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March 27, 2019 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 27 March 2019

Apologies for missing yesterday

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General Debate

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harvey wilson

Question of the day .

Have the greens stopped using the massacre for shameless self promotion and race baiting yet ?
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March 27, 2019 8:04am
- WaveyDavey
  
  Has hell frozen over?
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:17am
- BassilFawlty
  
  Don’t hold your breath Harvey.
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:52am
- Tony Stuart
  
  No, and don’t expect them to stop any time soon.
  
  I would be interested to hear however whether an Auckland mosque leader blaming Mossad and “Zionist business” for funding the alleged terrorist is hate speech, as decried by Davidson and Ghahraman. If so, given that both were present at this demonstration, why have they not called this out?
  
  https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/03/jews-outraged-after-mosque-leader-blames-mossad-for-christchurch-attack.html
  
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  March 27, 2019 9:27am
  - alloytoo
    
    Hate Speech is the new blasphemy, as usual it depends on your religion…..
    
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    March 27, 2019 9:33am
    - Than
      
      Now more than ever we need to be careful about how we use the term “hate speech”.
      
      Genuine hate speech is speech which actively promotes violence. It is words or expression that makes violence or discrimination against a group (whatever that group is) more likely.
      
      Disagreements over immigration policy is not hate speech. Saying “we should round up all redheads and lock them up” is hate speech. Disagreements over the existence of the Maori seats is not hate speech. Saying “all Maori should be shot” is hate speech.
      
      When people misuse the term “hate speech” they render it essentially meaningless. It ceases to be genuine hate speech, but simply a snarl-word that effectively means “any policy position I disagree with”. This matters, because without a term for genuine hate speech we cannot identify it and limit its spread.
      
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      March 27, 2019 10:25am
      - Paulus Gnome
        
        Excellent summation!
        
        Send it to the Green idiots who do not understand with a simplistic understanding of hypocrisy as well
        
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        March 27, 2019 11:02am
      - fernglas
        
        Hate speech these days is anything you disagree with.
        
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        March 27, 2019 11:55am
      - Tall Man
        
        I fully concur but…….
        
        I’m not too sure about the redhead thingy……They do look dodgy to me…….
        
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        March 27, 2019 12:32pm
      - Tall Man
        
        Sorry fernglass, hate speech is anything the left disagree with.
        
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        March 27, 2019 12:33pm
  - Nigel Kearney
    
    Either this guy and that woman in Masterton should both be prosecuted, or neither should. I prefer neither but at least be consistent.
    
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-shooting/111416309/masterton-woman-charged-over-facebook-post-about-christchurch-mosque-shootings
    
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    March 27, 2019 9:35am
    - Classic Liberal
      
      I don’t want to give Stuff my business anymore (stupid new comments rules). Can you summarise?
      
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      March 27, 2019 9:54am
      - freethinker
        
        Have deleted Stuff from my favorites and replaced with Scoop.
        
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        March 27, 2019 10:46am
    - Liberty
      
      So when is Dear Leader going to be prosecuted for her “Comrade speech”
      As a libertarian I find that speech deeply offensive.
      
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      March 27, 2019 9:58am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    It has been widely reported that the Chch gunman inherited money after his father’s death.
    (and as he suffered from an asbestos-related disease, then there may well have been a large payout from the James Hardie settlements
    https://www.smh.com.au/national/james-hardie-finally-agrees-on-payout-for-asbestos-victims-20041219-gdkcdc.html)
    
    No need to implicate foreign powers.
    https://www.news.com.au/world/pacific/how-accused-gunman-went-from-ordinary-family-life-to-terrorism/news-story/02753fc9f3b67f670d1ba93f715df083
    
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    March 27, 2019 10:35am
- rangitoto
  
  Weren’t the Greens campaigning against any kind of surveillance of NZ residents? I suspect they are now feeling guilty, which explains their recent outbursts of hate speech.
  
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  March 27, 2019 10:11am
  - Rich Prick
    
    I imagine they have no problem with Waihopai keeping an eye on “right wing white supremacists” such is their consistency with their principles. /sarc.
    
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    March 27, 2019 2:15pm
Poppa

A big shout out to any commenters on the West Coast, I hope you are safe.

It looks like it may be moving north now so hopefully you will get the chance to dry out over the next few days
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March 27, 2019 8:05am
- RW Capitalist
  
  Having done my infantry basic training on the West Coast.
  I can confirm that, the name has one to many “s”‘ in it.
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:20am
  - fernglas
    
    Two.
    
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    March 27, 2019 11:56am
- Captain Mainwaring
  
  On that subject, Damien O’Connor thinks that big bridge that got washed away can be rebuilt in a couple of days.
  He must know a lot more about bridge-building than the rest of us do.
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:43am
  - Ian Boag
    
    I heard something more like a couple of weeks after the water goes down. I assume he is being advised by NZTA people who know a bit about Bailey bridges ….
    
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    March 27, 2019 8:55am
    - Wayne Mapp
      
      A bridge (Bailey equals temporary) that apparently has been washed away many times before. Maybe it is time to build a decent bridge, that won’t get washed away by heavy floods.
      
      I appreciate a decent permanent bridge will cost a lot more, but as I understand it, this bridge is on the Haast highway, which is the only access to central Otago from south Westland.
      
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      March 27, 2019 9:05am
      - KiWombat
        
        Correct Wayne – it is SH6 which is the main artery down the West Coast, and the second longest SH in New Zealand after SH1.
        
        In many areas there is no alternate route – this is one of them. SH6 is also closed in other areas, plenty of slips.
        
        As for the comments about O’Connor, don’t think he has ever been down this far. He seems happy to visit Greymouth RSA once a month as his token visit to his electorate. People in HariHari think Paula Bennett is their MP as for many years she was the only face to visit that area.
        
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        March 27, 2019 10:01am
      - peterwn
        
        Assuming there are real geological and foundation issues, even a ‘decent permanent’ bridge would be at some risk of destruction, so a Bailey bridge may be the best choice indefinitely.
        It would be better described as a kitset bridge system rather than ‘temporary’. Bailey bridge components have been used for all sorts of things apart from just bridges.
        The old Ministry of Works would have acquired a stock of war surplus Bailey bridge components following WW2 both for regular use and part of disaster planning and TANZ would have acquired that stock following the demise of the MOW.
        
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        March 27, 2019 10:11am
      - Liberty
        
        There is also the “Ahaura” bridge that is a bit shaky even on a good day.
        A much higher priority then sinking. 40plus million into a mine as a feel good stunt
        To appease a few who can’t let it go.
        They are not even going right into the mine. Just to the rock fall. which is a couple of kms from the main workings of the mine.
        
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        March 27, 2019 10:32am
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        There is a serious problem with the rapidly aggrading river bed of the Waiho… and a lack of solid bedrock…..
        
        Recent behaviour and sustainable future management of the Waiho River, Westland, New Zealand
        https://www.jstor.org/stable/43945043?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
        
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        March 27, 2019 10:43am
      - KiWombat
        
        Maggy – the Waiho is the river into which the glacier flows. I am told that 7mtrs of the glacier collapsed into the river yesterday, and if that had come flowing down in huge chunks then it would have damaged any structure in its way. Just imagine a semi trailer smashing into bridge supports every few minutes for hours on end – mother nature always wins !
        
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        March 27, 2019 11:04am
    - G152
      
      You’d imagine that a labour enclave such as the coast would have real bridges instead of the Baileys.
      Takes the Army a couple of days to throw up another
      
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      March 27, 2019 9:16am
      - KiWombat
        
        The Coast is not a “labour enclave.” The vast majority of it is blue, except for a coupe of little red dots which just happen to be Greymouth and Reefton.
        
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        March 27, 2019 10:03am
  - waikatogirl
    
    It is a Bailey Bridge and the local mayor said the army can rebuild it in a day. It is impossible to build a bridge with proper support structures as the position of the bridge in the riverbed is directly over a fault line and there is no rock that would be strong enough in an earthquake.
    
    Maybe the army should take over running Kiwibuild? ?
    
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    March 27, 2019 9:02am
    - RW Capitalist
      
      Don’t give twitford any ideas.
      
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      March 27, 2019 5:53pm
  - yossarian
    
    Well they’ve proved that they can build 1000 homes a year and the downtown Auckland to Airport transrail is well on track, so this shouldn’t be a problem…oh hang on
    
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    March 27, 2019 9:41am
    - calendar girl
      
      “…. well on track …. “
      
      Love it!
      
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      March 27, 2019 10:13am
  - Rachael Membery
    
    Think they were talking Bailey bridge, but should they widen the permanent replacement.
    
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    March 27, 2019 9:49am
  - rangitoto
    
    It was just a Bailey bridge. I thought those were meant to be temporary. The kind of emergency bridge slapped up in a hurry by army engineers.
    
