Posts by Kumara Republic

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  • Hard News: McVicar and the media,

    McVicar came across surprisingly composed, no Walker-Muldoon moments there. Still, it illustrates a wider fundamental problem - demagogic causes are too easily compressed onto a bumper sticker. To put counter-arguments on the same space is easier said than done. And we can't just wait for another David Dougherty, or even something worse.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Up Front: You Never Forget Your First,

    In the commentary to The Horror of Fang Rock, Louise Jameson [Leela] told an interesting story about their initially rather tense working relationship

    I'll always remember Horror of Fang Rock for that time a Max Headroom wannabe butted in...

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Hard News: The Internet in New Zealand,

    One of the things I'm finding most depressing about a lot of the debates going on in NZ at present is that they seem to be premised on "Aim low. That way you cannot fail to achieve your goals." We should be shooting for the moon, so that even a failure will be impressive. Instead we're aiming low and not even achieving mediocrity.

    In other words, the "McD's nation" David Harris warned us about.

    Back to broadband issues, TelstraClear has rolled out 25Mb/s cable in ChCh, and will be rolling out in Wellywood soon if not already.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Hard News: McVicar and the media,

    Abolition of laws and their enforcers would force people to spend their time defending their property, rather than engaging in productive pursuits that enrich society as a whole.

    Somalia is the most obvious example. On the opposite extreme, there have been cases of private property rights enforced at machine-gunpoint, such as Pinochet's Chile or Verwoerd's South Africa.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Hard News: McVicar and the media,

    The Press Council deserve a rocket too if they think that Bryderesque lying and sloppiness is now fine and dandy in the publications they have been granted rights of review over.

    The press have been given certain protections based on corresponding standards of expected behaviour. If they want to welsh on the deal, then let's remove their protection from prosecution for publishing lies.

    The Press Council was formed in the early 1970s, long before the Murdochisation of media outlets. In such a case, wouldn't there be grounds to go to the Commerce Commission instead?

    Released into a society that complains via the likes of SST because nobody wants a half way house at the end of the street. Then society thinks they should just know to be better now that they were told it's wrong. Yeah, grow up, get a hair cut, and get a job. Easy for some.How come?

    Such attitudes take the following line: if square pegs don't fit in round holes, get a bigger hammer!

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Hard News: McVicar and the media,

    Sacha: former MP Matt Robson dubbed them the "terrible few and the sad many".

    The hang-em-high brigade must eventually have some kind of Too-Big-to-Fail fall from grace.

    For Britain's union movement, it was the rubbish mountains and unburied corpses in the 1970s.
    For Telecom, it was Gattung's remarks about "confusion as a marketing tool".

    I can hazard a guess that for the hang-em-highs, it would probably be either this:

    Or even these:

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Hard News: McVicar and the media,

    What does McVicar think of restorative justice?

    He's been known to diss it as 'wet liberal' thinking. After all, the Sheriff of Maricopa is his idol.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • OnPoint: Iraq, from the air,

    And especially in this day and age of 'smart' bombs too.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Hard News: McVicar and the media,

    We discussed the issue at some length, and decided it made more sense to have McVicar there to answer questions, rather than some proxy. I guess you'll just have to trust me to do it right.

    Just be prepared for any Walker-Muldoon moments.

    Oh yes, and McVicar's idol, Sheriff Arpaio, has been sued by the Feds for stuff including, but not limited to, abuses of power and doing a Winston-First-on-P on 'illegal' migrants. Bringing that up would be priceless. And you could also throw in the riots and custody deaths at (GEO Group-owned) Reeves County Prison too.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Hard News: The back of a bloody envelope,

    Three words - bait and switch.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

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