[ExI] Hawaii telescope protests

[John Clark]

On Wed, Jul 24, 2019 at 5:00 AM BillK <pharos at gmail.com> wrote:


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> * > The Hawaii protest is not just about a few religious fundamentalists.
> It is the flashpoint for a political protest about righting the wrongs
> perceived to have been done to the Hawaiian people. Quote: Much of the
> opposition has tapped into deep-seated grievances tied to the U.S.-backed
> overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893,*


Well perhaps you're right, maybe the root cause of the protest is indeed
some real or perceived injustice committed in 1893. I don't know if that's
true and I don't give a damn if it is. Even if you're 100% correct all
you've done is explain why their behavior is barbaric, you have not made
that behavior one bit less barbaric. The people who burned down the Library
of Alexandria had reasons to do so and no doubt they thought they were
doing the right thing, but that doesn't change the fact that their actions
dealt a serious blow to Civilization.

Let's go into a little more detail about the actions of those Hawaiian
protestors. They have already delayed by 4 years what would have been the
largest optical telescope in the world, and now after they lost in court
and astronomers tried to resume construction they acted illegally and not
only stopped all new construction they shut down 13 of the most important
telescopes in the world that were telling us fascinating things about the
universe.

I'm not a fool, I know I'm on the losing side and despite the favorable
court ruling the magnificent Thirty Meter Telescope is doomed and perhaps
those 13 existing telescopes on the mountain are too; but even though its
hopeless I like to think if I was alive back when the library was burning
I'd have a bucket of water in my hand and not a torch. So how about you? Do
you stand with the enlightenment or do you stand with the barbarians?

John K Clark
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