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    March 27, 2019 10:14am
    - KiWombat
      
      This bridge is frequently damaged, I can recall numerous occasions over the years when it has been out of action for weeks – even months at a time.
      
      Remember a couple of years ago when Haast pass was closed after that massive slip? Even when opened it was only one way during daylight hours. The coast does have its challenges, and as long as the “local” MP lives in Nelson then it is unlikely to get any better in our lifetime !
      
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      March 27, 2019 11:10am
    - peterwn
      
      But they still had to be fit for purpose, such as carrying the weight of a tank otherwise they would have been useless. Original purpose was for temporary bridging, but as long as the parts do not deteriorate they remain functional for many years.
      
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      March 27, 2019 2:25pm
  - backster
    
    No need for consents, Iwi consultation,Eco reports,
    tenders for the work, and the river to go down then.
    
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    March 27, 2019 11:44am
- sooty
  
  What’s Jacinda going to do the local New Zealanders affected by the weather advent?
  Is she going to change the scarf for a rain hat?
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:44am
  - John Warren
    
    She’ll put on her frowny face and quiver her lip, and everybody will petition for her to win awards for compassion.
    
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    March 27, 2019 11:15am
  - Paulus
    
    She is in Dunedin today visiting a school.
    
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    March 27, 2019 1:37pm
    - sooty
      
      Tits useless!
      She’s back to visiting schools and kindys!
      Visiting China for a day?
      What squrriel not got her shots?
      
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      March 27, 2019 4:27pm
    - John Warren
      
      Oh, now there’s a surprise.
      
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      March 27, 2019 5:49pm
- MickMac
  
  08:51
  QMT in Marlborough is raining cats and dogs right now, no walking today, books and nice coffee instead.
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:54am
- Rachael Membery
  
  And we will get the chance to get wet?
  
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  March 27, 2019 9:06am
- KiWombat
  
  Shout out to the NZ Police.
  
  Yesterday they made an early call to close schools and get kids back home before the roads became impassible.
  
  My daughter was in Greymouth at the time, fortunately she had taken a 4WD as parts of SH6 were closed to all but 4WD’s. Managed to get kids home to safety, although they now live on an island !
  
  Over 100mms yesterday, and about half that again thismorning has made much of the coast lakeland. Further south it was worse – Milford got more than double that !
  
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  March 27, 2019 11:17am
artemisia

RadioNZ reporting yesterday on a Human Rights Foundation report on what they called unethical and unlawful monitoring activities of a certain demographic.

“Interviews are chat, chat, chat, then at the end they brought in his Facebook post, didn’t expect it … felt very shocked. That is when it hit me – they are here for me, you fit the profile,” one person said of the SIS chats.

I expect the HRF will shortly be carrying out similar research on other potential extremists and their communities.

But was there another agenda? Namely instead of monitoring us give us money.

“This is consistent feedback received from all the Muslim community … that they would have liked to see funding and resourcing of social support and services, particularly of Muslim youth rather than the monitoring and surveillance,” Mr Al-Asaad said.

https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/385487/sis-accused-of-breaching-nz-muslims-rights-it-s-unethical-misleading-says-critic
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March 27, 2019 8:05am
- MickMac
  
  Not just for their community alone, like we keep doing for Maori.
  Also in UK and elsewhere they watch the 2nd generation for a reason.
  Our security people go over (cross deck) there for training and exposure.
  What is the risk element in Western society’s, last I read MI5 was watching 2000 individuals who were a serious risk.
  They didn’t have the manpower so The Met, Birmingham and Manchester Police were setting up similar operations to watch Individuals and communities so free up MI5 for National and higher risk targets.
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:59am
- Classic Liberal
  
  I’ll tell you what sounded unethical and unlawful: in an interview yesterday morning Espiner was told that some Pakistani women in ChCh who lost their husbands have very little English, have barely been out of the house and can’t drive. They have no money, because they can’t access their husband’s bank accounts.
  
  All because, as the Pres of the Pakistani Assoc. of NZ, Mr Rajai actually stated about the husbands: “Most of them did not allow their wives to go out much.”
  
  Why didn’t Espiner or Bradley ask the obvious questions of Immigration or government : are people allowed into this country without being informed that we have equal rights for men and women and that ‘not allowing’ ones wife to go out is not acceptable? Have any of the media bothered to pick up on this? Instead, we have our PM donning what many secular and ex-muslims see as a symbol of oppression and encouraging other kiwis to do so.
  
  It seems the government is fine with misogyny if it occurs for ‘cultural reasons’. It’s criticism of such misogyny that will get people in trouble.
  
  https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2018688211/pakistani-community-rallies-around-christchurch-widows
  
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  March 27, 2019 10:24am
  - John Warren
    
    I’ve been meaning to comment on that – I listened to the same broadcast. What we have there is disturbingly close to modern day slavery, right here in suburban New Zealand. Furthermore, in the middle of all this sudden love for our lovely Muslims, it can be mentioned by the nation’s public broadcaster and yet nobody seems to notice the implications, or the ghastly irony. Where’s your hijab now, Jacinda?
    
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    March 27, 2019 11:20am
  - Paulus
    
    Did not the Minister of Immigration last week suggest that as most of the massacre victims and their families are on Temporary Visas that consideration was being given to give them New Zealand Citizenship.
    Gives them access to Australia.
    
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    March 27, 2019 1:49pm
    - sooty
      
      There goes visa free access to oz for kiwis!
      
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      March 27, 2019 4:30pm
      - Tall Man
        
        Not if the Aussie labor party get in.
        
        Best buds with a certain dishonest pm….
        
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        March 27, 2019 8:32pm
waikatogirl

Tova O’Brien says there will be delays to government implementing policies where officials in inquiries into mental health and the TWG have been pulled away to deal with the Christchurch terrorist attack. I understand the mental health officials, but the TWG?
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March 27, 2019 8:09am
- RW Capitalist
  
  I don’t understand either of them being impacted.
  We have clinicians to deal with the “on the ground” stuff.
  The people in these “working groups” are in a talk fest.
  If a machine in a factory breaks down, they get in the service guy, they don’t stop the accounts department.
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:23am
- Prince
  
  I assume they mean the army of publicists and political staff required to massage the message.
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:27am
- freethinker
  
  As Tova is a COLL shield the answer may be that Jacinda now understands that the TWG proposals are so poisonous that even a watered down version will probably kill her chances of re election so more time is required for the public to forget and time for COLL to dream up some way to passify those floating voters that decide electoral outcomes.
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:32am
  - Tricati
    
    And Tova couldn’t help herself from having a crack at National by suggesting they have raised erroneous concerns over the CGT – My challenge to her is the name what the claims are, and why are they erroneous.
    
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    March 27, 2019 2:27pm
    - sooty
      
      Nah, that’s to hard!
      She prefers to baffle you with bullshit!
      edit fake news.
      
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      March 27, 2019 4:33pm
- ex-golfer
  
  How convenient for the Government
  
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  March 27, 2019 9:15am
peterwn

Mainzeal appeals. The media has reported that Jenny Shipley and other directors are appealing the High Court’s decision requiring them to pay $36M to the company’s liquidators for the benefit of creditors. In reality a Directors and Officers Insurance Policy would meet much of the payout. It will be the insurers who would be driving the appeal, those insured have no real say in the matter.
While it may seem strange that the directors are reported as taking the appeal rather than the insurers, this is normal practice in insurance cases and a clause in insurance policies allows insurers to do this even though the person insured would just prefer that the insurance pays out.
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March 27, 2019 8:09am
- Poppa
  
  I understand the D & O cover is $20M only so it is unlikely that the insurer would be pushing it in this case Peter.
  
  If that is indeed fact, there is a fair gap between the cover & the amount awarded
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:38am
  - Tall Man
    
    You don’t think they’d go to court over $20 million?
    
    You must have deep pockets.
    
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    March 27, 2019 9:05am
  - peterwn
    
    The insurer will be pushing this one OK. Apart from Richard Yan the directors (including Jenny Shipley) seem to be fully (or almost fully) covered by the insurance. Richard is the one affected by an insurance shortfall. There is a possible scenario where the insurance company pays out the other directors then turns around and sues Richard. That is why Richard has one lot of lawyers and the other directors together have a different lot of lawyers. Although strictly speaking the existence of insurance should bear no part in damages awards, in reality courts are aware that insurance is generally in place and tailor judgments accordingly. In this case the judge was aware of the nature and amount of the D&O insurance and seems to have tailored his decision accordingly.
    
