Open mike 20/03/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, March 20th, 2011 - 34 comments
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34 comments on “Open mike 20/03/2011 ”

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  1. Clint Heine 1
    20 March 2011 at 6:32 am

    I know I am not exactly well liked here (I’m peaches and cream in real life) but I have been winding up the hard core christian fundys about their stone age beliefs in homosexuality on my blog. 🙂

  2. mickysavage 2
    20 March 2011 at 9:00 am

    There is a curious report of the front page of the Sunday Star Times today (apparently not on line yet) about a recent jury trial involving charges of assault of a child.

    The allegations included a father tying his son to his wrist with a tie around the neck, shaving his hair off and washing his mouth out with soap. The father claimed he tied his son because the son was suicidal and this stopped the son from leaving and killing himself. The tie that he used was the tie that he wore to church. The haircut and use of soap were to teach the son a lesson. The father was acquitted.

    The “head juror” says that she was embarrassed to be a New Zealander, that it was obvious to her from the start that the man should have been acquitted and that “[g]ood decent parents trying to instil a sense of responsibility, honesty and integrity, as well as the action-consequence moral in their children have been put through a living hell for their efforts.”

    The father is christian, intent on instilling by force if necessity the christian creed into his son. His indignation makes it unlikely that he realises that his treatment of his son, including the haircut and the mouth washing with soap, are deeply humiliating actions to put a child through and would contribute to feelings of despair that could result in a suicide attempt. Although the use of a tie may have been “justified” the other actions were not.

    Bob McCroskie described the father’s behaviour as “typical parenting practices”. In some sick para universe where the old testament still remains supreme I guess this may be possible.

    • Clint Heine 2.1
      20 March 2011 at 9:14 am

      It’s amazing how god can be used as a reason and an excuse for so many things. Tragic.

    • millsy 2.2
      20 March 2011 at 11:24 am

      Absolutely digusting. Thats all I can say, really.

      Perhaps we do need to investigate whether jury trials are apporpriate, and whether an inquistorial system for these types of cases is better.

    • Jilly Bee 2.3
      20 March 2011 at 3:14 pm

      Mickey I read this report and damn near choked on my early morning cuppa!! The head juror ’embarrassed to be a New Zealander’ – I am embarrassed to be a New Zealander reading what she has said – “good decent parents trying to instil a sense of responsibility, honesty and integrity, as well as the action-consequence moral in their children have been put through a living hell for their efforts.” – words fail me. As for Bob McCroskie – well, he’s just being Bob McCroskie I’m afraid. As a mother and grandmother I – I’m simply struggling for words to convey my utter contempt for that jury. I’ve been on a jury – I know what it involves and it’s not easy at times. I’m also a practising Christian and thankfully the denomination I belong to doesn’t subscribe to the theory as expounded by such passages of the Old Testament – ‘spare the rod. . . .

  3. ianmac 3
    20 March 2011 at 9:59 am

    “Japan Nuclear Crisis sees some Stabilisation”. Al Jazeera does explain things better without the awful exaggeration of many on mainstream media. Credible to me.
    http://english.aljazeera.net/

    • ianmac 3.1
      20 March 2011 at 10:13 am

      From the same source 200 temporary houses are being built in one area in Japan, each to house 3-4 people. And that is just 8 days after the disaster. Back in NZ 4 weeks later a Prince is welcomed and perhaps one day, plans to build temporary housing might be considered.

      • andy (the other one) 3.1.1
        20 March 2011 at 10:43 am

        Key was on Q & A this morning and they have started investigating temporary housing. And have 150 campervans down in Christchurch. My TV only just survived.

        Key also said that National had ‘inherited’ the earthquake. I am sure he meant to say ‘inherited the recession’ as his usual talking point.

        Its been a month and it is becoming painfully obvious that whatever plan they have will be a drop in the bucket of what is needed.

        • millsy 3.1.1.1
          20 March 2011 at 11:28 am

          Trotter is right here. 27 years of neo-liberalism and the dismantling of things such as the Ministry of Works have left us completely unprepared for the long term recontruction required after a natural disaster of this magnitude.

          This is all going to be one big giant half assed fuckup.

  4. joe90 4
    20 March 2011 at 10:08 am

    The war on the poor gets nastier.

    We would like to address the provision that makes it illegal for MFIP [one of Minnesota’s welfare programs] families to withdraw cash from the cash portion of the MFIP grant – and in fact, appears to make it illegal for MFIP families to have any type of money at all in their pockets.

    More here..

    • millsy 4.1
      20 March 2011 at 11:31 am

      I think they will make being unemployed a criminal offence soon.

