Posts by Christopher Dempsey
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So Keith Locke is homophobic because a refugee he supported through an incredibly dodgy security/legal process has never explicitly proven he's not homophobic? I guess that makes me homophobic too.
Zaoui is a muslim man, nay, a man of the Islamic Salvation Front, in Algeria, which last I heard,wasn't particularly enthused about human rights for gays and lesbians. Such attitutes tends to lead to the merry business of harrassing and murdering Gays / Lesbians, as so many straight muslim men are wont to do. Locke, Zaoui's greatest cheerleader and supporter, is remiss in not distancing himself from this. Whether that makes him homophobic or not I don't know, but it doesn't help endear him to me.
I'm not sure if you are indicting the 'incredibly dodgy security/legal process' or find it incredible that Zaoui could exploit it for this advantage, but from my viewpoint, the merry band of supporters that piled onto the bandwagon weren't thinking through and beyond their decision. I supported the principle that they were fighting for - namely that decisions about refugees shouldn't be a case of quiet decisions behind closed doors nudge nudge wink wink, but IMHO Zaoui was the wrong battle to wage that fight.
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What an interesting discussion. Frankly 9-11 discussion leave me cold - I've no interest really, though images of Falling Man and others mesmerised me this morning. Such bathos I thought. So human. Perpelxed and perplexing.
Which sort of explains Deborah Coddington. I'm reading a book by Bernard-Henri Levy - "Left in Dark Times: A Stand Against the New Barbarism" - basically a disassemble of the Left currently. At least the Left in France. Deborah C may care to read it - I suspect it speaks to her as well.
At least I get permission from the book to state that while I am Left, people like Keith Locke, anti-semetic and homophobic to boot (Ahmed Zaoui never spoke out against Muslim men targetting Gay men) leave me stone cold. For that reason I've never been a member of the Greens, despite supporting many of their principles. Being Left these days doesn't mean that I blindly support 'old causes'.
Perhaps Deborah C is doing the same, or already has done so.
It's a fluid world alright, demonstrated so aptly by Messers Craig and Co - what is democracy exactly? HUH? CARLY BINDING REFERENDUM? Images of bootprints? Which is why I did the Nazi salute and cheery sieg heils (to the bemusement of two charming Frenchmen just arrived - I imagine that one can't do that in France). Doing so invites question, but I don't think anyone who was there on that march in a serious capacity was capable of asking.
Not that's a problem - there were so few of them relative to the population that I suspect more than a few of the rest of them could intelligently ask the question.
sigh. Such is modernity - a thread combines questions about democracy, about 9-11, about what's left or right, about Barbie and GI Joe.
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I was going to go to the march with a placard reading "Is this the way to the stoning" or "If spanking was good enough for my monkey, it's good enough for my kids" but I couldn't make up my mind so I didn't go. Bloody Librans for you.
But I really liked your "Who would Jesus hit" ;-)I was going to go as well with a sign saying "Ein God, Ein Mob, Ein Democracy" or "Lynching is my democratic right".
But I ran out of time and couldn't get A into G to do it so settled for the next best thing; Nazi salutes with cheery Sieg Heils. Who the fuck teaches history these days?? Scary the number of people that waved back.
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I keep two hives and one of the interesting things about the bees is the way they get used to you as part of their environment – the kids can stand in the flight path and the bees bounce right off them. It’s only visitors who are stung.
Having recently acquired a beehive its very interesting to watch. Once they get used to you they simply fly around you as they Zzzzzip! into and out of the hive - and boy do they ever zzzzzzip! Astonishing.
The other day I was sunbathing and two scout bees came and checked me out, each at separate times, buzzing all around me before flying off. Didn't feel scared cause I knew they were scout bees so they weren't going to land on me.
Very interesting keeping bees - there's something, oh, elemental about it all...
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Don't that look like a far more comfortable, less competitive, form of transport just because there was no uniform attached to the mode of transport. Now if we just flatten a few hills.....
I'm all for 'flattening' hills... now if we could get some of that money that Joyce is sloshing around given generously by the pixies at the bottom of the garden, we'll be sweet....
Who's up for a trip to Spain? (Spanish TV news clip of bicycle tunnel-pretty neat)
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Cycling should be a normal mode of transport, not a cultish fashion parade at high speed.
Agreed. These people think so too. There's a policy oriented version by the same guy, but the emphasis on people who wear normal clothing is incredibly important.
And we have our own local version of European bicycle chic'ness... and guys, if you feel like throwing on a frock, feel free to do so...
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And here we are again - NZ getting rooted up the anal passage by international Rugby. Again!
This is, of course, veering scarily close to the literal truth.
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I guess C4 will be doing top 100 rugby anthems, Prime will be sulking and refusing to air anything at all, which leaves the horse racing channel. Guess that channel will still be going - although watch for the race featuring horses with All Black names.
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or completely democratic.
The moronic can watch TVNZ with its inane commentary that borders on re-runs of recordings from an insane asylum, the more intelligent can watch TV3 for higher quality commentary, and da Maaaaooooori can watch rugby with Te Reo commentary.
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Definitely interesting. Be interesting to see the next stage in this saga.