A Crisis of Confidence

A decision like this, anywhere else in the world, would be a slam-dunk.

The fact that it is just the beginning for more contentious and costly discussions/litigation, is testament to the total failure of self-government in Hawaii -- where nothing can ever make common sense anymore.

There is nothing inherently natural about the Natatorium that would require an "environmental impact study," to restore it to its natural condition as a beach.  Nature has already put in her vote in tearing it down piece by piece, bit by bit -- and would be the same if restored, just as that $10 M a decade ago to restore just the facade, was money flushed into the ocean.

It's four times the cost -- without considering future maintenance costs, which it undoubtedly will require -- and then all the Friends of the Natatorium will have passed on by then, leaving the children of Hawaii to pay for a legacy of just preserving the status quo and the past out of habit and conditioning (their indoctrination).

Surely there must be other good uses for the money -- maybe even building a permanent homeless shelter -- so that any memorial is a living testament to those who sacrificed their lives to build a better society -- and not just crumbling shells of buildings to remind them of the futility of all efforts.