If federal authorities were able to chill an armed confrontation involving criminal death threats, millions in bogus checks and self-declared independence, can't Hawaii authorities deal with a few homeless squatters on a remote beach patiently, fairly and with aloha?
Here, the issues are - so far - much less serious. Hawaii's homeless have occupied one public park or another almost continuously for a decade. Denying the public access to one beach on an island ringed with beaches is barely an inconvenience, let alone a threat. The lack of sanitation facilities and the presence of children make the Makua occupation a valid public health and safety concern, but we're not talking life or death here.
More troubling are reports of illegal drug use and possession of firearms by some beach occupants. The first amplifies the legitimate health and safety concern. The second makes the standoff a potential powder keg.
One response to the presence of firearms is to move with overwhelming force - the Waco model. Another is to seal off the area, negotiate and wait, which worked in Montana.
Perhaps Gov. Ben Cayetano can come up with an even better solution, one that does more than postpone resolution to another day, on another beach, on a future deadline.
