Open mike 13/03/2021

64 comments on “Open mike 13/03/2021 ”

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1. francesca 1

   13 March 2021 at 8:30 am

   The OPCW saga is not going away

   https://couragefound.org/2021/03/statement-of-concern-the-opcw-investigation-of-alleged-chemical-weapons-use-in-douma-syria/

   Try passing this off as a few "outliers"
   • KSaysHi 1.1

     13 March 2021 at 10:23 am

     Lots of powerful signatures on there. Thanks Francesca
   • Brigid 1.2

     13 March 2021 at 10:23 am

     Of all of the accusations of chemical weapons use in Syria, there isn't one other than Douma where the OPCW inspectors actually visited the sites. All of the evidence was received from those making the accusations, that is, the terrorists. The OPCW declared it was not safe to visit those areas but happily accepted evidence from those who would have harmed them.

     It's plainly written in the OPCW reports.
   • Adrian Thornton 1.3

     13 March 2021 at 11:24 am

     Thanks, wonder when this story will get some coverage on MSM (as the original attack and US response did), wouldn't it be nice to see Kim Hill interview someone about this for instance?
     • francesca 1.3.1

       13 March 2021 at 2:54 pm

       More from the Courage Foundation

       This is not just 2 dissenting officers of the OPCW, the concern is growing

       https://couragefound.org/2021/03/additional-background-information-regarding-the-opcw-ffm-investigation-of-the-alleged-chemical-attack-in-douma-april-7-2018/
   • Andre 1.4

     13 March 2021 at 11:29 am

     It's the same people that made up their minds long ago repeating the same things over and over again, apparently hoping that repetition will make it stick in people's mind. Only this time, they didn't even have the courtesy to include information about their grounds for disagreement with the OPCW for anyone to follow up on.

     Presumably their vague insinuations still rely on the thoroughly debunked efforts of the likes of Henderson and Postol, but since they don't actually give any links or names, it's hard to tell.

     It's all very reminiscent of the way 9/11 troofers operate.
     • Adrian Thornton 1.4.1

       13 March 2021 at 1:41 pm

       "It's all very reminiscent of the way 9/11 troofers operate" well you would know all about that pal, as that is where your Russuagate conspiracy has taken you…down the rabbit hole where not lights shine.
     • Brigid 1.4.2

       13 March 2021 at 1:57 pm

       " it's hard to tell."

       Might I suggest you take a remedial reading course?
     • francesca 1.4.3

       13 March 2021 at 2:12 pm

       Care to check out the Courage Foundation

       Even you Andre , with your hidebound clinging to worn out narratives , and desperate google searches will find it hard to discredit
     • Morrissey 1.4.4

       13 March 2021 at 8:24 pm

       No, it's completely different. There is no evidence to support the claims made by the 9/11 "truthers." In stark contrast to that, the testimony of experts, and the concerns of these renowned and non-partisan academics about the attempts to manipulate and silence OPCW inspectors is credible, and compelling:

       Since the publication by the OPCW of its final report in March 2019, a series of worrying developments has raised serious and substantial concerns with respect to the conduct of that investigation. These developments include instances in which OPCW inspectors involved with the investigation have identified major procedural and scientific irregularities, the leaking of a significant quantity of corroborating documents, and damning statements provided to UN Security Council meetings. It is now well established that some senior inspectors involved with the investigation, one of whom played a central role, reject how the investigation derived its conclusions, and OPCW management now stands accused of accepting unsubstantiated or possibly manipulated findings with the most serious geo-political and security implications. Calls by some members of the Executive Council of the OPCW to allow all inspectors to be heard were blocked. …

       https://couragefound.org/2021/03/statement-of-concern-the-opcw-investigation-of-alleged-chemical-weapons-use-in-douma-syria/
2. Adrian Thornton 2

   13 March 2021 at 10:24 am

   Turns out the Democratic party had paid trolls trying to influence the US elections, now isn't that ironic…though I am sure this beautiful irony will sail blissfully above some heads..

   "Majid Padellan, who runs the nearly 900,000-follower-strong Twitter account — and has been slammed previously for urging Bernie Sanders to drop out of the 2020 presidential race — allegedly accepted more than $57,000 from a pro-Biden PAC, Really American, last year,"

   https://nypost.com/2021/03/10/brooklyn-dad-influencer-slammed-for-taking-pac-money/

   https://www.rt.com/usa/517744-resistance-brooklyn-dad-democratic-payments/
   • Andre 2.1

     13 March 2021 at 11:20 am

     From your New York Post piece (a Murdoch-owned rag):

     In his Twitter bio, Padellan says he’s a senior adviser to the PAC …

     So, someone that openly discloses he is in a paid employment relationship with a political action committee posts tweets favourable to the politician his employer supports, and you think this is somehow news?

