What's Your Story?
Readers often have more to offer than a quick comment. This is the place to share your thoughts, anecdotes or even column-length submissions. If you prefer, you may also e-mail your story to connections@civilbeat.com.
Being Mindful and Respectful in Our Use of Mauna Kea
The sacredness of land shouldn’t keep us from using it, but it should heighten our interest in treating it with dignity and care.
Participating in Nai Aupuni: Legalizing the Illegal
Is electing delegates for a constitutional convention to create a Native Hawaiian government an effort to cover past sins? One writer thinks so.
The Supreme Court is the Court of Last Resort
An attorney writes in praise of a recent Connections: Mauna Kea commentary that spoke to the role the high court plays in all our lives.
Mauna Kea: Not A Sacred Place, But A Precious Resource
The monarchs of the Kingdom of Hawaii embraced science and technology. So should we.
Restore McKinley’s Rightful Name: Honolulu High School
The school was renamed nearly 100 years ago in tribute to the late president for bringing about the annexation of Hawaii. A growing number of petition signers say the school’s name only deepens the wound of the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Justice in the Air: TMT at the Supreme Court
The Hawaii Supreme Court’s recent hearing on the Thirty Meter Telescope was as remarkable for its profound substance as for the incredible environment in the courtroom.
Protests Aren’t Only About Religious Practice
“We are tired of being pushed out of our own homeland,” argues the author. “We participated in the process that the state asked us to go through, and it didn’t work. So we are trying something else.”
Making Mauna Kea Sacred
While the mountain ought to be preserved, the state ought not to confer special privileges based on religious beliefs that Mauna Kea is sacred. The state must remain secular.
Speaking Past Each Other on Mauna Kea
TMT supporters of all stripes seem almost clueless about the basic argument of the protectors of Mauna Kea that render supporters鈥 points irrelevant.
The Heart of a Hawaiian: We Are Mauna Kea
Humanity needs to heed cautionary tales of unethical business practices. 鈥淲e Are Mauna Kea鈥 is a plea to the world, and its struggle embodies a systemic global issue that affects many communities.
Giving Back: An Appeal to DLNR
This writer argues that looking out for Mauna Kea’s best interests requires taking a moral stand. For some, that stand may come at significant professional sacrifice.
In Defense of the Protectors of Mauna Kea
We said no to the Superferry. We said no to former Gov. Neil Abercrombie鈥檚 650-foot skyscraper. We should say no to the astronomers鈥 cyclopsian temple.
Legally Permitted, TMT Construction Should Start Now
The lack of enforcement by Hawaii County and the State of Hawaii isn’t helping matters, and it’s given Hawaii a black eye on the world stage, the writer argues.
Hawaii’s Technology Crossroads and the TMT
By its very nature, technology brings change in society and undermines convention. It affects virtually every aspect of human endeavor 鈥 including organization of societies and the condition of human lives.
Human Rights, Oppression and Mauna Kea
The Mauna Kea conflict is like other civil rights struggles that have played out on the mainland and elsewhere. This writer asserts that liberation movements are an effect of oppression.
‘Anti-Science Resistance?’ Let’s Examine the Facts
A trail of broken laws, violated policies and disregarded cultural practices leads from the state capitol to the summit of Mauna Kea.
Hawaii Patriotism vs. U.S. Patriotism: Why is One Valued Over the Other?
The writer supports Americans in embracing their citizenship, but encourages them to support others in their quest for freedom and justice, starting with Native Hawaiians.
How TMT Has Given Rise to What it Means to be Hawaiian
The conflict over TMT has heightened awareness over what it means to be Hawaiian. The idea that Mauna deserves respect is now the common denominator connecting us all.
Kanaka Maoli Health Does Not Matter, Kanaka Maoli Do Not Matter
Blocking the connection between Native Hawaiians and sacred land has the potential to negatively affect health, the writer argues.
Tutu Mauna and the Meaning of Kapu Aloha
Kapu Aloha stands for unconditional love for everyone and everything, and this writer believes it’s a belief everyone can live by.
