The original sin, according to some Hawaiian activists, was committed by the “colonialists,” including the sanctimonious New England missionaries whose descendants prospered mightily from sugarcane.
A hellacious, killer wildfire was not high on Hawaii’s list of expected alarms. But, as in many other emergency situations over time, the islands residents would realize, too late, what had led to the terrible events of August 8.
Fisken was a unique combination of banker, reformer, fiscal conservative, author, and humanitarian. He was a most useful citizen who tried, in his lifetime, to make things better for people.