forward Donate Dear Lyn,Because of its year-long growing season, Hawaii has become the epicenter of genetically engineered (GE) organism experimentation and the production of commercial GE seed stock. In response to this threat, last year Hawaii County put in place an ordinance (Ordinance 13-121) that would have banned most genetically engineered (GE) crops from being grown on the Big Island, with the exception of GE papaya. After the ordinance was passed, the Biotechnology Industry Organization–the association for biotech companies like Monsanto and Syngenta–filed a federal lawsuit protesting the Ordinance. Center for Food Safety and Earthjustice helped the County defend the law in court. But the day before Thanksgiving, U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Kurren invalidated Ordinance 13-121, saying that such matters should be regulated by the state, not the county. The reality is that no such state laws exist to protect Hawaii Island’s biodiversity and environment from the pesticide drift, genetic contamination and degradation of soil, air and water quality associated with GE crop operations. Tell the Hawaii County Council to SUPPORT a motion to APPEAL this misguided ruling. The vast majority of both experimental and approved genetically engineered crops are engineered in order to be resistant to and withstand great applications of pesticides. These operations have dramatically increased pesticide usage across the State of Hawaii and the United States. This intense form of agriculture can harm the environment, agriculture and human health. Hawaii County residents and their elected officials know what’s best for protecting the future of Hawaii’s agriculture, natural resources and wildlife. The principle of preemption is to prevent conflict between laws, such that the laws of the higher level of government prevail. In this case, there are no Hawaii State laws or regulations relating to the cultivation of genetically engineered seeds and crops, so the County’s ban on the cultivation of GE seeds should be the prevailing law on the matter. The outcome of this case could affect all U.S. counties, because it is the first legal challenge to a county law of this kind. It is vital that the Hawaii County Council appeal the ruling and stand up for the rights of County to enact legislation to protect itself from the negative impact GE seed operations can have on agriculture and the environment. Tell the Hawaii County Council to stand up for Hawaii County and SUPPORT a motion to APPEAL this misguided ruling! Thank you for all that you do, Ashley Lukens, PhD Hawaii Program Director Contact Us CFS welcomes your questions and comments. Please contact us at office@centerforfoodsafety.org, or at one of our offices. Hawai’i Center for Food Safety 1132 Bishop St, Suite 2107 Honolulu, HI 96813 phone (808) 681-7688 www.centerforfoodsafety.org You are subscribed to this list as lynhowe1946@yahoo.com. You can manage your subscription information here, or  unsubscribe here.ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This material is protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No text may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without express written permission or proper citation. Please credit any and all use of our work product to: Center for Food Safety, www.centerforfoodsafety.org.

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