Telescope opponents appeal approval by Land Board

[TexasTowelie]

Opponents of a giant telescope planned for Mauna Kea on Hawaii island are appealing the state Land Board’s approval of the project’s construction permit.

Richard Wurdeman, an attorney representing some of the opponents, filed a notice of appeal with the state Supreme Court on Monday.

The board in September approved a construction permit for the Thirty Meter Telescope. Opponents of the $1.4 billion project say it will desecrate land sacred to Native Hawaiians while supporters say it will provide educational and economic opportunities.

The opponents appealed directly to the state Supreme Court because of a law that allows certain contested- case hearing decisions to bypass the Intermediate Court of Appeals.

Read more: http://www.staradvertiser.com/2017/11/02/hawaii-news/telescope-opponents-appeal-approval-by-land-board/

[longship]

1. The astronomical preserve on Mauna Kea was set aside in the 1960's.

The reason why this was done is because it is the single best place in the northern hemisphere for visual astronomy. No other location is a close second.

Building the TMT in no way expands that preserve, but only adds another instrument to it.

The TMT would expand the largest telescope by three times in aperture and would significantly benefit science education on Hawaii.

Mauna Kea is the largest mountain on the planet. It's summit is gigantic, only a small part of which is the astronomical preserve. The summit is so high supplemental oxygen is often needed by people working there. It certainly is no place for public worship, volcano gods notwithstanding. The people complaining about this telescope certainly don't go up there very often, and if they do, maybe it's good that supplemental oxygen is available at the astronomical preserve, if they can survive long enough to make it there.

I have zero sympathy for the luddites who oppose the TMT. What they are asking for is neither rational nor reasonable.

Are these the same volcano gods that guided their ancestors across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii in the first place? No! That would be the stars in the sky which guided their boats. They could navigate by the sky. Now they want to impede the education of that same sky.

Fuck em! Build the TMT on Mauna Kea!