Missing the point in “Lā‘au Satire”

In reading Alona Demmers’s recent review of my satire on L?‘au, I was really surprised that despite her obvious literary capacity, she was unable to recognize the motive or purpose behind this satire. It appears that because of her own insecurities, she has misconstrued the content of the satire and turned it into something personal. I readily admit that “bullets flying through the air as your children return home from school” is a legitimate concern, but it was never the intent of my letter to somehow endorse that type of situation as something that is acceptable.

My intention was, in Alona’s own words, to expose the “human folly” in attempting to develop and construct residential homes in a place that is (1) a traditional hunting area; (2) an area where the majority of the island opposes development; (3) an area that lacks adequate water; (4) an area that is a critical environmental and cultural habitat. My intention was also to expose the folly of the Molokai EC. Though this organization is supposed to represent the community, the majority vote of this group has continuously ignored public sentiment to the point now of not even allowing the people of Molokai to attend it’s meetings.

In regard to using the word “outsider” I was simply referring to someone coming from outside of Molokai. In Molokai Ranch’s Environmental Impact Study for La’au Point, the Ranch clearly states in their financial report that they expect potential buyers to be penta- millionaires coming from “outside” of Molokai. An interesting item of note is that they expect a fair percentage of those buyers to be those who come from other resort areas of Hawaii and who have in turn grown dissatisfied with the areas they now live in because of the exponential growth that has taken place in those areas.  As far as whether or not someone fits into Molokai, well, Molokai herself has a way of figuring that one out.

And as far as insect phobia goes, I am afraid that this is one of the side effects of our modern society, where we end up spending much more time behind computer and TV screens than spending time outdoors, experiencing the wonders of the natural world (including insects). The good news for those who have been raised in such a disconnected manner is that Molokai offers the opportunity to reconnect and awards us the privilege to experience and appreciate what only God himself is capable of creating. 

May the desire to protect this special place be a part of our “collective consciousness.”

Mahalo,

Steve  Morgan