12-19-2019, 05:32 PM
I think Ige is using the announcement that "the TMT project has informed him that the project is not ready to proceed with construction on Mauna Kea" to give the protesters a face-saving way to a) be home for Christmas and b) get off the mountain before someone succumbs to the effects of cold weather up there. I drove past the site earlier this week when it was rainy and extremely windy with temps in the mid-50's. The number of tent structures seemed significantly reduced from the late summer/early fall presence, and there wasn't a single soul to be seen. It also provides a face saving method to stop the uncontrolled expenditure of funds for police "protection" and "enhanced enforcement" now that it has reached the nice round number of $15 million ($15 million!!!!)
Let's get real here for a minute...There was no need for TMT to announce what anyone with half a brain already knew. Even if the road was perfectly clear today, there's no way the TMT folks would try to undertake construction in the dead of winter, bringing heavy equipment and supplies up that winding road while facing whiteouts and gusty winds. This is the Governor and the Mayor trying to push the reset button: clear the protesters of the mountain now while the environment is the most challenging, and then hope to God they can do a better job of enforcing the law once the weather warms up again.
Let's get real here for a minute...There was no need for TMT to announce what anyone with half a brain already knew. Even if the road was perfectly clear today, there's no way the TMT folks would try to undertake construction in the dead of winter, bringing heavy equipment and supplies up that winding road while facing whiteouts and gusty winds. This is the Governor and the Mayor trying to push the reset button: clear the protesters of the mountain now while the environment is the most challenging, and then hope to God they can do a better job of enforcing the law once the weather warms up again.