Past time to take a stand
Well, the midterms are almost over (Florida is still recounting ballots as I write). Some of the candidates I supported won; some of them lost. That’s the name of the game. I only hope the winners will do what they promised or else it will be just the same old political runaround that elections seem to bring out.
And so we carry on. I heard that Kauai had the highest percentage of voter turn-out in the state, and for that I’m proud. We’re a small island, between 65,000 and 70,000 total population, but we care about what happens in our county, our state and our country. And we’re willing to stand up and be counted. We’re willing to stand on street corners in the pouring rain to make our voices heard. I’ve done it.
Now that the politicking is over, we’re watching the dreadful fires in California and grieving for those who have lost their homes and livelihoods. Watching my neighbor’s house burn down last February and feeling their pain over pets lost and belongings destroyed, I empathize more with the residents of California than I used to.
Every time we drive down the road I see the hole in our neighborhood that used to be a family’s home and I feel a deep sense of loss.
The president has the nerve to blame the California fires on poor management at the state level. There are no words. That’s like blaming my neighbors for not taking proper care of their home and causing the fire. Not! They did everything humanly possible to keep their home safe.
The homeowners in California did everything humanly possible to keep their homes safe. Brush around their houses was cleared out, fire alarms checked, propane tanks properly stored. The state of California prepared in every way possible for an outbreak of calamitous fires. And still the fires happened.
The firefighters on Kauai came back long after the neighbor’s fire was out to check for hot spots, just like the firefighters in California continue to do. Poor management had nothing to do with any of it.
So now that the midterms are nearly over it’s time to gear up for the 2020 elections. It’s time to fight for our country against those who would bring it down. Those who blame others for what is obviously their fault. It’s time to write, to speak out and let our voices be heard. We can make a difference. It’s time.
Susan Campbell, Kalaheo
The brush fires in California; how does that go? Is the houses all on mountain tops? Something like the mountains on Malibu beach.
Very nice “State of the Union” Susan. Appreciate the unbiased approach.
Yea, um, The President has a problem with the endless “trend” of California fires…..it is seasonal…..and wait for it ………….in the 21st Century………..in the USA……we should not have billions of dollars of damage and numerous people dying over, um….forest fires…….every year. The Federal Government is getting tired of the deaths and money being spent to fight fires that could have been mitigated better, and yes, prevented. No one is held accountable, and like him or not, at least the President tries to hold people accountable.
The ongoing land clearing efforts are stalled at every level by liberals in CA. Poor vegetation management for fire risk mitigation. Poor zoning, and over construction in many areas. The mitigation strategies you mention are for mitigating private property during a forest fire, not mitigating the root cause of the forest fire. Even here on Kauai, people scream to high Heaven if some trees are cut down. So controlled burns are ok? ….. Apparently not in much of CA.
But the fires in CA are like your neighbor’s fire. Sadly, I’d be willing to bet, it could have been prevented as well. Stop the madness.
The forests in California have been poorly managed and are in bad shape, making them very vulnerable to fire. Read this report: https://lhc.ca.gov/sites/lhc.ca.gov/files/Reports/242/Report242.pdf
Whatever was the cause of this particular fire, President Trump is trying to cause change to save California’s forests. The Federal government owns the most forests, but they can do little without the state’s cooperation.
It is interesting that Trump is trying to save California’s forests, yet the Left is attacking Trump. Anything to score political points.
Susan, I hope you are not using your own ignorance of the issues in this report to try to score points.
Do you really believe “trump is trying to save California’s forests.” Do you? Have you really gone that far over the top with manbaby trump?
His comments were those of someone who has never taken a hike in his life! Rake the CA forests? That is beyond ridiculous! Rake it to where? Helicopters with dumpsters? How about access to just about everywhere off trail/road?
What’s that? Burn the debris piles! Set tens of thousands of fires? OH….what could possibly go wrong with that?
Great letter Susan! One thing you got wrong. The Democrats have been running California since Reagan. Just like they run Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, LA, and most other decaying big Cities in America. As for California, they have ruined the State, PERIOD! You are aware that the major fire in California was caused by power lines arching with the forest trees which caught them on fire, aren’t you? You are aware that the Democrats took the money from the Forest Service that coordinated the clearing of trees and monitoring the utility wires proximity to trees, bushes, and roadways etc.? It is the direct fault of the Government of California that the main fire started! Maybe you should start watching news sources that are not so left biased? Watching those political hacks with their own selfish agenda is keeping half of America in the dark!!
George Deukmejian 1983 – 1991 Republic Party
Pete Wilson 1991 – 1999 Republic Party
Arnold Schwarzenegge 2003 – 2011 Republic Party
Once again Oswald demonstrates the memory and knowledge worthy of manbaby trump!
o.k….let’s also punish homeowners who live in substandard housing when hurricanes come along. It is your own damn fault…too bad for you Kauai
Well Susan you can’t win with these commenters but I agree with you. Trump says anything he wants regardless of truth, time and time again. California is in a multiyear drought. California cannot control climate. It’s to be determined whether PGE’s high power lines had been causational during high winds for the Paradise fire. Power lines are operated by utilities, though some are cutting power now in high wind events like SDG just did in Southern California. As far as the forests that trump claims California is mismanaging, 70% of of it is Federally managed National Forest.
Yeah, I guess the Democrats have mismanaged California so much, that it just became the 5th largest economy in the world, and obviously the largest and richest economy in the U.S. Trump is an idiot and doesn’t know what he is talking about, or more likely, is intentionally lying again to distract stupid people from his real agenda, making money for himself and his rich corporate supporters. Anyone in the fire industry knows these fires are caused by climate change leading to drought and more frequent natural catastrophes. Watch the national news. Every night a new flood, hurricane, wildfire, tornado screams across the screen. Wake up! We are causing these tragedies by not addressing climate change.
So… to you, it’s BAD for Trump to think (and say) that California government officials are not doing a good job, but it’s GOOD for you to think (and say) that Trump is not doing a good job, because he thinks and says someone is not doing a good job.
Looks like you only think it’s good for you to speak what you think and only good for you to judge other people’s jobs.
It is not hypocrisy to point out that trump is wrong because he doesn’t know, once again, what he is talking about. The issue is “trump is wrong. The issue is not hypocrisy.
Susan,
We do need to speak up, or we will end up just like California here on Kauai. The unbridled growth in California, coupled with climate change is what has caused these crazy fires. In California they give away water hookups like candy to developers and build houses so close together you can spit on your neighbor through your side window. We should not follow their development plans, but if our city council and Mayor
have their way, it looks like they will do just that! The new town they want to build on the west sidse? What a disaster that will be! That will be in a hot, arid climate, and they will build everything close together with probably only 2 ways out! People will get backed up just like in the Camp Fire. I hope our politicians learn from others misfortune and don’t build like in California, it is NOT paradise!