     Are you really so desperate to find something – anything – you can use to slam Dems that you're reduced to recycling attempted Repug bullshit pushed out through Murdoch outlets?
     • The Al1en 2.1.1

       13 March 2021 at 11:52 am

       Maybe Thornton is jealous this guy got paid for his posts when he allegedly just does it pro boner.
   • Peter 2.2

     13 March 2021 at 4:51 pm

     Sounds the stuff of the Presidential Medal of Freedom doesn't it? That's how it works isn't it?
3. Adrian Thornton 3

   13 March 2021 at 11:53 am

   Yeah I guess all the media coverage of this in the US is because he was so transparent that he was being paid US 60,000 ($83,500 NZD) by the Dems to Troll…
4. greywarshark 4

   13 March 2021 at 12:41 pm

   An opportunity in NZ for a specialist green business.

   https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/countrylife/audio/2018787280/a-side-hustle-in-saffron
5. Incognito 5

   13 March 2021 at 1:51 pm

   Who let the dogs out? The filthy beasts with doggy breath and uncombed hair.

   https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2021/03/mayor-phil-goff-gives-aucklanders-a-growling-after-filthy-return-to-level-1.html
   • Sacha 5.1

     13 March 2021 at 2:06 pm

     mariners
   • weka 5.2

     13 March 2021 at 2:55 pm

     so people need a sign now to tell them not to throw rubbish on the ground?

     There probably aren't enough rubbish bins, so leave your rubbish under/next to the full ones and then tweet a photo to the mayor/council. Throwing your shit on the footpath is something else.
     • Patricia Bremner 5.2.1

       13 March 2021 at 4:11 pm

       Take it home, or to the nearest bin.. just bloody lazy.
     • Sacha 5.2.2

       13 March 2021 at 9:10 pm

       Imagine if McDs had to install, empty, and maintain surrounding bins for the trash they generate.
       • weka 5.2.2.1

         14 March 2021 at 8:50 am

         but, but, you can't interfere with the Great God of Commerce!
6. greywarshark 6

   13 March 2021 at 2:54 pm

   Are we giving away NZ expertise and patents that should be staying with us as part of our comparative advantage in trading with other nations? Has globalisation just sliced through that economic dictum? Then again China is providing its internal market anyway, how to stop the rot?

   Feb.15/2021 Zespri chairman accused of trying to intimidate regulator Kiwifruit NZ in 'threatening' and 'offensive' phone call

   https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/124239808/zespri-chairman-accused-of-trying-to-intimidate-regulator-kiwifruit-nz-in-threatening-and-offensive-phone-call

   Economics: Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2018/07/a-quick-review-of-250-years-of-economic-theory-about-tariffs

   Later economists deviated from Adam Smith in developing new lines of inquiry, but retained his insights. Inspired by The Wealth of Nations, David Ricardo developed the theory of comparative advantage, which shows that nations should specialize and then trade, which led to greater prosperity.
   • RP Mcmurphy 6.1

     13 March 2021 at 5:02 pm

     check out the difference between comparative advantage and competitive advantage. you seem to have them confused.
7. Knarf 7

   13 March 2021 at 5:10 pm

   I despise the Americas Cup on every level. Hope we lose and hope our government stops paying it any attention or funding. We've got a homelessness crisis, in case you didn't notice.
   • Adrian Thornton 7.1

     13 March 2021 at 7:21 pm

     Quite a good piece on the Great White American Cup here…

     America's Cup is about wealth and privilege, not diversity

     "At the moment the America’s Cup looks like a regatta for white blokes of immense wealth and privilege. I looked at the crew list for American Magic and amongst the 164 mug shots I did not pick out one black face. So whatever happened to Black Lives Matter? In sailing, they not only don’t matter, they don’t even exist."

     https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/opinion/300219613/mark-reason-americas-cup-is-about-wealth-and-privilege-not-diversity
8. Adrian Thornton 8

   13 March 2021 at 7:13 pm

   President of the USA and apparently the free world looks like he really should probably be in a rest home or at the very least not the leader of the most powerful country in the entire world…
   • Andre 8.1

     13 March 2021 at 7:20 pm

     Sure thing, Rupert.
     • mauī 8.1.1

       13 March 2021 at 8:59 pm

       You're very good at.. deflecting.
     • The Al1en 8.1.2

       14 March 2021 at 8:59 am

       It think it's the attack line ordered to be pushed to deflect from the successful reception of Biden's near two trillion dollar covid relief package.

