Thursday, November 14, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Sunday, November 11, 2018
Telescope: OHA Greenmail Overplays its Hand?
By Andrew Walden @ 9:25 PM :: 6130 Views :: Ethics, Greenmail, OHA

by Andrew Walden

Why is it OK for Obama to accept advice from Al Sharpton but not OK for Trump to accept advice from Steve Bannon?

Its an argument made by some Trump defenders before the white nationalist Bannon was booted from the White House.

Here’s a better question:  What has Al Sharpton ever done for black people (besides the one black person named Al Sharpton) and why would white people want their own Al Sharpton?

Naturally this leads us to the October 30 Hawaii State Supreme Court 4-1 decision allowing Thirty-Meter Telescope construction on Mauna Kea. 

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs and anti-Telescope protesters call Mauna Kea ‘sacred’ but in reality they have been demanding rent money.  OHA’s hand-picked protest leader Kealoha Pisciotta says $50M will do

Are the interests of Native Hawaiians best served by shaking down scientific projects for cash Al Sharpton style?

Science is the road to the future.  Some people are going to be travelling that road and others will be standing by the side of the road attempting to collect tolls.  The toll collectors are eventually going to be left behind—as they were October 30.

It is absurd to believe that a culture founded on star-based navigation would be against astronomy.  Instead of demanding rent money—which we all know will be stolen and squandered by OHA insiders—Hawaiians should be demanding improved education so their children can be the scientists of tomorrow. 

This isn’t happening because political cronies haven’t figured out how to grab a cut of your kid’s PhD salary—and there is no leadership which consistently challenges the rent-seeking political culture. 

Meanwhile the tourism industry long ago figured out how to profit from Hawaiian culture and exploit Hawaii’s false image of ecotopia as a selling point for that Hawaii dream vacation.  OHA insiders cash in on nebulous “Hawaiian sense of place” deals with developers—who then magically don’t get protested.  Hotels sic protesters on other industries—such as the seed industry, Kauai’s proposed dairy, Maui’s last cane plantation, and TVRs which compete with the hotel monopoly.  Resort operators eagerly jump on every eco-hysteria—banning sunscreen and plastic for instance—thus propounding the hype and allowing money-grubbing greenmailers to grab a cut of the tourism industry’s business by peddling so-called green products.

Soon tourism will be the only private sector left in Hawaii.

Now you know why.

---30---

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii