Posts by Rich of Observationz

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  • Hard News: Debate like it's 2008!,

    If anyone's making shirts here on $300 a week then their management should be in jail for paying under minimum wage.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Debate like it's 2008!,

    to imply that at a certain number of people tortured, Cullen would say "oh right, that 100th one really put the nail in that trade agreement. was happy with 99 though

    But the whole pseudo-argument *is* that it is all a question of degree and that although there are "human rights concerns" about China, they are have made sufficient progress that we can happily sign agreements with them.

    The argument against is that they are way over the line. Just because Tibet has been occupied for 50+ years doesn't mean that it's ok to shoot Tibetans because they still struggle for independance.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Debate like it's 2008!,

    Why is it "ridiculous" to suggest that we silently (or otherwise) link our prosperity to fascism.

    Do the Chinese jail, enslave, and torture people?

    Do we sell them lots of milk products and similar?

    Do they in turn sell us coveted consumer items at a much cheaper price than a country without slave labour could?

    Now, this situation may be inevitable. If we had to sell our commodities in democracies and buy our products from countries with acceptable employment practices, then we'd probably all be down to watching telly on that 10-year old 19" from TradeMe.

    But I don't see what's wrong with accepting the tradeoff.

    Finlandisation?

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Debate like it's 2008!,

    On the subject of bicycle theft, in 1950s Vietnam, making bicycles into bombs by stuffing the frames with plastic explosive was a popular activity. I guess that would have had a substantial effect in deterring people from stealing your bike?

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Debate like it's 2008!,

    How many cases like that of Ye Guozhu, sentenced to 4 years’ imprisonment for his opposition to forced evictions in Beijing associated with construction for the Olympic Games, and subsequently tortured while in detention, would it take for him to reconsider the April signing of a preferential trade agreement with China?

    So Ye Gozhou wasn't jailed for his politics, or tortured?

    Or we should just accept silently that our prosperity depends on ignoring that China is a fascist state of the first degree?

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Buy now: spend the recession inside!,

    Also, if I was going to post from the wider shores of the extreme left:

    - the Cultural Revolutionaries were jailing, killing, torturing and enslaving people because they honestly believed it was the only way to create a "better" society.

    - the present Chinese regime is jailing, killing, torturing and enslaving people in order to maintain their state capitalist regime in power. So they can make $5,000 televisions for rich people in upmarket suburbs.

    Obviously, the latter is much more laudable.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Buy now: spend the recession inside!,

    But hating on China itself sometimes seems to me to be the acceptable face of xenophobia

    Love the Chinese, hate their government.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Unhappy Birthday,

    I once found a gram of uranium oxide

    Depleted or natural? I'm guessing not enriched.

    The US has 500,000 tonnes of the former. They might sell you some - but you'd need to do your own processing from UF6 (careful!)

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Unhappy Birthday,

    Business is thriving, oil deals are flowing, McMansions are rising ... in Iraq

    Yes. Those. Are. The. Warlords. Doing. The. Business. And. Building. The. Mansions.

    Thieu and his cronies had nice houses, as well. With helicopter pads, if they had any sense.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Unhappy Birthday,

    I'm thinking that if you're on the hard right, any objective rational writing will seem like communism. Especially when you're used to echo-chambers like NBR and the Herald.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

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