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    March 27, 2019 9:10am
Scott

So no collusion and in the absence of a crime, there can be no obstruction of justice.
I see that the Republicans in the senate such as Lindsay Graham are going back to the origins of the Mueller investigation. How did it start when the dossier was fake and bought and paid for by Hillary Clinton?
Why did the FBI surveill American citizens and listen to Trump team conversations?
Also how did Hillary Clinton get away with doing all her official emails on a private unsecured server in her basement? That it appears foreign powers hacked into?

Buckle up, it’s payback time! ?
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March 27, 2019 8:09am
- RW Capitalist
  
  Beat me to it.
  I’ve been thinking that for a while.
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:26am
- freethinker
  
  Trump will probably now exact revenge which is best served cold but so sweet.
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:34am
  - RW Capitalist
    
    I hope he does but;
    I don’t think he is the type, he’ll (figuratively speaking) step over the corpses and carry on.
    Look at the GOP primary, he called them all sorts of names, after he won, he offered to work with all of them.
    
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    March 27, 2019 5:04pm
- mikenmildagain
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Obstruction of justice does not depend on commission of a related crime. It could cover any attempt to stymie an investigation, even if that investigation led to no convictions, or even charges.
  In Mueller’s work, of course, the investigation did lead to multiple indictments and convictions anyway, so um…
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:50am
  - Tall Man
    
    “so um”…
    
    And Trump survives another pathetic attempt to put “crooked hillary” into the white house.
    
    That must stick in your craw a bit mikey. Perhaps if he wears a scarf you’ll start to like him….
    
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    March 27, 2019 9:07am
  - kloyd0306
    
    so um……….how about listing the indictments?
    
    When you do, take note of how many involved Russian collusion.
    
    Or, I can save you lots of time and embarrassment as the answer is zero.
    
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    March 27, 2019 9:11am
    - alloytoo
      
      “Witchhunt”
      
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      March 27, 2019 10:24am
      - Tall Man
        
        “Bitch hunt”?
        
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        March 27, 2019 12:40pm
  - All_on_Red
    
    Yes, but Trump didn’t try to ‘stymie’ the investigation. He let Mueller investigate when he could have fired him.
    Proclaiming ones innocence (and being proved right about it) is not obstruction.
    The fact that Rosenstein signed off on Muellers report confirms they don’t think he engaged in any obstruction.
    Rosenstein is the ultimate witness as he was the one who recommended to Trump that Comey should be fired. And Comey was fired for incompetence not anything to do with the accusations against Trump.
    Its ok Mikey. We understand that denial is one of the stages of grief.
    You keep on with those Squirrels about the crimes those indicted committed which had nothing to do with Trump.
    
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    March 27, 2019 9:16am
  - Ross12
    
    Mueller’s indicments were for issues unrelated to to his original task –looking at Russian collusion. In one case the Russian company being charged has scared the hell out of them by fighting back and is showing Mueller’s team up to be a pack of hack lawyers (eg. one piece of their evidence was written in Russian script and when pushed they had to admit they had not even had it translated).
    Maybe you can also tell us why Mueller’s team has repeatedly asked the Court to delay General Flynn’s sentencing.
    Manafort’s case related to his work with Podestra –Podestra did not register either and yet he gets off and Manfort is hammered.
    Do I need to go on?
    
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    March 27, 2019 9:20am
    - SGA
      
      Mueller’s indicments were for issues unrelated to to his original task –looking at Russian collusion.
      
      Which is why such special investigations give Washington the heebie jeebies. Kenneth Starr’s investigation of Whitewater ended up with the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
      
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      March 27, 2019 9:47am
  - John Warren
    
    Ha! Trump’s come out clean and all the lefties are absolutely raging about it. Well, I’ve decided I like Trump even more than I did before.
    
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    March 27, 2019 11:23am
- Scott
  
  Thanks for your comments Mikey. Perhaps some legally trained people might want to comment on this?
  Can a person obstruct justice when no crime has been committed? In other words if you have done nothing wrong, can you obstruct justice?
  
  I presume the obstruction of justice relates to the firing of James Comey? However given that Rod Rosenstein recommended the firing of James Comey and actually most Democrats wanted James Comey fired for reopening the investigation about Hillary Clinton three days before the election, it’s hard to see that the President of the United States using his power to fire a subordinate officer, constitutes obstruction of any sort? Particularly since the investigation went on anyway with the hiring of the special Council who spent over $25 million and took two years to find no evidence of Trump collusion with Russia, which was the central charge of the investigation.
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:58am
  - sooty
    
    Labour does it all the time!
    Just look at the sex predator and the booze supplier!
    
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    March 27, 2019 10:16am
    - burt
      
      But it’s different when Labour do it.
      
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      March 27, 2019 3:21pm
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    Yep,
    Martha Stewart went to Jail for Obstruction…
    She was charged with insider trading… but was not convicted on that charge…
    
    https://biography.yourdictionary.com/articles/why-did-martha-stewart-go-to-jail.html
    
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    March 27, 2019 11:00am
  - fernglas
    
    In this country the offence is obstructing the course of justice, in essence, so even if no crime has been committed, interfering with an investigation would be an offence.
    
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    March 27, 2019 12:02pm
    - Batman
      
      Precisely, fernglas.
      
      Even if an investigation finds no crime, an attempt to obstruct it is a crime in itself.
      
      In this case it could be argued that Trump was motivated because he knew he had committed multiple felonies as part of the payments to the porn stars.
      
      But it is hard to argue motivation when the president was never interviewed, mainly because his legal team feared he would incriminate himself by making false or inconsistent statements.
      
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      March 27, 2019 2:02pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        “because he knew he had committed multiple felonies as part of the payments to the porn stars.”
        
        More lies. Funny that even though Mueller had Trumps Lawyer, Cohen, in his vice that no ‘felonies’ were charged against Trump.
        I’d agree the system Trump and Cohen used is morally abhorrent (as was the way the women extorted him too) but it’s not illegal.
        If you think it’s illegal then cite the Statute.
        And don’t even bother going down the illegal campaign Contribution rabbit hole either.
        That’s been thoroughly refuted by lots of lawyers.
        
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        March 27, 2019 2:14pm
  - chiz
    
    Can a person obstruct justice when no crime has been committed?
    
    Yes. If the Police investigate you for murder, and you lie to them – to cover up an affair, say, or because you think they might fabricate evidence against you as part of some plot to remove you from your job – then you have obstructed justice.
    
    And, further to the point I made yesterday I see the NYT has now admitted that Trump wasn’t cleared on the collusion charges but that they merely found “insufficient evidence to prosecute”. So, they found no evidence for collusion with the IRA but did find stuff consistent with collusion with Russia, just not provably so.
    
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    March 27, 2019 2:12pm
    - All_on_Red
      
      ‘did find stuff consistent with collusion with Russia, just not provably so.’
      Not by Trump or anyone in his Campaign Team.
      From Barrs letter:
      The Special Counsel’s investigation did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. As the report states: “[T]he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”
      
      What don’t you understand about ‘did not find’?
      
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      March 27, 2019 2:49pm
- MickMac
  
  I really hope so but doubt it.
  The sending to jail of FBI personal who allowed the farce and Hillary’s people who got immunity as well as Hillary Clinton herself would go a long way to re-establishing the rule of law that Obama broke at whim.
  
  I hope it gets followed through and even Muller’s Democratic team of lawyers too.
  
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  March 27, 2019 9:09am
- kloyd0306
  
  I hope I live long enough to see my dream come true, that this entire farcical hoax leads back to Saint Obama, Loretta Lynch, HRC and her disgusting husband, slick Willie.
  
  If peripheral damage includes Clapper, Brennan, McCabe, Strzok, Page, Weissman and Comey, all the better.
  
  Scumbags, the lots of them.
  
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  March 27, 2019 9:22am
  - Batman
    
    That’s about as likely as scientists all suddenly discovering that vaccines cause autism.
    
    Your collective fever dreams over this stuff have all the same hallmarks as anti-vax conspiracy cranks.
    
    2 5
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    March 27, 2019 2:03pm
    - All_on_Red
      
      Let’s see eh.
      Based on your current record you’ll be wrong.
      We should be calling you Wrongly Wrongson Batman
      
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      March 27, 2019 2:16pm
Shut the hell up you Fascist!

Another insane day in Hobbit Land…
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March 27, 2019 8:09am
- sooty
  
  Is the princess going to work?
  
  10 0
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  March 27, 2019 8:47am
  - rockape
    
    Yes at a muslim Kindy reading to the kids.
    
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    March 27, 2019 3:43pm
Tony Stuart

Apology accepted!
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March 27, 2019 8:09am
- Paulus Gnome
  
  Unneeded.
  
  Sadly, the GD absence highlights some contributors addiction! Including me!
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:11am
WaveyDavey

Shouldn’t you have waited until November before proffering an apology?
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March 27, 2019 8:10am
- cmm
  
  In keeping with the examples of Our Leadership DPF should have:
  a) Denied everything.
  b) Selfies?
  c) Blamed capitalism.
  d) Blamed Colonialism
  e) Claimed white privilege.
  f) Hugz?
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:45am
  - sooty
    
    You forgot the scarf!
    Can’t forget the scarf!
    
