Putting the 9/11 Terrorists on Trial

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For years, human rights advocates have argued that terrorism is essentially criminal behaviour, and terrorists should therefore be tried under the rules of due process that democratic states have developed over centuries for dealing fairly with crime, and punishment. For that reason, the news last week that the Obama administration plans to put Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (aka KSM) and several other alleged 9/11 co-conspirators on trial in federal court is a real breakthrough, and should be applauded.

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The selective targeting of Beenie Man

Reportedly, Big Day Out organizers have backed down from their original intention to include the Jamaican dancehall musician Beenie Man in the next BDO festival line-up in January. The reason has been the public pressure from gay activists who have been expressing vocal opposition to the anti-gay sentiments in some of Beenie Man’s lyrics. A Facebook site was created to oppose Beenie Man, and Charles Chauvel had even called for him to be refused a visa to enter the country.

From the very outset, the BDO knew Beenie Man had a controversial background. In the past, his song lyrics have included lines such as “I’m dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the gays” in “Damn”, and “Hang chi chi gal [lesbian] wid a long piece of rope” in ‘Han Up Deh.’
Whether Beenie Man had actually signed for the festival or not, we may never know. Read the rest of this entry »

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Obama’s latest surrender to Israel, and drone warfare

President Barack Obama’s single most important foreign policy decision during 2009 has been his recent backdown over requiring Israel to abandon the building of settlements in the occupied territories. Beforehand, this was to be a precondition for peace talks. Read the rest of this entry »

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The powers of search and surveillance

Does the Search and Surveillance Bill, as the NZ Herald has recently maintained, really give a web of state agencies ‘sweeping powers to spy, bug conversations and hack into private computers’ ? Or is this all based on a ‘remarkable misunderstanding’ of the actual provisions of the Bill, as deputy Law Commission president Warren Young has argued this morning in his published response?

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The Harawira junket, and Sean Plunket

At least the coalition government has shown itself to be united this week – it seems intent on junketing at taxpayer expense across a broad and unified front. Hone Harawira of the Maori Party, Rodney Hide of the Act and the deputy leader of the National Party have all of late been displaying a keen appetite for shaking down the taxpayer for travel perks and expense claims that – given the strife the country is in – they might have felt a moral duty to forego. Evidently not.

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Gordon Campbell: Foreshore and Seabed deals & dealing with Iran

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So today, the government formally agrees to dump the foreshore and seabed legislation. On one level, this means karma retribution for National, which made so much of the iwi vs kiwi billboards in 2005 – since it will now fall to a National-led government to sort out a lasting solution. So far, the only consensus from the hui consultative process this year has been about the easy part – scrapping the status quo.

All the divisive, contradictory parts remain. Read the rest of this entry »

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Cutbacks to Central (and Local) Government Spending

As sure as night follows day, when farmer incomes come under pressure, Federated Farmers want to cut welfare – and slash anything else they think might be fuelling the stronger dollar while they’re at it. In 2009, this sort of cry looks particularly stupid. If welfare payments had been cut when the Key government took office, the country would have plunged from recession into crisis – which is exactly what happened when Ruth Richardson and Jenny Shipley cut benefits shortly after National took office, and created the mother of all recessions.

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Anne Tolley’s 19th century approach to education

Remember National’s election promise to return New Zealand to the top half of the OECD tables? In government, its moves in education seem motivated more by a desire to return New Zealand to the golden age of Victorianism – when the three “R”s and a stern testing regime were seen to be all that a young lad or girl really needed. Certainly, its hard to see any recognition of 21st century challenges in the Key government’s decision to cut the expert advisory service for any subjects other than the three Rs, and to re-direct resources into supporting the new ‘standards’ regime that is due to kick in next year.

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Managing the Press Gallery, and Afghanistan

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As a free fire exercise in which anything at all can be raised, the Prime Minister’s post Cabinet press conference should be a rewarding experience – and it commonly does set the political agenda for the next 48 hours. Yesterday though was a prime example of the lean pickings in actual content. For the first half hour, the gallery discussed with the Prime Minister and with Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples, the funding of the Rugby World Cup bid. At best, it ended up with only hints, feints and oblique messages on how much taxpayers will be putting up to underwrite the bid.

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The RWC resolution, and ACC changes

So the outcome of the Rugby World Cup fiasco is a reversion to sanity – one bid only, involving Maori Television, TVNZ and TV3. In order to preserve the mana of the Maori Party, Maori Television will reportedly ‘lead’ that bid. Offshore of course, the IRB can still choose to accept or reject the offer to be put on the table – in a context where it is now on the public record (thanks Pita Sharples) that this bid has the potential to be upped, by calling in more money from iwi authorities, or from government.

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