Scoop Feedback: Views And News From Readers

Thursday, 19 February 2004, 12:07 am
Opinion: Scoop Feedback

In This Edition: Fireknife Dancers – Request For Assistance - Keep The Children In The Dark - US Warships in NZ waters - Seeking An Old Shipmate - Wheel loss - The Origin Of National's Support Jump - Treaty Is With The British - Iraq War Flics - State Sector Juggernaut - Parents Rights... - Enough is enough - Lessons From The Amish - There Is Something Rotten Here! - Time For Several Office Holders To Consider Their Roles

Scoop welcomes news and views from readers. Send your feedback to edito @scoop.co.nz.

Fireknife Dancers – Request For Assistance

We need photos of Fireknife Dancers from around the world for an upcoming book on the history of the Samoan Fireknife Dance. The book is due for publishing in three weeks, so please send digital photos or provide an FTP site we can download them from.

Thanks,
TeeJay Lavata'i
Flaming Sword of Samoa
Nifo Oti Club of Am. Samoa

contact:
mapearl@samoatelco.com
TeeJay@FlamingSword.net
TeeJay@Sivaafi.org

Keep The Children In The Dark

A young person stands tall at the recent Government sponsored Childrens Symposium and states "more young people need to know their rights". The apologists for bypassing parents in order to convey these rights to children smile approvingly, and include Commissioner for Children Cindy Kiro (who also monitors CYFS), Social Service Minister Steve Maharey, and Prime Minister Helen Clark.

Parents, those you have elected have declared war on you and your family. The Government truly believes that it is more desirable to deal directly with your children on issues of behaviour, relationships, and "rights", thereby minimising your opportunity to teach them responsibility, consequence, and wisdom. If you allow your children's minds to be ideologically captured in this way, you will consign them to a lifetime of confusion, delusion, and pain. Sow your own fields, or others will do it for you - with what, will be for you to bear.

Yours faithfully
Stephen D. Taylor
Onehunga Auckland

US Warships in NZ waters

Obviously not, but not only there. I think that all that gear simply should not be built.

Sergio DAL TIO

Seeking An Old Shipmate

Greetings from the UK

I am trying to seek anyone who can remember DENNIS COOK - Wireman (L). He served on HMNZS ARBUTUS in 1945.

Dennis now lives in the UK and is a member of Southend on Sea, Essex Branch of the Royal Naval Association. He would be most interested to trace anyone that remembers him.

Yours Aye

Shipmate Geoff Mills
President
No5 Area RNA
geoffrna5@tiscali.co.uk

Wheel loss

I was stumbling thru the Internet and came across your article in July/01 where your Transport Safety Authortiy had issued a warning about wheel loss and some type of preventive measure.

It would be interesting to know how many more wheel off incidents there have been since then.

I would refer you to our web site: http://www.Wheelex.com and you are free to quote anything from that site that you wish. Our system will prevent wheel off on any axle upon which it is installed.

If you can make story out of it go ahead but I would be pleased if you would email me a copy if you do.

Should you have any questions or comments please contact me.

Incidentially, our system is Patented in New Zealand at this time.

Yours truly,

Stuart A. Busse, President
Ibex Resources Corp.

The Origin Of National's Support Jump

The media seems to have jumped to the conclusion that National's support has risen to 45% because of Don Brash's comments about racial separatism. I suspect that the increase is actually due to confidence that Don Brash would make a more capable leader for this country than Helen Clark.

Yours faithfully
Michael Williams
Howick

Treaty Is With The British

Has anyone ever considered that the British Government are the "other party" in Treaty of Waitangi negotiations, as this land was only a colony at the time and the treaty was between the British Crown and the Maori who signed.

Stan Sands

Iraq War Flics

Balance it out. Don't see any pics of Saddam's victims especially gasing of Kurds.

rey feete

State Sector Juggernaut

Sir,

Announcing the providers for the new State sector retirement scheme (16 Feb) Trevor Mallard says: "It is important that the State sector sets a good example in encouraging retirement savings. This scheme will help many people to better prepare for their retirement."

As part of the package that will be available to some 100,000 State sector employees they can "choose their own level of contribution, and the government will match that up to a maximum of 1.5% of salary in the first year and 3% from the second year".

In view of this latest use of public monies to further line the pockets of the State sector juggernaut, I trust Mr Mallard will now be encouraging the Minister of Finance to announce, in the not too distant future, the reintroduction of tax incentives to a similar level for the many thousands of ordinary citizens already trying to better prepare for retirement through their own private superannuation schemes.

