Open mike 28/09/2019

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, September 28th, 2019 - 68 comments
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68 comments on “Open mike 28/09/2019 ”

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  1. Andre 1
    28 September 2019 at 9:03 am

    Anyone know what's going on with "An average kiwi" from the sidebar? I vaguely recall they have been there for quite a while, and used to have genuinely leftie commentary, if not particularly insightful or interesting. But a few months back it seems all the old stuff was wiped and a new collection of way OTT climate denier trolling is being put up.

    Is my vague recollection about their prior leftiness wrong? Or has Hosking hijacked that blog? Or have they decided to try for something like Ben Uffindell's "The civilian" kinda vibe (and spectacularly failed)?

    • The Al1en 1.1
      28 September 2019 at 9:33 am

      I see what you mean. Fruit loop city limits.

      What a shameful day in our history, where mainly children and young people “protested” about something they have no understanding of and that is mostly nothing but a hoax of proportions never seen before in human history.

      • arkie 1.1.1
        28 September 2019 at 10:20 am

        At the CHCH march yesterday I saw a placard: "MAN MADE GLOBAL WARMING IS A HOAX"

        They walk among us.

        • greywarshark 1.1.1.1
          28 September 2019 at 10:35 am

          We had an old man with a placard telling us we needed to repent and ask for divine intervention. Later he was on the street with a number of teenage schoolboys for about half an hour. When I walked slowly by to catch the word he was being asked about Noah and the Ark I thought.

        • The Al1en 1.1.1.2
          28 September 2019 at 10:37 am

          Tough they probably drive a gas guzzling tank rather than walk.

    • OnceWasTim 1.2
      28 September 2019 at 10:28 am

      I think your perception of their "leftness" might have been wrong in the first place. (A hint might even be in the name) I sometimes find friends, colleagues and even family can be full of surprises at times – and its often just a conflict between ego and comfyness versus humility and compassion.

      • greywarshark 1.2.1
        28 September 2019 at 10:31 am

        I like the thing you say: "a conflict between ego and comfyness versus humility and compassion."

        • OnceWasTim 1.2.1.1
          28 September 2019 at 10:58 am

          Yep, well despite my belief that both Helen Clark and Jacinda Adhern may go down in history as two of NZ's best PM's (in the context of the era they operate in), I have a dearly loved family member who thinks she's 'so left', and who is comfy and 'in-tune', that Jacinda cannot be critiQUed in any way. The same held true when H1 and H2 held power.

          Whereas there are a number of things the current coalition can be critiqued for. [One has just popped up on RNZ this morning to do with an RSE scheme – where I'm left thinking "Hello! Earth to INZ", and where the pollies were warned. Probably for many of the same reasons there are now deep and meaningful investigations over things like sexual abuse allegations.

          (Holding one's breath – like I'm trying to do – can often result in getting death)

          • greywarshark 1.2.1.1.1
            28 September 2019 at 11:29 am

            While advances are growing keep your breath in short pants.

            • OnceWasTim 1.2.1.1.1.1
              28 September 2019 at 11:36 am

              I agree. Problem is, and frustrations are, that often the least worst option is never going to be progressive, or transformational, or kind.

              But – we'll see what rips. In the case of the example I mentioned (one of many), there'll be casualties, and they'll be the least deserving.

  2. Adrian Thornton 2
    28 September 2019 at 9:04 am

    OK for you sad political junkies out there like me and who have a cool hour to burn, here are a couple of the best journalists (Michael Tracey, Aaron Maté ) on the current scene in the US, giving a pretty good over view of the upcoming Dem impeachment of Trump,…love it or hate it.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Jvkcggffs0

    • Andre 2.1
      28 September 2019 at 9:08 am

      Wanna give us a brief too long;didn't watch? Is there anything more than Mate's usual recycled Repug talking points tailored to appeal to Dem-hating convergence moonbats?

      • The Al1en 2.1.1
        28 September 2019 at 9:16 am

        Bernie is backing the attempt to impeach Trump.

      • mauī 2.1.2
        28 September 2019 at 9:26 am

        One of the first things Maté says is that what Trump did was inappropriate… but hey he's probably just a republican posing as a journo 🙄

        • Andre 2.1.2.1
          28 September 2019 at 9:33 am

          Wow, I'm impressed. He's in the exalted company of the very few Repugs that can even muster the courage to mutter that kind of mouse squeak of disapproval.

