Dec. 13, 2024 Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet –2024 Nobel Peace Prize and the Danger of Nuclear War!
2024 Nobel Peace Prize!
“Today, Dec. 10, 2024, is a historic day on which hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) finally received long-awaited global recognition through the Nobel Peace Prize, awarded this year to Nihon Hidankyo, an organization that supports the rights of hibakusha and carries out educational work on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons use. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all of them, living or deceased and of all nationalities, especially those who have courageously spoken out and shared their sorrows, sufferings, and cries for peace. Hibakusha’s appeals have inspired many people around the world to take action, but the reality we face in today’s world — the intensifying arms race, the many conflicts in which nuclear threats have been explicitly or implicitly involved, and the general lack of interest in seeing nuclear disarmament as a realistic possibility rather than a naïve idealism — shows that there is more work to do… “ — Hirokazu Miyazaki, Northwestern University
Food, Housing, Health Care, etc. NOT BOMBS!
Photo of a Javelin anti-tank missile being fired at Pohakuloa. Millions of live rounds are fired annually at Pohakuloa in the center of Hawaii Island while 40% of families on Hawaii Island (33% statewide) are food insecure. The price of each Javelin missile is now $350,000. Javelins are manufactured by RTX (formerly Raytheon). In October, RTX was fined $950m for inflating bills to the DoD, lying about labor and material costs, and paying bribes to secure foreign business.
The US military budget is now equal to $1 TRILLION annually when spending on nuclear weapons, and “emergency” military spending is included. That’s more than the next 9 countries combined. Meanwhile, according to US Senator Bernie Sanders, “60% of our people live paycheck to paycheck, 85 million people are uninsured or underinsured, and 21.5 million households are paying more than 50% of their income on housing. We have one of the highest rates of childhood poverty of almost any developed country on Earth, and 25% of older adults are trying to survive on $15,000 a year or less. In other words, the United States has fallen far behind other major countries in protecting the most vulnerable, and our government has failed millions of working families.” Please be aware – the US intends to spend $1.7 TRILLION to upgrade its nuclear arsenal in the coming years.
Also, why has there been so little news coverage of Hawaii County’s recent courageous repeal of the 40 year old military exemption from the County’s Historic Nuclear-Free Law. The danger of a nuclear apocalypse has never been greater. Together, with the Hibakusha, let us renew the urgency of global nuclear disarmament diplomacy. No More War! Peace is a Victory for All.
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
Dec. 13, 2024, Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet – week 1211– Fridays 3:30-5 PM downtown Post Office
-- 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
