molokai (3)

Molokai Ranch closing

I don't watch the news much (too depressing and/or frustrating), but I happened to catch the channel 2 report last night about the Ranch's closing. What really irritated me was that they showed an older Hawaiian woman who works there. I don't know what her intention was with her comments, but by the way the news people edited her interview, her comments seemed to infer that the Ranch's closing was because of the protests, and that the problem was "Hawaiians against Hawaiians."I say it's the media that keeps pitting "Hawaiians against Hawaiians."From my limited knowledge about La'au Point, this is not about "Hawaiians against Hawaiians." This was about the majority of Molokai's residents against development that would have a direct negative impact on the island and its resources. It wasn't even about Hawaiians against Molokai Ranch...from what I've read, the residents didn't oppose most of the ranch's development plans. It was specifically the La'au Point portion that they didn't want.Molokai Ranch backing out like this is akin to a 2-year old child throwing a temper tantrum because his lollipop was taken away. But even though the ranch provides jobs, do the residents really want a child like this being the bully in the school? The ranch didn't care about what the residents wanted throughout the whole La'au process, so why would the island want to keep the ranch around? Hawaiians traditionally took care of their own...so that's what to do now. Not depend on the big bully who doesn't really care about you.I just had to chime in with my two cents...this whole thing about "Hawaiians against Hawaiians" is getting old. It's not about that anymore. We should know better by now that we need to all work together and help each other if we ever hope to rule our own nation.
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"Molokai Ranch Cuts More Than Just Jobs" - Molokai Dispatch Article
What a sad waste - in so many ways...Aloha, Kahualaulani

Ranch Cuts More Than Just Jobs

059web.img_assist_custom.jpgDestructive measures in the wake of closure.
By Brandon Roberts
Kaluakoi residents awoke Wednesday to the sound of rain and falling coconut palms. Up to 30 trees have been killed to make barriers around the golf course, and have many Molokai residents wondering why.
"This is just so sad, it looks like a war-zone with all the beautiful trees down," said Judy Canady, Ke Nani Kai resident of 27 years. "They could have at least had the courtesy to tell us."
She believes the Ranch is doing this as retribution for the failure of the La`au development.
Judy's husband Darryl, former president of the West Molokai Association, said that the Ranch shutdown and subsequent hacking of healthy trees has been a "festering, ongoing, and growing situation for many years." Judy added that the horrible situation has hope, "it brings us together in the community."
The Canady's echoed many West End residents' sentiments that what respect the Ranch and Peter Nicholas may have had has all but disappeared. One resident of 18 years said that they should be put in jail.
"When the La`au proposal started, I gave the Ranch the benefit of the doubt, but it divided the community, and when I saw Peter Nicholas get ugly, I said, this is not the way a business person should act, this is wrong. I did not respect the way Nicholas treated the members of the community," Judy said with sadness.
"Walter Ritte was wonderful today," Judy said. She made a phone call to Ritte, a community leader against the La`au development, the night before to express her concern and emotions about the destruction on the West End.
Ritte told Ranch manager John Sabas that he would bring the Ranch all the kiawe trees they wanted to barricade the vacant golf course, but Sabas allegedly said he preferred to use the live coconuts.
"They just don't care, not one ounce," expressed an emotional Carol Harms, Kaluakoi resident. She pointed toward a standing group of dead coconut trees wondering why live palms were used instead to make the ineffective barriers.
Historically in Hawaii, it was an act of war and disrespect to cut down coconut palms. The trees are a source of life, producing food, water, shade, and holding precious land from erosion.
Meanwhile, in Maunaloa, the swimming pool at The Lodge, which once held blue waters and happy vacationers, is now full of sand. The Lodge itself has been wrapped in hog fencing, and many now wonder if this is a new definition of "mothballing".
Many questions arise as to the legality of recent Ranch activities. Did the Ranch need permits for these actions? The back-filling of the pool and the chopping of a healthy Norfolk pine next to the Lodge to clear a path for a dump truck to access the pool, as well as the killing of vibrant coconut palms are all questionable. Many on Molokai are empty and in pain, wondering what motives and intent the Ranch has behind their destructive and disrespectful actions.