          • McFlock 2.1.2.1.1
            28 September 2019 at 11:05 pm

            lol he goes on to say he called it "inappropriate" to distinguish it from Russiagate which was based on a "concoction".

            @ cfive minutes he's saying they should just pass a motion of censure and that predicating international aid upon whether your opponents face sham investigations is not at all worthy of impeachment.

            • Andre 2.1.2.1.1.1
              29 September 2019 at 9:21 am

              Did you watch the whole thing? (you're quite the sucker for punishment). Was there anything there that might cause me to learn something that doesn't fit with my allegedly preconceived narrative?

              • McFlock …
                29 September 2019 at 5:12 pm

                No I did the dirty trick of watching for a couple of minutes after the comment mauī brought up, just to see the context. I don't really like youtube videos. Essays and suchlike can be skim-read over the waffly bits and you can quickly find the crux of the matter. But YT talkfests are just watching people wank, and you can't flip through it to see if there are any good bits.

                • Andre …
                  29 September 2019 at 5:17 pm

                  Yeah, video is such a slow medium for conveying information. 5 or 10 minutes of reading gets you the same info transfer as an hour of video.

                  But video is great if you just want to get your emotions manipulated without thinking critically about the content. Entertainment, not facts.

        • Adrian Thornton 2.1.2.2
          28 September 2019 at 9:44 am

          @mauī, "but hey he's probably just a republican posing as a journo" WTF, half the people on this seemed site have lost semblance of balance and critical thinking in their hatred of Trump.

          • mauī 2.1.2.2.1
            28 September 2019 at 10:34 am

            Hi Adrian, yes it is a neoliberal left feeding frenzy of the likes we saw with Russiagate, Saddam, Syria, etc. No wonder people are turning to alternative news sites to get some rational news.

            As usual it take a non-hysterical writer like Lauria to nail it. I particularly like the first section. (I fear the link is wasted on most of the commentariat however…) https://consortiumnews.com/2019/09/26/what-isnt-mentioned-about-the-trump-ukraine-scandal-the-routine-corruption-of-us-foreign-policy/

            • Adrian Thornton 2.1.2.2.1.1
              28 September 2019 at 11:13 am

              Yes good link thanks, I also like the analogy made by Aaron mate' when he pointed out that Nixon wasn't impeached (he resigned before impeachment) for his illegal bombing in Cambodia that ended in one of the most horrific genocides this century, no he was impeached for stepping over the line against the DNC.

              And worst of all, of course now the primaries are going to lose their focus on real issues of importance and now be dominated by this bullshit, but I guess a lot of very rich and powerful people will not be at all sad to see that shift of focus happen.

      • Adrian Thornton 2.1.3
        28 September 2019 at 9:37 am

        @Andre, Exactly what are Aaron Maté's "usual recycled Repug talking points tailored to appeal to Dem-hating convergence moonbats? " I assume you mean the parts where he pushed back against your nutty Russian conspiracy and won the 2019 Izzy Award “for outstanding achievement in independent media” for his efforts.

        https://www.democracynow.org/2019/4/3/headlines/2019_izzy_awards_honor_earth_island_journal_laura_flanders_aaron_mate_dave_lindorff

        • Andre 2.1.3.1
          28 September 2019 at 9:43 am

          So Mate doesn't make any points substantial enough to condense into a brief too long;didn't watch?

          • Adrian Thornton 2.1.3.1.1
            28 September 2019 at 9:58 am

            @Andre, There is hardly much point is taking the time and effort to do that for you or your other entrenched brethren here, you obviously have switched off all critical thinking capacity that you may have once had on this subject.

            Now I know you are in so deep you are not aware of this, but I am here to tell you this for your (and some others on this site) own good, you all have for a while now, been acting and sounding exactly like the nutty Republican's and Tea Party fanatics over Trump as they did over Obama…how does that make you feel?, I would hope it might give you pause for thought at the least.

            It's time you lot took a long hard look in the mirror.

            • Andre 2.1.3.1.1.1
              28 September 2019 at 10:11 am

              Still not got any reasons to offer why someone should give up an hour to watch your clip? Not even a teeny-tiny morsel of a hint?

              • Adrian Thornton …
                28 September 2019 at 10:36 am

                Watch it because you might learn something…even if it doesn't sit nicely with your preconceived narrative…try it some time.

