As a fellow scientist allow me to state the obvious: It’s time to move the Thirty Meter Telescope to the Canary Islands. TMT’s developers have the government’s permission to build their telescope on Mauna Kea, but they don’t have the people’s consent. The protesters might be a minority in number, but they are an overwhelming majority in passion.

Where are the pro-TMT counter-protesters? Keeping the telescope here is not a priority for us. The rifts they are creating in our community take precedence over the slight gain in science by building the telescope here, rather than there. Far better to humbly apologize for the problems caused, accept this as a useful lesson learned and perhaps come back in another generation or two with a more open attitude to work with the members of our community who sincerely care about the mana of our ‘aina and its people.

Roger Brewer

Ala Moana

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