Year-end online donations to Sierra Club’s Hawaii Chapter apparently fell victim to a hacker or hackers.

When I tried to make a last-minute donation, their system bogged down and refused to complete the transaction.

Later, I received an email from Robert Harris, the local chapter’s director.

First, let me say “thank you.” And secondly, let me apologize for the fact that it didn’t work. We were attacked over the past few days by a hacker who managed to overwhelm our donation program by putting in hundreds of false entries.

A hacker? Hmmmmm. Who would be angry at the Sierra Club?

The group was plaintiff in the case that led to the Hawaii Supreme Court rejecting the decades-old environmental impact studies for the Turtle Bay Resort expansion. They protested former Mayor Mufi Hannemann’s campaign ad using the “Keep the Country Country” slogan, contrasting it to Hannemann’s environmental record. Their long-running lawsuit eventually led to the city to agree to upgrade Honolulu’s sewage treatment system.

A great record, it seems to me.

This looks like a step up in political warfare tactics, at least at the local level, and at a critical fundraising period for nonprofits like the Sierra Club.

I’ll try again. If you don’t want to see this kind of tactic succeed, you might consider at least a small donation of your own. The Sierra Club’s Hawaii Chapter will undoubtedly put it to very good use.