Malu 'Aina

Press Release for Immediate Release March 11, 2014
further contact: Jim Albertini 966-7622
ja@malu-aina.org
Re: Hawaii County Clerk and Corporation Council issue Memorandum to Council Members on Citizens’ Right to Criticize officials.

Attached is a copy of a Memorandum, dated March 7, 2014, that  I received today from Hawaii County Corporation Council Lincoln T. Ashida.  The Memorandum has been sent to Hawaii County Council members on citizen free speech rights in testifying before the Council.  This Memorandum is a result of a request made by Councilwoman Karen Eoff to Mr. Ashida on Feb. 20th following my oral testimony (see copy below) at a Feb. 19th Council meeting where I was interrupted and then later cut off from continuing my testimony in support of Home Rule Resolution 272 and against GMOs. To her credit, Councilwoman Eoff apologized to me the day after the hearing . She said I was right about free speech and civil rights to criticize council people in testimony.  She said she felt bad in cutting me off.   She asked Corp council – Lincoln Ashida, to draft a memo to all the council members on this.  Eoff said It was Ashida who advised her at the break in the Feb. 19th Council meeting that citizens have a right to criticize council members and the council should be careful of free speech and civil rights violations.
In my phone conversation with Councilwoman Eoff I told her I appreciated her apology and said I have no hard feelings toward her. I said I’m glad free speech rights will be clarified but it’s a sad fact that a citizen’s right to criticize council members has to be clarified.  We are suppose to be living in a democracy.  I have never heard a council member object when they are named and praised in council testimony, so why should they object when they are named and criticized?   The main thing is we try to be civil to one another.  We all live on this island together. —

Jim Albertini 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 www.malu-aina.org This communication may be unlawfully collected and stored by the National Security Agency (NSA) in secret. The parties to this email do not consent to the retrieving or storing of this communication and any related metadata, as well as printing, copying, re-transmitting, disseminating, or otherwise using it. If you believe you have received this communication in error, please delete it immediately.

My oral Testimony in support of Resolution 272 on Home Rule
Counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us
9:30 AM Hearing Feb. 19, 2014

Aloha Council members:

I speak as a farmer of 34 years in Kurtistown, where our Malu -Aina farm 
has grown a wide variety of organic fruits and vegetables.  Our organization, 
Malu 'Aina, is in strong support of Home Rule 
Resolution 272.  We need to stand up to the agro-chemical corporate 
profiteers and to those in County and State government who are in the 
pockets of these GMO criminal enterprises that want to cut away our 
county voice to protect our own health and safety.  I suppose I should 
not be surprised at how low some people will go to line their own 
pockets at the expense of future generations.  The world is in terrible 
shape with unprecedented toxic pollution, climate change, etc. because
profit and greed have dominated decision making. The precautionary principle 
has not been followed. The precautionary principle states that when you do not
know the full consequences of an action, error on the side of caution.

Madam chairperson, for the GMO supporters and promoters I have a proposal:  
Put your mouth where your money is.  Step forward. Demonstrate your 
corporate loyalty with patriotic vigor.  Volunteer yourself and your 
family members to Monsanto to be genetically engineered.  Why just 
support GMO Monsanto round up ready crops, GMO ringspot resistant 
papaya, etc.

(Interrupted.

) Volunteer to have these and other 
genetically modified organisms --round up resistant genes fired directly 
into your own DNA.  
And put a new label on yourself. Instead of "Fresh" Onishi, change your 
name to "Round up Ready" Onishi and go down to the county yard at least 
once a week and get sprayed with round up so we the citizens can do a 
health study of you, not us.   But if you really want to show your 
commitment as a Genetically Modified Organism, take the experiment to 
the next level. Brush your teeth with Round Up, wash you clothes with 
it. Shower in it, put it on your breakfast cereal and rice.  Show the 
voters what you are really made of.  For the first pro-GMO politician to 
step forward to become round up ready genetically engineered, I will 
present you with an "M&M --Monsanto & me" T-shirt with your photo 
proudly displayed."

(Cut off)

Madam Chair, I would like to nominate Dennis "Round Up Ready" Onishi as 
the honorary chair of the GMO promoters and present him with this shirt of
Monsanto & Me to wear proudly.  But I do want to say that I believe in redemption,
even for Mr. Onishi.  I believe that people can repent and change their ways, hard
as it may be. But GMO's once released can't be recalled, even when there is 
personal repentance. This is all the more reason for following the precautionary
principle. Support Home Rule.  Ban GMOs.  Mahalo.

