Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Swine flu, terror and Susan Boyle

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  • Grant Dexter,

    Where was that idea put forward?

    In the blog:

    The murder of Dr George Tiller in Kansas yesterday can only be regarded as American domestic terrorism.... The suspect arrested has ties to right-wing extremist groups.

    Taipei, Taiwan • Since Mar 2007 • 256 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    Oh, and talking of fire, Arson features quite often in relation to "your" side of the "debate".

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Parks,

    You don't really mean in any context, surely?


    She couldn't. Otherwise she would be anti abortion.

    That was Steve Withers I was responding to, but anyway...
    Steve was careful to refer to "unambiguously human". Whether a fetus is unambiguously human is part of the abortion debate. So no, he is not necessarily anti abortion.

    I had in mind things like self-defense, maybe combat situations...

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report Reply

  • Grant Dexter,

    <quote>Sorry Grant, your argument is absurd and inconsistent and while it might make sense to you, it doesn't to anyone else.<quote>

    Perhaps you just need to be a little more tolerant and appreciate a bit of diversity :)

    Taipei, Taiwan • Since Mar 2007 • 256 posts Report Reply

  • Keir Leslie,

    Both statements are true no?

    It is domestic terrorism; and he does have ties to right-wing extremist groups.

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report Reply

  • Grant Dexter,

    I had in mind things like self-defense, maybe combat situations...

    Oh, right. That too... :)

    Sorry .. he.

    Taipei, Taiwan • Since Mar 2007 • 256 posts Report Reply

  • andrew gunn,

    For some light relief may I recommend following Russell’s link to the Media7 “shouting match”, starring Ana Samways as Woman Talking Sense and featuring some rooster called Swney who chews up the scenery in the role of Every Unfair Negative Stereotype I Ever Had About Aucklanders.

    Priceless… (unlike, I imagine, Swney’s charge-out rate)

    Christchurch • Since Apr 2009 • 45 posts Report Reply

  • Grant Dexter,

    Both statements are true no? It is domestic terrorism; and he does have ties to right-wing extremist groups.

    Perhaps they are. Though it would be far more accurate to just say he was a murderer and was motivated by a pro-life agenda.

    If it is to be termed terrorism then the term is going to be applicable to many other situations as well. If he does have ties to pro life organisations then name the groups rather than using the pejorative.

    In other news: Where has Jazz gone?

    Taipei, Taiwan • Since Mar 2007 • 256 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Beard,

    You cannot seriously be putting skinheads and nazis in the same boat as pro life groups, can you?

    I'd like to. Preferably a small, leaky one in the middle of a Cook Strait southerly.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1040 posts Report Reply

  • Keir Leslie,

    In other words, you don't have a leg to stand on.

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report Reply

  • Robyn Gallagher,

    I have no tolerance for people who say they hate "reality TV", simply because it includes so much television that's so different - game shows, talent shows, fly-on-the-wall docos, and about health, romance, fitness, sport, etc. Hating bad television is one thing, but hating something just because of its production style, regardless of quality is a bit shit.

    It's all very well to blame the tabloids for the Susan Boyle backlash, but could it also have been due to the fact that, well, her voice was nice but it wasn't outstanding?

    Much of the appeal of her first appearance on the show was the strongly emphasised contrast between fat, frumpy, hairy, dowdy, spinster Susan and the thin, sexy, Botoxed, slick, shiny, glamorous world of the telly.

    She played her card early. You can only be surprised by the "Wow! She looks frumpy but sings beautifully!" thing once.

    So with the thrill of the new gone, all that was left was her voice and that started to get old fast.

    Also, here's Charlie Brooker on the Boyle phenomena:

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Parks,

    Where was that idea put forward?


    In the blog:

    "The murder of Dr George Tiller in Kansas yesterday can only be regarded as American domestic terrorism.... The suspect arrested has ties to right-wing extremist groups."

    You haven't answered the question: where was the idea put forward "that such acts define all pro-lifers or all right wingers." (My emphasis.)

    Russell simply observed that Tiller had ties to right wing extremist groups, not that all right wing groups, or all anti-abortion groups, are extremists of the sort Tiller is.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    It's all very well to blame the tabloids for the Susan Boyle backlash, but could it also have been due to the fact that, well, her voice was nice but it wasn't outstanding?