      If all these get through OK, then anything is possible really

  5. Marty G 5
    20 March 2011 at 11:20 am

    i’ve just been watching key on Q+A (the video crashed early on). Was he wearing an earphone during the interview like a presenter does? Who was talking into the other end of it? And what were they saying?

    • Andy (the other one) 5.1
      20 March 2011 at 11:41 am

      Yes he was wearing an ear priece. I had a WTF! Moment too.

      Key was as usual spinning hard. It’s obvious they still don’t have a plan for Christchurch. Fix the AMI Stadium pitch and the invisible hand will rebuild the rest along with John keys economic fairies.

      • Jim Nald 5.1.1
        20 March 2011 at 11:35 pm

        Key is playing with Chch.
        Key, Gerry and Nats: the ‘building’ type? Yeah, right!

  6. KJT 6
    20 March 2011 at 11:59 am

    I wish people would stop giving credence to unproven rubbish altogether, but it seems to be a human trait to believe what they want to believe despite all evidence to the contrary.
    http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/shrinkwrapped/201102/why-do-we-believe-nonsense

    So called newspapers which publish statements by politicians, the Ken Rings of this world and other charlatans as if they have some credibility are guilty of perpetuating crap!

    Like those who after 35 years of increasing inequality, shrinking incomes, lowering standard of living, increase in child illness and increasing indebtedness still believe that the direction of our Governments over this time are correct.

    http://kjt-kt.blogspot.com/2011/03/voodoo-economics.html?showComment=1300514429890#c1727138668514288986

  7. Sanctuary 7
    20 March 2011 at 12:59 pm

    Joh Key sits down to a $7000 a head dinner while preaching austerity to the rest of us, eh?

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10713698

    • ianmac 7.1
      20 March 2011 at 2:51 pm

      And with Bronagh at his side that will be $14,000 thankyou and about the size of my annual salary. But of course I just suffer from the dreaded envy lurgy. Huh!

      • Colonial Viper 7.1.1
        20 March 2011 at 11:30 pm

        John Key empathises with the ordinary working man.

        • felix 7.1.1.1
          20 March 2011 at 11:35 pm

          He’s just like one of us. You could totally have a beer with him for $7000.

          • Mac1 7.1.1.1.1
            21 March 2011 at 12:08 am

            Felix, Martinborough chardonnay, pinot and gewurztraminer, more like.

            $7000! I once got shouted a meal at the local swish Swiss restaurant- 12 wines, five courses- five hours to consume- all for $175 a head, as an anniversary celebration. The price made me choke but the first glass washed that down, though …..great value and a great memory.

            But $7000! Since he is attending as a private citizen, how and why did this little number get out in the open? Conspicuous consumption, anyone?

            For me it has a clue to Key’s personality and motivation to be PM- “Because I Can.”

            Ianmac, more than my annual salary as a very part-time teacher. Hope I didn’t catch the envy lurgy from you! It’s catching in these parts.

            • felix 7.1.1.1.1.1
              21 March 2011 at 10:06 am

              “Swish Swiss restaurant” – Try saying that after your 12 wines, Mac1!

              • Mac1 …
                21 March 2011 at 1:09 pm

                Glad you got it, Felix!

                What was more difficult was the Oppenshoppenpopper Schlosshauss Weisswein Riesling Qualitaatswein mit Predikat VSOP and bar. Or thereaboutsh.

  8. mikesh 8
    20 March 2011 at 4:42 pm

    MS
    The article (or your account of it) doesn’t make clear whether these “atriocities” were carried out simultaneously or separately over a period of time.. Knowing this would probably influence our appraisal.

  9. todd 9
    20 March 2011 at 10:59 pm

    Does a 5.1 make Ring right?

    • felix 9.1
      20 March 2011 at 11:27 pm

      Nah, no earthquake was ever going to make him right or wrong. Believers would’ve claimed literally ANY quake within a week of today as being close enough, and for sceptics nothing was ever going to fit his prediction well enough.

      And me? Like Lou said, I just don’t care at all.

      • Colonial Viper 9.1.1
        21 March 2011 at 10:08 am

        Ring has another 24 hours to earn his fame and fortune.

        • vto 9.1.1.1
          21 March 2011 at 10:11 am

          Already done CV. You can guarantee that the three sets of quakes yesterday will have lifted Ring’s ratings way up higher than before.

          • Lanthanide 9.1.1.1.1
            21 March 2011 at 11:24 pm

            Or, actually, since he was predicting one for the history books to strike before lunch time and it didn’t, actually dissuade a lot of people from believing in him.

            Then again impressionable people who are gullible don’t really care about all those ‘detail’ things.

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