    29 0
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    March 27, 2019 8:48am
- Paulus Gnome
  
  ‘Shouldn’t you have waited until November before proffering an apology?’
  
  Did you have a particular year in mind?
  
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  March 27, 2019 10:09am
Rob2

Moderation makes you tired.
You start to forget things.
then old age takes over.
Join the club. 😆
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March 27, 2019 8:12am
- sooty
  
  Just ask Whinney how he manages the pressure?
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:49am
  - John Warren
    
    He takes little power naps.
    
    5 0
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    March 27, 2019 11:25am
    - sooty
      
      Or along nana nap!
      
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      March 27, 2019 4:39pm
- RW Capitalist
  
  Q:
  On moderation
  Why are comments made at 8:15, still awaiting moderation, while others made 1/2 an hour later up on the comments?
  
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  March 27, 2019 9:18am
  - KevO'Brien
    
    Some comments are held up for hours. Are they being referred externally for review by the new political authorities?
    Do I have to consider setting up an independent site outside NZ jurisdiction to avoid this present squash-free-thought climate. The absence of free thought is state controlled tyranny. If I don’t tolerate someone else having a different opinion how does that differ from automatons? “Hate speech” is the denial of tolerance. Civil society requires that edgy freedom.
    
    When are they going to ban the game “Fortnite” as a weapons trainer?
    
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    March 27, 2019 10:13am
    - Batman
      
      Kev that’s completely untrue. It might sound exciting but the boring reality is that they’re likely to be comments which mods aren’t sure about so want DPF or others to have a look at them before deciding whether to approve or not.
      
      Sorry, no conspiracy involving political authorities!
      
      2 3
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      March 27, 2019 2:07pm
      - KevO'Brien
        
        Conspiracy is in the mind of the believer. A comment may be escalated up the chain but where does that end? Is offensive so indefinable?
        Have we reached the state that we can now only talk about the crawler born to our unmarried exemplars?
        Defining acceptable is like trying to contain the seashore.
        
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        March 27, 2019 3:38pm
stinkypete

STUFF announce plan to develop a VIRTUOUS CIRCLE of commenting and remove any ability to rate comments by anyone but them
not satire

And we’ve introduced an ‘Editor’s Pick’ function to set a positive example by recognising the best comments. We hope that highlighting the most intelligent, wittiest and most constructive comments will start a virtuous circle.
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March 27, 2019 8:13am
- Classic Liberal
  
  I suggest anyone wanting to refer to a Stuff comment here just quote the important points, so they don’t send more business to them.
  
  My main area of participation there were articles on CGT. Very strong feelings against it. Now I’m sure the SJW perfect commentators will be telling us we need CGT…
  
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  March 27, 2019 10:40am
- John Warren
  
  Stuff has some history in the suppression of free speech.
  
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  March 27, 2019 11:27am
RW Capitalist

Some Ronnie quote JA might ponder.

Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.
Ronald Reagan
Approximately 80% of our air pollution stems from hydrocarbons released by vegetation, so let’s not go overboard in setting and enforcing tough emission standards from man-made sources.
Ronald Reagan
Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
Ronald Reagan
The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.
Ronald Reagan
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March 27, 2019 8:17am
DigNap15

Due to the censorship on here of people trying to defend our country and way of life.
And now the removal of up and down ticks from stuff.
I will spend less time on here and more on another blog starting with W.
And emailing MP’s telling them what I think of their policies.
Marama. Ardern, Golriz and Roberston.
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March 27, 2019 8:25am
- fernglas
  
  I’m always interested in how people define the way of life which they wish to defend. It tends to vary between young and old, educated and not, brown and pink, rural and urban, rich and poor, tall and short, godly and ungodly, conservative and radical, fascist and socialist, etc. Could someone point me to a definition of the New Zealand way of life that is authoritative so I know what it is that I am defending?
  
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  March 27, 2019 12:07pm
  - Tall Man
    
    The right to own a bach…..and everything that entails…
    
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    March 27, 2019 12:42pm
  - burt
    
    Here is a couple of points;
    
    We don’t kill gay people for being gay.
    
    We don’t stone woman as punishment for being raped.
    
    We don’t remove young girls genitals so they will be more compliant wives.
    
    18 is the legal age for marriage and marrying a 9 year old girl is not considered perfect behaviour.
    
    People don’t normally marry their cousin.
    
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    March 27, 2019 3:29pm
Maggie Pie

Just home from dropping ‘Mr. 9’ off at school. Takes nearly an hour there and back in the morning traffic. Things have really changed in the last couple of weeks. He had been really loving catching the bus by himself since the beginning of this year. But last night he said he was getting scared about what some of the big kids from other schools had been saying to the boys wearing uniform. Yesterday one of them got pushed from behind going up the stairs of the bus and skinned his knees. When we stopped at the school gates I lent over to give him a quick peck on the cheek, pointed to the slogan on my T-Shirt and reminded him, “It’s Okay To Be White”
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March 27, 2019 8:26am
- Tall Man
  
  The “fatal error” of pushing someone going up the steps is that generally they are now in a better position to retaliate.
  
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  March 27, 2019 10:21am
mikenmildagain

Happy International Whisky Day. We’re also celebrating World Theatre Day as well, so if you live in Christchurch you might want to check out Quiche and Whisky, a night of one-act plays at DramaSoc.
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March 27, 2019 8:26am
- SGA
  
  Shanks, mush appreshiated.
  
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  March 27, 2019 11:53am
All_on_Red

Wow, I think this is the second time I’ve agreed with Martyn Bradbury
“The irony of the woke blaming all Pakeha for white supremacy violence is that they would crucify anyone blaming all Muslims for Islamic militant violence
Identity Politics would eat itself if it wasn’t vegan”
@CitizenBomber
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March 27, 2019 8:31am
- krazykiwi
  
  Yes, that’s a remarkably astute comment from Bomber
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:43am
  - andrew davies
    
    Not really astute at all. Just blimmin obvious.
    
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    March 27, 2019 9:04am
  - harvey wilson
    
    He’s been pretty consistent over the woke lefts attitude to free speech and identity politics. Good on him too.
    
    It pleases me to see the likes of Sanctuary and Muttonbird ranting at Bradbury in the comments for pro free speech .
    
    As an aside Sanctuary is treated like a minor deity over at the standard and he made one of the most dishonest comments I’ve ever seen re Russia’s behaviour. From memory it was “ Russia was invaded twice by the west last century so it has every reason to be suspicious towards us”, cool story bro.
    
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    March 27, 2019 9:05am
    - JimBobJoe
      
      True story bro… non Russian/Western troops including Yanks and Brits intervened on the side of the White Russians during the Russian Civil war which the Communist Red Army eventual won securing the revolution…. so Sanctuary is right….
      
      History… history
      
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      March 27, 2019 9:57am
      - Tall Man
        
        So Russians fighting in Russia aided by other countries fighting Russians who were also assisted by troops from other countries is an “invasion”…
        
        Weird.
        
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        March 27, 2019 10:33am
      - JimBobJoe
        
        @Tall man… why weird? If NZ had a civil war and American troops intervened that wouldn’t be an invasion? I suppose it depends on your viewpoint. The Reds were the government and the whites were effectively a rebellion – so siding with the rebels is an invasion is it not?
        
        Splitting hairs on definitions – the key point is Western troops were involved in 2 major incursions on Russian soil in the 1900’s….
        
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        March 27, 2019 11:49am
      - harvey wilson
        
        Soviet Russia invaded Poland and were Nazi allies for two years . That was actually the second time they invaded Poland , they tried and failed in the 1920s .
        
        At best Sanctuary is telling a half truth which is all you need for a narrative on the standard .
        
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        March 27, 2019 11:56am
- Tony Stuart
  
  I’ve agreed with Bomber three or four times this year on different issues. Perhaps he’s having a midlife crisis, and is about to become a Tory.
  
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  March 27, 2019 9:29am
  - harvey wilson
    
    It’s good to have some common ground with someone with such different politics . At least then you can actually engage with them unlike the woke left who just want to shut down any conversation that doesn’t meet the standards of whatever is trending on twitter
    
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    March 27, 2019 9:57am
    - Paulus Gnome
      
      Sorry, fat finger downtick ?
      
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      March 27, 2019 1:34pm
mandk

Oh, I get it now, it was all the fault of the Jews:
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/03/jews-outraged-after-mosque-leader-blames-mossad-for-christchurch-attack.html
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March 27, 2019 8:33am
Ford Prefect

Since the great reset of Kiwiblog moderation, which coincided with my name change, all but one of my comments have got through moderation. Added to that none of my comments have received a single down vote. Obviously I’m towing the line and with my people here.

