Slashdot Mirror
Giant Telescope Project Stalled By Hawaiian Natives (khon2.com)
Fudge Factor 3000 writes: The Hawaiian Supreme Court has pulled a construction permit for the Thirty Meter Telescope project. A vocal minority of Hawaiians has vehemently protested the construction of the telescope for religious reasons. Now, they have been successful in contesting the construction permit. The ruling reads in part: "The process followed by the Board here did not meet these standards. Quite simply, the Board put the cart before the horse when it issued the permit before the request for a contested case hearing was resolved and the hearing was held. Accordingly, the permit cannot stand."
When it comes to dealing with extortion from people putting up religion as a front, yes.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Anyone who has ever worked with Hawaiian natives can tell you this has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with money. Basically, whoever is trying to build this telescope must not have realized that building anything big in Hawaii requires a big kickback to the natives.
SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
"You're probably thinking of Pohakuloa."
Yes, Pohakuloa on the lower slopes of Maunakea. And are they still running those Enduro 500-mile mud races?
This ruling has nothing to do with religion.
"The State reaffirms and shall protect all rights, customarily and traditionally exercised for subsistence, cultural and religious purposes"
Well, if by "nothing" you mean "everything"...
Due process was not followed when the permit was granted. The university is free to apply for a permit again.
Does the state intend to reimburse the university for expenses already incurred as a result of the state's negligence in failing to follow their discriminatory religion-favoring "due process" rules?
It's probably no less valid though than mindlessly subscribing to the romantic "noble savage" narrative. That feel good frivolity belongs back in the 19th century where is was born, not the 21st century, when historical and archaeological evidence says otherwise.
That said, I don't think his "pagan savages" remark was called for. Civilization doesn't really reduce cruelty all that much, it just hides it much better.
Look back up at my post, now look back down, you're on the Internet. Now look back up. I'm a signature.
Jared Diamond calls it something like the noble savage fantasy. Many people insist on believing that native cultures were all peaceful utopias who called up mother Earth every Sunday. The truth is that premodern cultures, including white European cultures, were almost all incredibly nasty. Occasional, isolated, exceptions existed, until they met their bloodthirsty enslaving, often cannibalistic neighbours. Those neighbours were sometimes English, Spanish, Carib, Iroquois, Viking, Ottoman, or pretty much anybody else. Modern societies aren't perfect, but they're far, far better than anything that existed even a couple hundred years ago.