       What's fascinating is why someone who identifies as "socialist Labour at heart", wouldn't champion the projected reduction in poverty in the u.s, and applaud Joe Biden just launched the second war on poverty but chooses to attack the man instead?

       I'll happily take stumbling, mumbling Joe over any republican, when The policies would reduce poverty by more than half for children and for people in households experiencing job loss. Poverty would fall about 42 percent for Black, non-Hispanic people, 39 percent for Hispanic people, and 34 percent for white, non-Hispanic people, reducing the disparities in poverty rates for Black, non-Hispanic people and Hispanic people relative to white, non-Hispanic people
       • Adrian Thornton 8.1.2.1

         14 March 2021 at 10:43 am

         Fuck you you really are a chump…seriously, come on man, if Biden was actually serious about cutting poverty in a meaningful way he would have pushed through the minium wage like he promised…

         Malcolm X Speech: “You’re A Political Chump!”
         • Andre 8.1.2.1.1

           14 March 2021 at 12:19 pm

           I get it that simple arithmetic is beyond your cognitive abilities, and the numbers involved are higher than you can count to even if you take your shoes and socks off, but the simple reality is there are not enough votes in the senate to pass a $15 minimum wage. The vote was 58 against vs 42 for.

           https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/nation-world/senators-vote-15-dollar-minimum-wage/507-ca50e569-4757-4bed-a13f-f687853c85c0

           edit: Here’s a better explainer that includes this gem:

           The bottom line: Senators who didn’t stand behind the increase on Friday are likely to be targeted by progressives.

           Progressives that target those senators and cause them to lose will be extremely likely to end up with a Repug instead. Who wouldn’t even vote for something like the COVID relief package. Which would be a huge step in the wrong direction for progressive priorities.

           https://www.axios.com/senate-minimum-wage-democrats-568568ca-ba2f-4bfa-bcdd-cfecaf93dae2.html
           • Adrian Thornton 8.1.2.1.1.1

             14 March 2021 at 1:26 pm

             Of course you see the logic in not actually fighting for anything important, let alone fighting for the very thing your own Biden/Dems promised again and again and Again only a few months ago…you have been trained well….so very well, I wish my dogs were as easy to train as seem to have been.

             And I guess because you have been grovelling on your knees and kissing the boot for so long that it has become just normal a daily routine for you now, you probably don't even notice…
         • The Al1en 8.1.2.1.2

           14 March 2021 at 12:20 pm

           So the "socialist Labour at heart" guy has no good words for the old fella whose policy will cut child poverty in half and general poverty by a third, but will castigate him for not pushing through the minimum wage element to the bill, even though it wasn't up to him anyway, and the blame falls solely on the moderate democrats who wouldn't vote for it. Gotcha.

           Now, “Fuck you you really are a chump”, you say? Er, okay. lol
       • Morrissey 8.1.2.2

         14 March 2021 at 11:09 am

         I'll happily take stumbling, mumbling Joe over any republican…

         So would I. But that's an extremely low standard to judge him by.
         • The Al1en 8.1.2.2.1

           14 March 2021 at 12:23 pm

           Right, so say something good about him taking kids out of poverty. I dare you 😉
           • Morrissey 8.1.2.2.1.1

             14 March 2021 at 8:23 pm

             So there is evidence that he has done anything other than plunge millions of children in to poverty via his villainous Crimes Act of 1994? Could you post it for us please?
             • The Al1en …

               14 March 2021 at 8:34 pm

               Sure
               https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13-03-2021/#comment-1783143
               • Morrissey …

                 14 March 2021 at 8:43 pm

                 Great. Why didn't he support publicly funded healthcare?
                 • The Al1en …

                   14 March 2021 at 9:07 pm

                   If you don't want to congratulate a u.s president getting huge wins to fight poverty in his first 50 days, with a whopping 75% public support, I guess you just have to say so and admit you're not really fighting half as hard as the Dems did for poor people, just the old, cold war, still living rent free inside your head.