What happens with the comments that dont get passed the moderator. Do I now have a strike against my name or do I need to write more controversial comments to build up to one official warning.

My biggest concern is that my comments are safe and insipid. Thats no way to get a conversation going.

Feel free to pop my red thumb cherry.
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March 27, 2019 8:33am
- stigie
  
  Talking about scarfs and feelz will get the conversation going !~
  
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  March 27, 2019 10:16am
  - Ford Prefect
    
    Ok then. It feelz cold this morning. Wish I’d brought me scarf with me.
    
    13 0
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    March 27, 2019 10:36am
- Classic Liberal
  
  FP: you’re right, but I downticked to prove that that’s not the issue. Only using your real name will get you exempt from moderation, however reasonably you (and I) have always tried to be. Makes this site slow and boring.
  
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  March 27, 2019 10:46am
Return To Sender

“A man lost his job after making comments about Muslims following the Christchurch terror attack”

http://nzh.tw/12216465

Be interesting to hear both sides if the story…
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March 27, 2019 8:39am
- krazykiwi
  
  Yes, asking any questions about FGM or the stoning of gays will have you too … “questioned whether [you are] a right-wing radical”.
  
  Being charitable, it’s the inability to distinguish objective discourse from subjective attacks. Being less charitable it’s outright intellectual dishonesty.
  
  Either way our society is screwed if we can’t have honest, open conversations about the direction our society is heading.
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:52am
- Surely Knott
  
  Same thing happened to Paul Davie who’s contract was terminated with a local Real Estate agent over some race based posts on his facebook .https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-shooting/111441618/real-estate-agents-cut-from-company-over-social-media-posts-on-race
  While they did sound like ignorant ill-considered posts it’s extraordinary that it results in a summary dismissal.. It would be good to get guidance for employers. Is it really a businesses job to monitor staff’s personal facebook posts. Can they be terminated instantly and without multiple warning’s. Scary stuff. And yes we’ve had a complaint at the office where I work from the public about a colleagues personal post, they must have tracked down his employer to complain. Literally stasi stuff.
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:58am
  - Sacha
    
    At what stage did it become acceptable for an employer to censor its employees private activities?
    It’s sad when employers feel that they have to exert a parental role and interfere in something that is essentially a private matter.
    They should butt out.
    1004hr
    
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    March 27, 2019 10:04am
  - alloytoo
    
    “And yes we’ve had a complaint at the office where I work from the public about a colleagues personal post, they must have tracked down his employer to complain. Literally stasi stuff.”
    
    Which is why I post under a pseudonym, a consistent one, which I’ve used on various sites for almost twenty years.
    
    Surely there is a strong privacy element here which is being disregarded.
    
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    March 27, 2019 10:41am
    - alloytoo
      
      and yes, “alloytoo” is meant to start with a small “a”
      
      5 0
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      March 27, 2019 10:42am
  - Rich Prick
    
    I’d be talking to an employment lawyer.
    
    10 0
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    March 27, 2019 11:25am
    - fernglas
      
      He’s not employed, he’s a contractor.
      
      2 0
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      March 27, 2019 12:10pm
- harvey wilson
  
  He didn’t lose his job, he got sent to another place by his temp agency,
  
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  March 27, 2019 9:06am
- MickMac
  
  09:09
  yes it would but like the manifesto we probably won’t get all the facts.
  
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  March 27, 2019 9:11am
- kloyd0306
  
  He echoed what was being written/said in the media.
  
  How long before “no comment” is considered hate speech?
  
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  March 27, 2019 9:14am
freethinker

An interesting piece in Scoops Parliament section on Gun legislation – http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1903/S00150/free-press-26-march-2019.htm
Sounds eminently sensible by providing the quickness of action whilst allowing for automatic of review of hastily and frequently ill thought out legislation. The real question and test of leadership is will Jacinderella listen or follow the same stubborn stupidity of Theresa May, Micron and Stubenfuerher Merkel, and its now obvious were that will lead and it will be brutally ugly.
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March 27, 2019 8:40am
krazykiwi

Any further word on the fate of the Labour Youth chap who has a penchant for thrusting his hand down the trousers of male and female youths?
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March 27, 2019 8:41am
Tall Man

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12216573

And therein lies the problem with this government.

They have no idea what they are doing but they will posture and pose but then run out of drive long before anything happens.
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March 27, 2019 8:47am
- sooty
  
  But while people are looking elsewhere, what is the government up to?
  Have they built anymore houses, planted trees, beaten staff up, started their own media group ( well maybe the don’t need to do that as they already have one ), deported the glitteratti drug dealer, spent the slush fund, got an electric dog collar for Whinney?
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:58am
- MarkF
  
  And no matter which way you look at it the rail “maths” is very scary. Virtually impossible without double tracking and separation from commuter rail!
  
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  March 27, 2019 9:17am
  - Tall Man
    
    Plus roading to, from and around the port…..
    
    That’s right, the coalition cancelled that.
    
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    March 27, 2019 10:12am
- KevO'Brien
  
  Stupido in excelsis: moving Auckland ports to Northland. Was this just chatter from Neave?
  The COL rejected Treasury as advisors– who have they got now, Winston? Shane? Megan? Shroubek?
  Puketifinau if niu tirani has not arrived.
  
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  March 27, 2019 12:36pm
- hullkiwi
  
  Tall Man,
  A case of politics ahead of real transport needs.
  
  As someone who has extensive project finance experience in major transport systems, I shake my head and would like my money back. Equally, Peters, Jones and the CoL should be sacked for wasting public money.
  
  As someone who lives in Auckland SuperCity and was an advisor to light rail projects in the UK and Europe, I know that if the answer is light rail, there is a 100% chance someone suggested the wrong solution to a dumb question. As someone paying the regional fuel tax, I want my money back on the basis the money was taken under false pretences.
  
  In the past, I have argued on this blog with Wayne Mapp about the rail line north of Swanson. The rule of thumb for track plus signaling with an a stable, near flat and already available ground for track is circa $7m to $10mill per km. Northport to Swanson 100km plus, 13 kilometers goes through swampy areas near the Kaipara and Whangarei harbours. They took away the licence to operate passenger services 18 months ago. So, chances of change out of $1billion are close to or are zero, and the current shower want to use the line for tourism purposes. Why don’t they engage some properly qualified individuals to actually do a proper strategy as to the Regional requirements of Northland?
  
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  March 27, 2019 2:23pm
Kiwiladdy

After battering Trump for 2 years, how did the Washington Post react when Trump was cleared?

Offer Trump a much owed apology?

Nope – instead they published a piece about how Trump owed Mueller an apology. Clearly completely unaware of the irony behind the article.

Naturally, the NZ Herald parroted the article here as well.

Michael Avenatti has also been arrested for extortion. You wouldn’t know that though, because the only negative Trump stories get wall-to-wall coverage.

Finally, Jussie Smollett, the man who faked a racist attack, has somehow had his charges dropped by prosecutors. You don’t need me to tell you the outrage if there would be if Jussie was white.
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March 27, 2019 8:48am
- Scott
  
  Kiwi laddy – totally agree. The case with Jussie Smollett is particularly egregious. He gets charged with 16 counts and then gets let off!?
  
  Is it because he was a Trump hater? Is it because he is black? Is it because he is gay? Is it because he is a gifted actor? Is it because he forfeited his $10,000 bond to the city of Chicago?
  
  Like are there two standards of justice now? If you tick certain minority boxes and certain victim categories can you expect one standard of justice? But if you are white and male and heterosexual, can you expect another?
  
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  March 27, 2019 9:02am
  - Komata
    
    Scott
    
    In respect of Mr Smolett, possibly a phone call from a certain Obama B woukd have assisted in the decision, since in Chicago, whom you know can tend to be quite important – or terminal…
    
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    March 27, 2019 10:20am
- MickMac
  
  Kiwiladdy
  09:12
  And there we see that there is no rule of law in America.
  Could it happen here with this Labour Govt, I think so.
  
  Let’s see the Labour “kiddo fiddler/sexual assaulter Youth camp offender in open court with as much hullabaloo as if he were a non leftist.
  With Mummy & daddy standing right by him of course.
  
  Has it happened before (with him or others) and was covered up?
  Based on the behaviour towards the parents by The Labour Party, I could believe it.
  
  I live in hope but I don’t have others belief.
  
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  March 27, 2019 9:15am
- Fletch
  
  What kind of a name is “Jussie” anyway? He needs a real name, like Nick…
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWGFGDHmZsQ
  
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  March 27, 2019 9:20am
  - DigNap15
    
    Stupid name syndrome is real.
    Just look at all of our crims!
    