Jim Albertini

Aloha peace ohana,
Geoffrey Shaw is organizing “Remember Fukushima 3-11 third anniversary” gathering at the Tsunami memorial next to the Art Center in Wailoa State Park in Hilo 6PM on March 11th.  There will be a candlelight vigil with floating lanterns, talk story and song sharing.  Please pass the word.
Mahalo.
Jim
—
Jim Albertini 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 www.malu-aina.org This communication may be unlawfully collected and stored by the National Security Agency (NSA) in secret. The parties to this email do not consent to the retrieving or storing of this communication and any related metadata, as well as printing, copying, re-transmitting, disseminating, or otherwise using it. If you believe you have received this communication in error, please delete it immediately.

Diplomacy

NOT War!

Over Ukraine, Syria, Iran, Venezuela, North Korea, etc. U.S. Arrogance, Lies & Interventions Are All About Corporate Looting of Other Peoples’ Goods, or Else – War!

      Author, historian, and former U.S. State Dept. employee, William Blum, in his book “Killing Hope” documents U.S. military and/or CIA interventions in 77 countries since WWII. Ukraine makes #78. Today, there is increasing danger of world war and financial collapse by miscalculation or design over the crisis in the Ukraine which the U.S. helped to create.

      Over the last 10 years, the U.S. has pumped more that $5 Billion into Ukraine in an attempt to move it away from Russia and toward the European Union and NATO. This follows a pattern of newly formed countries once part of the Soviet Union now part of a NATO squeeze on Russia breaking a U.S. promise against NATO expansion.

      The situation in Ukraine is at risk of spiraling out of control. Obama has a lot of nerve to tell the Russians not to meddle in the affairs of the Ukraine when the U.S. has been doing exactly that to assist in the coup to overthrow the democratically elected Ukrainian government of Viktor Yanukovich. Interventions (military and non-military) in the sovereign affairs of a nation are wrong. What’s clear is that the U.S. wants to put missile bases next to Russia in Ukraine and open the country to Wall St. U.S. corporate looters.

      The Russian government noted that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has raised hypocrisy to a new level when Kerry denounced Russia for “invading Ukraine” in “violation of international law.” Author, Dr. Paul Craig Roberts, notes that Kerry “is the foreign minister of a country that has illegally invaded Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, organized the overthrow of the government in Libya, tried to overthrow the government in Syria, attacks the civilian populations of Pakistan and Yemen with drones and missiles, constantly threatens Iran with attack…” And now Russia with sanctions!

      The U.S. mainstream media is a big part of the problem. It keeps critical reporting or insights from the American people and is fueling a new cold war war by demonizing Russia with anti-Russian and anti-communist propaganda. The media keeps repeating the lie that Russia and Putin are the problems and that the U.S. is defending the concept of sovereignty and territorial integrity. On yeah, just ask any citizen of the Nation of Hawaii, and many of the other nations named in Blum’s Book “Killing Hope, if the U.S. defends the concept of sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Nation of Hawaii had regime change imposed upon it by the U.S. military in 1893 and there is a long list of U.S. imposed regime changes since then.

      Another war (either hot or cold) is not the answer. What is needed is peacemaking, and an immediate cooling off period to prevent a further escalation of hostilities with common people, not the elite, always suffering the consequences. An unbiased international commission (excluding the U.S., Russia, the EU and NATO) should be allowed to do a fact finding investigation and make recommendations for a just and lasting peace.

No More War!  War Never Again!  Peace with Justice!

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.
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   http://www.malu-aina.org

Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet (March 7, 2014 –650th week) – Friday 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office

justinavery@gmail.com

-- 
Jim Albertini
P.O. Box 489
Ola'a (Kurtistown), Hawaii 96760
Phone 808-966-7622
email ja@interpac.net

This communication may be unlawfully collected and stored by the National Security Agency (NSA) in secret. The parties to this email do not consent to the retrieving or storing of this communication and any related metadata, as well as printing, copying, re-transmitting, disseminating, or otherwise using it. If you believe you have received this communication in error, please delete it immediately.