Post by Kiwi Frontline on Nov 21, 2016 5:32:47 GMT 12
Dominion Post 21/11/16
BLOODY MEMORIAL
In your article The War that history forgot (October 15) historian Vincent O'Malley writes about the 1863 British invasion of the Waikato. He concludes by saying "Maori did incredibly well just to survive".
On November 19, we could remember another invasion where the people did not survive, the 1835 invasion of the Chatham Islands by Maori tribes. At over 300 years old, it was the world's oldest pacifist society - it was annihilated in an orgy of violence.
O'Malley writes of how the three day battle of Orakau in 1864 ended with a massacre. The Moriori, true to their code of Nunuku did not fight, but they were massacred anyway. Moriori survivors were enslaved, forbidden to marry Moriori, to have children with each other or to speak their language. The last Moriori of unmixed ancestry died in 1933. The end of this unique culture was a lost to humanity.
By 1881 and militarily beaten, many Maori had themselves discovered pacifism at Parihaka. They were arrested, dispossessed and moved on but not massacred. If we are to tell the history of these islands, let us have the whole blood-soaked panorama despite how it reflects on us all.
B B
Island Bay
Waikato Times 21/11/16
MAJORITY RULES (also inThe Northern Advocate 17/11/16 )
Now that some of the power of the controllers of international finances, banking, governments and a biased media has been diminished or possibly threatened by the results of American presidential elections, John Key may consider reviewing his political aims. He may wish to rescind ethnic favouritism of Maori at the behest of his parliamentary partners.
Favouritism evidenced in many aspects of our national life such as education, resources, political representation and private consultations. Perhaps he may start to listen to and act for the other 85% of the population.
When a great majority of the country firmly rejected unelected positions on councils and regional authorities they were officially ignored. The activities of the Waitangi Tribunal and the millions of dollars in Treaty settlements made by Chris Finlayson go unchallenged.
The government intends to include the iwi clauses in the RMA reform. What kind of democracy is that?
The unfortunate premise is that, traditionally, when the next government elections come around no other political party will have the courage or social conscience to mention or challenge these undemocratic anomalies.
I have on three occasions written a personal letter to each MP, had 10% acknowledgement from secretaries but no comment from the member and no actions taken. Is this how Members regard their constituents? And so the imbalance will continue.
B J
Omokoroa
MAJORITY RULES 2 (also in Hawkes Bay Today 15/11/16)
In his Gettysburg address, Lincoln spoke of government of the people by the people and for the people, and the Western world has come to accept those eloquent words as a striking description, if not definition, of democracy. New Zealanders would believe almost to a man that we have democracy here. But our ‘‘democracy’’ extends only to a one man one vote every three years, selecting from a soporific collection of oddballs, layabouts, manics and professional politicians.
And even our version of one man one vote leaves something to be desired. It seems we have government of the people, but not by the people nor for the people. A well-known example of that is the 2009 referendum on parental corporal punishment. 87+ % of us voters submitted "No" to the referendum's question "Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand". But that 87+ % were ignored, because our elected representatives and, perhaps more crucially, their lobbyists know best.
Now, fearful that the Australian people will not share the pathetically correct position of their elected "representatives", the Australian politicians have vetoed the promised referendum on the issue of homosexual marriage. How democratic is that ? Down here in Australasia, we need a Donald Trump of our own to drain the swamps.
L L
Benneydale
The Northern Advocate 21/11/16
WAKE UP, GOVT
What exciting times we are living in. Britain has given the EU the one-fingered salute, America has tossed out the Democrats despite the protestations of the media — Noam Chomsky, supposedly one of the world’s four most intelligent men, says the Republicans are the most dangerous organisation in the world’s history! One church leader says that the earthquakes here are the results of decadence in society. That doesn’t answer why they happened before humans came here, does it?
The Netherlands, France, Austria, Finland and Hungary could follow Britain out of the EU. Apart from having their lifestyles disrupted, it seems a certain group of religious (?) followers are infiltrating them and creating havoc among them. This particular group number some 1.3 billion people worldwide and at least 10 per cent of these want the Western way of life wiped out. These countries will not allow Nazis to form there now, so why these people? They simply want to take their democracies back!
These people are even migrating here. I would say to them that they must be able to answer four questions: 1. Do you believe in the freedom of religion? 2. Do you believe in the freedom from religion? 3. Do you believe in the freedom of the individual? 4. Do you believe in equal rights for women? A situation exists here where the Government kowtows to a race who were here before white people, but ignores the people before them. Don't treat your voters with contempt!
KEVAN G MARKS
Kaipara
Nelson Mail 19/11/16
RISE OF SEPARATISM
A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still. That phrase could well have been written exclusively for your correspondent Gary Clover (November 12). He refuses to accept that the reparations he speaks of are simply going into the hands of a few greedy Europeans with enough Maori blood to make their case look kosher.
This elite little group could not give a toss about grass roots Maori youth or the disproportionate number of Maori in our prisons. Take a good hard look at the key players I refer to and see who is really benefiting from the proceeds of this generation of taxpayers, both Maori and other.
People need to remove their rose coloured spectacles they acquired on special at the PC shop, and take a good look at the reality of the increasing separatism in this country, scrape away the veneer to see just who is supping at the trough.
If I was nine-tenths European and one tenth Maori, and realised how little it took to qualify for some taxpayer cash then of course I would quickly forget my nine-tenth European ancestry. Cynical? Isn't that what this whole treaty industry/ gravy train is all about? Sadly I am not alone in this conclusion.