    • Dukeofurl 2.2
      28 September 2019 at 9:16 am

      Even if the House votes by a simple majority to Impeach, the Senate isnt obliged to even consider it for the 'trail' part.

      Based on Mitch McConnell s style …he will just ignore it

      • Sacha 2.2.1
        28 September 2019 at 9:20 am

        Chump will be dead before any of this bites him directly. Still a poke in the ego. Might also swing some Repug support away.

      • Andre 2.2.2
        28 September 2019 at 9:29 am

        Yep, Moscow Mitch will likely just Garland the trial.

        Article 2, Section 2, Clause 2 of the Constitution:

        He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, … and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint … Judges of the supreme Court, …

        https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/article/article-ii

        Article 1 Section 3 Clause 6 of the Constitution:

        The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two-thirds of the Members present.

        https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/article/article-i

        The language to me appears to be quite strong on requiring the Senate to at least go through the process of considering a president's nominee to the Supreme Court, but McTurtle just blew off that obligation.

        Whereas the language around the Senate actually holding a trial seems much more optional if they feel like doing it.

    • Sacha 2.3
      28 September 2019 at 9:19 am

      For those with less than an hour, here's some detail on the Ukrainian twists and turns: https://www.politico.com/news/2019/09/27/giuliani-trump-ukraine-005098

      • phillip ure 2.3.1
        28 September 2019 at 12:07 pm

        this is kinda cool/easy to digest..

        an audiobook-reader reads the transcript of the whistleblowers allegation to/for you..

        ttps://boingboing.net/2019/09/27/professional-audiobook-narrato.html

    • francesca 2.4
      28 September 2019 at 10:27 am

      I can't believe the lack of focus on what was actually happening around that time

      https://www.newcoldwar.org/stratfor-chiefs-most-blatant-coup-in-history-interview-from-dec-2014/

      After the coup which even Stratfor's chief, George Friedman , described as the most blatant coup in history, important positions in Ukraine were stuffed with American players

      Not only was Joe Biden's son, Hunter, chucked out of the Naval Reserve a month earlier for cocaine use, given a plum job on the Burisma board..

      "A family friend of then Secretary of State John Kerry also joined Burisma’s board. U.S. agricultural giant Monsanto got a Ukrainian contract soon after the overthrow. And the first, post-coup Ukrainian finance minister was an American citizen, a former State Department official, who was given Ukrainian citizenship the day before she took up the post."

      Read further

      https://consortiumnews.com/2019/09/26/the-untold-story-of-the-trump-ukraine-scandal-the-routine-corruption-of-us-foreign-policy/

      https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-family-business-11569271216

      Aint collective amnesia grand ?

      • Adrian Thornton 2.4.1
        28 September 2019 at 10:54 am

        Yeah I thought about going into the Hunter stuff, but knew that was probably another waste of time…these fanatics will actually defend Hunter Biden (who has zero experience) getting $50,000 p/m from Burisma, while a heavy hitter like Ken Frazier is on the board on the largest energy company in the world, Exxon for $30,000 p/m, including stock awards…

        https://www.streetinsider.com/SEC+Filings/Form+DEF+14A+EXXON+MOBIL+CORP+For%3A+May+29/15362664.html#toc686227_6

        • francesca 2.4.1.1
          28 September 2019 at 11:00 am

          So deeply and insanely partisan they're ready to turn a blind eye to the facts of Democrat corruption .The whole bloody political mess the US has sunk into is because of this amoral partisanship. Corruption is on all sides, as Jimmy Carter says "It's an oligarchy now"

          When I see terms like Repugs, the Orange shit stain etc,moonbats…what does that even mean, except its an ugly insult meant to shut down debate, I really turn off.

          Be better or you're just the same as your opponent is what I say

    • Stuart Munro. 2.5
      28 September 2019 at 11:40 am

      Pretty slanted – claims no evidence of collusion – all those Mueller witnesses who pled guilty did so to benefit a Democrat conspiracy then? Pathetic.

      There's good reason to consider impeachment a Pandora's box, bringing everything down into the mud where Trump tends to prosper. If it doesn't swing a few Republican senators the exercise may prove costly.

  3. greywarshark 3
    28 September 2019 at 9:54 am

    Latest Brexit – Forage is keeping on with his giant money-making business deal, using the whole of UK. What a heist!!

