Anything substantive to say?

25 comments on “Anything substantive to say? ”

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1. Rex Widerstrom 1

   3 January 2010 at 11:23 pm

   Wait… you were the next highest polling candidate? Then WTF is the problem?! After all, I haven’t heard him (or, to be fair, many other people) complaining about MMP.

   Under MMP people who did not, on their own merits, receive a single vote are elected to Parliament – a body slightly more important (with all due respect) than a Community Board.

   If one should accidentally fall off the gravy train another (who could be said to be doubly unelected since s/he didn’t make it through the first cull) gets to step up and replace them.

   All this is done without a single voter being consulted.

   Whereas, in appointing you, the Eden-Albert Community Board is reflecting the wishes of those few thousand (hundred? however many) voters who indicated they wanted you representing them.

   They did not only the correct thing, but the democratic thing, and good on ’em I say (and congratulations to you, rocky).
2. Whaleoil 2

   4 January 2010 at 12:43 am

   Nice rant, feel better now.
   • lprent 2.1

     4 January 2010 at 7:22 am

     Nothing to dispute? Unusual.
     Nothing substantive to say? Sounds normal.
     • Tigger 2.1.1

       4 January 2010 at 7:10 pm

       So does Oliveoyl have a problem with John Key living in Parnell but representing somewhere else?
3. mickysavage 3

   4 January 2010 at 7:39 am

   WOBH is an unusual person. He said this yesterday in a post where he had confused changes in absorption levels of CO2 with changes of CO2 levels :

   As a christian I couldn’t actually care less if the planet is doomed. It simply means the second coming is upon us, so if Climate Change is the destroyer of all mankind, I say bring it on.

   The biggest laugh of all is thinking that governments that can’t even organise trains to run on time, feed their own people, ensure adequate health care, protect their citizens from the depredations of crime are somehow able to miraculously get it all together to save the planet.

   It is laughable, risible even, to think that the UN is capable of such a feat.

   So I guess that if we want to debate with him what should be done to save the planet he is not interested because he is happy if it is destroyed?

   He should come out and say that climate change is real but it is a good thing because the rapture will happen earlier instead of saying that it will not happen.

   As for his treatment of you rocky his misogyny combined with his hatred of lefties makes him on occasions, well, irrational.
   • lprent 3.1

     4 January 2010 at 9:03 am

     I didn’t believe that even wee Johnnie could misunderstand that they were looking for a detectable decrease in CO2 absorption rates in the oceans.

     Sadly I was wrong. It is a sad indictment of the science training that Johnnie managed to absorb that he misinterpreted this result so badly. Perhaps we should bring this up as an prime example of the need to give better science training to the ministry of education?

     I was so shocked, I even left a comment on the post pointing out what they were talking about on Johnnies blog.
   • quenchino 3.2

     4 January 2010 at 10:21 am

     As a christian I couldn’t actually care less if the planet is doomed. It simply means the second coming is upon us, so if Climate Change is the destroyer of all mankind, I say bring it on.

     Fundamentalism. Nothing to do with actual Christianity.
     • felix 3.2.1

       4 January 2010 at 12:21 pm

       Fundamentalism. Nothing to do with actual Christianity.

       What a strange thing to say. Do you really believe they have nothing to do with each other?
       • Truth is stranger 3.2.1.1

         4 January 2010 at 12:53 pm

         Fundamentalism is not exclusive to Christianity, and in fact is widely misused.
         It is even portable to the new religion, where fundamentalism is where you only believe the dogma from the IPCC and the Hockey Team, and ignore recent empirical evidence (aka facts)
         • felix 3.2.1.1.1

           4 January 2010 at 1:30 pm

           This trend of attempting to equate scientific study with religious belief is interesting in that it immediately outs the writer/speaker as one who possesses no understanding of either.

           Kind of a helpful filtering tool really.
           • Macro 3.2.1.1.1.1

             4 January 2010 at 2:20 pm

             Fundamental “christians” have really nothing much in common with following the way of Christ. eg Our Super “Bishop” for our Super City and the moralistic and perverted ideas of the so called “christian” right. There are many who will pray “Lord! Lord!” But they are false prophets. I think that is what quenchino was saying. It makes me cringe every time people identify Christianity with fundamentalist claptrap.
             And yes fundamentalism is not an exclusive commodity to Christianity as Truth is stranger correctly points out – but he is wrong to suggest that it is Climate Science that is acting in a fundamentalist way. Rather it is the so called “sceptics” and CCD who will reguarly repeat the mantras given them by their priests – the PR consultants of the petro-chemical industries.
       • quenchino 3.2.1.2

         4 January 2010 at 2:11 pm

         The scriptures of all religions use allegory and metaphor to convey abstract ideas such as divinity, justice, purity, compassion, dignity and mercy in concrete terms that our limited minds can grasp. There is never a one-to-one mapping from the abstract to the concrete; all scripture can and should be interpreted from many different perspectives. It is the journey of a lifetime to discover just some of them.