    14 1
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    March 27, 2019 9:44am
- Scott
  
  Actually mystery solved –
  “Left-wing billionaire mega-donor George Soros donated $408,000 in 2016 to a super PAC that supported Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, whose office prosecuted — and dropped — the Jussie Smollett case.
  In a shock announcement Tuesday, prosecutors dropped all 16 felony charges against the left-wing Hollywood actor, whom police had accused of faking a hate crime in January that he blamed on racist, homophobic white Trump supporters.”
  
  https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/03/26/george-soros-donated-408k-to-kim-foxx-prosecutor-who-let-jussie-smollett-walk/
  
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  March 27, 2019 11:57am
secondcumming

I wonder what Simon has up his sleeve during *Question Time* next week?
Sounds like the ‘dishonored Czech’ may have run its course…….
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March 27, 2019 8:49am
Mark Lloyd

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12216465

This sits very badly with me. Rational debate and discussion is no longer allowed.

Stop the bus. I want off
28 1
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March 27, 2019 8:56am
- Tall Man
  
  I just want to change the driver….
  
  Having someone like “what’s in it foor wynston” in power actually degrades democracy. labour are a sick joke without a single principle they will not sell to stay in power with him.
  
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  March 27, 2019 10:09am
- simpleton1
  
  Stop the bus. I want off
  Please not at Place Makers now 😉
  
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  March 27, 2019 10:25am
  - Tall Man
    
    Cowect…..
    
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    March 27, 2019 12:46pm
- Classic Liberal
  
  ” A PlaceMakers spokesperson said she couldn’t comment on specific employment cases within the business.
  
  “But we have clear company values which include being respectful of our fellow employees, customers and the community. Expressing or spreading prejudiced views against any religious or ethnic group does not fit with our culture.””
  
  OK, Placemakers, so what do you do when people in religious groups express misogynist or homophobic views? You’re OK with that?
  
  That’s the problem: not all aspects of every ideology are compatible with our equal rights for all people.
  
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  March 27, 2019 11:02am
  - KevO'Brien
    
    Hate speech from Placemakers? How can a corporate have a lawfully enforceable policy of policing staff values. The road to hell is paved with malevolent intentions.
    
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    March 27, 2019 12:45pm
sooty

Wood’n you know it Labour have hidden the sex predators trial!
32 2
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March 27, 2019 8:59am
- KevO'Brien
  
  There may have been an order by the Court to defer the matter–quite common. I’ve known one stretch out 18 months.
  
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  March 27, 2019 12:48pm
hullkiwi

Further to yesterday’s post about the IEA report, we get Simon Upton the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment reporting that the CoLs strategy of tree planting as a means of managing man made CO2 emissions is not scientifically sound.

So, Shaw (the Climate Change Minister) is interviewed by Espiner this morning on Morning Report.

Th interview can be summarized as it was a car crash for Shaw. He demonstrated lots of blind faith and highlighted his lack of grounded knowledge/experience in an area that should be a Green MP’s bread and butter. But he didn’t!
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March 27, 2019 9:07am
ex-golfer

Chris Trotters going to be in trouble with the woke left again!
http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/2019/03/those-who-do-not-learn-lessons-of.html

The world is truly a strange place when I find myself agreeing not only with Trotter, but with Bomber as well!
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March 27, 2019 9:12am
tedbear

How do Aucklanders feel about their fuel taxes being used for the light rail from Auckland Airport to the City Centre project when it’s possible Auckland Airport will be underwater in years to come which means that both the airport and the rail line will need to be moved?
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March 27, 2019 9:17am
- sooty
  
  They don’t believe in climate change!
  
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  March 27, 2019 10:25am
  - tedbear
    
    Neither do I except that the climate is forever changing. Today’s climate is different than yesterday’s. Today it’s windy and no rain. Yesterday the opposite.
    However, some insurance companies are no longer insuring properties close to the water’s edge so the airport must fit in that category.
    
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    March 27, 2019 11:07am
thetiedarch

I see the government are considering shifting Ports of Auckland to Northport:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12216573

A few flaws:
1. The current government have cancelled planned remaining 4-laning projects between Auckland and Northland.
2. The rail line between Northland and Auckland is single track until Swanson station.
3. From there it is dual tracked, but freight will compete for space with commuter rail.
4. The section of rail between Swanson and Newmarket has so many level crossings, that rail takes approx an hour to travel the route.

So unless this government plans on re-starting the 4-laning, building the 2nd harbour crossing (good luck ramming all the new road freight generated over the bridge), removing all the level crossings between swanson and newmarket, and probably adding a 3rd track as well, this proposal is one big fat waste of time.

All because a few idiots ‘want their harbour back’.
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March 27, 2019 9:19am
- mandk
  
  It might be that some people ‘want their harbour back’ but it’s obvious that the real reason why the idea is being considered is because it is part of the secret Lab-NZF coalition deal.
  
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  March 27, 2019 9:43am
  - sooty
    
    All in the name of Shame getting elected into a seat!
    
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    March 27, 2019 10:26am
- RW Capitalist
  
  That would add to the cost of transporting all imported and exported goods by 132Km, for everyone. But especially Aucklanders, here in Wgtn, we have our own port….sucks to be you.
  Higher inflation in Auckland?
  Higher petrol costs in Auckland?
  Higher rates in Auckland?
  Vote National and avoid all that.
  I can see the slogans now.
  
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  March 27, 2019 6:03pm
- Evadne
  
  I want my harbour to do what harbours are supposed to do, and have done for millennia. Provide a safe and convenient connection point between sea transport and land transport, Ie. A port/ wharf/jetty/mooring.
  
  They’re not just there to look pretty.
  
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  March 27, 2019 6:51pm
Ford Prefect

Wow
I cannot get past the moderator at the moment. It feels like the Stuff comments moderator.
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March 27, 2019 9:19am
DigNap15

All the Hollywood celebs should offer him an apology too.
They got stuck into him the day after the election!
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March 27, 2019 9:26am
rightoverlabour

Saint Jacinda and the Nobel Peace Prize. When looking at this one needs to ask “How differently would Bill English have done this?” Probably not much, except that his prayers would have been genuine…
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March 27, 2019 9:40am
- simpleton1
  
  And plus “God of nations” would have been sung to incorporate everyone. 🙂
  
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  March 27, 2019 10:32am
Odakyu-sen

If I say that I am concerned about young men who are easily triggered into committing acts of violence, am I guilty of hate speech towards men with anger-management issues?

Should I simply accept those who would do me harm if I so much as look at them the wrong way?
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March 27, 2019 9:41am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Na, you should keep highlighting the fact…
  
  Once upon a time… young poor men with anger about the state of the World were the backbone of the Labour movement/ the Left…. but now they seem to be despised.
  
  Working-class guys of all shades of colour and religious affiliations are being neglected by the political elites.
  
  They provide the fuel/ cannon-fodder for ideologues.
  
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  March 27, 2019 11:29am
Surely Knott

Jessie Smollett charges dropped. But with no information at all about what really happened or why it was dropped. Just dropped. Confusing.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/entertainment/2019/03/charges-against-empire-actor-jussie-smollet-for-staging-hate-crime-dropped.html?fbclid=IwAR1uUaRMwChbqRHXXI-A_IvB4TizpjbGPEXMALkrgB3lKqbDfkJYgtp08lY
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March 27, 2019 9:42am
- Bell-47
  
  It’s true that money can buy happiness or at least can buy you innocence. The city now has a big improvement in its bank balance. I don’t blame the police for making a statement about the alleged crimes pre trial but it’s clear, had they not, Smollett would be going to trial.
  
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  March 27, 2019 10:03am
- cmm
  
  Reason: It’s Chicago.
  
  Smollett is still saying: “I have been truthful and consistent from day one”
  
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  March 27, 2019 10:16am
  - Bell-47
    
    That burning smell is his pants on fire.
    
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    March 27, 2019 11:11am
- Bell-47
  
  Given the extreme disappointment from the commissioner of police, I would say, Mr Smollett is in line for many, many, parking tickets and may find any police assistance required in future may not necessarily be treated as a priority. The city prosecutor may also find the Police will be far less likely to offer any plea deals for some time.
  
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  March 27, 2019 10:25am
- howitis
  
  I have not followed it closely but it does seem odd.
  The bias in society now is extreme.
  We see it with the virtually 100% fake news from the likes of WaPo, NBC, CNN, and NYT.
  Probably their most accurate content now is weather forecasts.
  Posted at 11.12
  
  The furore created when Roseanne Barr did a silly tweet at 2am when half zonked out on sleeping pills went nuclear.
  No amount of apologies were acceptable.
  The left are not very forgiving— well not at all really; nada; zip; zero; not gonna happen.
  She was a rung earlier by Trump to congratulate her on the revival of her TV series.
  Uh Oh, bad move.
  
