‘Filthy money’
‘Filthy money’
I’d just like to ask the Thirty Meter Telescope protesters, how many of you have a job? And if they do, how do they get paid? Oh, yeah: “filthy money.”
Do they buy groceries, pay for shelter, clothes, transportation, etc? Oh, yeah, with the same “filthy money.”
Unfortunately, perhaps, the world runs on money. I doubt any of us really would want to return to the barter system, where we raised or manufactured whatever we wanted for our families.
How many people work on the mountain? And what do you suppose they collectively make? Shall we say several millions of dollars? And where do these people spend their money? Oh yeah, in Hilo.
Now, just say the telescopes all closed. Where will the people, and their millions of dollars, go? Would they find comparable jobs so they could stay here? I doubt it. So, the “filthy money” would go elsewhere and our merchants would be out the income. I hope they enjoy the unobstructed view of the mountain.
As for the celebrities who have jumped on the bandwagon, they pay PR people a lot of money to keep their name in front of the public, but they could not pay enough to gain the publicity they are getting for free by scrawling on themselves with a ballpoint pen and posting the picture on Facebook or Twitter.
Judith Grogg
Mountain View
Poli‘ahu and TMT
Science and religion are not conflicting paradigms. Science is not a belief, but a methodology that can be used to explain empirically what naturally occurs. Spirituality offers to explain what is believed, but does not require empirical evidence to be accepted.
Protectors/protesters of TMT state that Mauna Kea is sacred to that group. They have not said, and I do not claim to know, which deity they worship on Mauna Kea, but presume it is Poli‘ahu. The protectors/protesters might make the argument that all of the ‘aina is sacred. But, then the “‘aina” is scared to all people wherever they live on planet Earth and not just to the protectors/protesters.
I have a spiritual interest in creation. Understanding creation is not limited to genesis of humans. It is not limited to creation of planet Earth, or even our solar system. Understanding of creation extends beyond creation of our galaxy, to creation of the universe. TMT can offer understanding of creation if it is placed in an ideal location for gathering empirical data. Mauna Kea is that ideal location.
The summit of Mauna Kea is comprised of hundreds of acres. There is adequate space for areas on the summit to be shared for structures that seek spiritual connection and understanding of creation.
Ancient Hawaiians mined adze stone and left piles of stone byproduct from the adze manufacture, demonstrating that ancient Hawaiians were not averse to altering the Mauna Kea environment in order to achieve a desired goal.
An area at the very summit of Mauna Kea should be reserved for worship of Poli‘ahu or other sacred ceremony. An area that has not in the past been used to worship Poli‘ahu can be used to construct TMT.
Allen Novak
Hilo