Richard Ha should be commended for his article about the future of Mauna Kea and the solution to the Thirty Meter Telescope and future use of the mountain (“Put cultural center on Maunakea,” Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, Jan. 9).

It pays homage to the mountain and provides a way to honor the past and continue the path toward much-needed knowledge into the future. It should be noted that if the ancient Polynesian voyagers had not pursued knowledge of the heavens to the extent available to them, Capt. James Cook would have arrived at an uninhabited archipelago in 1778.

Since then, every ali‘i moi since Kamehameha has employed the latest technology available to advance their kingdom. This included ships and guns (by female troops) employed by Kamehameha, up to the telephone and electric lights by David Kalakaua.

It is time for reasonable people of all ethnic backgrounds to make compromises so that a tool of knowledge can be realized for the good of Hawaii and of all humankind.

Allan Anderson

Waikiki

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