GOOD INTENTIONS GONE BAD
Despite apparently good intentions, our current state and municipal officials find themselves somewhat at odds with one another in dealing with fast-breaking developments in this health crisis. Governor David Ige has not turned to Lt Gov Josh Green, a medical doctor, as his chief surrogate in the decision-making process. Rather he has designated Major General Kenneth Hara on behalf of Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to coordinate state efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 here in the islands.
Hawaii Department of Health has gone from initial efforts to inform at the outset of the local impact of this pandemic to a rather non-communicative posture. We are not adequately being told where on Oahu and how specifically the infection is spreading.
Governor Ige has not joined county mayors in asking President Trump to suspend air traffic into Hawaii and inter-island flights except for urgent purposes. Only the federal government has this authority. Hawaii’s unique role as an island state is not being leveraged to prevent infected persons from traveling here. Once that is done, total focus can be upon measures to ensure isolation and social distancing to preclude rampant out-of-control spread of the deadly virus.
We must hold our current leaders 100% accountable for their time-sensitive decisions and actions to protect our community. We must elevate the public discussion and awareness to safeguard our families and our community.
ACM PROTECTING OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES
The new American Conservative Movement is working both here in Hawaii and nationally to ensure that responsible officials of all governmental echelons do only what the urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates. They must respect the United States Constitution, particularly the 1st and 2nd Amendments, and not make precedent-setting restrictions that violate our civil liberties.
Some states’ governors and attorneys general recognize church and other religious activities as essential, enabling people of faith to comply with social distancing without the government dictating the logistics. Hawaii must also respect our freedom of worship which will benefit the entire community by helping everyone deal with efforts to be in good spiritual health while coping with the biological threat.
No level of government is capable of inspiring human beings as faith in God provides. Christians are citizens whom every elected official should include in every eventuality going forward. The secularism of our society, which has made God and His faithful ones unwelcome, is precisely what has vitiated the moral fabric of our homeland.
Leaders, who realize that their own mortality frames their wisdom, rely upon a Higher Authority Who created mankind as well as all biological agents for good. We need those with such awareness helping to respond in this time of crisis, as always.
OUR URGENT IMMEDIATE TASK
There is still a finite time window to isolate and insulate Hawaii from the devastation of this worldwide pandemic. But as long as over-inflated egos and political agendas hinder a truly coordinated symbiotic effort to prevent widespread community infection, Hawaii will become Paradise Lost in more far-reaching ways than we ever imagined in our worst nightmares.
This is far from being a selfish desire to spare ourselves while our country and the world are ravaged by this vicious biological attack. Rather, we must accept that national priorities are understandably directed at hotspots on the United States mainland. We must specifically request actions such as a flight ban that only Uncle Sam can implement. It must have the full support of Governor David Ige.
Hawaii people must let our legislators and the media know that we expect and deserve better handling of this crisis by all of our elected officials. Right now, we are mostly dealing with inconveniences in staying home, venturing out only for absolute necessities while wearing a mask and gloves as much as possible.
But President Trump has warned us all that next week and the immediate future pose a severe threat with inevitable fatalities. Hawaii is NOT immune! Immediate actions must be taken to prevent the introduction of rampant infection from beyond our island home.
As we comply with self-isolation and social distancing, we can employ phones and social media to inform our County and State officials that we insist they all be on the same wavelength in countering this most serious illness since the Spanish Flu over a century ago.
PRIORITIES
Absolutely no visitors should be flying to Hawaii now. Returning residents should shelter in place wherever they they are now if at all possible and postpone coming home and endangering others here. When the feds stop flights, then there will not be airline crew to exempt from quarantine.
Commercial vessels must continue to bring food and other commodities into Hawaii, but their crew should be quarantined onboard until departure. If we use our common sense, we can limit the thrust of our efforts into controlling further transmission of COVID-19 by those already on-island who have been infected by it.
This is an existential threat but for the sake of Hawaii nei, we can all do this together. Let our friends beyond Hawaii know that a healthy Hawaii will survive and thrive. We will endure to once again welcome them as our guests. But now we must get our leaders’ attention to refocus their response to the health crisis toward guaranteeing an altruistic and harmonious approach.
WHAT YOU AND I MUST DO NOW
Let’s do our part by alerting our elected officials of our concerns and reminding them that our island community which we all cherish and hold dear is in their hands. Forget the Primary and General elections. Forget who may run for Hawaii Governor in 2022. Put all politics aside. First we need to emerge from April into May better than we are now. One step at a time.
