Open Mike 11/07/2017

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, July 11th, 2017 - 43 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step up to the mike …

43 comments on “Open Mike 11/07/2017 ”

  1. adam 1

    For a video just over a minute long – this is disturbing. Almost complete destruction, most of it done by the airstrikes.

    • Shocking! It’s almost as though a large, well-armed group of soldiers determined to fight to the last man and last bullet in a densely-built-up were really hard to defeat.

      • adam 1.1.1

        And yet the Kurd’s beat them at every turn. All without using white phosphorus as an incendiary munition.

        • Psycho Milt 1.1.1.1

          Which densely-built-up area have Da’esh fought to the last man against the Kurds in? Also, the peshmerga have received coalition air support the same as the Iraqi government forces have, it’s just not whinged about by anti-American leftists because peshmerga.

          • Bill 1.1.1.1.1

            What’s “anti-American” when it’s at home?

            The peshmerga btw, is not the People’s Protection Units (YPG etc) of the autonomous Syrian cantons. They (peshmerga) are an entirely separate military force commanded from Iraqi Kurdistan.

            • Psycho Milt 1.1.1.1.1.1

              The peshmerga btw, is not the People’s Protection Units (YPG etc) of the autonomous Syrian cantons.

              I know. The subject of the comment was Mosul, which is in Iraq.

          • adam 1.1.1.1.2

            How funny Pscho Milt, love how you always guess at peoples motivation, and get it spectacularly wrong. Not the first time you have done that with me, I’m guessing it won’t be the last.

            My problem with this operation has been NZ involvement. We know it was commanded by General from NZ. I’ve also been told NZ troops were on the ground – I’m sure the official line will be in a support roll.

            ‘Training purposes’ is starting to make us all look hoodwinked.

            • Psycho Milt 1.1.1.1.2.1

              My problem with this operation has been NZ involvement.

              I think I can be forgiven for failing to recognise you were talking about New Zealand when referring to air strikes on Homs, given New Zealand’s complete lack of air strike capability.

              • adam

                So you had no idea that Kiwi was in charge then?

                • An Iraqi is in charge, General Abdul Yarallah. A NZ general is deputy commander of the coalition forces supporting the Iraqis, the deputy job rotating among the coalition members. I guess you could say NZ was “involved” in the airstrikes, as it’s a collective responsibility, but it’s a bit of a long bow.

                  • adam

                    One we did not sign up for. As in we were told our troops would be in a training only role.

                    That aside, the NZ general was as you say was supporting, and in this case that meant control of all air strikes. Which used white phosphorus as an incendiary munition. He admitted as much. And yet that does not seem to worry you – why is that Psycho Milt?

      • Cemetery Jones 1.1.2

        That’s what I said during the siege of Aleppo

    • Gabby 1.2

      Looks like those isis fullas really didn’t want to leave.

  2. Andre 2

    It’s official. Republicans think stupidity and ignorance are good things. Wonder what a similar poll would find here?

    http://thehill.com/homenews/news/341305-poll-most-republicans-say-colleges-have-negative-impact-on-us

    • tc 2.1

      You’ll find out in September.

    • ianmac 2.2

      Remember that educated Brits voted mostly for Labour in the UK.

    • Cemetery Jones 2.3

      This isn’t because they think STEM subjects are satanic or anything, it’s because they’re seeing what’s been going on with post-modern lunacy at institutions like Missou, Evergreen, Berkeley, etc. where professors and students alike are causing all kinds of mayhem. They quite reasonably don’t relish the idea of people like Melissa Click and Eric Clanton teaching their children rather than people like Bret Weinstein. And yeah, I’ve always been a Labour-oriented voter, but I don’t think I’d want Marxist lunatics with violent tendencies using my child’s student loan as a meal ticket either.

      • Andre 2.3.1

        Climate science and evolution are just the first of many topics to come to mind that fall into the category of STEM subjects Repugs would prefer weren’t taught.

        • Cemetery Jones 2.3.1.1

          Right, right, if you focus on a couple of subject areas then you can make it about STEM. It wasn’t republicans who hounded scientist Bret Weinstein off campus and tried to have his career ruined. And if you can show me where any significant numbers of actual republicans are saying that universities shouldn’t teach STEM then I will consider the possibility that maybe they’re talking about this, rather than the very prominent controversies we’ve seen around Melissa Click & Missou, Eric Clanton & the Battles of Berkeley, Bret Weinstein & Evergreen, etc. You might not have heard anything about these people and events on CNN, but on the right these have been huge stories with ongoing coverage.

          • Andre 2.3.1.1.1

            But there’s plenty of safe-space universities for right-wing snowflakes. Liberty, Brigham Young, Notre Dame and so on. A few liberal-leaning places giving hate-speech merchants a hard time doesn’t explain why they’re anti the general category of universities.

