Wheeler’s Corner
“Connecting Citizens Who Care“. Every Monday at 4 pm on Access
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01 7th
January 2018
1.
My poor friend Don Esslemont is at it yet again,
telling half truths about the Councils decision to allow Maori Wards.
When the Councillor’s took the intelligent route, by
agreeing to introduce a Maori Ward they proved that intelligent individuals
could collectively reach an intelligent position on social issues that confront
us these days.
After all, we citizens elected Councillor’s to
represent us on council, and the massive majority voted for a Maori Ward. [70%]
This was a very progressive and enlightened step to take. They had listened to
various views on the subject and after doing so even some very conservative
Councillor’s changed their past approach to this issue by voting for Maori
Wards. And I might add there wasn’t a Maori among them.
Ten of the fifteen councillors’ plus the Mayor reached
the intelligent conclusion that the time for a Maori Ward had arrived. Only one
Councillor wasn’t present to vote. [Those who voted against are marked with a
cross, while the absent Councillor is marked with a question
mark].
It is important to understand that if the Don Esslemont
/ Don Brash emotionally charged drive to roll back the Councils intelligent vote
succeeds just what that cost will be.
Council advice is that it will cost approximately one
hundred thousand dollars of rate payer’s money to conduct a poll of all rate
payers regarding the introduction of a Maori Ward. Not only that but it will be
a retreat for better relationships and race relations in
general.
Yet it won’t cost one dollar to have a Maori Ward if we
simply accept their intelligent decision.
I’m sure that we would all agree that one hundred
thousand dollars could be better spent than asking all those who had already
put their trust in the election of our councillor’s to accept their conclusion
than part with yet more money to appease a bunch of non-progressive and possibly
aging group of backward thinkers like my poor friend Don E.
In the past the Government [s] designed a system to
ensure that Maori and others could not succeed in progressing representation in
the local communities in which they live.
The concept of wards especially sent a shiver up the
spines of our law makers. So they created a system that specifically introduced
a safety valve to ensure that a democratically elected Council decision could be
rejected by those politically inclined.
This kind of manipulation of society has ensured
domination over real social change since 1840.
You may recall a past Prime Minister’s comments on this
subject. He wasn’t a left-wing PM. He was Jim Bolger…a National Party
Leader. You can listen to him here: http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=201840999
He was open to change, he understood what was taking place.
If Jim Bolger can learn why can’t the Esslemont / Brash
/ Hobsons pledge mob reach the same conclusion? Even Winston Peters has seen the
light!
Ignore the Don Brash / Esslemont crowd and their costly
petition and join the thousands who prefer to live for the future of Aotearoa
rather than wallow in the dark past of colonial dictatorship. [Earlier blogs on
this subject]
2. It could be said the 2017 was the year of the tweet:
US President Trump’s ability in regard to the English language only extends to
the child like use of the twitter fad… this was his very latest
effort:
“In
the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year’s Eve on record. Perhaps we could use
a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other
countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle
up!
We are all aware of Trumps inability to accept that
climate change is a reality, and maybe we should feel sorry for him as an
individual and for the US as a whole.
I for one am not over concerned by the idiotic outbursts
of a ‘childlike’ President who acquired his position via his wealth and a
corrupt political system that has seen voting numbers fall below 50% because of
massive exclusions and a general attitude of ‘What the hell’. The main concern
of mine relates to what this dumb President may do in the near future. His
finger is only inches away from the dooms-day button which if pushed could
destroy the world as we know it. His cowboy like behaviour in regard to North
Korea should be a major concern for the world at large. To think that he is the
supreme commander of the US Military and its destruction machine is frightening
to say the least.
History proves that the Americans just LOVE war, and
this simply proves the point, America has been at war 222 out of the last 239
years.
War of course has been very rewarding for America, not
through the winning of wars but via their continuation. Hence it could be said
that the US has never won a war, they lost in Korea, they lost in Vietnam, they
lost in Laos, they have yet to win in Afghanistan and Iraq, and they keep losing
in the South American arena…In both the second and first world wars which they
entered late after making huge profits, they were just a part [but an important
one] in other nations success opposing dictatorships.
But most importantly these days; their private and
corporation arms sales are booming and they along with the British and other
arms manufactures’ who supply other American / UK backed dictatorships such as
Saudi Arabia and Israel to name but two of their biggest customers.
Will 2018 see a decline or an increase in America ‘War’
activities, will Trump do as he said he might ‘wipe North Korea off the map?
Those are questions we must ask seriously, remember. We caved into Saudi Arabia
with an eleven million dollar bride for a non-existent farm.
2018 could well be a defining year for New Zealand both
nationally and internationally; will we stand for peace or will we follow the
corrupt United States in using technology to supply those who would continue to
murder thousands in their pursuit of wealth at the expense of human life and by
the continuation of bombing of countries like Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan and
occupied Palestine.
These are the serious questions facing our new
Government. How we respond will be a defining moment in what makes us different.
New Zealand has at times stood up to the bullies. The question is will we do so
again. John Key and Bill English gave in to every US demand; will Jacinda Ardern
do the same? 2018 may give us some indicators.
Reference:
To learn about the latest saga of Donald Trump
go to: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/01/it-was-an-open-secret/549653/
Peter J Wheeler
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