[ExI] Hawaii telescope protests

SR Ballard sen.otaku at gmail.com
Wed Jul 24 14:32:46 UTC 2019


#1 - the destruction of the library by fire is WAYYY overstated. 

#2 - I somehow doubt that learning “fascinating things” is more important than people’s health and safety, as well as being respected by their government. That’s a dubious claim to make. It would be like paving over Israel and turning the whole thing into a college. 

SR Ballard

> On Jul 24, 2019, at 8:28 AM, John Clark <johnkclark at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> On Wed, Jul 24, 2019 at 5:00 AM BillK <pharos at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> > 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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