(I just sent the message below to all of Hawaii’s legislators and members of the news media)

Aloha legislators:

Please don’t add to the perception of Hawaii’s corruption. The perception is bad enough.

Hawaii: “The only state in which both legislative and executive branches are perceived to be very corrupt”

Our organization strongly urges you to vote down SB 2816, HB2501 and HB 1581.  It’s time to do the right thing!

Both SB 2816 and HB 1581 appear to be efforts by Governor David Ige and various special interests to ram thru TMT and criminalize peaceful first amendment protest on State lands.  Please protect the constitutional right of free speech and the right of citizens to protest.  Attempts to fast tract TMT in the past caused major problems for the state and a second attempt is likely to result in more of the same.  Allow existing legal due process procedures to stand.  No more special legislation for special interests. Vote down these bills.

We also urge you to vote down HB2501 which we view as a sneaky bill involving corporate theft of public streams.  Our organization has been growing kalo in Kurtistown for 36 years and we want to support small scale taro farmers and the people’s right to water (not A&B Big 5 corporate interests) on Maui.

Mahalo for your consideration.

Jim Albertini

president