I empathize with Richard Ha and his buddies who have formed the Big Island Community Coalition expressing their concern about “anti” groups such as those opposing locating the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea as expressed in a viewpoint in the June 26 issue of West Hawaii Today. However, I urge this coalition to instead encourage adult conversations without name-calling so that we avoid such divisive controversies in the future.
What we need is more empathy. Empathy means you try to understand and comprehend the issue from the other’s point of view, but does not imply that you agree or sympathize with their position. By name calling you instead engage in antipathy — exactly the conduct you supposedly oppose.
All folks who Richard Ha names as “anti” groups perceive themselves as “pro” groups. These pro-groups seek to promote protection of what they believe important in our lives and for the long-term well-being of our island ohana.
— Your “anti-TMT” labeled group seeks to protect sacred places, and seeks to use this controversy to address unsettled abuses of the Hawaiian people.
— Your “anti-geothermal” labeled group seeks to protect neighboring property owners from undue harm from nearby under-regulated geothermal operations.
— Your “anti-GMO” labeled group seeks to protect public health as well as non-GMO farmers and neighboring properties from contamination by GMO pollen drift and associated pesticides. None of these folks are anti-science. Instead, their legitimate priorities simply differ from those of Richard Ha to one degree or another on each of these issues.
The “anti-group” that I have been most closely associated with is the anti-GMO group. I can assure you this group is very supportive of science — the science that is daily raising more public health concerns about the harmful affects of undertested GMO products and of the “unbuffered” cultivation of GMO crops and associated pesticides on neighboring property owners. In fact, it is the GMO multinational chemical corporations that have used political power to avoid scientific studies that would otherwise be required prior to marketing their products. Likewise, they have sought to snuff out scientific research of adverse effects on beneficial insects, aquatic life and sensitive ecosystems. No matter what happens in court or in pre-emptive GMO legislation, we will still be faced with the same issue of how do we protect our non-GMO farmers and neighboring property owners from contamination caused by nearby GMO operations. Likewise, we will still be faced with the irrefutable environmental harm from the use of GMO associated pesticides such as glyphosate. Otherwise, coalition members would be saying they do not care about crop diversity and are not concerned about contamination and harm to neighbors and those farmers not cultivating GMO crops.
With regard to the TMT: Yes the TMT has obtained its permits and I expect its construction to now proceed. But where do we go from here? That is the important question. How can we use this experience to avoid future conflicts that pit economic pursuits against countervailing socio-cultural concerns and environmental well-being. I urge the Big Island Community Coalition members to now engage in positive discussion that moves forward forums to address these and future controversial issues without the need to engage in name-calling and blame.
Margaret Wille is Hawaii County’s District 9 council member.
Viewpoint articles are the opinion of the writer and not necessarily the opinion of West Hawaii Today.