Hard News: So far from trivial
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You know, Veitch could walk into a police station and make a statement, then let justice take its course.
If he did that, then I'd have no objection to his reemployment in the media or any other trade on his release (or indeed acquittal). Because then he'd have done his time (assuming he was convicted) and would be entitled to rehabilitation.
I'm happy to read the writings of ex-lifer and Guardian journo Erwin James for instance, who I assume murdered someone (he never talks about his offence). That's rehabilitation - (allegedly) paying the victim off and doing interviews with Holmes isn't.
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Jackie: The point that I am making is that in a Blog people should be able to give an opinion without personal attacks. Some of what Craig writes is thoughtful, but when he shouts abuse at me or Paul Holmes or whoever, that suggests to me that he is trying to intimidate or to deflect. When he does this, the 90% or lurkers (browsers) who read this post, will be less likely to contribute. Call that Bollocks if it makes you happy. Craig could give you some more "passionate" expressions.
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When a payout was agreed seems to be disputed.
In the smaller Herald story today, Veitch seems to be saying it was right after his attack, in her hospital room. TVNZ are suggesting it was only after their meeting with him in November last year, quite some time later.
Craig, what does the full Holmes interview say about that?
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Erwin James is a great writer, Rich. Have you read his biographies A life inside: a prisoner's notebook and The home stretch:from prison to parole ? Really interesting.
Back to the topic at hand. Ian, for the public record, as a newlywed I slapped my husband across the face to get a reaction. To his credit, he did absolutely nothing, even though he was very angry, except to tell me that if I did it again, he would slap me back. Fair enough. I felt very badly about it for quite a while. If he had slapped me back, I would have been shocked but somewhat accepting. If however, he had indulged in behaviour which left me in a wheelchair for a sustained period of time, or even if he had punched me, there would be no apology for his behaviour, just as there was none for mine. We are all human, and we all fuck up, but seriously..... -
Hospital Sunday Jan 6 2006
October 2007 Lawyers write "demanding" $150,000
Dec 2007 Veitch pays $160,000 for loss of income and hurt feelings, and they sign a secrecy agreement. -
You know, Veitch could walk into a police station and make a statement, then let justice take its course.
If he did that, then I'd have no objection to his reemployment in the media or any other trade on his release (or indeed acquittal). Because then he'd have done his time (assuming he was convicted) and would be entitled to rehabilitation.
That's where I'm at with this. He should have gone to the police, owned up and seen where it went from there. He didn't and he tried to hide it and now it smacks of him trying to save face and money by keeping his job. According to the DomPost he has mortgage payments of 20,000 a month and any sudden loss of earning (shedloads) looks likely to stuff his career, his lifestyle and his ego.
Land transfer records show a property in the waterfront suburb of Mission Bay that he bought for $460,000 in September 2004, later transferring to his company, Ynot Property Investments, was sold in early 2006, around the time of the assault, for $525,000 a $65,000 profit.
Veitch is mortgaged to the hilt on his other properties the house in Kohimarama where the assault took place and the home in Herne Bay where he now lives with his wife, Zoe Halford.
Mortgage documents show the ANZ bank has loaned $4.5 million against the two properties, although it is not clear if the money has been advanced for other projects as well. Veitch's mortgage payments are said to be as high as $20,000 a month.
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Yamis posted a link
Just to go horribly OT here, was anyone else utterly appalled at the quality (or, rather, blatant lack thereof) of the editing of that article? Grammaros, typos, it's abysmal.
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If he did that, then I'd have no objection to his reemployment in the media or any other trade on his release (or indeed acquittal). Because then he'd have done his time (assuming he was convicted) and would be entitled to rehabilitation.
Well, as Colin Peacock pointed out on Mediawatch this morning (just much more politely than my paraphrase), Marc Ellis' conviction for his part in a certain "celebrity drug ring" hasn't been a kiss of death to being as over-exposed as a stripper's map of Tasmania.
And, Ian, I do realise it's a Sunday but the self-crucifying martyr trip is a little tiresome. Don't know if you're paying attention, but this isn't exactly the corner of teh interwebz I'd come to if I was looking for a self-regarding circle jerk. Not at all.
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Humans think they are pillars of control but the line between sane and insane (even if momentarily) is small, and fragile.
