Rational passion and passionate reason
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PollWhat should the government do about ailing financial institutions? Nothing, except to back off and get out—as any Objectivist knows, intervention is treating the disease with the disease 85% Intervene judiciously—enough to avert a catastrophe that is otherwise imminent 4% Intervene massively—as it's doing 2% Nationalize the whole economy and be done with it. Bring on the USSA! 2% Something else (specify) 7% Total votes: 54
 Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell
 Economics In One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt
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Smacking the Bastards Back! Submitted by Mitch on Thu, 2007-03-29 07:01.
"2,4,6,8, WE DON'T WANT YOUR NANNY STATE!" To have been able to stand on the grounds of Parliament and echo this statement into the office of Helen Clark has made the March on Parliament against Nanny State's Anti-Smacking Law a resounding success. No matter how one-sided the media coverage, or how little impact we may have had on the law change (for now), Wednesday 28th March was a victory in the fight against this government's fascist intentions. For those who aren’t aware, my involvement with the march began when listening to Lindsay on Radio Live one morning. Linz had been asked to get a march organised, and he subsequently requested anybody interested in organising to e-mail him. I did, and the rest, as they say, is hard work! Anyway I won’t bore you with the gory organisational details any more than to acknowledge the work put in by brothers Howison, a lovely Christian lady named Sandra, and of course Lindsay. Thanks guys. After all the advertising done on the Radio, Internet, and in the Dominion Post, the result was a very reasonable turnout of around one thousand, contrary to media reports of 500 or less. If I were being honest I would say we could/should have had a few more, but if anything, the comparative lack of numbers showed the reason why this bill - and so many others like it - have been allowed to pass. A politically idle, ignorant, and complacent New Zealand public. Hell, even a significant number of those who did turn out missed the boat entirely on the state intrusion/individual freedom message. The opposition, which looked for the most part to be a Bradford rent-a-crowd, was, shall we say, an interesting bunch. From the female (I think she was female) with rings-a-plenty and a Mohawk, to the big young chap who looked as though he had been dropped on his head as a child (no wonder he was protesting against child abuse), they hardly looked like the types one would take seriously. However, seriously is what the media did take them. Half an hour later, while we Libz were across the road at the backbencher solving the world’s problems, Duncan Garner from TV3 was still enthusiastically interviewing the pro-Bradford crowd. That speaks volumes doesn’t it? The speakers were fantastic. Lindsay as the MC was magnificent. Heather Roy, Larry Baldock, and Chester Borrows all spoke well. Christine Rankin voiced the beaut one liner that everyone else was thinking: “how can the childless Prime Minister tell us how to raise our kids.” And Bob McCoskrie from Family First – after forking out $43k on full-page adverts for the marches/petition in all the major national daily newspapers - made a short but very well delivered speech. Apart from the heckling at the start, which consisted of a few untrue nasty taunts and a loudly blown whistle (how very creative), the whole ceremony went off without a hitch. So, by and large, a great day out was had by all on account of being able to vent our collective (I use that word tentatively
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) spleen at the breathtaking arrogance of our minority government’s relentless assaults on liberty in this country. The main point for me however, is this: on Wednesday 28th March, the dictatorship of New Zealand was given an invaluable reminder that there is still a voice of freedom in this country.
Robert,
"Me thinks this is just the thin end of the wedge, how long before there is a Aussie campaign to ban smacking?"
the UN plans on having smacking banned in all countries by 2009.
Anti-Smacking Campaign Crossing the Tasman
From the Aussie Daily Telegraph
"PARENTS are being warned not to smack their children in guidelines being released by a child welfare agency supported by the Federal Government.
The guidelines, available in 16 languages on the Australian Childhood Foundation's kidscount website, tell parents that smacking children even on rare occasions teaches them that violence is acceptable later in life.
The $2.5 million taxpayer-funded campaign advises that: "Physical punishment causes pain to stop the behaviour. For example, hitting a child with a hand or object."
Taxpayer funded no less... Me thinks this is just the thin end of the wedge, how long before there is a Aussie campaign to ban smacking?
A setback for Nanny State!!
In the teeth of our opposition to the Bradford Bill, the government has decided not to take over and rush through the bill before Easter. A battle won, but the war is not over. As Bradford herself notes, great opportunity to regroup and further our "misinformation campaign"!
2 April 2007
Bradford still confident of Bill’s success
The Government’s decision not to pick up the Crimes (Substituted Section 59) Amendment Bill will give opponents more time to further their misinformation campaign, but the Bill’s sponsor Green Party MP is confident it will get through in the end.
“I intend to continue to work alongside the many organisations and individuals who support my Bill during the next two to three months to get the message out that this is an anti-beating, anti-child-violence bill, not a piece of legislation that will see tens of thousands of well-meaning parents dragged into court for the occasional light smack,” Ms Bradford says.
The Bill is now unlikely to go through its Third Reading until June.
“This means that the opponents' campaign of misinformation is likely to continue until the bitter end. I am really concerned that this will continue to cause unnecessary fear among many ordinary decent parents.
“I am not surprised that the Government has chosen not to pick up my Bill. All along I felt this was far from certain given the length of time the remaining debate is likely to take and the controversial nature of the issue.
“What is most important to me is that the Bill passes in the end, in a shape that retains my original goal: To remove the defence of 'reasonable force' for the purposes of correction under s59 of the Crimes Act,” Ms Bradford says.
Letters and emails and other forms of support continue to pour into my office at Parliament, far outnumbering communications from the Bill's opponents.
United Future MP Gordon Copeland’s amendment to my Bill around the issue of 'time out', while well-meaning, is unnecessary.
The amendment put forward by the Select Committee already covers this – in sections (c) and (d) under 'Parental Control'.
While Mr Copeland does have an opinion from Peter McKenzie that the Bill as drafted does not deal with 'time out' the Law Commission has rejected this opinion, Ms Bradford says.
For more information
Sue Bradford, MP, 04 470 6720, 027 243 4239
Fran Tyler, 04 470 6679, 021 473 900
Thanks Linz
It's nice to know that the media bias doesn't always get through. I was speaking to some people at work, and they said that "the people at the march looked very normal".
I also like the media giving air time to Cullen et al. who said that those opposed to the anti-smacking law are just a bunch of religious zealots and extremists. He's shooting himself in the foot. People aren't so stupid as to believe that. PLEASE GOD DON'T LET THEM BE THAT STUPID.
Biased media coverage
I didn't see the TV coverage, but I couldn't believe what was in the Dom Post this morning. Utterly intent on trying to portray the march as the work of religious nutters who believed it was their divine duty to flog their kids. No mention at all of the various secular types, including Libz, who were involved. And I have to say that I found the "religious nutters" on the march thoroughly decent, life-loving, kid-loving folk. Sadistic child-beaters just didn't compute. And their children hardly looked like victims of sadistic child-beaters either.
The media are sick. Sick, lying low-life bastards.
Baptism by fire, huh Mitch? Well, you came through with flying colours!
Linz
Yes, well done Mitch. Glad
Yes, well done Mitch. Glad it was a great day.
Good On Ya'
"Power to the People" (retro dedicated to Foxy if anyone remembers him).