TMT construction begins Monday 15 July

[Durian Fiend]

I think it's pathetic how much time and gas in transit these protesters are wasting on a foolish cause.

[leilanidude]

The state could also put up "No Parking" signs along the highway and start issuing tickets. Just for fun...

[snorkle]

(edit for jim)....A link follows........50 Years of mismanagement video........this is a link......click on the blue underlined thingie (link)

[rainyjim]

What was mismanaged? How was it mismanaged?

edited to add (response to snorkels edit)

I don’t think anyone actually knows what’s been mismanaged. Every time I have asked the question no one has ever been able to explain.

Maybe we disagree on some issues. Regardless, is it really too much to ask why? If you can’t offer a better line of reasoning than ‘because’, then is it really something anyone should give credence to?

[Punaperson]

Hawaiians of old were known as fearless explorers, sailing their great canoes from Tahiti. Shame on those who deny their children the opportunity to explore the heavens.

[TomK]

A Press Statement from the Maunakea Observatories

"This afternoon, the directors of the existing observatories on Maunakea made the joint decision to withdraw all personnel from their telescope facilities at the summit to guarantee the safety of their staff - the institutions' top priority. Without guaranteed reliable access to the telescopes, the Maunakea Observatories will suspend all summit activities. We anticipate returning to normal operations as soon as the situation allows.

The safety of everyone on the mountain, MKO staff, law enforcement and protesters is of paramount importance to us. This is not a decision we came to lightly, but want to emphasize the importance of safety for our staffs and the facilities.

We are truly grateful to the law enforcement agencies who have been working around the clock to ensure the safety of everyone on Maunakea. The safety of our personnel - and of everyone on the mountain - remains our top priority."

[ironyak]

rainyjim - ]What was mismanaged? How was it mismanaged? ... I don’t think anyone actually knows what’s been mismanaged. Every time I have asked the question no one has ever been able to explain.

I'm not real sure there is a genuine interest in finding this information given it's been known for over 20 years and constantly referenced, but here is a summary excerpt from the 1997 State Audit (the document link has more details of course should anyone care to read).

http://files.hawaii.gov/auditor/Reports/1998/98-6.pdf
"We found that the University of Hawaii 's management of the Mauna Kea Science Reserve is inadequate to ensure the protection of natural resources. The university focused primarily on the development of Mauna Kea and tied the benefits gained to its research program. Controls were outlined in the management plans that were often late and weakly implemented. The university's control over public access was weak and its efforts to protect natural resources were piecemeal. The university neglected historic preservation, and the cultural value of Mauna Kea was largely unrecognized. Efforts to gather information on the Weiku bug came after damage had already been done. Trash from construction was cleaned up only after concerns were raised by the public. Old testing equipment constructed in the early years of development has not been removed as required by the lease agreement."

[kalakoa]

https://www.khon2.com/local-news-2/no-ar...-to-begin/

all the scientists would be leaving Mauna Kea and would be gone possibly indefinitely or at least until TMT is built. The decision was made for safety reasons. Dempsey said that this action is unprecedented and that this has never happened before.

Sigh.

[TomK]

OK, just so everyone knows, that interpretation by KHON is completely wrong. There is a process going on right now to get it corrected.

[kalakoa]

that interpretation by KHON is completely wrong

I have been informed of other "misinterpretation" (read: hype) by the media, so this is hardly surprising.

Facts remain: State says TMT has permits to build, protectors say they will never allow it, media circus dances around the fire as always.

It's tiring. People have work to do.