                   I wonder what one will pay rent and put food on the table?
                   • Morrissey …

                     14 March 2021 at 11:23 pm

                     The Dems fight hard for poor people, do they? I think you might have them confused with people who really do that, like the governments in Venezuela (1999 to present day) and Brazil (2003 to 2016)—both of which the "Dems" have ruthlessly helped to traduce, undermine, and—in the case of Brazil—destroy.
                   • The Al1en …

                     15 March 2021 at 5:56 am

                     Ah, one of those types who won't recognise any good from them they hate. How very fundamentalist of you.
                   • Morrissey …

                     15 March 2021 at 5:06 pm

                     "Hate" them? That's your word, not mine. You throw around the word “hate” in the same cavalier fashion as our friend McFlock throws around the word “rage.”
                     https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-13-03-2021/#comment-1783132

                     I'm skeptical about anything Biden and his cronies say; that skepticism is based on long and careful observation of what he and his cronies have done over the last two generations. You are the one who exhibits a fundamentalist style of faith in these people, you are the one who states his readiness to believe their assurances, in spite of everything they have done, and failed/refused to do, in the past.
                   • The Al1en …

                     15 March 2021 at 5:27 pm

                     You are the one who exhibits a fundamentalist style of faith in these people, you are the one who states his readiness to believe their assurances, in spite of everything they have done, and failed/refused to do, in the past.

                     I thought I just noted how Thornton, a "socialist Labour at heart" wouldn't say anything positive about a president, and an american president at that, who through independent analysis, is going to make huge inroads into poverty and child poverty.

                     In then noting a similar double standard, I dared you to escape your comfort zone to say something good about him after pushing this unprecedented bill, yet rather than give just even the littlest "yeah, good start, it will help millions of poor people", you failed.

                     I think I'll stick with the hand I played. You are of course quite free to continue to twist.
   • Treetop 8.2

     14 March 2021 at 8:34 am

     Not giving a press conference could be due to not wanting to spread Covid-19.

     I do think that Biden is managing the pandemic medically and economically in a responsible way.
9. Adrian Thornton 9

   13 March 2021 at 7:33 pm

   Well obviously it goes without saying that you are quite OK with the most powerful nation on the planet being led by an old guy clearly displaying some sort of early onset degenerative age related condition….as we all well know when it comes to being a team player numero uno with the US Democratic Party, you are the man, which is I assume, also why you apply absolutely no critical thinking to this subject.
   • Drowsy M. Kram 9.1

     13 March 2021 at 8:19 pm

     "Some sort of degenerative age-related condition" awaits most if not all of us. Biden will have good days and bad, but on his worst day will be better than the previous incumbent was on his 'best' day, imho. You don't have to be a Biden fan to know that.

     https://apnews.com/article/732eb0035d994cc3b58f83bb0164200f
     • Morrissey 9.1.1

       13 March 2021 at 9:00 pm

       I agree that Biden is better than Tweetyturd*. But, let's face it, he's still a menace to decent people everywhere.

       https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/12/us/politics/joe-biden-iraq-war.html

       https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/17/joe-biden-role-iraq-war

       https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/trump-biden-town-halls-live-coverage-thursday/card/LnG2f3sMGoajoyNI1ATq

       * Respek to my man Andre, king of the anti-Trump zingers!
     • mauī 9.1.2

       13 March 2021 at 9:32 pm

       You set the bar so high:

       "After 50 days as president, Biden still hasn’t given a news conference. Critics and allies wonder why."

       https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/press-conferences-biden-administration/2021/03/12/332285e6-81e3-11eb-81db-b02f0398f49a_story.html
     • McFlock 9.1.3

       13 March 2021 at 10:10 pm

       He must have the same thing HRC had. An obviously terminal condition that killed her within months of the interwebz making the diagnosis.

       Oh wait…
       • Morrissey 9.1.3.1

         13 March 2021 at 10:39 pm

         The cognitive decline, visible to anyone who watches him speak, is the least of the reasons to be concerned about Biden. A more serious and urgent concern is his decision to bomb Syria, wasting Syrian lives and American money. As this young American ice fisherman pointed out the other day, why is Biden spending money on bombing Syria when he owes him two grand?
         • McFlock 9.1.3.1.1

           13 March 2021 at 11:04 pm

           Dude has had a stutter all his life.

           But ok, let's say it's HRC syndrome, inexorable and terminal.