         Science is the tool by which we measure and understand the material domains of this world. Religion is the tool by which we discover the abstract nature of the next.

         Because there is just one creator, and one reality… science and religion must be at some level in harmony with each other… but it is a mistake to think that the tools that work in one, will work in the other.

         There are many atheists for instance, who make the mistake of applying valid scientific tools, such as scepticism and testable hypothesis… when they approach religious matters of faith, love, self-abnegation and sacrifice. They begin their journey equiped with the wrong map, and get lost.

         Religious fundamentalists makes the equal and opposite mistake of mapping the abstract domain of religion into literal materialistic interpretations in this world, no matter how rationally absurd or dangerous they are. This is most often done by ego driven church leaders, who attempt to exert influence and power by usurping the credibility and success of the sciences.

         Atheists and fundamentalists are in this sense brothers on opposite sides of the same mistaken coin; but while the atheist can have been said to have at least set out on a path to find God, the fundamentalists while wearing the garb of believers… have set their feet away from Him.

         (You last comment Felix puts the same case more succiently.)
         • felix 3.2.1.2.1

           4 January 2010 at 4:05 pm

           A lot to think about in there, q. Thanks for taking the time.
         • felix 3.2.1.2.2

           4 January 2010 at 4:15 pm

           Incidentally (or perhaps back to the topic) I find it difficult to believe that Slater is any kind of Christian, Fundamentalist or otherwise.

           I suspect that he just thinks he’s found a convenient new tool for clawing out of holes he’s dug himself and enjoys the bombastic language that goes along with it.
4. Jenny 4

   4 January 2010 at 8:02 am

   Yaarr beef hooked, Whaleoil, me hearty.
5. lprent 5

   4 January 2010 at 8:08 am

   I have been appointed Community Constable liaison and Youth Affairs Spokesperson

   Can’t think of a person who could be more qualified….. 😈
6. grumpy 6

   4 January 2010 at 11:17 am

   Actually Rocky, he has quite nice things to say about you. Probably the most praise he has ever given a leftist activist – are you sure you’re not mates???
   • gitmo 6.1

     4 January 2010 at 11:41 am

     Luke I am your father
     • grumpy 6.1.1

       5 January 2010 at 1:10 pm

       Hi Dad, Mummy wants to know when you’re coming home?

       Can you bring the milk?
       • lprent 6.1.1.1

         5 January 2010 at 2:07 pm

         Both of you were more substantive than than wee Johnnie. I think that he managed to establish that rocky went on to the board and he spelt the C&R bludgers name correctly.

         Everything else that wee Johnnie said was incorrect.. Or did I miss something..

         I suspect that was what annoyed rocky. She has a low tolerance for bullshit.
         • grumpy 6.1.1.1.1

           5 January 2010 at 2:33 pm

           Can’t see it;s an issue anyway. From what I know, Rocky was the next highest polling candidate, it’s called democracy.

           I can’t stand people who put themselves up for election, get voted in and then don’t bother turning up.
7. Bored 7

   4 January 2010 at 11:28 am

   Seasons greetings and congrats Rocky,

   What a grotty way to start a New Year, but atleast you have the opportunity to do something positive which is something the unhinged aquatic one does not have the ability to do.
8. Killinginthenameof 8

   4 January 2010 at 3:08 pm

   Lies of omission from Slater, nothing new there. Regular readers (not the righties, they are happy to shut their mouth for the greater good) might notice how often his wild claims and allegations ammount to SFA.
9. Swampy 9

   7 January 2010 at 9:56 pm

   He had a lot less to say than you, didn’t he. Is this a campaign blog or something. I think you are put out that everyone knows who you are now. Unlike that Cameron John Slater who everyone knows who he is already.

   [rocky: I’ve always been open about who I am (see my very first post!). You’re really starting to annoy me, as I keep having to waste time replying to your uninformed comments.]
   • felix 9.1

     7 January 2010 at 10:22 pm

     *hic*

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