My column for Civil Beat this week tried to wade through the Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law issued last month by retired Circuit Court Judge Riki May Amano, serving as hearing officer in the contested case hearing for the Thirty Meter Telecope’s conservation district use permit. See “Ian Lind: A Judge’s Findings Leave TMT Opponents Few Options“.
This morning, it was at the top of Civil Beat’s “Most Popular” list, and had drawn over 100 comments.
![[text]](http://ilind.net/images_2017/cb0812.jpeg)
I have to admit that I haven’t had the stomach to read through the comments. Usually when I stray over to comment on Hawaiian issues, it gets ugly. So I’m not rushing in to see what’s there. Maybe before the weekend is out I’ll have a look see.
In the meantime, I’ll focus on something more pleasant.
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beautiful photo! (no giant telescopes spoiling the vista)
I read the comments so you didn’t have to. And something remarkeable seemed to happn. They all accepted your article as factual, and implicitly fair. The comments weren’t mostly directed at you. Many seemed to have not read the article at all and just posted their comments.
I was surprised to find the same thing, very little vitriol. I only read ten or so though.
Good idea, good article, Ian.
It was clear, cogent, dispassionate and easily read. Thanks very much.
Your column made me extreme sad. Amano cited both state and federal court decisions holding that “belief in an area’s religious sacredness does not make development of that area an unconstitutional infringement of religion, and does not give the believer a legal right to stop the development.” Hawaiians are always discriminated against when it comes to their beliefs. I learned firsthand when a luxury highrise developer claimed there was no heiau and begun buldozing the area without a permit in Maunalua. Then I saw how the sacredness of wai was for sale to the highest bidder. I am not a native practitioner by any means, but at some point Native Hawaiians are just going to have had enough like Kaho’olawe. How many Kanaka Maoli will have to be arrested to make them stop?