            • Cemetery Jones 2.3.1.1.1.1

              It’s the violent Antifa wannabes who are demanding safe spaces while their professors hit people over the head with bike locks for thinking capitalism is better than anarcho-communism (Clanton) or singling them out and calling for ‘muscle’ to intimidate them when they refuse to be barred from moving freely around the campus they’re paying to attend (Click).

              It’s the snowflakes of Evergreen who wanted Bret Weinstein fired for not letting them have a ‘safe space’ by making white people leave campus for the day – because apparently spending the day without any white people in sight is what it takes to prepare African American university students for the realities of adulthood and life in the modern workplace.

              Also, are you really calling Bret Weinstein a ‘hate speech merchant’, or are you another fantasist who can’t bear the hard truths which Milo has served up for the left? You know how much of his fanmail is from thankful leftists who can’t believe what’s become of their movement, right?

  3. I often thought as a sales manager if I could get someone to put a white coat on, and then do a fake test on a salesperson and then declare to the salesperson, ‘you are the most naturally talented sales person we’ve ever tested.’ The salesperson would get out there and be successful.

    Same with polls. Belief will do it. Enthusiasm and belief. Don’t listen to lies, listen to The truth and believe. And let’s kick these gnats out. I am wearing a white coat even as I write – promise.

    • Ed 3.1

      UK Labour were 25 points behind 6 weeks out from the election
      And they just got on and campaigned.
      Ignore the polls, I say. They are clearly skewed.

      • ianmac 3.1.1

        AND 19% were undecided in our latest poll. They are worth attracting to a non-National vote.

      • Stunned Mullet 3.1.2

        The UK has a different electoral system and quite different dynamics to NZ.

        Additionally NZ has among the most boring political parties and party leaders in the world none of whom inspire any confidence add to that a population who doesn’t really take any great interest in politics and you have the recipe for a huge snore fest of an election. The only people who will get excited will be those on the political blogs and the Wellington troughers.

        • greywarshark 3.1.2.1

          Stunned Mullet
          You are bored. You always speak for yourself. We are trying to think outside of ourselves, others, country etc. Plenty of interest and excitement there.

      • LivinInTheBay 3.1.3

        You’d hope so with Mr Little now trailing in 4th place in the preferred PM stakes.

        • bearded git 3.1.3.1

          but english has plummetted to 26 where key often went over 50….he will crash and burn in the campaign.

          • james 3.1.3.1.1

            Yeah – thats been reflected in the party poll results where National have burned all the way down to 47% – Labour are sitting pretty on 27%

      • james 3.1.4

        “They are clearly skewed.”

        How? Evidence to back this up?

        How can so many independent companies all skew the results against Labour – is it a big conspiracy?

        • bearded git 3.1.4.1

          27+11+11 means a little as pm….and that is before the campaign when labours policies and disaffection with boring Bill and his cronies will set in. I predict 31+13+11 where 11 is nzf.

          • Enough is Enough 3.1.4.1.1

            That formula requires Winston?

            Winston “there will be consequences” Peters, is just as likely to jump into bed with Bill as he is with Andrew.

    • Cinny 3.2

      Don’t listen to lies, listen to The truth…

      Yeah Marty you know it :D… Because the truth has no agenda.

      This year there will be a change in government.

  4. Cinny 4

    Sainso is interviewing Andrew on RadioLive after the 10am news, if you would like to tune in. Here’s the link to listen online
    http://www.radiolive.co.nz/home.player.html

    • weka 4.1

      What a fucking terrible interview, by Sainsbury not Little. Fucksake.

      • Cinny 4.1.1

        Yup Sainso didn’t make it easy for Andrew, but that’s not a bad thing, because Andrew takes on the hard questions, much respect to him for that.

        I really enjoyed listening to the next PM of NZ, he always fronts up to answer the media’s questions. That’s what I want in a PM someone who fronts up.

        Have noticed that many members of the outgoing government just run away instead of fronting up to the media when things aren’t in their favour.

        EDIT: Media making a big deal about polls is daft, how accurate is snap shot of around 1,000 people in a country of 4.5 million with such a diverse blend of people.

        Media anthem….
        “I make my living off the evening news
        Just give me something-something I can use
        People love it when you lose,
        They love dirty laundry”

      • tc 4.1.2

        Waaaay past his use by date but as a club member he gets a gig.

  5. congratulations to the NZ Brass band who have finished second in World at at the world competition in Holland,

  6. Penny Bright 6

    Winston Peters being really ‘racist’ defending Indian students against deportation.

    NOT.

    Lest we forget.?

    https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/deportation-indian-students-after-agent-fraud-disgrace-winston-peters

    “The fate of nine Indian students, who have lost their battle to stay in New Zealand after their agents used fraudulent documents to obtain visas, is a disgrace, New Zealand First says.

    Party leader Winston Peters says the students are the victims, having been “taken to the cleaners financially and educationally”.

    He says the fault for corruption in the export education sector lies with Finance Minister Steven Joyce, who was Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment before the December cabinet reshuffle.
    …”

The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.