LETTERS for the week of Sept. 10-16
Lahaina will rise again
After the great Chicago fire in 1871, the Chicago Tribune wrote a famous banner headline: “CHICAGO WILL RISE AGAIN.”
Scores of architects descended to create some of the most iconic buildings of the 1800s.
Indeed, like Chicago, LAHAINA WILL RISE AGAIN!
NORM BEZANE
Kaanapali
An Ode to my Lahaina
I hear the cries of pain in your restless tides;
and watch your palm trees sway to tell a story
Of strong hurricane who raised the head of fires,
And burned your sweet face,
my Lahaina in all its glory…
I joined your Catholic church in singing praise and psalms,
And gazed across the emerald strait at Molokai;
I felt the light breeze in my hair,
and filled my eyes with brilliant big stars over Lanai..
Hawaiian royals claimed your place;
explorers and Russian whalers came;
And myriad of missionaries found a Paradise by God’s hand made.
Green hills, plumeria and hibiscus in rolling hills;
Majestic waterfalls and century’s old Mother Banyan tree.
No words of comfort come to me,
Praying to God and Holy Mary
as I see what wildfires did to thee:
The shops on Front Street are no longer dashing;
Museum treasures–all reduced to ashes.
Auwe! Despair grips my soul…
Lahaina: Face of Maui–lost in flames nightmare.
Your face lives in my heart
And you forever be emblazoned there!
DR. ELENA KARENEVA
Lahaina
Property rights should prevail in Lahaina
Policymakers and various interest groups began sharing plans for rebuilding Lahaina just days after wildfires destroyed the iconic seaside town.
In the month that has passed since the Aug. 8 fires, rebuilding ideas have varied widely — from taking over land to build affordable housing or leaving some of it vacant as a memorial to placing reconstruction efforts in the hands of a special board, just to name a few.
Now, I don’t want to be too hard on these ideas. After all, rebuilding plans are usually the product of good intentions.
But we have to remember that peoples’ homes and businesses are at stake, and their right to those properties must be defended. That is to say: We cannot infringe on or ignore their constitutional right to freely acquire, use, manage and dispose of their property as they choose.
This is why the Grassroot Institute has made a deliberate choice to not present any plans of our own — because whether, where or how to rebuild properties should be up to the people of Lahaina, and the government should strive only to give them the freedom to do so.
Our team certainly has solutions in mind that could be applied to help Lahaina rebuild. We have long urged county officials to expedite permitting processes and suspend certain zoning and building code provisions to encourage more homebuilding. And we champion loosening restrictions on occupational licensing, lowering taxes and introducing policies to reduce bureaucratic barriers for local entrepreneurs and small businesses.
But while we have much more to say on the topic — and the time will surely come for us to do so — I believe we remain in a sensitive period for listening.
Most importantly, we need to keep in mind the humanity of the situation. We’re not just talking about a fundamental right that deserves to be respected on principle — we need to consider the different desires of those struggling to rebuild their lives.
Maybe they want to sell their land as soon as possible to fund a new start somewhere else, or maybe they would benefit from the freedom to rebuild as quickly as possible without the expenses and delays that often come with government intervention. Those decisions are theirs — and theirs alone — to make.
Ultimately, we can suggest policies that will ease the rebuilding process, but we must allow the people of Lahaina to move forward on their own terms. Yes, that means allowing them to make decisions others might not like. But that is their right. And the Grassroot Institute plans to defend that right from any intrusion, no matter how well-meaning.
KELI’I AKINA, PH.D.
President & CEO,
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Trump committed crimes against Georgia and our country
Two separate groups of everyday Americans, fulfilling their civic duty by serving on a grand jury, have now issued two separate indictments of Donald Trump for his efforts to overturn the will of voters, even after he knew he’d lost the 2020 election. These are the most serious indictments thus far because they deal with a conspiracy to overturn the foundation of our democracy: the vote of the American people.
There can be no more serious crime than a conspiracy to overturn the foundation of our democracy itself. It’s shameful how many MAGA Republicans are now rushing to defend Trump instead of standing up for our democracy and our freedom to vote. Many of them are trying to rewrite history, so it’s important to understand what Trump is accused of and why it matters.
According to both indictments, Trump deliberately lied about voter fraud and pressured local officials, like the Georgia secretary of state, to illegally overturn election results and manufacture fake slates of electors. When Vice President Mike Pence refused to toss out the legitimate results and count fake electoral votes, Trump incited an attack on our Capitol in a last ditch attempt to stop the certification of the election and cling to power.
These are serious charges. Our elected leaders of all parties must allow the trial to unfold without political interference and let a jury of everyday Americans do their job. No one is above the law, and Trump should be treated like everyone else and held accountable for his crimes against our country.
PATTY ROCHON
Wailuku