Archive for October, 2024

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On the Brink of WW III

Tuesday, October 8th, 2024

On The Brink of WW III

Our World is on Fire!

     Our world is facing a climate crisis and the increasing risk of nuclear war, both of which threaten human civilization. We all can see with our own eyes what is happening: Raging storms, flooding, record hot oceans, wildfires, bombs and missiles flying, millions displaced, hunger, starvation, Israel Genocide in Gaza with US bombs, and a widening war in the Middle East – Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iran. The death toll mounts! Where will it end? WW III? Global Nuclear War? Human Extinction?

     We are in desperate need of a global citizen 911 Emergency Nonviolent Movement to sound the alarm and cool things down before the entire planet melts from climate catastrophe and/or nuclear Armageddon. (more…)

Posted in Climate Change, Hawaii Independence, Military, Pohakuloa, Public Events, Radiation, Social Justice, Take Action!, Vigil leaflets | No Comments »

Article in Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 Hawaii Tribune-Herald on Nuclear-Free law

Sunday, October 6th, 2024

See article below

article in Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 Hawaii Tribune-Herald on Nuclear-Free law

Sunday, October 6, 2024, Hawaii-Tribune Herald

Measure targets law regarding radioactive materials

By MICHAEL BRESTOVANSKY

Hawaii Tribune-Herald

A decades-old Hawaii County law allowing the U.S. Armed Forces to freely transport radioactive materials on the island may be coming to an end.

Kona Councilman Holeka Goro Inaba introduced a measure at Tuesday’s meeting of the County Council’s Committee on Health, Safety and Wellbeing that would remove an obscure exception in the County Code specifying that prohibitions against the transportation or storage of radioactive material do not apply to U.S. military operations.

Inaba told the committee the county in 1981 adopted a blanket prohibition of radioactive materials, but the council added the military exemption in 1984 during “emergency circumstances.”

Inaba told the Tribune-Herald how that exemption came to be: In July 1984, a U.S. Navy warship, the USS Ouellet, visited Hilo. Because the ship was nuclear-armed, the council at the time hastily introduced the exemption to prevent

The USS Ouellet is shown in 1983 at Naval Station Guam.

U.S. Navy photo

INABA

it from contradicting the county’s prohibition on radioactive materials.

The new bill includes “a statement that removes that exemption … (which) should not have ever been, in my opinion,” Inaba said.

Inaba told the Tribune-Herald that he is not sure how much radioactive material the U.S. military has moved on the island since 1984.

However, the U.S. Army has used munitions containing depleted uranium — a byproduct of the nuclear enrichment process that is less radioactive than natural uranium, although entirely inert — at Pohakuloa Training Area, where it is still authorized to store them.

No representative of the military testified Tuesday.

However, several residents did testify in support of Inaba’s bill. Inaba credited a testifier, peace activist Jim Albertini, for bringing the matter to his attention in the first place and inspiring the creation of the bill.

“I lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis,” Albertini told council members. “I was a junior in high school. And I think we’re in a more dangerous time today than ever in history before.”

Albertini, who protested the arrival of the USS Ouellet in 1984, said tensions in Iran, Russia and China all present a growing potential for a nuclear exchange, and said the global community needs to move away from nuclear proliferation.

Inaba grew emotional during Tuesday’s meeting, saying he recently visited Hatsukaichi, a sister city of Hilo located in Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan.

“It’s a reminder … of our duty,” Inaba said, voice audibly choked with emotion. “Not just for our community, but efforts around the world to remove and not support further development of nuclear activities.”

Council members were largely supportive of the bill as a symbolic gesture, voting unanimously to recommend its passage to the full council, although with Hilo and Puna council members Sue Lee Loy and Ashley Kierkiewicz absent.

Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune- herald.com.

 

Restore Hawaii County’s

Historic Nuclear–Free Law!

Repeal the Military

Exemption!

Support Bill 206

Send an email in support of Bill 206 to counciltestimony@hawaiicounty.gov

     Good News: Bill No. 206 passed the Policy Committee on Health, Safety, and Well-Being on Oct. 1st by a vote of 7-0. Now Bill 206 will go before the full Council in Kona on Oct. 16 and Hilo on Oct. 30. Please mark your calendars and try to testify in person or by video from various Council offices around the island. For questions on the bill or sites to testify call the County Clerk’s office at 808-961-8255

     Hawaii County’s historic Nuclear-Free Law (No, 665) was passed in February 1981. Hawaii County was the first municipality in the U.S. to pass a law declaring itself a Nuclear-Free Zone. Since then, more than 100 or 200, other municipalities have passed similar laws.

     Forty years ago, on July 18, 1984, hundreds of people gathered peacefully on the Hilo docks to protest a visiting US Navy Nuclear-armed warship – the USS Ouellet. After 3 years of requesting the US Navy to respect our County’s Nuclear-Free law without success, our organization announced that we planned a non-violent peaceful swimming protest of the next Navy Nuclear ship visit a month later. A Navy Nuclear ship visit was planned for the July Hawaii Japanese Chamber of Commerce Festival of the Pacific.

