TMT Work to Resume Says Ige!

[MarkP]

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Originally posted by MattKarma

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It's easier to find an exo-planet light years away orbiting comfortably in the Goldilocks Zone

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Steal another earth; imperialist dreams, fun game but it is the stuff that makes Hollywood rich and you poor. The days of stealing paradise are over, pretty much. The future is what we can make not what we can take, brighter and more fantastic than anything you can possibly imagine.

Driving this message home is something that might be accomplished by this controversy.

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No, that is not the message that I and I believe the vast majority of people are taking home, unfortunately. The message most of the world is getting is to not count on getting anything of value done in Hawaii.

[beepbeep]

So how will the Big Island do? I know if I had any kind of business I would look at what the TMT folks have invested in seven years of good faith negotiation, so much time and $$$$$$$, and cross the BI off of my list. What if the U.S. Taxpayers get tired of funding the people there ? I suppose there could always be reliance on more rich retirees from California.

Pam in CA

[PunaMauka2]

editorial in the New York Times today, thought it worth putting it here in it's entirety. pretty much takes Gov. Ige's timidness to task.

http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/25/the-fight-over-mauna-kea/?smid=fb-share&_r=0

The Fight Over Mauna Kea
By Lawrence Downes June 25, 2015 2:27 pm

A political storm has enveloped the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii’s tallest mountain. Given the intensity of the forces colliding there, it is hard to see when and how the clouds will lift.

The tempest is over construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope, a $1.4 billion project by an international astronomy consortium. It will be the most powerful telescope yet built on the best stargazing spot on the planet, and surely an immense boon to science.

But some Native Hawaiians and their supporters say the project is an abomination, because Mauna Kea is sacred in the Hawaiian religion. In April a small band of protesters delayed the start of construction by blocking construction trucks on the narrow road to the summit. On Wednesday they did it again, by placing stones in the road. Construction was called off again, “until further notice,” ostensibly for safety reasons.

This is a conflict between big science and regular folks without a lot of money or corporate or political clout.

It’s hard to say that they speak for the majority of Native Hawaiians or Hawaii residents, and it’s hard to find a legal basis for their obstructionism – the project has gone by the book, and through many hearings and legal challenges, to get its approvals and permits in place. But what the protesters do have is a long history of grievance, of centuries of violations committed against the Hawaiian people and the islands’ environment.

It is why a few have decided that the chilly, oxygen-depleted, fog-shrouded road to the summit is where they will lay their bodies – and some big lava boulders — on the line.

Unhappily stuck in the middle of this mess is Hawaii’s mild-mannered, get-along governor, David Ige, who is not inspiring confidence by his distance from the conflict, which is happening on state land and is stalling a project of vital importance to his state (and to the planet, if you think about it).

The governor’s office issued a statement on Wednesday. It belongs in a writing textbook on “unfortunate use of the passive voice”:

“We are disappointed and concerned that large boulders were found in the roadway leading to the summit of Mauna Kea. This action is a serious and significant safety hazard and could put people at risk.

“Because of this, we are making an assessment to determine how to proceed.”

The statement also said that Mr. Ige was in Washington attending an energy forum, and in meetings. But that one-day forum was already over when the release was posted, and it was hard to determine on Thursday where he was and what he was doing about Mauna Kea.

Mr. Ige’s diffidence risks making things on Mauna Kea worse. Social media have blown the protests up, framing them as part of the global struggle of native peoples against hegemonic oppressors. The protesters have every right to feel emboldened – they have shown they can stop this project at will, by moving a few rocks in the road. (And in doing so, tampering with Mauna Kea’s pristine, highly fragile volcanic ecosystem — who are the desecraters, really?)

In a striking video and accompanying article, The Hawaii Tribune-Herald, a local paper, captures the tragic quality of the standoff. The paper reports that protesters presented ti-leaf leis, a symbol of affection and respect, to conservation officers of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, who, along with the county police, made 12 arrests at the scene on Wednesday.

One officer told the protesters he was sorry – when have you ever seen that?

“From myself, I apologize to you guys,” he said, according to the Tribune-Herald. “I hope you guys understand what I got to do. You may not accept it. I got to do my job. I’m really, really sorry.”

edit: had forgotten to include link, woops.

[beepbeep]

Centuries of oppression from...scientists?

The article has left out all of the things the island is getting in return for permitting such a boon to science to go there.

Pam in CA

[PunaMauka2]

that tidbit caught my eye too, beepbeep.

[beepbeep]

I did like the way it pointed out that a major project could be halted by some stones. Incredible.

Pam in CA

[Chunkster]

The NY Times was actually playing nice with their piece. Not only does the governor need to grow a pair, but he has to decide if we are a state with the rule of law or a place where a tiny minority can get their way through intimidation and emotional manipulation. The protestors are illegally camping, and nothing has been done. They illegally put rocks on the road, but apparently no one thought to watch what was going on. Adding insult to injury, the dear governor needs time to assess what to do next, so we stop construction again. And it turns out that the meetings he was so busy with were already over.

At this point, it is really very simple. You get enough cops and DNLR agents up there to monitor the entire area and arrest anyone who impedes the TMT crews legal right to access in any way. Most intelligent people are really fed up with this situation.

[PunaMauka2]

another tidbit from the editorial:

"This is a conflict between big science and regular folks without a lot of money or corporate or political clout."

I'm not so sure i would characterize it quite like that. there are plenty of regular local folks without a lot of money or corporate or political clout who very much support the project and would like to see it's benefit to the community.


but i'd venture to say this editorial was probably better than most in keeping a check on the tendency of the press to hype the excessive emotional appeal often indulged in by activism of this sort.

i was glad to see they included... "It’s hard to say that they speak for the majority of Native Hawaiians or Hawaii residents, and it’s hard to find a legal basis for their obstructionism –..."

and to see them take note of... "Social media have blown the protests up, framing them as part of the global struggle of native peoples against hegemonic oppressors."

and acknowledge the lack of professionalism described as occurring on Wednesday... "One officer told the protesters he was sorry – when have you ever seen that?"

[beepbeep]

There was a lot to appreciate about the editorial; I agree.

I did wonder about "big science"...haven't heard that one before. Sort of erroneously compares to Big Pharma or Big Oil. Wish we had some scary evil telescopes where I live, instead of yet another nasty oil spill.

Italics don't always show up for me so forgive imperfect quotation btw.

It seems so strange that the response to the latest is to halt construction yet again. And then do...what? Hide under one's desk and hope this all goes away?

Pam in CA

[Lodestone]

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Originally posted by beepbeep

I did like the way it pointed out that a major project could be halted by some stones. Incredible.

Pam in CA

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Not stones, Pam. Those are Hawaiian IEDs.