Kapu Aloha: A Positive Way Forward
Difference of opinion should never be the defining characteristic of a relationship. Kapu Aloha suggests that the bonds that hold us together are shaped by love.
Are Mauna Kea Observatories Getting a Free Ride?
An analysis by the author indicates existing telescopes are allocating observatory time worth $13 million annually to the University of Hawaii. The Thirty Meter Telescope would raise that to more than $17 million a year.
Indigenous People: Endangered Species in Face of Western Development
From experiencing the appropriation of their sacred lands, such as Mauna Kea, to witnessing the desecration of their spiritual places and values, native peoples share common threats.
The Complicated Classification of Earthlings in Hawaii
Members of the host culture, foreigners, people of blended ancestry 鈥 sometimes the categories aren’t as neat or convenient as they might seem.
The Pale Blue Dot and Our Drive to Understand What Lies Beyond
There are very few things for which humanity will put aside our differences in order to work together. Giant telescopes, designed with the sole intent of providing us with the ability to observe, study and understand more about our universe, represent an example of these rare efforts.
Enlightening Hawaii’s Economy
A vibrant Hawaiian culture is worth far more than the astronomy industry ever could be, because it is about so much more than money.
Bring Back the Peace Beneath the Stars
The fight over the placement of the new telescope on Mauna Kea has destabilized an amateur astronomer’s visits to the mountain.
Host Culture in Hawaii Is Just a Myth
Amid all of the talk of a “host聽culture” in the islands, a reader writes that it is worth remembering we are all equal in the eyes of the law.
Respecting the Host Culture: Why Are Guests’ Values More Important?
Native Hawaiians shouldn’t have to explain their religion or articulate why they view Mauna Kea as sacred. That which is most sacred is often beyond articulation.
Advancing Science: Is TMT the Answer?
Does advancement mean gazing into the past to search for knowledge of our beginnings, or focusing our lenses here in the present to find real sustainable solutions?
Space Telescopes Can’t Do What TMT Would
A new space mission is required every time a space telescope needs repairs or upgrades. Earth telescopes are simply easier to maintain.
A Simple Alternative to the TMT
Two possible alternatives exist to the Thirty Meter Telescope, both with far better views of space than might be had from Mauna Kea.
Let Honesty, Learning and Decency Guide Mauna Kea Debate
There are strong arguments on both sides of this issue, and there’s no easy answer. Facts help, while half-truths, meanness and threats only diminish everyone involved.
Mauna Kea Equals Beauty, Love and Family
The Kapu Aloha governing Protectors on the mountain top has led to a shift in thinking and brought together people of all ages and from different cultures.
If Most Kanaka Maoli Oppose TMT, It Should Go Elsewhere
If accepted, the telescope project would be of great benefit to Hawaii, but it shouldn’t be forced atop Mauna Kea if it isn’t wanted.
View from Mauna Kea: Looking Forward or Looking Back?
Atop Mauna Kea, people from dozens of countries work together in cooperation for the advancement of knowledge that benefits all humankind.
Solution to TMT Conflict: Aloha Aina
Aloha aina is a call to live in harmony and balance with everyone and everything, but it’s also a call to action.
Why I Declined the TMT THINK Scholarship
A native Hawaiian scientist would have rather seen the Thirty Meter Telescope project commit to mitigating future cultural harm than fund a STEM scholarship.
Science Is Not White, It’s Color Blind
A’ole TMT portrays Hawaiians as a threatened people being exploited by ruthless haole scientists. Nothing could be further from the truth.
TMT Misinforms with Assumptions
TMT is using Hawaiian history, social issues and half-truths to create a narrative in which the project is in harmony with Hawaiian culture. Some believe it. Many do not.
Westerners Feel at Home, Hawaiians Feel Lost
To understand the cultural disconnect playing out in the TMT controversy, consider first how Western values have supplanted Hawaiian values.
Revoking the TMT Permits Would Be a Huge Mistake
The Thirty Meter Telescope Corp. bent over backwards to address project concerns. But the University of Hawaii’s lease renewal on the site needs more discussion.