Malu ‘Aina Annual Appeal

December 2023

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. It seems such work is more critical than ever before. There is so much suffering from war, injustice, and the climate crisis.

    2023 marks 44 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. We would like to transition to the next generation of leadership, but the going is tough. We hope the vision of Malu ‘Aina will be carried forward. Your ideas, and suggestions of next-generation leaders, both Volunteer Farm and Board members, are encouraged. (See our enclosed search letter.)

    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, Dec. 1 2023, marks 1157 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, feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, and protecting the environment. Protecting the planet from nuclear war and climate disasters are the two greatest challenges facing human civilization.

    We have plenty of work to do.  Our 40 plus year-old-farm tractor continues to be up and running after being down for nearly 2 years when parts couldn’t be found for needed repairs. But on the farm and in our other work, we could use more people power along with donations. 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) is on our webpage www.malu-aina.org. To receive our weekly posts, please send me an email ja@malu-aina.org with a request. You can also reach us by phone (808) 966-7622. Mahalo.

Meeting with the Mayor’s staff and council staff on Gaza and Pohakuloa Nov. 21, 2023

A delegation today met with Mayor Mitch Roth’s staff and Council member Matt Kleinfelder’s staff to discuss and urge action for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, immediate humanitarian aid, the release of hostages and prisoners, and opposition to the US State Dept. sending 24 000 assault weapons to Israeli settlers in the West Bank which will only add fuel to the fire against Palestinians in the West Bank. We also urged the cancellation of the State lease of land to Pohakuloa — a bombing and shelling live-fire military base in a conservation district.    We also noted increasing fires started in Pohakuloa, a dry and windy area in the center of Hawaii island.   We urged comprehensive independent testing and monitoring with 360-degree proper air filters circling the base for a year to determine what is coming off the base in the wind and smoke.  We also urged independent testing of water wells drilled at Pohakuloa for military toxins, since the wells drilled 10 years ago are still not being used by the military.   Instead, the military continues to haul water to the base at an estimated annual cost of 2 million dollars,  All in all, the meetings were very positive.  Council member Klinfelder’s staff informed us that Matt had called the PTA commander about our request for the commander to participate in a public community meeting to respond to community questions and concerns.  We still haven’t heard from the commander about his willingness to join the meeting.

Jim Albertini

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Call for a CEASEFIRE in Gaza and the escalating violence in the Middle East.

Call for canceling the lease and seizure of Hawaiian lands by the US military at Pohakuloa. Stop the Bombing and all live-fire at Pohakuloa! Clean up the military toxic mess, and return the land to the Hawaiian people. Pohakuloa live-fire bombing area located in the dry, windy, center of Hawaii Island is a Lahaina firestorm in the making.

Meet Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023 – 10 AM -Noon

Hawaii County Building in Hilo – 25 Aupuni Street entrance

to urge Mayor Mitch Roth (808) 961‑8211 and Council members (808) 961-8225 to take action on the above concerns, and place Ceasefire, and Cancel Pohakuloa Lease ribbons on the County’s peace poles.

Join in national and international peace actions here https://www.codepink.org

Also – Go to https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/ to send the following message to Congress

     I am writing as your constituent to urgently ask that you call for a ceasefire to end the deadly violence unfolding right now in Gaza and become a cosponsor of H.Res 786, the Ceasefire Now resolution.

     Since October 7, over 10,800 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes, including over 4,300 children. Countless more are trapped and buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings. The Israeli military’s indiscriminate bombing of the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza has hit schools, hospitals, ambulances, and flattened entire neighborhoods. The scale of the catastrophe is overwhelming.

     The Israeli military has also tightened its 16-year military blockade of Gaza, suffocating and starving the Palestinians who live there — over half of whom are children. Hospitals have run out of the power and fuel they need to save lives. The entire healthcare system has collapsed.

     There is no military solution, and we cannot bomb our way to peace. I call on you, as my representative, to urgently demand a ceasefire to prevent the further loss of life, ensure the release of hostages and everyone arbitrarily detained, and to allow the entrance of life-saving humanitarian aid into Gaza.

     The U.S. must focus on a political solution, de-escalation, and ceasefire. Not fuel violence by the Israeli military by supporting its attacks and sending more weapons. U.S. complicity in Israel’s occupation, blockade, and apartheid must end.

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You are also urged to call your elected officials on the above matters.

Congressperson Jill Tokuda Phone: (202) 225-4906, Phone: (808) 746-6220 https://tokuda.house.gov/

Senator Brian Schatz Phone: (202) 224-3934, (808) 523-2061 schatz.senate.gov.

Senator Mazie Hirono, Phone (202-224-6361) or (808-522-8970) or email hawaiioffice@hirono.senate.gov. https://www.hirono.senate.gov

Contact State Representatives and Senators here: https://lrb.hawaii.gov/par/

Contact Hawaii County Council members here: https://www.hawaiicounty.gov/our-county/legislative/county-council/council-members-and-districts

Malu ‘Aina 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 to receive our posts.

For more information see: https:malu-aina.org

Pope Francis’ Prayer for Peace

Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!

      We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buried… But our efforts have been in vain.

      Now, Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: “Never again war!”; “With war everything is lost”. Instill in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace.

      Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness.

      Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen.

“Our thoughts turn every day to the very serious situation in Israel and Palestine. I am close to all those who suffer, Palestinians and Israelis. May the weapons be stopped: they will never lead to peace, and may the conflict not widen! Enough! Enough, brothers! Enough!”

Nov. 12, 2023 Pope Francis https://twitter.com/Pontifex

CEASEFIRE NOW! RELEASE ALL HOSTAGES!

PROVIDE HUMANITARIAN AID!

STAND FOR JUSTICE, PEACE, AND NONVIOLENCE!

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

Malu ‘Aina 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 to receive our posts.

For more information see https:malu-aina.org

Nov. 17, 2023, Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet – week 1155– Fridays 3:30-5 PM downtown Post Office