Well said - kinda Shakespearean.
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Back to the topic at hand. Ian, for the public record, as a newlywed I slapped my husband across the face to get a reaction. To his credit, he did absolutely nothing, even though he was very angry, except to tell me that if I did it again, he would slap me back. Fair enough. I felt very badly about it for quite a while. If he had slapped me back, I would have been shocked but somewhat accepting. If however, he had indulged in behaviour which left me in a wheelchair for a sustained period of time, or even if he had punched me, there would be no apology for his behaviour, just as there was none for mine. We are all human, and we all fuck up, but seriously.....
Thankyou for that. Some would say." Do want a medal for his restraint". I don't. I applaud your honesty. We take a risk when exposing like that. As I said it then just becomes a matter of degree doesn't it?
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And then I found these from the Sunday Star Times:
Veitch's ex-partner told police of assault
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4616914a10.htmlTony Veitch's ex-girlfriend reported his attack on her to police in July last year, but instead of laying a criminal complaint, she demanded a $150,000 compensation payment from the sports broadcaster.
Fall from grace a staged 'media culpa'
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4616981a11.html
It's not OK to hit someone. Ever
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4617035a1861.htmlYes, there are emotional complexities when someone you know and love assaults you. This is why wife- beaters (and child abusers) stay out of jail. This is why crimes by loved ones go unreported. Forgiveness, loyalty and shame work in mysterious ways.
But violence is violence, assault is assault, regardless of the location. In the home, doesn't make it better. Handier, yes, but not better. In this case, kicking a woman on the floor and breaking her back is not made better by the fact it was your bedroom floor. The law applies in every room, in every suburb. That bedroom is a crime scene, and the payoff was a cover-up to pervert the course of justice.
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but this isn't exactly the corner of teh interwebz I'd come to if I was looking for a self-regarding circle jerk. Not at all.
heh, but this is the corner I come to ,to laugh out loud at comments like that!:)
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We are all human, and we all fuck up, but seriously.....
There's some lines you just can't step back from when you're crossed them? I totally agree -- David and I can still have some pretty unpleasant lung-busting, door-slamming, 'don't even look at me, bitch' rows. Then we calm down and get back in touch with our inner adults. But there's things you just can't take back once they've been said -- and you shouldn't be able to.
Ian & Robbery, I don't expect perfection from anyone. Even glorified auto-cue readers who allow themselves to be marketed as 'role models' etc. But, God, there's got to be one or two things in this world that are just beyond the pale no matter who you are.
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And, Ian, I do realise it's a Sunday but the self-crucifying martyr trip is a little tiresome. Don't know if you're paying attention, but this isn't exactly the corner of teh interwebz I'd come to if I was looking for a self-regarding circle jerk. Not at all.
Craig: Now who is patronizing ??
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There's some lines you just can't step back from when you're crossed them?
yes, yes, yes.
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Marc Ellis' conviction for his part in a certain "celebrity drug ring" hasn't been a kiss of death to being as over-exposed as a stripper's map of Tasmania.
The difference here is he chose to use drugs .Basically you can fuk yourself up, we can understand that. a lot of people accept personal choice.But when you take away that personal choice you are left answerable to your actions. I think that is why " I was wasted and didn't know what I was doing"is often used as a defence and (yes Ian) it does become the degree of the act that determines the severity of the consequence. And as a conspiracy theorist, I would say, the timing of this could tie in with a bunch of sport celebrities who don't know what the cops have got but they are all "buddies" and then we know what meth is like, makes people do things they wouldn't normally do, (refer to David slacks Courtroom 15)
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good riddance...
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Ian writes:
What a nightmare. Wrong if you front up. Wrong if you do. Wrong if you have a cheerful photo. Wrong if have a sombre one. Wrong if you express admiration for the victim. Wrong if you don't etc etc. What ever you say or do is wrong after the event.
Yes, it's very hard to see what Veitch could do right at the moment - partly because we're all reacting to the utter wrongness of what he's already done, and partly because the right things would be really really hard for him to do.
In my opinion right would be to walk away from the publicity, from the media and walk toward the justice system. Issue one statement which says "Although I woul like to explain my actions and seek public forgiveness and acceptance I will not cause my victim, or her and my family and friends, any further pain by encouraging the media coverage of an issue which is so intensely private and personal. What happened is my responsibility and mine alone, I will bear the consequences. I have contacted the Police and will be making a full statement to them directly."
