Astronomy in Hawaii under threat?

[MyManao]

I've mentioned once or twice that if it is passed, house bill 2024 will almost certainly end any chance of the TMT being built in Hawaii and will also likely end astronomy in Hawaii..

Having not followed this issue closely, so being unable to speak to the makeup of the newly proposed management group directly, but seeing it made up of a broader more diverse group that puts astronomy as one of many rather than the only focus on the mountain, I have to wonder if your fears are but an expression of losing absolute control to a process in which the astronomy industry has to play nice with others? And, realizing that playing nice with others may not be one of the industry's finer points, fearing that the loss of control may be your undoing rather than a path towards a greater integration with the community.

'Tis a shame, eh? Maybe you should do studies, go to workshops, on how to play nice with others. Gee, you all could have a convention at some posh hotel, bask in the sun and surf, enjoy Mai Tai’s, and learn about The Politics of Astronomy..

I personally think astronomy is great. My father was an astronomer, friends and family have worked on the summit since like forever, and I have grandkids that went to private schools on the educational subsidies offered employees in the industry. My family has benefited directly in profound ways from the industry here, and still I see a controversy where there should not be any. And, believing it takes two to tangle, I think the folks in the mucky muck jobs that run the industry need to figure out how they've screwed this up or they'll lose the whole thing..

Maybe you fear those guys don't have the gumption to figure this all out? And, to be honest, especially when we look at where we are now, I think that's a reasonable fear.

I also think ground based astronomy is a phase that's poised to give way to space. And Mauna Kea's status as a premier location for astronomy is passing to the heavens themselves. Of course that doesn’t change the mountain’s preeminent position as the pinnacle of the Pacific, and the only place of its kind in the northern hemisphere, and the fact there will always be a place for ground based astronomy, so yeah, playing nice with others is still the ticket.

It’s a shame that’s so difficult, isn’t it?