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49859818
    Nigel Farage warns Boris Johnson over 'reheated Brexit deal'

    Aljazeera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31teSjuN26o
    UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been dealt another blow in his push for an early election. The House of Commons speaker says under current rules it will not be possible to go to the polls before October 31 – the day Britain is scheduled to leave the European Union. Parliament has met for the second day since the Supreme Court ruled its suspension as unlawful. Meanwhile, the EU's lead negotiator, Michael Barnier, says the bloc is still waiting for new plans from the United Kingdom. Al Jazeera's Charlie Angela has more from London. –

    Subscribe to our channel: http://aje.io/AJSubscribe – Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish – Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera – Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/ #AlJazeeraEnglish #Brexit #UKParliament

  4. greywarshark 4
    28 September 2019 at 10:14 am

    This is awesome.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/399812/waka-flotilla-to-be-welcomed-in-bay-of-plenty

    A waka flotilla is being welcomed at Cape Runaway, as it arrives in New Zealand for the Tuia 250 celebrations.

    The va’a moana Fa’afaite i te Ao Mā’ohi.

    The va'a moana Fa'afaite i te Ao Mā'ohi. Photo: Tahiti Voyaging Society

    More than $20 million is being spent on events and resources to mark the 250 years since James Cook first landed in New Zealand, but it will also include commemorations of the first Polynesian waka that arrived in New Zealand 800 years ago.

    • Poission 4.1
      28 September 2019 at 10:38 am

      Te Rangi Hiroa ( Vikings of the sunrise )

      "For untold centuries after the boundaries of the Pacific had been peopled by man, these islands remained isolated and unoccupied save by land shells, insects, reptiles, and birds. Even the native flora was meagre as regards potential food for man. The coconut palm, the banana, and the breadfruit, now so characteristic of the oceanic flora, awaited human transport. The westerly winds and the constant trades blew over empty seas, for no primitive navigator had yet dared to raise a matting sail to waft him to waiting islands. Years after countless years, the Pleiades rose on the eastern horizon, but no man hailed their coming with dance and song as the sign of the new year. The stars rose and travelled across the sky, but no craft groped its way across unknown waters by their aid. The moon waxed and waned, but its phases went unstudied. Fish spawned, increased, and went their unhampered way through reef channels into silent and unlit lagoons. The Ocean Maid in her tumultuous moods vented her wrath against inanimate rock and reef, for no conqueror had yet appeared to mark her heaving bosom with the wake of the voyaging canoe or to dig into her yielding body with the dripping blade of the deep-sea paddle. Pedestrians had reached the eastern bounds of the Asiatic corridor and could walk no farther. The hanging skies to the east of the Fijis remained unpierced. Beyond the eastern horizon, earth, sea, and sky awaited the coming of a breed of men who not only had an effective form of ocean transport but who had the courage to dare and both the will and the skill to conquer. The uncharted seas awaited the coming of the Polynesian navigators. "

    • Anne 4.2
      28 September 2019 at 10:54 am

      Wow. They are works of art. I hope they are going to travel to other parts of the country, too.

  5. greywarshark 5
    28 September 2019 at 10:24 am

    Brexit –
    Forage holding forth about the wonders of going Brexit as he progresses his great money-making scheme using the whole of the UK. What a heist!

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49859818
    Nigel Farage warns Boris Johnson over 'reheated Brexit deal'
    He then criticised Labour's "policy of uncontrolled mass immigration".
    The party also unveiled some policy plans, but little detail, including scrapping HS2 and inheritance tax.
    The UK is due to leave the EU on 31 October.

    Aljazeera:

    UK parliament rejects second bid for early election

    UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been dealt another blow in his push for an early election. The House of Commons speaker says under current rules it will not be possible to go to the polls before October 31 – the day Britain is scheduled to leave the European Union. Parliament has met for the second day since the Supreme Court ruled its suspension as unlawful. Meanwhile, the EU's lead negotiator, Michael Barnier, says the bloc is still waiting for new plans from the United Kingdom. Al Jazeera's Charlie Angela has more from London. –

  6. ianmac 6
    28 September 2019 at 10:52 am

    Is it possible for the Republicans to nominate the position of a different candidate for President other than Trump? (They wouldn't of course but could they?)

  7. joe90 7
    28 September 2019 at 11:28 am

    Things are escalating …

    Presidential contender Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) called for a formal impeachment inquiry into Brett Kavanaugh on Friday in the wake of a new sexual misconduct claim against the Supreme Court justice.

