To Mayor Harry Kim
You have been negotiating with the Maunakea protesters to find a solution to the illegal Maunakea blockade that would be satisfactory to all. That sounds nice, but you must know by now that there is no compromise coming from the protesters.
They are essentially illegally blackmailing the major astronomy institutions (and indirectly the members of the public who care about science) by shutting down all the facilities on the mountain. Their blockade has closed four of the largest telescopes in the world, along with several smaller telescopes.
Thirty Meter Telescope is a very special telescope with a mirror nine times larger than the Keck telescopes, which are now the world’s largest. It is based on new technology developed in the United States and initially demonstrated with the Keck telescopes. It deserves to located on the very best site, which also happens to be in the U.S.
This blackmail is causing a very important scientific loss and makes it very difficult for TMT to simply wait out the blockade, which could take months.
The state and county governments are essentially letting the protesters go uncontrolled, with only a token effort to enforce the law. They actually seem to sympathize with the protesters as if they had some real historical justification for these actions. If they have enough people show up, it is OK to allow their actions. By allowing this to go on, the government is ignoring its basic responsibility to protect the public through law enforcement,
Sorry, mayor, but Gov. David Ige dropped an impossible problem in your lap to avoid the responsibility of his job to enforce the laws and protect the pubic from lawbreakers. You should give the governor back his problem and let him make the tough decision. After all these years of encouraging TMT to come to Hawaii, maybe he will try to keep them in Hawaii.
Gerald Smith
Waimea
TMT ‘wrong target’
I have been watching the events on Maunakea with trepidation. Are we as a community going to drive away the thing that we have all been asking for: a high-tech workplace with high-paying, interesting jobs, where our sons and daughters can work and not have to leave the island?!
Are we going to let the Canary Islands make all the amazing discoveries about new planets, black holes, dark matter and dark energy that will surely come from the TMT? I know I would be proud if the news headlines say: “Signs of Life Discovered on Planet X by New Hawaii Telescope.”
As a political activist myself, I agree with the protesters that Hawaiian sovereignty was stolen and should be given back. If they were protesting an oil pipeline, a housing complex, a shopping center, or anything else on Maunakea, I would be out there protesting with them.
But as a science teacher, knowing the value of Keck, CFHT, and the other observatories to our community and to human understanding of the universe, I believe the protesters have picked the completely wrong target. As a I heard one protest leader say, “Hawaiians are tired of being pushed around — that’s what this is all about.” I totally get that, but it would be like a person being bullied striking out wildly and hitting his own grandmother. Just the wrong target!
Please, protesters! You have made your point, and people are listening and are sympathetic. Save your powder for a fight against a better target. Because, if you win this fight and stop the TMT, you will have diminished this island, alienated the majority of the public who support the TMT, and let down our children.
My son had to go to the mainland this year to get a good high-tech job. I hope that, one day, when your children or grandchildren grow up and start looking for fulfilling jobs, they won’t have to leave the island, too.
Matt Binder
Waimea