Posts by Steve Parks

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  • Hard News: Prospects,

    Anyway, I took a pleasant stroll down the Valley in the sunshine and voted at Aro Community Centre. I'm one of the expected 10% who made their minds up at the ballot. I went Green for the first time. (er... by that I mean I gave my party vote to the Green Party, not that the act of voting made me sick.)

    It was busy, but no real waiting required. My girlfriend has worked as an electoral officer the last few elections and apparently when they open at 9 am there's a line of people waiting to get their votes done - or so it's been in past years. She theorizes that a lot of people want to get it out of the way early and go about their day, and I suppose some are just plain eager.

    I feel election day is a day to be savored, in a way, and yet I also have a phlegmatic approach to the whole thing. No matter how much I feel vested in a given election (and I feel a lot less vested in this one than previously) I feel the voting process should be done at my leisure; it should fit into my day as I feel it appropriate. I love being able to kick around and about the house, then head on out to by some new jeans and on the way - oh yeah, I'll just partake in a bit of the ol' democracy. Then I go home, have couple of beers and watch cricket. Democracy's great. So are weekends.

    Last election I cast a special vote. I was overseas during the election, and watched the result on the internet from Zurich. I was a little surprised at the outcome. I wonder if I will be this time?

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report

  • Hard News: Prospects,

    On 'treating':

    (2) Every person commits the offence of treating who corruptly, …

    (4) Every elector who corruptly accepts or takes any such food, drink, entertainment, or provision also commits the offence of treating.

    What's with "corruptly"? What if you __un__corruptly accept the food? Is it okay then?

    [from the article]"...beer flowed like water..."

    If they offered me a cold beer on the way out, I'd accept it. (But not in a corrupt way, of course.)

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report

  • Hard News: Prospects,

    I'm having the same problem, Islander. 'Remember Me' doesn't work and it used to, and does on other sites I visit. I'll have a look at my settings, though.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report

  • Hard News: History is now,

    I actually found that Africa thing hard to believe, but hey, it came from Fox News.

    Oh crap.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report

  • Hard News: History is now,

    Oops, didn't finish that last post...

    ...here is the Huffington Post article with the story and vid.

    Palin was apparently a nightmare for her campaign staff to deal with. She refused preparation help for her interview with Katie Couric and then blamed her staff, specifically Nicole Wallace, when the interview was panned as a disaster. After the Couric interview, Fox News reported, Palin turned nasty with her staff and began to accuse them of mishandling her. Palin would view press clippings of herself in the morning and throw "tantrums" over the negative coverage.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report

  • Hard News: History is now,

    I actually found that Africa thing hard to believe, but hey, it came from Fox News.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report

  • Hard News: History is now,

    No no, Rich. You misunderstand. Paul is cleverly affecting that pompous, pretentious attitude, for the purposes of mocking just the sort of sneering tosser he is feigning. It was all done tongue in cheek. That's right, huh Paul?

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report

  • Hard News: History is now,

    You are being satirical, huh Paul?

    Btw, I have received far too many compliments during this thread.

    You are so gracious, Danielle. So gracious.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report

  • Hard News: History is now,

    Thanks Mark, that's cleared things up nicely.

    How is Bill Ayers much different?

    As mentioned, he hasn't killed anyone. That's a start.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report

  • Hard News: History is now,

    Thanks, Jake. Yeah, the Veitch thread. Well, this topic has a few days of life left in it though, so you never know.

    ----------- ----------

    On the gay marriage propositions, that whole issue is quite weird:

    "Obama, a US senator from Illinois, won California and Florida. Rival Republican US Senator John McCain won his home state of Arizona, which in 2006 rejected a ban on same-sex marriage."

    Cal goes for the ban, while AZ previously rejected a ban?
    Meanwhile, voters in South Dakota and Colorado reject limits on abortion.
    Colorado voters rejected a measure that would have made abortion the legal equivalent of murder by defining human life as beginning at conception.

    South Dakota defeated a ban on abortion that, if passed, had been expected to spark a court battle leading to the Supreme Court. (All from this stuff article.)

    For gay marriage proponents, some comfort is being found in the Obama victory, though:

    In San Francisco, where Mayor Gavin Newsom initiated gay marriages in City Hall and launched the legal battle resulting in recognition of same-sex unions, Obama's victory and message of change consoled proposition opponents.

    "We have Obama," Noelle Skool, 29, said as she checked identification at a popular lesbian bar in San Francisco's Mission district. "It's small steps. Eventually they'll warm up to the fact that, hey, we're all equal."

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report

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