Dictator

When you have a dictator in place this is what happens. The "wannabe" king is unhappy and wants to starve the people. All this "wannabe" has is title to the land, but as each day passes the wannabe loses his power and the people see him and his subjects for what they really are, selfish & rude. Now they will make the earth bleed to punish the people but mother earth will regrow and heal herself and might even repay the destruction with a little revenge. Be stong people of Molokai, this dictator will pass in time and the island will heal.And the land will return to the people. I promise. Keep the spirit of Aloha alive for your future, God Bless.

depressing

i am so depressed right now. my only hope is that those who did this will experience "what goes around comes around". it seems that to some people this vile act was something trivial, but it really is a sign of something sinister. i hope this makes news all the way to the mainland papers.

Ranch Cuts More Than Jobs

Wow! As an outsider I have refrained from offering an opinion on this entire matter. However, what they did to those trees shows that any community, anywhere in the world, would be MUCH better off without people with that type of mentality living or working in the community. They are either stupid or vindictive beyond rehabilitation: and either way, you are surely, SURELY!, better off without them and/or their business ventures.

Ranch Cuts More Than Jobs

It is their property to do with it what they want, but these people are SICK! What will they do next, torch the tentalos at the beach village?

even if it is their "legal" right to do what they want....

legal isn't always moral. moral and immoral has a bigger impact on those around us than "legal" and "illegal". the cutting down of a bunch of trees may be a trivial thing to some, but this act shows us the character of those who own/manage that ranch.
there are people who belong on this special island, and others who don't. they are like elephants in a china shop, trampling on our culture and our environment, treating the island like a piece of real estate, a mere commodity, not like the living aina to be cherished and respected.

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200 Luxury Estates a good thing for Molokai?

From Marion's post to KAHEA's blog at http://blog.kahea.org:Last week, KAHEA submitted written testimony to the State Land Use Commission in opposition to "the proposal by Molokai Properties Limited to build 200 luxury estates at La'au Point" which will negatively impact the environment and culture.Our comments point out that: although there is overwhelming scientific evidence supporting that the main Hawaiian Islands serve as foraging and breeding grounds for monk seals and millions of dollars for research and monitoring have been set aside, little has been done by the state and federal governments to permanently protect habitat -- like that La'au point. The truth is that the single most important action we can take to save monk seals is provide them places of permanent pu`uhonua, true and forever sanctuaries. Monk seals survive best when left alone in a place where humans do not dominate the landscape, in sanctuaries marked only by the presence of blowing sands and waves crashing against jagged lava formations at the water's edge.Further, because "Molokai is one of a few communities that still have resources to sustain traditional subsistence", they need to be honored and protected to ensure the perpetuation of these traditional practices of gathering for their families and communities. The reason why these practices still remain today have to do primarily with the fact this shoreline is undeveloped and difficult to access.The proposed development will limit access to this 40-mile stretch of coastline by providing only two points of entry, one at each end of the proposed coastline development even though the "state law requires that public access to the shoreline be available every quarter mile" which is clearly not honored in this proposal.The Molokai community has voiced their undying concern regarding the relentless and greedy development plans of Molokai Properties Limited. The community has no interest in having a community split and culturally and socially restricted by the influx of big money. Today, they are standing up, protecting their inherent rights to collect what they need from the mountains to the oceans that keeps their culture alive.

hawaii-luxuryx-large.jpg

To make this place no more than a picture postcard tropical beach destination is to strip it of its most fundamental and uniquely Hawaiian identity. We stand together with communities on Molokai to share the view that the sea, land, culture, and people remain vital in marking this land as a Hawaiian place.Click here to read comments on the EIS:KAHEA’s comments in opposition to the development at La’au PointOffice of Hawaiian Affairs’ Comments on the development La’au Point
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