           His supposedly mental decline doesn't seem to be reflecting in greater-than-usual levels of irrationality in US foreign or domestic policy.

           And in some respects, such as children's immigration detention facilities, things seem to be improving.
           • Morrissey 9.1.3.1.1.1

             14 March 2021 at 7:50 am

             Well, at least he's more rational than Trump. As you point out, there will be marginal improvements in some areas.
             • McFlock …

               14 March 2021 at 6:30 pm

               Not marginal for the kids in cages. Or the people receving $2k instead of $600.
               • Morrissey …

                 14 March 2021 at 8:27 pm

                 It's marginal in the extreme. How much money is he going to commit this year to the bombing of several countries, to the undermining and destruction of democracy in Latin America, and the maintenance of more than five thousand military bases, 600 of which are overseas?
                 • McFlock …

                   14 March 2021 at 8:48 pm

                   So the Morrissey Scale jumps from "marginal" to "complete reversal of 60 years of US military and foreign policies" with nothing in between?
                   • Adrian Thornton …

                     14 March 2021 at 11:04 pm

                     I assume Morrissey was alluding to this kind of waste….

                     Report: US wasted billions on cars, buildings in Afghanistan
                     "A report released by the U.S. government’s Afghanistan watchdog has found that America has wasted billions of dollars in the war-torn country on buildings and vehicles that were either abandoned or destroyed"
                     https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/report-us-wasted-billions-cars-buildings-afghanistan-76176528

                     …so maybe he is suggesting that instead of every new US president continuing the former presidents forever wars across the planet, maybe, just maybe they would be better off spending some of those billions if not trillions on..oh I don’t know, how about the fifteen dollar minimum wage that Biden campaigned on, don’t you think that would be the sane and right thing to do?
                   • McFlock …

                     14 March 2021 at 11:26 pm

                     how about the fifteen dollar minimum wage that Biden campaigned on, don’t you think that would be the sane and right thing to do?

                     Indeed. But it didn't get through the Senate, did it? How is that Biden's fault? Are you even familiar with the concept of a legislative process?

                     And how does a government even spend money on the minimum wage? Doesn't that come from employers?
         • Adrian Thornton 9.1.3.1.2

           13 March 2021 at 11:05 pm

           …or this Biden continuation of the USA’s wars and interventions across the globe…

           “Imposed by the United States, European Union as well as other countries, the sanctions have sparked economic, humanitarian and development crises, devastating the entire population, especially those living in extreme poverty, women, medical workers, individuals with life-threatening diseases and indigenous peoples.”

           Independent UN rights expert calls for unilateral sanctions to be dropped against Venezuela

           https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/02/1084642

           …or this

           “United Nations voiced concerns that sanctions imposed under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act – also known as the Caesar Act – risk exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in Syria, especially in the course of COVID-19 pandemic, and put Syrians at even greater risk of rights violations.”

           UN rights expert urges United States to remove sanctions hindering rebuilding in Syria

           https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1081032
           • McFlock 9.1.3.1.2.1

             13 March 2021 at 11:32 pm

             No worries. If his congitive decline is so obvious to anyone who watches him speak that it can be discerned without error by anyone who watches him speak (without context or patient history), he's not long for this world anyway. Save your rage for the next one.
             • Adrian Thornton …

               13 March 2021 at 11:48 pm

               well that was a comment that went nowhere much and said even less…as usual.

               We all know you have no empathy for any human suffering that is sanctioned by the West and approved by a compliant western media…nothing new to see here.

               Where exactly did you see the rage in my comment? are you sure you are not projecting there pal…
               • McFlock …

                 14 March 2021 at 12:01 am

                 Oh, sorry, you missed the point.

                 OK, here it is in a different way: if Biden is in generally observable mental decline over just a year or so of public appearances (as alleged), the policies you have a problem with are not his policies, and he will be dead soon, anyway.
             • Morrissey …

               14 March 2021 at 8:00 am

               Save your rage for the next one.

               "Rage"? Adrian presented evidence that Biden is continuing the U.S. regime's aggression against Venezuela and Syria. Where was the "rage" in that? If you want an example of rage at its ugliest and most brutal, I suggest you delve a little into the speeches of Joe Biden. Not the ones where he plagiarized Neil Kinnock, but the really ugly ones, where he unleashes his rage….

               https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/us/joe-biden-crime-laws.html
10. Eco Maori 10

    14 March 2021 at 9:44 am

    https://youtu.be/qQfetkoGrpU

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