[ExI] The Thirty Meter Telescope is now officially dead

[SR Ballard]

Talking about politics as an idea or a strategy isn’t the problem. For example, there are politics of the Boeing v. SpaceX bit. Discussing that is fine, within reason, I think.

But “big P” politics, as you put it, is boring for the same reason as the foaming at the mouth at the “barbarian protestors”.

SR Ballard

> On Dec 28, 2019, at 7:28 AM, John Clark via extropy-chat <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
> 
> On Sat, Dec 28, 2019 at 6:48 AM ddraig--- via extropy-chat <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
> 
>>> >> recent events have made me see more clearly how strongly our culture has moved in the anti-science/pro-ignorance direction, the tendency even shows up on the Extropian List which you'd expect to be fiercely pro-science/anti-ignorance, and at one time it certainly was but no more. Since my last post on this subject there have been 3 responses and all of them criticized me for being too logical and all of them empathised with the ignorant anti-science mob, not one of them empathised with the astronomers who not only could no longer do their work of finding out more about the universe but actually feared for their lives.
>> 
>> > Ummm, no, we're saying that if you ignore the emotions of the people who OWN THE LAND of course your project will fail. 
> 
> It's amazing to me that so many people on the Extropian List feel that preventing that telescope from being built on that mountain by any means necessary is a hill they're willing to die on. I am not willing to do that. I am saying the project failed DESPITE the wishes of the owners of the land not because of them. Every single court decision has ruled that the mob of marching morons DOES NOT OWN THE LAND and the astronomers have every right to build that telescope. I am also saying that the law and the court decisions proved to be completely irrelevant because the rule of law does not operate on that mountain, so the mob ILLEGALLY blocked the only road up that mountain and has done so for years. If they had not that telescope would be generating new knowledge about the universe for the entire human race right now, but that didn't happen because the mob successfully transmitted their ignorance worshiping meme.
> 
> And finally I am saying that even if a person has the right to do something (as the protestors do NOT) that would not necessarily prevent me from saying they are being evil parochial and stupid for exercising that right. A person has the right to say anything they like but I have the right to say they are being an ass for doing so.
> 
>>  > It's basic politics.
> 
> The P word implies the rule of law but there is none on that mountain. And besides you're walking on eggs, you need to be very careful when you use that dangerous word around here, for reasons I don't understand when it comes to that subject we're supposed to pretend that the elephant in the room isn't there.
> 
>  John K Clark
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