The cause of the devastating fires in Hawaii has been suggested to be a directed energy weapon test by the government, the activity of eco-terrorists, and a downed power line. The first two certainly make for interesting reading, and I have been around enough fires to know that the idea of a downed power line is not only feasible but likely. That kind of thing happens more than people realize, and, as Just the News reported, the lawsuits against the power companies have begun. As I mentioned last week, one of the main contributors to wildfires in that state is the non-native grass species that dry out in the warmer months and can carry fire very well and very quickly. It’s a discussion that I had many times with landowners when I was a fire warden. All too often, people ignore the accumulation of fuels. That is until fire comes, and then they want something done about it “right now.” Of course, the problem with fire is that it frequently does not stay contained to the original area, as the horrific situation on Maui shows. And then, people who had absolutely nothing to do with the original fire find themselves in danger.
But once the danger has passed, there is the matter of recovery. With wildfires, that can be easy. Rehabbing can be accomplished by seeding, replanting trees, or using logs to prevent erosion when the rains eventually come. Homes and lives are entirely different matters. People are not only desperate, they are also vulnerable. According to an article in Newsweek, reports have surfaced that investors and realtors are approaching people on the island and offering to purchase their property. The Kāko’o Haleakalā organization posted a video on Instagram stating in part, “If you are a victim and they are calling you, please get their name, get their business name so we can put them on blast.” You can view the video here.
Any realtor or investor who is looking at the devastation on Maui and seeing dollar signs is behaving in an execrable and completely dishonorable manner. Using a crisis to acquire land on the cheap may not be illegal, but it is dishonest in its intent. These victims are disoriented, traumatized, still in shock, and have lost businesses and homes. In their grief and confusion, a lowball offer from an unscrupulous party might look very tempting. Even if it is within the bounds of the law. And Governor Josh Green is stepping in. From a press release from the governor’s office:
I’ve reached out to the Attorney General to explore options to do a moratorium on any sales of properties that have been damaged or destroyed. Moreover, I would caution people that it’s going to be a very long time, before any growth, or housing can be built. And so, you would be pretty poorly informed if you try to steal land from our people and then build here.
On this point, Green and I would agree. The land should be protected for the people who own it. The state’s role should be to help them rebuild, get back on their feet, and move on with their lives. But as The Post Millennial reported, Green also said he was thinking about ways the state could acquire the land. Talking to reporters, Green said:
I’m already thinking of ways for the state to acquire that land so that we can put it into workforce housing, to put it back into families, or make it open spaces in perpetuity as a memorial to the people who were lost. We want this to be something we remember after the pain passes as a magic place. Lahaina will rebuild. The tragedy right now is the loss of life. The buildings can be rebuilt over time, even the banyan tree may survive, but we don’t want this to become a clear space where then people from overseas just come and decide they’re gonna take it. The state will take it and preserve it first.
He also commented:
I’ll also tell you that this is going to impact how we view, because of tragedy, how we view all of the development in our state. And much of what we do, is challenged by other laws, federal and otherwise, that don’t let us restrict who can buy in our state. But we can do it deliberately during a crisis, and that’s what we’re doing. So for my part I will try to allow no one from outside our state to buy any land until we get through this crisis and decide what Lāhainā should be in the future.
You can see the news report from KHON below.
Those are noble-sounding words. But the land does not need to be acquired by the state. The land needs to go back to the people who live and work there. And they deserve the chance to rebuild their lives and recover what they lost to the extent they can. And they can decide what to do with it.
Related: White Privilege: Stevie Nicks Pilloried for Tone-Deaf Post on Hawaii Fire
I have been to Hawaii once. My wife and I visited Kauai. We won’t be back. It is a beautiful and interesting place. It is also choked with people. Space is always at a premium in Hawaii. Kauai, you may remember, is also the island where Mark Zuckerberg wanted to gobble up native-owned land for his private seaside compound. He went so far as to try to acquire that land through a lawsuit against the owners — which is something Zuckerberg and the progressives would prefer you forget. Hawaii has been loved to death, almost to the point of abuse. The people on Maui need help right now. And when things are right side up, they need to be left alone.
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