Writing Books

I have finished "Nga Tapuwae O Hinetewai" after at least 5 years of writing and research. I learnt a lot on the way to the finish; namely that it is harder to stop once one has started. Anyway its done (I think!) and will be launched soon at Waiari where it began. Double click the front cover to find out briefly what the book was about and the back cover for extracts.

The World's Biggest Raruraru?

In my view it has become the US of A and not for the first time. It's difficult to figure out their foreign policy since the end of WW 2 but surely it has been one total disaster after another beginning with the Vietnam War. Only the USA and its ideological allies thought it was to defeat or at least stop the Communist dominoes from falling all the way to the South Pacific. The Vietnamese Nationalists with AK 47s and rubber sandals managed eventually to send a world power packing and scrambling off the rooftops onto their helicopters. They united the two halves of their nation. In the process however millions were killed, towns and infrastructure destroyed, forests and people sprayed with agent orange and billions wasted in a stupid war. Saturation bombing from B52s was horrifying.

Most nations would have had enough after that but not the USA. Next comes Afghanistan to punish terrorists for 9/11 when 4000 were killed in New York. Motivated by utu they have yet again over killed by thousands more than 9/11 established a country riddled with corruption where truck loads of money and goods disappear, the drug trade flourishes, women's rights continue to be abused, the Taliban attack s at will, and US soldiers piss on dead bodies. The Pakistan nation's sovereignty is attacked by drones and innocent people killed for no apparent reason. Worse still, they are still there billions of dollars and many lives and atrocities later. There's enough war crimes to keep the Hague going for years. 

Iraq began with the biggest lie of all and this time involved Britain and Blair big time finding non-existent weapons of mass destruction. While getting rid of Saddam Hussein's regime was something, the invasion and its aftermath  killed thousands more that he did and has left the country in total disarray and fractured along religious and ethnic lines. It's a horrific mess but at least the US is leaving. So far that's the best decision they have made.The solution to that country's raruraru is in their hands not those of super powers from the west who have only made things worse. But in the meantime the war pot is boiling in the Middle East between Iran and the US. Is this the next target for their war machines?

Sadly, Obama the first black US President has broken some of his; "We will......." and  "Yes we can..." promises which turn out to be nothing but empty rhetoric. He has not only not closed down the torture chamber known as Guantanamo but signed into law more draconian measures to hold people without trial or legal recourse including US citizens. His Presidency is doomed if he keeps kowtowing to the war mongers and their military-industrial complex. It seems he has bought into the idea that the US must be a super power and dominate the world. It is fair to say that he didnot start the above ventures into genocide. He can be excused for being hog tied by the Congress in his attempts to reform the US health system for example but as the Commander In Chief of the armed forces he can do more than bend at the knees. We should view the new policy of focusing on Asia and the Pacific with skepticism. He's already using Australia and we are next and will be roped into another bamboo curtain cold war with China our prominent trading partner. The least he can is to contain rather than attack Iran and try diplomacy. "Yes he can.."The US and Britain have a long history of interfering in Iran and imposing that horrible Shah on their democracy and oil resources. By allowing Israel to develop nuclear weapons, did they expect that Iran would not?

So It's Over: Nats Win; Labor Thrashed

It's the lowest turnout since the 1880s which means the "hei aha" (why bother) won more votes than Labor. The Nats barely won enough to govern alone thanks to MMP. But the biggest winners were the Greens and NZ First. Winston's back. The biggest losers? The Maori Party. They paid the price for being "at the table." If that party wants to survive beyond 2014 they must not go back to that table however tempting. They have not been rewarded by the Maori electorate for doing so. Maori don't like it. However it's fair to say that they lost to the "hei aha" party as well and their future like that of Labor is to go back to their grass roots. 
So whose the new leaders for Labor? Looks like one of the three Rawiris (Davids) and Nanaia as Deputy Leader. I would like to see Cunnliffe as leader. But whoever it is the big job to be done is at the grass roots and the party apparatis..  Also tone down the change of the super age from 65 to 67 and the tax changes. Higher taxes for the rich? Fine. Leave the capital gains taxes for later. 
What about the Maori Party? Don't go back to the table. Save what they can of their programmes through mou. This avoids the stigma of collaboration. In opposition cooperate with the opposition in promoting common policies and forging their own policies for the next election.

Show Me The Money!!!

These are the immortal words of our show pony PM to Phil Goff. Now we know what elections and politics are all about. Money, money, money! As a former currency trader he would no doubt have urged this on his clients. He showed the rich the money by giving them a tax break. The idea of helping the rich is an old one in capitalism and is aptly described by a US economist. Its called "trickle down." He said that a horse eats the chaff at one end and the product is ejected at the other. The sparrow then grazes behind the horse pecking at the "trickle down." The trouble is that there's always millions more sparrows than horses. The poor are the sparrows. For the last three years unemployment has risen and so have beneficiary numbers. Housing problems in over crowding have arisen. The homeless wander the streets of all our major towns and cities. It's a sad and demeaning sight to see in a country that once was up in the top five of countries on per capita incomes. So Mr. Keys and Mr Goff; Show the money to those who need it; the sparrows not the horses. And Mr. Keys? Cut the horse shit!

