Malu 'Aina

Feb. 4, 2015 Testimony in Support of Comm 9.1

Aloha Council members,

I am one of your constituents.  I’ve been a resident and farmer in Kurtistown for 35 years growing a wide range of organic fruits and vegetables –taro, sweet potatoes, bush beans, ginger, bananas, and more than 50 different fruits.

I urge you to support Communication 9.1 to accept the offer of Earthjustice and Center for Food Safety in donating their services defending the county against big corporate interests dictating our future in Hawaii County.  This is a home rule issue and we need to stand together as one.  A number of years back, as a taro farmer I stood with Jerry Konanui, Henry Leong and others in testifying for a county law to prevent the Genetic engineering of kalo.  That county law passed. But if we don’t succeed in defending the current GMO county ban, kalo, Kona coffee, etc. will again be on the GMO chopping block and who knows what other attempts at pre-emption by higher governments and corporate interests.  We are already seeing this on the international level with the drafts of TPP –Trans Pacific Partnership even trying to pre-empt nations from enforcing their laws on environmental safeguards, labor rights, and other common sense regulations.  Multi-national corporations want free reign to ravage the planet for short-term profits with little or no regulation.  These transnational corporations have no ties to nations, states, counties, to land, to aloha aina, to ohana. Their main concern is short-term profit at whatever cost to air, water, land, people, plants and animals.  The world’s climate crisis (with increasingly intense storms) is giving daily testimony to the destructive nature of corporate greed and modern consumer lifestyles that put profit and personal gain before malama aina and all that is necessary for life to continue on this fragile planet we all call home.

We cannot let this continue.   We must stop sowing the seeds of our own destruction.  We must stand firm for aloha aina and malama aina for present and future generations.

In my view, Home rule is crucial.  Government works best at the lowest level — the grassroots level.  The higher up we go — to State, Federal, and international levels, the greater the distance between the decision makers and the people, and the more big money comes into play in buying votes.  The old saying holds true: the higher the monkey goes up the tree, the more your see his okole.

The County of Hawaii needs your support of Communication 9.1. Together we need to defend Home Rule.  As a farmer and constituent I ask for your solidarity.  Haloa, and your ohana, and future generations ask for your solidarity.  Mother nature has been asking for our solidarity but we haven’t been listening.  Now is the time to demonstrate our commitment through action.     Mahalo for your solidarity.

Jim Albertini

Jim Albertini, president — 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

Testimony in support of Resolution 58

Feb. 4, 2015

Aloha Council members:

I support our County law against geothermal night time drilling. Let’s make it clear to PGV that it needs to respect the neighbors and show some aloha while it is raping the Hawaiian deity, Pele. Hawaii County presently only allows the day time rape of Pele. Perhaps some council member will have the courage, some day, to introduce a bill to outlaw the rape of Pele, and respect Hawaiian religious values, day and night.
Mahalo.

Jim Albertini

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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

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