Labour Party Conference

Hmmm...violence or non violence.

Len...you are an idiot...

You took a swipe at someone who cannot be seen to be pushing you...and you did it with a megaphone.

http://www.tv3.co.nz/VideoBrowseAll/NationalVideo/tabid/309/articleID/38389/Default.aspx#video

Reflections

I was reflecting on a blog I wrote back in June of this year about 16 year olds and the voting age and thought, 'this has wider ramifications than just letting those who are 16 years old the ability to vote.'


Maybe this is no newsflash to anyone else, but lets say some 16 year old person, a potential voter reads this and sees the possibilities.

• A 16 year old youth, gains the right to vote - thus making a 16 year old (also a high school student possibly) an Adult.
• An adult - with the right to vote on national issues.
• An adult - Adult rates at movies and public transport
• An adult - Charged and convicted of adult crimes.
• An adult - Able to make what would be considered 'adult decisions' relating to marriage, consents, loans, credit, etc.
• Be treated in a sense, as an adult in our society would be treated.

Why is there this sense that children, teenagers at 16 can make decisions and be compared with adults. I have to wonder about some adults sometimes. Seems they make teenager decisions or act like 'teens'. Personally, not being a major car enthusist, I don't get how someone can spend $10,000 souping up their cars when in todays society, 10K could get you a deposit on a house or at least a good start on one.

Today in Pack n Save I saw two young girls, couldnt have been more than 10 years old hold bottles of V. That stuff is potent enough for adults not to be able to consume 3 bottles a day. What the heck do these pre-teens have to drink that crap that is HYPO caffine, and other literally stimulants, at their young age. Ok...now and then I down a 600ml Pepsi or Mountain Dew. But I do not end up bouncing off the walls. What happened to kids enjoying an occassional fanta, or sprite, or coke for that matter...but V? Hells bells.

So, are we making our young kids grow up to fast...or are we allowing them to grow up too fast?

Food for thought.

Terror in Public Opinion

It has been interesting watching human behaviour in the past couple of weeks in relation to these terror raids and how it seems we would react to a situation differently if all the facts about the case if all the cards were laid on the table. I even find myself wanting leap to conclusions but not being able too because I don't know all the facts.

But it seems that the general concensus is that it is not possible for anyone to be a terrorist in New Zealand because to be suspected of it and taken into custody tramples on someones human rights. And of course, New Zealand in most cases has become so PC that it can't see beyond the black and white to the possibility, someone here could do something really, really bad. Like a terrorist act.

I remember watching something about the US Navy Seal corp. Each of them take an oath and that oath includes that they will defend their country against all terrorists, foriegn and domestic. Now, I don't necessarily agree that we should have immediately legislated a form of anti-terrorism law, however we live in a day in age where terror threats are a reality. Even domestic ones. Are we so blind to think that one of our own could not possibly do something that would be considered terrorism or a terrorist act?

In some way, I think our military, police, defence forces should have if they don't already a similar oath. They are there, or should be there to protect the populous from forms of terror, from inside and outside.

Case in point? The London train bombings of 2005. Three of the four of the bombers were born in Leeds area of London. The forth was born in Jamaica. Essentially, regardless of their religion, these were domestic terrorists. Dosent matter where they did their training, or what they believed, Christain, Islam, they were for England, domestic terrorists.

Now tell me. Can this ever happen here? No one can ever say no to this question. Personally, I want to see the kind of evidence that these people are being charged with, and if it was worth doing it under the legislation they did it under. That is yet to be seen and the test of the law itself will be how it is used and if it was used properly. I guess we will have to wait and see.