Summit should
be accessible for all
I am very disappointed the House has advanced HB2024, which would remove the University of Hawaii from managing the summit of Maunakea. The university’s management had left a lot to be desired in the past, but its management of the mountain has greatly improved in recent years. In other words, there is no reason to reinvent the wheel, and jeopardize the future of astronomy on Maunakea.
If this new management structure is put in place, it would cede control of the mountain to the minority that is opposed to astronomy. This would mean the end of astronomy as we know it on Maunakea. These astronomical facilities contributed $110 million in direct economic impact for the state in 2019. The indirect economic impact doubled that amount.
These facilities have been made a scapegoat by the minority seeking control of the mountain for their own self-centered religious reasons. The existing management of the mountain should remain in place, as they’ve become good stewards of the mountain. This is why I stand with Sen. Lorraine Inouye in opposition to this proposed legislation.
The summit of Maunakea should be accessible, and used, by all Hawaii residents, not just Native Hawaiians.
Aaron Stene
Kailua-Kona
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The war has started. End it now.
Until we recognize and accept that money is not the substance of value, that it only represents a system of certification thereof, we will not impact the course of events in Ukraine.
The so-called financial sanctions placed on Russia will only result in the value of its holdings translated into some other currency (Yuan). Furthermore, what possible assistance do we provide Ukraine by seizing the “ownership” of some oligarch’s yacht?
Wake up U.S. We sat by watching the horrors imposed by Adolf Hitler for years before the inevitable and the result was a 10- or perhaps 1,000-fold escalation of loss.
It’s happening again. The sacrifice of those who died in the last world war is the real worth we have canceled. The monetary cost becomes irrelevant to the real value lost.
We are now saturated with fear and lack the guts to fulfill our role as human beings, let alone Americans.
We will, as we have done before, confront and even overcome this cowardice, but not before it is again too late.
The war has started. End it now while we still have something left to win.
Please tell me what the hell we have a military for if we are afraid to use it.
Thanks Martha Hodges (My Turn, March 1 West Hawaii Today) for the reflection.
Kelly Greenwell
Kailua-Kona
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