  All the people left in the USA who did not move to Canada, NZ, or UK when Trump was elected piled in and in effect, for one tweet, she was dumped from headlining her own show.
  I never watched the show but it had an audience.
  
  Smollett went to great effort to stage an event to incite racial tension but has been let off.
  The world has some serious unresolved challenges right now.
  Justice is not blind.
  It is managed, racialised, polarised, and dangerous.
  
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  March 27, 2019 11:13am
  - mara
    
    Jussie was no doubt assisted by Auntie Kamala Harris who, with other assorted political hangers-on, is close to the Obamas. The corruption here does not surprise me but its blatancy shows that the Left in America treats its citizens with utter contempt. Trump MUST drain this foetid swamp.
    
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    March 27, 2019 5:24pm
ex-golfer

So my comments go into moderation and stay there for ages. Kiwiblog just isn’t the same anymore.
Another victim to the crazy Australians wants – I can’t believe that this site has played into his hands.
If this comment ever gets through moderation – bye all, its been fun while it lasted.
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March 27, 2019 9:42am
- Im Right
  
  Ex-golfer, are you wanting a blog platform where ‘anything goes’?, those days are long gone not because of any free speech restrictions but it’s not YOU that will be in trouble, not using your real name, but the blog owner and in this case if you post something derogatory or liable the only name that will appear in the MSM is DPF and ‘Kiwiblog’ named and that does not one any favours. I’m not suggesting you would post anything disgusting or be a legal liability, but c’mon if this were a blog with your name attached to it (your real name) would you have it unmonitored….no moderators? (Remember all it takes is someone from the far left to purposefully post a disgusting post and DPF gets the blame, it’s not just right leaning voters that post on here)
  
  Rant over! 😉
  
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  March 27, 2019 10:36am
- simpleton1
  
  and when out of finally the comment is put up, the date time is when it is sent into moderation.
  
  Also stuffs up the nested comments, as finally the comment comes in much later, even though it has an earlier time mark.
  
  So not worth while checking out others comments, even though you may have to reconsider some points, that come from a different perspective.
  
  Not that I am getting at the moderators, but probably now this self censorship, like Place Makers, Whitcoulls and many business’s now, all under the auspices and thoughts of a Chief Censor.
  
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  March 27, 2019 10:36am
  - Im Right
    
    I agree it’s frustrating Simpleton1, I too like replying in real time to a good post….BUT what can you suggest to overcome the idiots that use other people’s blogs to post outrageous or liable content that can only be taken down if enough people ‘report’ the post. I have thought about it and apart from having 100-200 moderators at any one time it’s the only way to keep the blog owner out of the courts, perhaps you and others have a better way? (Self moderation is not an option unfortunately)
    
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    March 27, 2019 11:07am
    - Tall Man
      
      Apart from the odd abuse directed at and from some of the worst of the left wing that bother to post here, have you ever seen anything that would/could expose either the poster of the owner of the blog to prosecution or suit?
      
      Refusing to allow posters to call the scarf wearing “leader” a liar, banning the use of a “nickname” of a rabid white hating ageist green mp that dies have an unfortunate link with a race based slur is merely a coincidence are an over reaction and highly unlikely to spur a reader into physical response.
      
      I see the problem is that there is a “maybe” here and our host has neither the time nor the money to instigate 24/7 moderation but I for one do not support the drive to post under a real name.
      
      Look at the response to historic posts, made before the PC world went a little madder, where people are losing their jobs for something that was a nothing in the past.
      
      We need some sanity somewhere and this blog was the place for many. Let’s hope it gets back there some time soon.
      
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      March 27, 2019 11:35am
      - brett68
        
        https://www.livescience.com/46322-fatherhood-changes-brain.html
        
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        March 27, 2019 12:38pm
    - simpleton1
      
      I do understand your point, “Im right”.
      We can never go back to pre 9/11 days and needing like “plane security”.
      
      So the “ides of March” for NZ, will mean we can not go back on many things.
      
      Censorship, is giving power to tyrannical ideologies, whether left, right, indigenous, colonist, white, black, master, slave, culture, religion, coal oil gas photo-voltaic., vaccine or not, etc.. etc..
      
      As you said, the Courts, that is the laws, being used in many things to make enforce control, not only the chief censor but also, watch groups, https://twitter.com/MattNippert/status/1108960942241406979 and groups like https://twitter.com/projectlovenz ,because of costs, then fines, and jail, plus the unofficial, waste of time, job, bank, financial, tenancy, business pressures and damages/costs that can be.
      
      New Zealand has joined the rest of the world, from Austria, Bulgaria, Serbia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, USA. UK. etc.. and will have to figure things out for itself, as we all will do individually.
      
      Only a small thing, “time stamp” to when comment is made and when released out of moderation.
      
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      March 27, 2019 11:41am
      - sooty
        
        Can we have the time when a post was submitted for moderation.
        Also the time it was released to the blog.
        It does interup the flow of conversation.
        Its hard to go back thru all the post to find your one, if you can remember what you posted!
        
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        March 27, 2019 5:00pm
  - Biscuit
    
    Agreed, simpleton1.
    
    (Wow, that sounds SO much I’m insulting you, heh heh.)
    
    Most posters on here are ‘long termers’, right?
    
    I dunno why DPF doesn’t instruct his moderators to accept anything from such salt-of-the-EArth characters but to instruct them to be very harsh – an IMMEDIATE week-long ban, eg – if such souls abuse the trust/privilege afforded them.
    
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    March 27, 2019 12:46pm
- brett68
  
  Why he doesn’t do what the do on whale oil or the Standard has got me a bit beat.
  
  You post something, if the moderator decides it’s not up to scratch , it gets deleted and the poster gets warned, you continue doing the same thing you get banned or suspended,Pretty basic stuff.
  No one blames the blog owner for some dickhead posting an offensive post, they only blame the blog owner if they don’t remove it.
  
  This current system is horse shit and will eventually destroy Kiwi blog.
  
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  March 27, 2019 11:30am
- alien
  
  I came here before the attack in Christchurch and joined up. Spent a day reading some of the comments and decided not to bother because some of what people wrote were just immature and stupid. If People can’t be respectful in what they write then maybe they shouldn’t write anything. Btw, took a few minutes for my comment below to be approved. Also the blog owner has told you how you can exist here without being moderated. People just like to complain and be victims
  
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  March 27, 2019 2:13pm
  - Tall Man
    
    Welcome…maybe…
    
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    March 27, 2019 2:49pm
Fletch

More winning. Trump’s DOJ has confirmed a district court ruling that Obamacare is unconstitutional.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/mar/25/obamacare-unconstitutional-justice-department-dete/
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March 27, 2019 9:46am
Bell-47

AOC’s “green new deal” bombs in the house. This won’t stop her but at least she has had a good public spanking. The Mueller report already having a positive effect.
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March 27, 2019 10:00am
Fletch

In New Zealand: get women to wear headscarf to show solidarity with Muslims.

In Iran: woman who removes headscarf in public sentenced to two years in jail.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-woman-headscarf-take-off-hijab-remove-jailed-prison-tehran-enghelab-a8246076.html

See anything problematic with our virtue signaling on Friday?
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March 27, 2019 10:11am
- ex-golfer
  
  Only 2 years? She got off lightly – not like this woman:
  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-47531312
  
  38 years and 148 lashes for supporting womens rights in protesting the need to wear headscarves.
  
  Any word of protest from our PM and the grief stricken Golriz and Marama?
  
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  March 27, 2019 11:13am
- MCos
  
  Its the compulsory aspect that is the issue.
  Once people are told they don’t have freedom of choice and they must do something it tends to piss them off.
  
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  March 27, 2019 11:23am
-D

From Bob Jones’ new blog No Punches Pulled; https://nopunchespulled.com/ re all the angst after the Christchurch tragedy:

[A letter from a prominent New Zealand academic currently based in America said,]

“I have been watching from afar as New Zealand drowns itself in a cesspit of grief-porn, virtue-signalling, and finger pointing, with hemp-wearing, cloth-bag-toting, Green-voting “liberals” clambering over one another to be the most outraged; claiming there are “no words”, yet judging by the diatribes on social media managing to find words of epic proportions to blame anyone and everything but themselves. It’s depressing.”
“Let’s get it straight. A foreigner comes here and does an evil thing. It had absolutely zilch to do with New Zealand, nor for that matter with Australia. It was a one-off act by a nutter obsessed with cultural (not racial) purity, a perfectly valid viewpoint shared by most people in the world to varying degrees. It’s not an evil outlook although I don’t share it.”
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March 27, 2019 10:11am
howitis

Wow
How bad is Telecom /Spark under Simon Moutter?
Post 10.46

I just received a snail mail letter from IRD saying that because I use xtra email address that some mail is not getting through
I will change to another email address but had that long established and did not want to change.
Its time!