D D
Wakefield.
BLOODY MEMORIAL
In your article The War that history forgot (October 15) historian Vincent O'Malley writes about the 1863 British invasion of the Waikato. He concludes by saying "Maori did incredibly well just to survive".
On November 19, we could remember another invasion where the people did not survive, the 1835 invasion of the Chatham Islands by Maori tribes. At over 300 years old, it was the world's oldest pacifist society - it was annihilated in an orgy of violence.
O'Malley writes of how the three day battle of Orakau in 1864 ended with a massacre. The Moriori, true to their code of Nunuku did not fight, but they were massacred anyway. Moriori survivors were enslaved, forbidden to marry Moriori, to have children with each other or to speak their language. The last Moriori of unmixed ancestry died in 1933. The end of this unique culture was a lost to humanity.
By 1881 and militarily beaten, many Maori had themselves discovered pacifism at Parihaka. They were arrested, dispossessed and moved on but not massacred. If we are to tell the history of these islands, let us have the whole blood-soaked panorama despite how it reflects on us all.
B B
Island Bay
Waikato Times 21/11/16
MAJORITY RULES (also inThe Northern Advocate 17/11/16 )
Now that some of the power of the controllers of international finances, banking, governments and a biased media has been diminished or possibly threatened by the results of American presidential elections, John Key may consider reviewing his political aims. He may wish to rescind ethnic favouritism of Maori at the behest of his parliamentary partners.
Favouritism evidenced in many aspects of our national life such as education, resources, political representation and private consultations. Perhaps he may start to listen to and act for the other 85% of the population.
When a great majority of the country firmly rejected unelected positions on councils and regional authorities they were officially ignored. The activities of the Waitangi Tribunal and the millions of dollars in Treaty settlements made by Chris Finlayson go unchallenged.
The government intends to include the iwi clauses in the RMA reform. What kind of democracy is that?
The unfortunate premise is that, traditionally, when the next government elections come around no other political party will have the courage or social conscience to mention or challenge these undemocratic anomalies.
I have on three occasions written a personal letter to each MP, had 10% acknowledgement from secretaries but no comment from the member and no actions taken. Is this how Members regard their constituents? And so the imbalance will continue.
B J
Omokoroa
MAJORITY RULES 2 (also in Hawkes Bay Today 15/11/16)
In his Gettysburg address, Lincoln spoke of government of the people by the people and for the people, and the Western world has come to accept those eloquent words as a striking description, if not definition, of democracy. New Zealanders would believe almost to a man that we have democracy here. But our ‘‘democracy’’ extends only to a one man one vote every three years, selecting from a soporific collection of oddballs, layabouts, manics and professional politicians.
And even our version of one man one vote leaves something to be desired. It seems we have government of the people, but not by the people nor for the people. A well-known example of that is the 2009 referendum on parental corporal punishment. 87+ % of us voters submitted "No" to the referendum's question "Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand". But that 87+ % were ignored, because our elected representatives and, perhaps more crucially, their lobbyists know best.
Now, fearful that the Australian people will not share the pathetically correct position of their elected "representatives", the Australian politicians have vetoed the promised referendum on the issue of homosexual marriage. How democratic is that ? Down here in Australasia, we need a Donald Trump of our own to drain the swamps.
L L
Benneydale
The Northern Advocate 21/11/16
WAKE UP, GOVT
What exciting times we are living in. Britain has given the EU the one-fingered salute, America has tossed out the Democrats despite the protestations of the media — Noam Chomsky, supposedly one of the world’s four most intelligent men, says the Republicans are the most dangerous organisation in the world’s history! One church leader says that the earthquakes here are the results of decadence in society. That doesn’t answer why they happened before humans came here, does it?
The Netherlands, France, Austria, Finland and Hungary could follow Britain out of the EU. Apart from having their lifestyles disrupted, it seems a certain group of religious (?) followers are infiltrating them and creating havoc among them. This particular group number some 1.3 billion people worldwide and at least 10 per cent of these want the Western way of life wiped out. These countries will not allow Nazis to form there now, so why these people? They simply want to take their democracies back!
These people are even migrating here. I would say to them that they must be able to answer four questions: 1. Do you believe in the freedom of religion? 2. Do you believe in the freedom from religion? 3. Do you believe in the freedom of the individual? 4. Do you believe in equal rights for women? A situation exists here where the Government kowtows to a race who were here before white people, but ignores the people before them. Don't treat your voters with contempt!
KEVAN G MARKS
Kaipara
Nelson Mail 19/11/16
RISE OF SEPARATISM
A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still. That phrase could well have been written exclusively for your correspondent Gary Clover (November 12). He refuses to accept that the reparations he speaks of are simply going into the hands of a few greedy Europeans with enough Maori blood to make their case look kosher.
This elite little group could not give a toss about grass roots Maori youth or the disproportionate number of Maori in our prisons. Take a good hard look at the key players I refer to and see who is really benefiting from the proceeds of this generation of taxpayers, both Maori and other.
People need to remove their rose coloured spectacles they acquired on special at the PC shop, and take a good look at the reality of the increasing separatism in this country, scrape away the veneer to see just who is supping at the trough.
If I was nine-tenths European and one tenth Maori, and realised how little it took to qualify for some taxpayer cash then of course I would quickly forget my nine-tenth European ancestry. Cynical? Isn't that what this whole treaty industry/ gravy train is all about? Sadly I am not alone in this conclusion.
D D
Wakefield.