1000 Weeks Nov. 27, 2020 Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet
1000 Weeks Today!
Thank you for taking a peace leaflet!
Friday, Nov. 27, 2020 marks 1000 weeks of a new peace leaflet prepared as part of the Hilo Peace Vigil. The new weekly leaflet is distributed widely by email, on our website (www.malu-aina.org) and handed out on the street corner fronting the downtown Hilo Post Office/Federal Building.
We started this weekly Hilo Peace Vigil on the day after 9-11, a day that resulted in the tragic deaths of nearly 3,000 people. The theme of that first peace leaflet in 2001 was “Restraint NOT Vengeance.” We sensed there would be a lashing out in retaliation for the deaths on that awful day. We were not wrong. The US lashed out and attacked at least 7 countries: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, and Pakistan, killing, injuring and displacing more than 37 million people and causing widespread destruction. Here we are 1000 weeks later and still in endless wars, though they are much less in the news these days. Who might be next? Will Israel and/or the US attack Iran before Jan. 20, 2021. What about war with China, Russia? Make no mistake. I’ll be glad to see Donald Trump gone. But Democrat and Republican administrations and Congress support the US war machine and its 800 overseas military bases surrounding Iran, China and Russia. No wonder the US empire is considered the greatest threat to world peace on the planet.
Jesus, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and others have taught “Love your enemies.” Gandhi said “An eye-for-an-eye will only make the whole world blind.” Non-violence (Kapu Aloha) must always be our guiding light. In all that we do, the means we use must be in line with the end that we seek. So vengeance, violence, and war will never be paths to true peace.
True lasting peace must be built on a foundation of justice. And justice requires respect and fair treatment, not corporate domination, of one another and the earth we share. Needless to say, we have a lot of work to do. Protecting ourselves and the planet from nuclear war and climate disaster are two of the biggest challenges we face. These challenges reflect how out of balance we are as a global community. The current global pandemic is telling us to shift resources from warfare to healthcare and other human needs such as guaranteed income, food and housing associated with this health crisis. It comes down to basics. Act responsibly to protect ourselves and one another. Wear a mask, social distance, etc. The same sense of basic responsibility applies to caring for the earth. The big question is will we listen and act accordingly?
De-Militarize Hawaii & the World!
Please tell your friends about www.malu-aina.org Mahalo!
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, 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), Hawaii 96760 Phone (808) 966-7622 Email ja@malu-aina.org
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Nov. 27, 2020 Hilo Peace Vigil leaflet – week 1000 – Fridays 3:30-5PM 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