On July 17, 1984, the day before the nuclear warship’s scheduled arrival, the Hawaii County Council, under the leadership of then Council chair, Stephen Yamashiro, passed an emergency amendment “exempting the military” from the Nuclear-Free law.  Having an amendment to the Nuclear-Free Law to exempt the military is like having an exemption for smokers from Smoking laws.  It makes no sense. For more on the Hilo Bay Warship Peace Blockade, and for a link to read Bill 206 see https://malu-aina.org/?p=10305 My testimony on Oct. 1 can be viewed here. https://malu-aina.org/?p=10529

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://www.malu-aina.org 

-- 
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

 

 

 

Posted in Hawaii Independence, Military, Pohakuloa, Public Events, Radiation, Social Justice, Take Action! | No Comments »

Make Your Voice Heard! Make Hawaii & the World Nuclear Free!

Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024

Restore Hawaii County’s

Historic Nuclear–Free Law!

Repeal the Military

Exemption!

Support Bill 206

Send an email in support of Bill 206 to counciltestimony@hawaiicounty.gov

     Good News: Bill No. 206 passed the Policy Committee on Health, Safety, and Well-Being on Oct. 1st by a vote of 7-0. Now Bill 206 will go before the full Council in Kona on Oct. 16 and Hilo on Oct. 30. Please mark your calendars and try to testify in person or by video from various Council offices around the island. For questions on the bill or sites to testify call the County Clerk’s office at 808-961-8255

     Hawaii County’s historic Nuclear-Free Law (No, 665) was passed in February 1981. Hawaii County was the first municipality in the U.S. to pass a law declaring itself a Nuclear-Free Zone. Since then, more than 100 or 200, other municipalities have passed similar laws.

     Forty years ago, on July 18, 1984, hundreds of people gathered peacefully on the Hilo docks to protest a visiting US Navy Nuclear-armed warship – the USS Ouellet. After 3 years of requesting the US Navy to respect our County’s Nuclear-Free law without success, our organization announced that we planned a non-violent peaceful swimming protest of the next Navy Nuclear ship visit a month later. A Navy Nuclear ship visit was planned for the July Hawaii Japanese Chamber of Commerce Festival of the Pacific.

On July 17, 1984, the day before the nuclear warship’s scheduled arrival, the Hawaii County Council, under the leadership of then Council chair, Stephen Yamashiro, passed an emergency amendment “exempting the military” from the Nuclear-Free law.  Having an amendment to the Nuclear-Free Law to exempt the military is like having an exemption for smokers from Smoking laws.  It makes no sense. For more on the Hilo Bay Warship Peace Blockade, and for a link to read Bill 206 see https://malu-aina.org/?p=10305 My testimony on Oct. 1st can be viewed here. https://malu-aina.org/?p=10529

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://www.malu-aina.org

Posted in Hawaii Independence, Military, Pohakuloa, Public Events, Radiation, Social Justice, Take Action! | No Comments »

Back from the Brink: The Dangers of Escalating War!

Tuesday, October 1st, 2024

The Dangers of Escalating

War!

     More than 1 million people have been displaced in a matter of days in Lebanon by Israel using US weapons while the death toll mounts. Bombs are flying in many directions. Israel is bombing Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen and Syria. Iran is now bombing Israel. Where will it end? Global Nuclear War?

“When I pray for peace, I pray not only that the enemies of my own country may cease to want war, but above all that my country will cease to do the things that make war inevitable.”

the late Trappist Monk, Thomas Merton

     The US continues to send tens of Billions of dollars of weapons into Israel, including Bunker Busting bombs being used in dense urban areas, more and more weapons into Ukraine (including long-range missiles) that could trigger a nuclear war with Russia, increased militarization in Taiwan, the Philippines, Australia, etc. surrounding China – all for what? To make more war inevitable and maintain US global domination in a unipolar world, rather than make peace in a multi-polar world of civilized nations? The only winners in the current situation are the Corporate War Profiteers!

     Some good news: On Oct. 1, 2024, the Hawaii County Council Committee on Health, Safety, and Well Being, voted 7-0 on Bill 206 with Council persons LeeLoy and Kierkiewicz excused. Bill No. 206 Repeals the 1984 military exemption from Hawaii County’s Historic 1981 Nuclear-Free Law. Bill No. 206 will now go before the full council for a vote. Stay tuned to testify in support. Mahalo Councilmembers!

Negotiations for Peace Now,

Not More Weapons and War!

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://www.malu-aina.org

Oct. 4, 2024, Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet – week 1201– Fridays 3:30-5 PM downtown Post Office

Posted in Climate Change, Hawaii Independence, Military, Pohakuloa, Public Events, Radiation, Social Justice, Take Action!, Vigil leaflets | No Comments »

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