TMT - Contested Case Hearing Status - Hilo

[MarkP]

When does the hearing end? I know the protesters have a bottomless pit of nonsense to draw from but there must be some objective criteria that determine when enough is enough.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

bottomless pit of nonsense

Preventing us from seeing farther and deeper into the universe.

"It doesn’t sound like a benefit when I can’t even understand it." -Brannon Kamahana Kealoha at the TMT Hearing

[galileo]

quote:

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Originally posted by TomK

"If you read Lee's written testimony, you can see that his English skills are at the grade school level."

Galileo - skills in the English language are not part of the contested case hearing. That's taking things a little too far.

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From what has been presented so far, the petitioners opposed to the TMT have not provided strong evidence that the TMT does not satisfy the eight criteria for construction in a conservation district. They are going to lose their case. DLNR will approve the CDUA. Then some of the petitioners will probably appeal to the Hawaiian Supreme Court.

At some point Lee's 11 pages of incoherent ramblings will probably be read by the judges; his primitive writing level really hinders his ability to make whatever points he was trying to make.

Note that Kwan did not ask him any questions regarding his background in physics, whether he studied Maxwell's equations or even if he knew the name of the unit of measurement for magnetism. He simply got Lee to acknowledge that the burial spots in Lee's maps are not on the TMT site or even in the astronomy district.

[TomK]

1) "We also engaged in another simulation, where we went up to Pu`u Poliahu … and there, too, the red balloon was still in the sky. And from there you could see that it would be impossible to get a view of, say, the rising sun without the TMT in the viewplane."

2) "Ward then asked if, from Poliahu, the TMT would also obstruct views of Pu`u Makanaka. Makanaka is a cinder cone where a number of pre-contact Hawaiian sites and burials have been located.

“Yes,” Townsend replied."

3) "Throughout her testimony, at several points, Townsend stated the Thirty Meter Telescope would be “an 18-story, five-acre building,” describing it as “a structure bigger than anything on the island of Hawai`i.”"

4) "Yet when asked by Ward to discuss the widened jeep trail leading to the TMT site, Townsend said that the widening had destroyed wekiu bug habitat. “It’s been decimated,” she said. “That cinder has been compacted. And wekiu can’t live in compacted cinder. … They are endangered, and they are a beautiful symbol of the kind of unique and amazing natural environment in Hawai`i. ”"

5) "Cindy Freitas asked Townsend if she had knowledge of the glaciers on Mauna Kea. “I know that they exist, that’s about it,” Townsend replied."

All of these are claims by the Director of the Hawaii chapter of the Sierra Club, Marti Townsend. Not one of them is true. Yet she testified to them in the contested case hearing.

http://www.environment-hawaii.org/?p=9484

[Chunkster]

I used to financially support the Sierra Club for its environmental and wild space preservation efforts, but no more. The Hawaii group has been taken over by a loony, anti-science faction that has allowed a fringe political ideology to replace the truth.

[punaticbychoice]

Chunkster:
I agree.

[geochem]

quote:

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Originally posted by Chunkster

I used to financially support the Sierra Club for its environmental and wild space preservation efforts, but no more. The Hawaii group has been taken over by a loony, anti-science faction that has allowed a fringe political ideology to replace the truth.

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Sorry to disagree - has been that way for years. They see their job as being to obstruct and disparage any change even when it benefits the environment and the community...

[Guest]

TomK, The fixed 1 million a year for our Keiki education is just another way of slighting and disrespecting your hosts. The White man's money, investments and promises rarely reach the intended Keiki for education because it's usually siphoned from the other end from state reps and politicians. One million or 500 million a year for education means nothing without proper oversight and management. Some other possible revenue makers besides the TMT project our law makers could venture into could bring even more money and promises than the TMT's without any sacred land issues. This one in Maryland is now providing 500 million a year for the keiki and public school system.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/marylan...story.html


Maybe the inter island ferry needs to be explored again for a purpose like offshore gaming and entertainment. This type of gaming and entertainment could provide Many Hawaiians and local folks with jobs, Maybe provide a large sluch fund for politicians, D.O.E, OHA and help the Tourism industry as a whole. Jmo

[knieft]

Tom,

It needs no response, believe me. Just try letting it rot. The sky won't fall.

Cheers,
Kirt

[Eric1600]

quote:

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Originally posted by MarkP

When does the hearing end? I know the protesters have a bottomless pit of nonsense to draw from but there must be some objective criteria that determine when enough is enough.

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Last rumor I heard was Amano wants to wrap it up this month. The witness schedule changes a lot but they seem to be keeping up a decent pace. I know they want to do 4 a day but it seems to be 2 to 3.