Malu 'Aina

Friday, April 15, 2011 will mark the 500th consecutive weekly Hilo Peace Vigil (rain or shine) held in front of the downtown Post Office/Federal Building, 3:30-5PM sponsored by Malu ‘Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action, based in Kurtistown.  Each week Malu ‘Aina prepares a new peace leaflet for handing out on the corner and distribution worldwide via the internet.  People can sign up on the malu-aina.org website to receive notice of new posts.  Five points at the bottom of the leaflet remain the same each week, and every leaflet is dated.  The five points are:

According to Malu ‘Aina spokesperson, Jim Albertini,  “the Hilo weekly Peace vigil was started on Sept. 12, 2001 by the late Zen Roshi, Robert Aitken and myself to urge restraint, not vengeance, in response to the 9-11 attacks. It’s been nearly 10 years of endless, expanding, wars since : Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Libya.  Who is next?  Trillions of dollars have been spent on wars and militarism and now domestic programs have been frozen or being cut back, including aid for seniors and the poor, education, libraries, etc.  It’s time to bring the war dollars home.  Slash military spending and fund human needs.  Real security will not be found through endless wars, but rather through policies of justice and peace.  It’s time to dismantle the war machine and the U.S. empire. Stop all the wars and end all occupations, including the ongoing illegal occupation of Hawaii.”

Albertini said, “I encourage people to keep non-violence as their guiding light and never give up in the struggle for justice, peace, and aloha ‘aina.
As the philosopher Carlyle said: ‘No lie can live forever.’ ” Albertini said, “the Hilo weekly peace vigil is open to all.  Justice, peace, and aloha ‘aina are kakou things.  They involve all of us, and we need to work together to hand the next generations a more peaceful, just, and livable world.”

Malu ‘Aina Center For Non-violent Education is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that grows food to share with people in need, and works for justice, peace, and preserving the environment.