Mirek Marcanik
Wellington NZ

Parents Rights...

Recently read your story in regards to Labour party wiping debts of parents living in Australia.

I don't necessarily agree as a ex kiwi parent now living in Australia but I do have an issue with parents living in Australia paying child support and not being given fair access to children. also mothers given personnel details and being given the right to question income?

Why not fair access for fair support payments.

ex kiwi

Enough is enough

Sir,

With each passing day it must be becoming patently obvious to any discerning voter that this Labour led coalition government is incapable of defending a challenge to its political dominance with researched, reasoned and clearly articulated debate.

Instead, its response to the "outrageous assault" on this dominance is to go on the attack and try to bring into question the integrity, intelligence and capabilities of the individuals and groups who dare to challenge that dominance.

Surely, all this unproductive and destructive posturing must suggest to the voter that if the government are unable to defend their position in a civilised and democratic way, either their policies are flawed or they are simply devoid of the political and social skills required (and, some of us, still expect) of leaders of the nation.

If we, as a country, are to move forward with any semblance of unity in hope, purpose and understanding then this nonsense must stop and stop now.

Mirek Marcanik
Wellington NZ

Lessons From The Amish

News that cycling is the most effective method of commuting in the Auckland area, is nothing new. That is indeed the solution to the congestion issues. It is the increase in technology, and humanities dependence upon it, that creates such congestion. Even in disrespect of transportation, the technology advanced centralisation of society has caused many a trouble totally uncommon to the age of simplicity.

An age that is all but a memory, un-fit-able to our hectic lives, in which we achieve less at more cost. An age where machines have made the biggest impact on company downsizing and redundancy. We are living in a technocracy that is blind to the common eye. Cars and computers rule, speed and impact win over common sense, and our laziness has been successfully marketed to by the pledged “Fix alls”.

Sadly a key to reducing many of the problems that plagues modern society requires an Amish approach. Decentralisation of commerce and a reduced dependence on non-organic t ransportation, a reverting to horse/mule/ox driven society. That, is the solution.

Yours faithfully

Brendon Ward
Invercargill

There Is Something Rotten Here!

Sir,

Marion Hobbs announced today (18 Feb) her welcoming of an international move to prevent the potentially devastating effects of exotic marine pests such as invasive species of mussels, crabs, jellyfish and toxic algae being spread from one area to another by ships' ballast water.

Under the new convention (still to be ratified and passed into New Zealand law) ships will be required to 'cleanse' their ballast by exchanging it for mid-ocean water on the way to another country.

There is an estimated 10 billion tonnes of ballast water transferred globally each year.

Could someone explain to me the logic of undertaking this exercise in mid-ocean rather than where they do it at present - either just outside a ports jurisdiction or alongside the wharf just prior to, or during, loading.

Instead of all the exotic marine pests from one country being deposited in the localised pristine waters of another, they are to be deposited in ocean-waters. Waters that are subject to vast and often fast ocean currents that not infrequently sweep along the coastlines of not only other countries but continents.

So, instead of leaving an unwelcome message in just one place, we now spread it far and wide for all to enjoy.

Since the ocean-waters are considered a suitable place for dumping such exotic goodies, perhaps we should consider allowing vessels to initially fill their ballast tanks with raw sewage instead. At least that way it would provide a regular and reliable means of disposing of country's sewage as well as being a highly nutritious source of fish feed.

Hardly seems like something to crow about, in fact, it seems very fishy to me.

Mirek Marcanik
Wellington NZ

Time For Several Office Holders To Consider Their Roles

It would appear that a sound lesson in professional and personal boundaries would do wonders for various leaders in New Zealand, if recent media reports are anything to go by. Governor General Dame Sylvia Cartwright is the Queen's representative with the power to dissolve Parliament, not Helen Clarks political puppet; Joris De Bres is charged with hearing complaints regarding race relations, not instigating them by taking sides; Chief Justice Sian Elias and her other "judicial activist" cohorts are entrusted with enforcing the law, not re-interpreting it.

A rapid self-assessment of their respective roles in society is therefore overdue. With the National Party now polling at 45% and rising, "middle New Zealand" is extending a collective "middle finger" to the politically correct status quo - Cartwright, Clark, De Bres, and Elias would be wise to take note, and retreat with dignity.

Yours faithfully

Stephen D. Taylor
Onehunga
Auckland

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