Hawaii's Leaders are Uniquely Placed to Alter Hawaii's Deadly Course
The Pandemic's "Great Pause" May Have Been a Blessing for Hawaii
The following is a response to Senator Sharon Moriwaki's latest email broadcast:
On 4/20/2020 9:45 PM, Sharon Moriwaki wrote:
The “silver lining” of the COVID19 pandemic: making us take pause -- to be more mindful of others; of the beauty of our skies, mountains and oceans as we walk the sidewalks and streets now with sparse activity; and as we breathe the clean air although through our masks. Faced with our own difficult struggles and even our mortality we must forge ahead and survive. Many of us have lost a lot; some others are on the verge. . . .
Our response:
Dear Senator Moriwaki,
Thank you for your message. This one sounded a bit like plagiarism (and here), but we're fine with it because this is, in fact, the most important message that legislators and Hawaii leaders need to absorb. Nobody in Hawaii -- and it sounds like legislators like yourself are on board with this (SB3110) -- wants to go back to the business-as-usual that was the "old" Hawaii. Nobody. So why take us there? All of you in leadership are now uniquely placed to change the course of Hawaii's history. You're in a position to send a message to the big money that has been bullying our residents here for decades: "quality of life for Hawaii residents is tantamount to ANY decision being made by leadership." Ignoring this now, in light of the "pause" that we've all experienced here, would have serious political consequences for you and other leaders in Hawaii -- not to mention your legacy. Time to step up to the plate and go to bat for the people of Hawaii and stop the pandering to outside interests, stop acquiescing to poor government management, and start thinking about the impact that your decisions have on the quality of life of those who live here.
- Don't endorse the theft of public lands by big money interests.
- Don't continue to endorse development here that overwhelms our infrastructure, as Kirk Caldwell and previous mayors have already done -- something that will shame their legacy on into the future.
- Don't allow our public assets to be mismanaged by the likes of this DLNR, a remarkably -- almost comically so -- inept Hawaii governmental department that has caused so much unnecessary grief among Hawaii's residents.
- Respect, in your decision-making process, our indigenous Hawaiian culture here -- for this is the diamond in the setting. Through the Hokulea worldwide voyages, the beauty of aloha and the Hawaiian people has been spread around the world. We are now being watched much more closely . . . and so are you.
- Restructure our tourist industry here so that it makes sense, instead of having it steamroll over the top of local residents.
All the best,
Katherine Lindell, Editor
Hawaii Ocean News