Victory At last: But Don't Exaggerate One Point

I must confess. I said before the RWC I was sick of it before it started but I was drawn in especially by underdogs like Tonga beating France the eventual finalist. I preferred the 2nd tier teams. There was some good rugby but there didnot appear to be much variation in style. It was. the same old maul, maul, maul. However, the French showed how dispite their 7-8 loss to the Abs that they were a team that could vary their play to suit. And they almost pulled it off. They were always looking for a way through. The Abs on the other hand just kept to Plan A regardless and in the last 2 minutes the play suddenly went their way. Lucky.

Anyway that's the rugby. Now we can get back to the real world and leave the circus until the next time. The Nats appear to be well ahead and the countryside is scarred by billboards reminding us that there is an election soon. First MMP; should we continue with it? Well, of course. It's kept the power brokers guessing, and the variety of MPs of all hews and colors stops the bland two party tweedledees and dums. Second; Who will in fact win? Didn't we think the Abs were going to win by a wide margin? Does politics foillow rugby? Will all that gunk from that ship still stuck on the rocks off Motiti influence the voters? It will me but I'm only one.

I predict a narrower victory for the Nats than that predicted for the last year but not a hung parliament.

All Rena's Gunk and other things........

Well. Te Whanau A Apanui told you so Hekia (Nat MP). It took a blind Filipino captain to show us what could happen if....Now we await events off Tikirau. I know I'm being smart after the event. Heck yeah. I didn't predict this oil disaster, let alone that it would upstage the RWC. However like the rest of the country I waited with great anticipation for our show pony PM and his loyal sidekick McCully to take over the surrounding sea like they did down town Auckland after the opening of the RWC and fix it within 24 hours. Instead they waited for tohungas (ie experts) from off shore for four calm days. It's a typical capitalist private enterprise balls up. The fact is those who could have done something were waiting for the money first but since no hands went up to pay then they sat on theirs. Hasn't the govt got a "Hobbit Fund" for such emergencies? Hekia. Go fix it girl.

Tainui: Tuku stop picking on your able women leaders like Tania Martin. Haven't you heard of women's lib. and gender equality? In spite of it men should nevertheless be gentlemen. Open the door for Tania and let her go through first.

Dr. Mutu: I hear you got off being a racist by the Human Rights people. You were right if you meant that our immigrant policy has been race based (ie white) since it began. The demographic truth is obvious. Even you and I are examples. You should be grateful though. The High Court Judge of your recent victory against the whole of the USA was Judge White. You see? Blood is thicker than water.

The Election is fast approaching. Since it started I liked MMP or more Maori in Parliament. And why not? What they must not do is sell our interests down the river in favor of party. The FS and SB Act is an example of it. I felt for Mita Ririnui in his last speech and comments. He had to tow the party line against his better judgement. Georgina Te Heuheu is a good example of someone who stood up for Maori against her leader Don Brash. History wont be kind to arguably the most racist leader in history and we have had a few. But Georgina will be remembered as a Maori Nat. MP who stood up against it.

From 17 To 4 Terrorists

Douible Click Image: Subversive Stuff

So; after holding ones breath for 4 years the terrorism threat is down to four. I'm not sure we can breath more easily. There's intentions of the four conspiring to murder someone but so far no bodies. The targets of this conspiracy are not known but how many of us have felt like shooting at least one of our politicians, and may have blurted it out while watching TV? And how about a referee during RWC not to mention a greedy or two in the midst of poverty? There's arms charges and a cashe of weapons that sound like Gaddafi discards in the desert while on the run. There's even molotov cocktails although whether it is a few beer bottles full of petrol or gelignite made on instructions from someone on the internet is not known. Honestly the "Keystone Cops" have nothing on our lot.

Our Judiciary have taken it seriously and have revealed their judgements. The evidence on the cleared 13 is "inadmissable" or more bluntly a pack of innuendoes illegally gotten by the Police (or was it the SIS?). They have been eaves dropping on the boys in the bush and in their homes and tapped their phones. As Tame Iti said; they could have just rung him instead of lurking in the dark. He may have invited them in for a cuppa. That's what another terrorist Princess Te Puea Herangi MBE did during the war when her home was under surveilance by an SIS agent sitting alone in his car outside her place.

Joking aside what happens next? We have to wait until February 2012. By then some of the facism displayed by those out to get Tame might dissipate in favour of picking on some other iwi. There's still those apposed to oil drilling.