The fight between the Hawaiians and the Thirty Meter Telescope reminds me of the book, “What’s the Matter With Kansas?” about the re-election of George W. Bush. The author, Thomas Frank, posits the idea that people can be manipulated because of cultural or religious beliefs to vote against their own economic self-interest. The Republicans’ drumbeat that Democrats would legalize same-sex marriage scared voters so that Ohio went Republican and we got George W. Bush and 17 years of war.

If TMT is chased to the Canary Islands, the Hawaiians will get their mountaintop. What they won’t get is all the money to educate their children, scholarships for higher education, and the good-paying jobs in science and related fields. What a shame!

Ivan Pacher

Diamond Head

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