Every time he talks to the media at the moment we can hear him avoiding any truth that would see him charged. We also hear him prolonging the media fuss, which can only hurt his victim and others.
Both of these are the sound of a man continuing to avoid responsibility for his actions.
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Thought I'd share the experience I had at the test last night (great game, thrilled to be there, it was fun). 3 middle aged blokes (50s?) behind us making basically racist remarks about a couple of the ABs, amongst other things. Woman two along from me told them to put a sock in it or she'd have no qualms complaining. Eventually she did (police). So, then she became a "fat whining bitch" amongst other things. Her friend was told to "get back to the kitchen" and boy did bloke no 2 get extremely cross, when bloke no 1 (main perpetrator of offensive remarks) was removed by cops. The insults escalated, bloke no 2 shot down the stairs after the woman who was going back to the cops again (I tried to slow him down by getting my feet in his way and got sworn at of course, which made my 8 year old cry :(). He didn't come back to his seat, she did, and I think, that was the end of the matter. I'm not going to pretend I'm surprised at those guys' attitude. But still, it's 2008 ffs - it was like meeting 3 dinosaurs (no offense to dinosaurs)! What I know about rugby could go on the back of a postage stamp... but it didn't feel like it was rugby that was the problem last night.
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Good on you ladies.
Hopefully the NZRU bans them for 5 years from all rugby matches like the bloke who racially abused Petero Civinoceva at Parramatta Stadium last weekend.
Although I don't suppose it will play out like that.
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And now I am reminded of all the other ladies today because the AB's didn't win.Also Robbery, I never forget about them. In the words of Neil Young. Nobody wins, it's the war of man.
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From Anita's fabulous comment just up the page:
Both of these are the sound of a man continuing to avoid responsibility for his actions.
Yes!
This is what you don't seem to be hearing, Ian. You might see someone who made a mistake (some mistake!), but many of the rest of us see someone who is refusing to take responsibility for that mistake, and using whatever weasel words he can to get out of it.
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This is good from John Dyvbig.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4616937a2201.html
...And to show just how ludicious this quest for the "truth" can get a TVNZ reporter announced on the 6pm bulletin that she had put forth a list of questions to her immediate bosses and received no replies. And these are the very same people who spend millions every year advertising that they are the best when it comes to delivering the "news". Well what a bloody waste of money they are if they couldn't even deliver on the hottest story of the week, which literally bit them on their own ass.
The reporter got no further with Tony's radio employer. It seems nobody is covering themselves in glory over this fisaco.
It always astounds me how quickly the media circles the wagons, bunkers down and says nothing when something happens to one of its frontline soldiers. And yet when any member of the public steps off the primrose path these same buzzards continually circle the corpse until there's nothing left to pick off.
It pays to remember that the media reserves its biggest lies for when it's talking about itself...
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This is what you don't seem to be hearing, Ian. You might see someone who made a mistake (some mistake!), but many of the rest of us see someone who is refusing to take responsibility for that mistake, and using whatever weasel words he can to get out of it.
Deborah:My memory is not that good but I can't remember writing anything very much about Veitch. I was always much more interested in the other stuff. If you are asking me to comment directly, I think that he should for everyone's sake front up to the court system. This would be perhaps in spite of the agreement for both parties to remain silent but I am sure that that would be a minor problem and be overcome. (It may be that Kristan has strong reasons for wanting to stay quiet.) Also as an aside, for the sake of the debate on these pages it would be plain interesting to see what the full truthful story was. Contrary to the belief that I somehow support DV, I definitely don't, and I can't remember anyone on this blog who does. Greetings.
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The difference here is he chose to use drugs.
Fair point -- and I should point out that Ellis plead guilty to possession of a class-B drug, not dealing or having a P lab in the garden shed. My point - and I think it would be fair to say that it was Colin's -- is that plenty of observers (including myself) thought Ellis' chances of working in television again were roughly zero. Apparently not, and as it now appears TVNZ and RadioWorks weren't initially candid about what they knew, and when, it's a bit hard to see how they can sack Veitch as opposed to negotiating a generous exit package to buy out his contract. I guess, as they say in the trade, it's a developing story.
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