Archive for December, 2021

Christmas Gathering to stand for peace at Pohakuloa Main Gate

Wednesday, December 8th, 2021

Christmas Day!

Stop Bombing Pohakuloa

Main Gate 10AM – Noon

     The US Military, at multiple sites, including the 133,000-acre Pohakuloa Toxic Area (PTA), has been contaminating the air, land, and water of Hawaii Island for more than 75 years. Millions of live-rounds have been fired annually at PTA involving a wide range of weapons and toxins, including radioactive Depleted Uranium (DU) oxide particles that can be carried long distances in the wind. What toxins are in the 2 water wells drilled at PTA in 2013 that are still not being used in 2021. The military spends nearly $2 million annually hauling water to PTA.

      Everyone on the Big Island is downhill and downwind from PTA, which is located in the center of the island at 6500 feet elevation. The land, water, air, people, plants and animals surrounding PTA, including the thousands of troops who train there, are all part of a Military Sacrifice Zone. Actually the Hawaiian islands are one of the most militarized places on the planet with more than 100 active US military installations and many more abandoned military toxic sites.

     If you practice for war, you are preparing for war, not peace! It’s time to practice for peace and prepare for peace if the human species wants to survive.  Seek peace through peaceful means and work for justice in Hawaii and around the world.  It’s time to de-militarize Hawaii and end the illegal U.S. occupation of Hawaii too.

Join us on Christmas!  Wear a Mask!  Bring a sign!   Stand for Peace! 

Car pools leaving Hilo side — Komohana and Saddle Rd at 9AM

Mahalo!

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 Visit us on the web at www.malu-aina.org

Honolulu Star Advertiser letter on Military pollution

Wednesday, December 8th, 2021

Letters: Military pollutes isles while denying effects

From chemical and biological weapons tested in Hilo’s watershed, to the Red Hill fuel leaks on Oahu ending up in people’s drinking water, to a wide range of toxins in live-fire training at Pohakuloa, including depleted uranium oxide (DU oxide) dust particles blowing in the wind, contaminating people, plants and animals, and the air, water and land — Hawaii is a military sacrifice zone.

Authorities always act too little, too late. The military has been polluting for decades. It denied the dangers of Agent Orange. Groundwater around many bases where munitions and rockets are fired is polluted and causing cancer.

Hawaii’s U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono, and U.S. Reps. Ed Case and Kai Kahele have done little to nothing about toxins at Pohakuloa blowing in the wind for decades.

The military is Hawaii’s “golden calf” false god. It’s time to close the Red Hill fuel tanks. Don’t rebuild them anywhere. It’s time to stop bombing Pohakuloa, shut it down and clean it up. It’s time to demilitarize Hawaii and end the illegal U.S. occupation.

JIm Albertini

Kurtistown, Hawaii island

-- 
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 Visit us on the web at www.malu-aina.org

From Red Hill to Pohakuloa Dec. 10, 2021 Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet

Tuesday, December 7th, 2021

From Red Hill to Pohakuloa

What Military Toxins are Poisoning us?

 

     Governor David Ige ordered the Navy to suspend operations and REMOVE THE FUEL in the massive Red Hill jet fuel tanks whose leaks have contaminated the drinking water of 93,000 residents who are military families…with further leaks that could ruin drinking water for 400,000, one-half of Honolulu’s population! The Navy is contesting the order so the toxic saga continues.  See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_2nXR3D8Eg

      The Military Pohakuloa (Toxic) Training Area (PTA) is a 133,000-acres site located in the center of Hawaii Island at an elevation of 6500 feet.  It has been used as a live-fire toxic training area for more than 75 years with millions of live rounds fired annually. Everything from small arms to howitzers, bunker buster bombs, and radioactive spotting rounds for nuclear weapons training. All branches of the US military train at Pohakuloa and foreign troops as part of RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific) military exercises. See A Brief History of US Military Poisoning of Hawai’i https://www.transcend.org/…/a-brief-history-of-us…/…

      Everyone on the Big Island is downwind and downhill from Pohakuloa. The land, water, air, people, plants and animals surrounding PTA, including the troops who train at PTA, have likely been contaminated with a wide range of military toxins, including Depleted Uranium (DU) oxide dust particles that can be carried long distances in the wind. In effect the entire Big Island has become a Military Sacrifice Zone. Actually the Hawaiian islands are one of the most militarized places on the planet with more than 100 active US military installations, and many more abandoned toxic sites.

      Pohakuloa, where thousands of troops come to train for war, spends up to $2 million dollars per year hauling water to Pohakuloa. In 2013, PTA in conjunction with the University of Hawaii, drilled 2 water wells and hit water at shallow depths. But to date, that water is still not being used. Why?

What Toxins are in the PTA Water Wells?

      From the Army’s Chemical Biological weapons testing in Hilo’s Water Shed, to the Navy’s Red Hill Fuel tank leaks, Pearl Harbor’s superfund site pollution, and munitions and nuclear waste dumped off shore, the military mess is extensive. To date our elected officials have done little to nothing to challenge the military, so it is good to see Gov. Ige and others speaking up now. But it’s time to do more. It’s time to de-militarize and end the illegal US occupation of Hawai’i.

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, 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), Hawaii 96760

Phone (808) 966-7622 Email ja@malu-aina.org to receive our posts. For more information www.malu-aina.org

December 10, 2021 Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet – week 1054– Fridays 3:30-5PM downtown Post Office

Malu ‘Aina Annual Appeal

Sunday, December 5th, 2021

Malu ‘Aina Annual Appeal

December 2021


Aloha friends,

      Once a year, during this Holy season, we write to ask for your help to sustain the work of Malu ‘Aina.  We are an all-volunteer organization committed to justice, peace and a living planet.  What a year 2021 has been, and I thought 2020 war rough!  I hope you and your loved ones are healthy amid this global pandemic.  Let’s hope we’ll all get through this. 

     2021 marks 42 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, and we are grateful for your 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 a transition to the next generation 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 of 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 due to the pandemic.  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. 26, 2021 marked 1052 consecutive weekly peace leaflets, for a vigil that started the day after Sept 11, 2001.  You can read the weekly leaflets 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 the environment.  Protecting the planet from nuclear war and climate disaster are two of the biggest challenges we face.  But we also have this ongoing Pandemic and the many difficulties and unmet needs that go with it. 

     We have plenty of work to do.  Meanwhile, our old farm tractor needs some major repairs or a modest upgrade.  A younger driver would also be helpful to this senior citizen turning 75!  Mahalo for your continued financial support and solidarity in the journey of protecting one another and this sacred earth — mauka to makai, from the mountains to the sea.  You are a blessing for justice and peace, 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 as another convenient way to make donations. To receive our weekly peace leaflets and other posts, please send me an email to ja@malu-aina.org with a request. You can also reach us by phone (808) 966-7622. Mahalo.

Excellent article by retired Army Col. Ann Wright on leaking Navy fuel into Oahu’s drinking water

Saturday, December 4th, 2021

Honolulu Citizens Demand the Closing of the US Navy’s 225 million gallon, 80-Year-Old, Leaking Underground Jet Fuel Tanks

By Ann Wright, World BEYOND War, December 2, 2021

https://worldbeyondwar.org/honolulu-citizens-demand-the-closing-of-the-us-navys-225-million-gallon-80-year-old-leaking-underground-jet-fuel-tanks/?fbclid=IwAR1A9428vFdkFPovJM6jE-8SoJcb5kIh6xNEfLI3V-o9keTEaYI1jUmikQM