    “I write to urge the House Judiciary Committee to take appropriate action to investigate recent reports about Associate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and to hold Mr. Kavanaugh accountable for his prior conduct and testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee,” Harris wrote in a letter, dated Sept. 17, to the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.).

    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kamala-harris-impeachment-inquiry-brett-kavanaugh_n_5d8dfcf0e4b0ac3cdda72110

  8. greywarshark 8
    28 September 2019 at 11:45 am

    Sorry if I did something wrong in my piece on Brexit moderator. I did it again with large address codes taken out. Both still in mod. Any hope of releasing when there time?

  9. joe90 9
    28 September 2019 at 11:57 am

    A warning from the boss?

    MOSCOW — Russia has voiced hope that the U.S. administration wouldn't publish private conversations between the two nations' presidents, like it did with Ukraine

    https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/kremlin-says-it-hopes-u-s-would-not-release-trump-n1059446?

  10. marty mars 10
    28 September 2019 at 6:50 pm

    bullshit time over

    The 16-year-old Swede met privately with the Canadian prime minister but later told a news conference with local indigenous leaders that he was “not doing enough” to curb greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.

    “My message to all the politicians around the world is the same. Just listen and act on the current best available science,” she said.

    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/27/greta-thunberg-justin-trudeau-meeting-climate-strikes

  12. Sacha 12
    28 September 2019 at 7:24 pm

    Dodgy developer ropes in help from unfortunately-related sources: https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/09/24/824481/how-whale-oil-rivals-found-themselves-on-the-same-side

    So, within a few days Li Zhu/Andy Lin had appointed people on opposite sides of a very public controversy to represent him on two albeit separate property court actions.

    It wasn’t likely to end well, which is possibly why Zhu didn’t tell either man about the other’s appointment – or mention that there were two cases against him.

  13. adam 13
    28 September 2019 at 7:53 pm

    So the racists coup organisers in Venezuela have been found out as being in bed with Colombian narco gangs. Gotta love the blantancy of free market capitalism.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/13/juan-guaido-faces-questions-over-links-to-organised-groups

    God bless the Venezuelan VP Delcy Rodríguez for going to the UN and standing up to these evil bastards and their US backers. And for point out the economic terrorism being done to Venezuela.

    https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/09/1048012

  14. Fireblade 14
    28 September 2019 at 9:21 pm

    My Auntie died this morning at 70 years of age. She suffered severe Paranoid Schizophrenia from the age of 15.

    Wherever she is now, I hope she is finally at peace and free from her tormented mind ❤️.

    • francesca 14.1
      28 September 2019 at 10:09 pm

      So do I Fireblade.Life for her must have been a torment at times Very sad.

      • greywarshark 14.1.1
        28 September 2019 at 10:25 pm

        Scientists feel they are getting close to important understandings about schizophrenia. If they can it will be so great to prevent the difficulties that your aunt went through. Too late for her but hope for the future.

  15. gsays 15
    28 September 2019 at 9:22 pm

    Rugby dis-enthusiasts avert your gaze.

    Japan establish their reputation as giant killers.

    19-12 to Japan against 2nd ranked Ireland.

  16. greywarshark 16
    28 September 2019 at 10:41 pm

    RIP Jack Lasenby, author of childrens and young adult books. One of his characters was wily packhorse Harry Wakatipu.

    Funny nonsense stories from a talking horse living in rural New Zealand, written by master storyteller Jack Lasenby. Harry Wakatipu is a lazy, bad-tempered packhorse and the biggest liar in the history of the Vast Untrodden Ureweras. He's hopeless and needy and greedy and never does his share of the work. He's 'a machine for the ingesting and digesting of condensed milk', according to Biff Piddington.

    The Lies of Harry Wakatipu is a collection of fantastic stories – like how the first wasps got into New Zealand, or how the Kaingaroa wild horses got there in the first place or how Freddy Stromboli could walk under a Merino wether without taking off his hat, or how the deer culler's mother stopped the Hopuruahine River. It's true, just ask Harry Wakatipu.

    https://www.mightyape.co.nz/product/the-lies-of-harry-wakatipu-paperback/12527834

    https://nzbooks.org.nz/1994/literature/tall-tales-and-truths-from-an-underrated-writer-judith-holloway/

  17. joe90 17
    28 September 2019 at 11:48 pm

    Yes please.