[ExI] The Thirty Meter Telescope is now officially dead

[John Clark]

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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