This Spark/ Moutter/Telecom NZ is supposed to deliver the Rugby World Cup via the internetty thing in six months time.
Will we see a horrible fail like their 1996 era email system?

What an incompetent organisation Spark is .
Moutter loved to big note it when Yahoo mail service broke down but their one is probably worse.
Their spam filter is crap. It either lets lots of junk through or stops far too much.
Unperturbed Moulter was one of the signatories to the Social Media crowd letter last week – Fakebook/Twitter /Giggle giving them a good telling off.

If this was the USA under Obama I imagine Moutter would be getting special attention from the Revenue Service!
Where’s the Vaseline?
Fortunately for him it is not.
He could have ended up crying like he did at the 2017 Global Women’s 1 Day for Change seminar where he admitted there was not enough diversidy.
So liddle diversidy!

People in glass houses, eh Simon.
To add insult to injury the public service IRD has a better help system than Spark, a tele ‘communications’ outfit.
Come September 2019 RWC will rugby fans be crying over lack of connectivity like Simon Moutter did at Global Women’s 1 Day for Change?
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March 27, 2019 10:48am
- alien
  
  Maybe there is another side to the story that ird aren’t telling
  
  Wrote our local map the other day, the email bounced back. Wrote another email, again bounced back. Got on to parliament to ask them why our xtra address was being marked as spam to be told that the spam filters that the parliament use have blocked the entire xtra email. So no one from xtra can email. They claimed they had advised spark once they found out, rang spark who had not been told of any problems by parliament. Now ird would use the same spam filters
  
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  March 27, 2019 2:02pm
  - Batman
    
    That’s because Spark using Yahoo and having the whole thing hacked means that Xtra addresses are compromised.
    
    If you have you, you should really consider moving to Outlook or Gmail. It’ll make your life a lot better!
    
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    March 27, 2019 2:10pm
    - alien
      
      Na, I have no problem with spark, and was hacked. Thank you to the hacker cause spark gave us three free months for that. Their new email provider is safer than yahoo ever was. And no they haven’t been marked as spam because they used yahoo ages ago for email
      
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      March 27, 2019 2:16pm
Tauhei Notts

Question for the deputy prime minister.
What’s the Australian word for foreplay?
The answer is;
“You awake?”
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March 27, 2019 10:59am
softail 1450

Had to have a laugh ,Catching up on some of my Youtube subscriptions as we’ve been away in a circumnavigation of the South Island on M/Cs,Dan Bongino was talking about the knee jerk reaction of the COL here in NZ to ban semi auto MS rifles and stated “Here is what a govt official ,we think it is the GV had to say about this ban” ,FFS its Arderne that pops up making the statement, talk about zero recognition of the wonder woman in the USA.
The way the MSM in this country has been raving her face would be as easily recognised as Trumps is Worldwide,,,,,,,,,,LOL.
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March 27, 2019 11:01am
Maggie Pie

My partner just got a letter from his Accountants telling him what info they’ll need to complete his EoY accounts. He was saying how much better it was a few years ago when if you were a client of one of the ‘big four’, they actually worked on YOUR behalf instead of for the IRD.
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March 27, 2019 11:03am
tedbear

At this rate, by the time my next comment is okayed by the moderator, the subject might be yesterday’s news.
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March 27, 2019 11:09am
- sooty
  
  Like in a newspaper.
  They are meant to be yesterdays news.
  But they just fake it.
  
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  March 27, 2019 12:52pm
- stigie
  
  Your next comment should be posted tomorrow so we get it today tedbear ?
  
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  March 27, 2019 2:58pm
Fletch

Something going down in Christchurch now with the police in Poulton Ave, explosions, etc? The media are all over it…

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12216654
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March 27, 2019 11:22am
- Fletch
  
  Looks like a guy got stabbed…
  
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  March 27, 2019 11:48am
lofty

Just a silly question if I may.
If the someone below isn’t me, who could it be?

“Someone has requested a password reset for the following account:

Site Name: Kiwiblog

Username: lofty

If this was a mistake, just ignore this email and nothing will happen.”
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March 27, 2019 11:44am
- Tall Man
  
  Hacker.
  
  1 0
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  March 27, 2019 12:52pm
John Warren

In a very rare foray onto Stuff I looked up the new commenting rules. They now state that they won’t be opening comments for any article about:

1080
allegations of criminality or misconduct
animal cruelty
beneficiaries
Christchurch mosque shootings of March 2019
court cases
domestic violence
fluoride
funerals
immigrants or refugees
Israel and Palestine
Kashmir
missing people
race
sexual orientation
suicide
Treaty of Waitangi
transgender issues
vaccination
vulnerable children

This basically covers everything and anything with any actual relevance on which people hold a multitude of views, and so where the debate is most needed, Stuff is shutting it down. The Stufferati are now confined to commenting on celebrity weddings, food trends, and reality TV recaps.

Moderation is, of course, necessary to prevent vitriol and comment warfare, but Stuff have gone and thrown the baby out with the bathwater, largely because they’re scared of any point of view that clashes with their lefty liberal snowflake perspective, or criticises Saint Mother Jacinda.

Stuff has been dead to me for quite a while, but now the corpse is putrefying. I will continue to make do with perusals of Scoop and Newsroom, and whatever other dismal remnants of proper, informative journalism I can find.
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March 27, 2019 11:49am
Tall Man

“”We had to spend Christmas Day in an apartment and had to have terrible Malaysian food instead of a Christmas dinner.”

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12216686

Now I am a fan of Asian food but some Malaysion food is average compared to Thailand or Vitenam.

Now I have no real opinion about whether this family should or shouldn’t gain entry into NZ because I do not know the full details of the medical condition suffered by the daughter nor do I know the real costs involved but, I am please to see Immigration NZ taking the time to consider all the details and make a decision.
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March 27, 2019 12:31pm
- Bell-47
  
  Seems the delays may cause these sorts of double ups..
  
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  March 27, 2019 12:48pm
- Maggie Pie
  
  I wonder where thingz are at with that wonderful Ukranian family that owns the restaurant in St Heliers? I mean goodness, if they arent allowed to stay, I cant see how anybody else ever would be.
  
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  March 27, 2019 1:52pm
  - Rachael Membery
    
    Gone burger. Never thought I would use that expression, lol, where did it even come from?
    
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    March 27, 2019 3:38pm
    - Tall Man
      
      Kiwi unique…
      
      https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=goneburger
      
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      March 27, 2019 8:43pm
  - burt
    
    Some people have friends in high places and it makes no difference what they do, they get to stay.
    
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    March 27, 2019 4:10pm
    - Tall Man
      
      I think you should czech that out before you post…..
      
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      March 27, 2019 8:29pm
Bell-47

Now, just imagine if this family was from a Muslim country..would the decision, after the ChCh attack be the same?

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12216686
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March 27, 2019 12:46pm
sooty

Stratford Pioner Village has a major fund raiser every year, which is “War Day”!
Army vehicles turn up from jeeps, trucks and a WW2 tank which shoots half a dozen rounds, while driving around.
There is also steam train rides, black smithing, old buildings from around taranaki that have been rescued, etc a day out for everybody, young and old
Any way snr sargent Allan Whalley has decided that there will be none this year. Given the community situation and sensitivity amongst the public, he said it would be a good idea to postpone it!
The woke PC in the police are against it because it might create some hurty feelings and lots of noise!
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March 27, 2019 12:47pm
- Tauhei Notts
  
  This from the town of Colonel Malone, of Chunuk Bair. That is sad.
  
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  March 27, 2019 9:50pm
rangitoto

I see 96 year old General Chuck Yeager posts a lot on twitter. Still has all his faculties.

Some dweeb asked him ” Hey Chuck how many UFO’S would you say you seen on missions ? I seen interviews with Buzz saying he seen 1 and a couple other astronauts”

Answer: “None. I don’t drink before I fly”
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March 27, 2019 1:40pm
BananaLlama

wow let me put on my shocked face, more allegations of sexual misconduct by the progressive lefts institutions. It’s almost like they preach piety to hide their own sins.

Amid a departure of top executives at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a new report details allegations of sexual misconduct and racial discrimination against those very individuals at the progressive nonprofit which frequently has targeted conservative groups.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/southern-poverty-law-center-which-frequently-targets-conservatives-accused-by-staffers-of-spreading-intolerance
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March 27, 2019 4:59pm
RW Capitalist

Impertinent question:
When we have “cultural events”, why is it that the only culture NOT represented, is the one originating in England?
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March 27, 2019 5:11pm
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Test. Comments seemed to have stopped at 1.40pm
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March 27, 2019 5:18pm
- Tall Man
  
  Yep.
  
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  March 27, 2019 8:41pm

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