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In 1633, the famous Italian scientist, Galileo Galilei, was jailed by church leaders for his efforts to persuade his countrymen that the Earth moves around the sun.
The church has since agreed that the Earth does indeed do so, in a nearly circular orbit with a period of about 365 days.
When powerful vested interests are threatened by new observations and understanding, they will do everything in their power to discredit science and delay the inevitable.
We are facing the same pattern with global warming, only now it is coal and oil interests rather than the church that are throwing smoke and mirrors.
Unfortunately, the stakes are rather higher this time. The Thirty Meter Telescope and the nonprofit science it represents are not the problem.
Climate change will make our aina unrecognizable by the end of this century and our children and their children will revile us for doing nothing.
Wake up and march in Honolulu and in Washington, D.C.
Steven Businger
Wilhelmina Rise
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