Stop The Construction the TMT Telescope on Mauna Kea and the Arrest of Mauna Kea Protectors

[ellisonz]

83. "You appear to be woefully ignorant of science."

Um no. I am very well-educated, including in science. I understand science, and I understand "scientists" quite well.

You should resist the need to engage in personal attacks. Doing so will make you more persuasive.

"The impact will be minimal."

Yeah that's just not true. Litigation in federal courts has established that the development on Mauna Kea has had significant impact:

Despite Hawaiians' objections, and legal criticisms of various observatory projects, a consortium of institutions—led by the University of Hawai’i Institute for Astronomy (UHIFA)—continues to propose new telescope construction. In 1998, the Hawai'i State Auditor issued a report criticizing UHIFA's and BLNR's management of Mauna Kea, citing—among other things—historic sites and Hawaiian family shrines that have been damaged or destroyed by observatory construction. Yet, the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA), UHIFA and the California Astronomy Research Association subsequently proposed to build six outrigger telescopes, accompanied by underground light tunnels. In April 2002, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs sued NASA and UHIFA in federal district court, alleging that an environmental assessment issued by NASA for the outrigger telescopes was inadequate. On July 15, 2003, the Hawai’i federal district court agreed, citing NASA's failure to properly evaluate cumulative impacts. However, UHIFA's application to BLNR for a conservation district use permit to build the outrigger telescopes was approved in December 2004, triggering a lawsuit against BLNR by Mauna Kea Anaina Hou, the Royal Order of Kamehameha I, the Sierra Club's Hawai'i Chapter and a Native Hawaiian with genealogical ties to Mauna Kea. Then, complying with an earlier court order, NASA completed a final environmental impact statement for the outrigger telescopes in February 2005, which admitted that the existing telescopes had had an adverse impact on Mauna Kea's cultural resources: "From a cumulative perspective, the impact of past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future activities on cultural and biological resources is substantial, adverse and significant…"

http://www.preservationnation.org/issues/diversity/native-american-heritage-in-preservation/threatened-places/mauna-kea.html

"I cannot believe that they would demand a virgin sacrifice."

What are you trying to say there?