Protesting the Thirty Meter Telescope is the current rage. What is the benefit to Hawaii and Native Hawaiians if it is stopped?

I and many others protested vigorously for years against building the H-3 freeway. We contended it would desecrate some remote sacred land that nobody used and for the most part didn’t even know about. We delayed it for about 20 years and it ended up costing twice as much, but it was built. Does anybody care that we tried to stop it? I even use it.

I respectfully suggest to the organizers and na kapuna of the anti-Thirty Meter Telescope protests that they are protesting yet again the wrong things. Arguably Hawaiians were great astronomers and navigated the open seas using the stars 2,000 years before Europeans. Kalakaua himself owned an astronomical telescope.

I respectfully suggest that nonviolent protests be mounted against the real and most fundamental injustice against Hawaii, namely the ongoing and illegal occupation by force of the Nation of Hawai‘i by the United States government. I will join you if you do that.

Paul Pollitt

Kaneohe

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