    I don't think that explains what The Sun did though. It's not about the competition -- I mean, who cares, really? -- but actively turning on her because they sensed weakness ... that was hideous.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Idiot Savant,

    Though it would be far more accurate to just say he was a murderer and was motivated by a pro-life agenda.

    Which of course ignores the sustained campaign of violence against US abortion providers. 8 murders, 17 attempted murders, 179 assaults, 4 kidnappings, 659 bioterror threats, 41 bombings, 175 arsons, and 96 attempted bombings or arsons since 1977. The only reason they haven't killed more people is because they don't have access to RPGs and Semtex (unlike e.g. the Red Army fraction, which did, and kiled 34 people over a similar period).

    It meets the US definition of "terorism". it meets the UN and NZ one. It is accurate therefore to call it such.

    Palmerston North • Since Nov 2006 • 1717 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock,

    Why [doesn't Grant] bugger off and annoy some other blog?

    Because he is a typical troll.

    You don't think it actually matters to him that everyone thinks he's a dick, and stupid and logically inconsistent to boot, do you?

    He gets off on people responding to what he posts. It doesn't actually matter a damn what the response is, the response itself validates his existence.

    That is why 'please do not feed the troll' is the only tactic that actually works. As long as people keep reacting, he'll keep coming back for more validation.

    Since universal non-response is, in practice, almost impossible to achieve (someone will always bite), my vote would be for banning. But that's up to Russell, who is far more of a tolerant and loving Mod than I would be.

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    “shouting match”, starring Ana Samways as Woman Talking Sense and featuring some rooster called Swney who chews up the scenery in the role of Every Unfair Negative Stereotype I Ever Had About Aucklanders.

    Saw it the other night. Wondered if Swney was a ringer. then wondered just how many drinks before recording, then thought nah,the guys a twit. Excellent show. I like Ana Samways now.:)

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    If it is to be termed terrorism then the term is going to be applicable to many other situations as well.

    Yes Grant, you're learning, its not just another word for Islam.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Bart Janssen,

    PAS is driving me to want to kill someone today.
    After I've done it, please feel free to debate amongst yourselves where or not y'all drove me to do it or not.

    and

    Kyle, I may join you. Wait, doesn't that make us terrorists if there's more than one of us?

    hmmm wait could there be a reality TV show in this? A group of normal sane individuals [or weird but talented ones] is exposed to trolling of the worst kind until finally one of them breaks and invokes Godwin's law OR just kills someone...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Parks,

    It's all very well to blame the tabloids for the Susan Boyle backlash, but could it also have been due to the fact that, well, her voice was nice but it wasn't outstanding?

    Well, that could have a lot to do with her not winning, I suppose, but that's not a backlash. The backlash referred to here seems to me to be more than just that she didn't come first. But then I could be wrong as I haven't been following it closely, as I don't really give a toss.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report Reply

  • Grant Dexter,

    You haven't answered the question: where was the idea put forward "that such acts define all pro-lifers or all right wingers." (My emphasis.)

    If people are not going to put pro-life groups into the same boat as skin heads and nazis then I have no quarrel.

    Taipei, Taiwan • Since Mar 2007 • 256 posts Report Reply

  • Grant Dexter,

    Seriously, what happened to my gravatar?

    ($20 more if I mention abortion, B Jones. Oop! Too late.. :)

    Taipei, Taiwan • Since Mar 2007 • 256 posts Report Reply

  • Phil Lyth,

    Ostracism was a procedure under the Athenian democracy in which a prominent citizen could be expelled from the city-state of Athens for ten years . . . [it] was simply a command from the Athenian people that one of their number be gone for ten years.

    Wellington • Since Apr 2009 • 458 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    Seriously, what happened to my gravatar?

    Maybe it died of boredom.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • Grant Dexter,

    Perhaps it was torn asunder by a tyrannical metal machine with a penchant for cool lines and the ability to assume new forms. :D

    Taipei, Taiwan • Since Mar 2007 • 256 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    Terrorrhythm
    the drums... the drums...
    another abomination in the obamanation...

    meanwhile the real terrorists still thrive, Bill O'Reilly and his ilk on Rupert Murdoch's (Murdoch - a compound of murder and Moloch?) Fox "news" channel happily incite hate crimes and divisive dogma all aimed it would seem to intimidate or coerce a civilian population - fomental as anything...
    this is the really scary "Reaity Televison"

    And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
    Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

    Dick Cheney perhaps, looking to catch the bus from there to Megiddo...

    yrs
    Bill the Butler did it Yeats

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

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