Thoughts on the
president-elect
The only consolation I have right now is I am certain that deep down, alone inside his mind and away from all the sycophants, he hates himself more than I could ever dislike him. He knows that he is lying. His actions are dark and hurtful on the outside, because it’s even darker and more tormented on the inside.
Don’t let the smiles and celebration mislead you. There is a damaged and abused inner child here who has been allowed to act out and realize his very worst instincts for decades now.
Money and privilege have helped him avoid any real consequences. But have no doubt what is driving this sh-t show: a vast self-deception and self-hatred that can never be satisfied and that for him will likely never go away.
He is the epitome of the aphorism that hurt people hurt.
Unfortunately, he is in a position right now to cause real damage to so much and to so many. Damage that will at the very least be longstanding and at the worst unmitigated in my lifetime. I need to remind myself, though, that this too will pass, even if I never see it.
He will ultimately be a casualty of his own hatred. All systems tend toward entropy.
Marcus Aurelius told us the best revenge is to not be like your enemy. That is as true today as it ever was. It is my call to action.
E noho me ke aloha a me ka pono, aka e ku‘e kakou.
Onipa‘a kakou.
Kalani Perry
Keaau
‘Ohi‘a ‘dieback’ and
natural regeneration
With the support of additional funding for Rapid ‘Ohi‘a Death, perhaps some funding could be extended to find out how to control the beetles that not only attack ‘ohi‘a but also destroy our koa, bamboo, waiwi, pine and ash floors and furniture. Tenting doesn’t kill them.
Regarding ‘ohi‘a, there is a very informative book, “‘Ohi’a Lehua Rainforest” in the University of Hawaii libraries in Manoa and Hilo. We got our copy a few years back at a Hawaiian book display at the civic during the Christmas fair.
The book gives history as far back as 1970, when the killer disease was expected to destroy the rainforest in 15-20 years (before the end of the century). The book continues with over 200 pages of observations and conclusions.
In the Tribune-Herald’s History column dated 1991: Scientists from Europe, Canada the U.S. and Pacific regions gathered at the Hawaiian Naniloa to address forest “dieback,” once thought of as only a local phenomenon but now considered a global one. The five-day symposium sponsored by the U.S. Dept of Agriculture focused on forest decline in the Atlantic and Pacific regions. It ends with statement “the ‘ohi‘a provides an example of a natural process of regeneration”
From a personal perspective, we raise anthuriums under the canopies of old ‘ohi‘a and hapu‘u. Over the past few years, we have lost many of our ‘ohi‘a which when checked were not conclusive for ROD and could be senescence — the aging of a natural lifetime. In the areas of loss and other areas, my family has planted hundreds of senescence, all saplings from our own senescence. They are all healthy and growing rapidly.
‘Ohi‘a, with their lateral roots, are trees meant to survive the barren volcano rock and do not do as well in dense undergrowth or trampling by pigs. Seeds cannot get through the invasive noxious weeds that keep them from the sun, so in some areas there is little growth.
With some control of noxious weeds and planting new trees in open spaces, we may soon see a natural regeneration.
Jim and Norma Watt
Mountain View
