New Zealand Conservative

The Dumb Ox has a far better idea to save power than turning off all the lights for one hour once a year ... Apparently Earth Hour managed to save the same amount of power that would be used by several average NZ households over a year, but I have a far better way of saving way more power than this – it’s called marriage counseling. You see, if you could save just ten NZ marriages, you would prevent ten NZ families from splitting up into 20 different households, and then using twenty different lots of resources and power, instead of only ten lots of resources and power. Not sure the Greenies will take to it, though. Related Link: I turned off all my lights, the planet has now been saved ~ Being Frank

M&M have published a list of the top ten Christian blogs in NZ based on February's stats. It's nice to see another Catholic Blog ( Being Frank ) on that list. NZ Conservative is number 1, but we have been dropping for a while in the Tumeke stats due to periods of inactivity. Not necessarily a bad thing, as we seem to have our die-hard readers that keep coming back no matter what. There are at least 100 of you who visit daily, even when this blog is dead quiet. Last week we peaked at 300 unique visitors when things got busy. Thanks to all our readers that have been visiting over the past two years since we started up in March 2007. We haven't run out of steam yet!

The picture to the left is a screen capture from the movie 'The Matrix'. I know that it has kind of lost it's shock value now and I'm telegraphing the comparisons I'm going to make to the movie by showing it, but the events of the last few months have brought the image to my mind again. In a quote from the movie, the character Morpheus says - For the longest time, I wouldn't believe it...and then I saw [..] them liquefy the dead, so they could be fed intravenously to the living So, what has happened over the last few months to bring this to my mind? 1. On March the 9th, President Obama signed an executive order opening up the restrictions on taxpayer funding for embryo-destroying stem cell research, just as he promised he would in his election campaign. And what is his reasoning for this? - "In recent years, when it comes to stem cell research, rather than furthering discovery, our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound scie...

Following on from the staggering success of Earth Hour, a yearly event where concerned citizens burn alternative sources of fuel to celebrate the fact that they have turned the lights out, I'm suddenly rather keen on the idea. I say "staggering success" because like all devotees of Earth Hour, I know there is no need to check the newspapers to know this idea "just works". The planet can now be saved, as people are now psychologically prepared to accept the tough prescriptions of "Environmental Experts" to set humankind back on the path of carbon neutrality. Just the easy stuff at first, like one child per family and tax rates of 80%, moving up to banning breathing, until finally we all become part Amish, part Hippie and live on a commune. Told you the easy stuff came first. Furthermore, after one hour of the lights on dim, sea levels will probably not rise by half a centimetre now for another few years, and the average polar bear has 70 centimetres l...

I forgot to add The Environment when I listed the modern gods we sacrifice our unborn babies to. While I won't be joining the anti-Earth hour protest (hattip M&M ), I also will not turn anything off in order to join in with those who want to turn the lights off for the planet. --ZenTiger Neighbourhood Message Insert-- Read about Dirt Day M and M ask the tough questions: What are you doing to protest Earth Hour

For the last 300 years, the British Monarchy has not allowed Catholics to be anywhere near the line of succession. But Gordon Brown is trying to change all that. On the surface, it looks to be a good move - get rid of religious discrimination against one group. However, not everything is as it seems. Catholics are getting more and more annoying* in Britain, and this could be one way to get them to settle down. Gordon Brown's plan to amend the Act of Settlement is an attempt to pacify Catholic public opinion, which is increasingly horrified by the actions of the most anti-Catholic cabinet in living memory. That is not its only purpose: the Prime Minister is desperate to leave his mark on history in some shape or form, and constitutional change fits the bill. But, as a Scot who grew with a wily and well-organised Catholic political machine, he knows that Papists can cause trouble when they get their act together. It's not a simple thing to change the Act of Settlement which ...

Maybe this is more the mood for tonight.

New Zealand's ex-Prime Minister, Miss Helen Clark has landed a tax-free UN job. Quite a coup for a socialist whose government, while in power, raised taxes in this fair land numerous times. Not sure they were ever lowered. I think it only fair that Miss Clark donate 39% of her salary to the country that gave her the leg up to the world stage. But more astounding than a failed Prime Minister getting a top UN post, is the sycophantic blathering from the many of the talking heads here in NZ. I can almost forgive John Key, maybe he'd say anything to be rid of her, but the rest of them? What's up with that? Given Helen Clark's forthcoming appointment as Director of the UN Development Programme, New Zealand LGBT organisations need to take a stronger and more proactive stance against homophobia and transphobia overseas. Interesting... Related Links: LGBT Human Rights Blackspots ~ GayNZ Tough job for Clark, ex-UN ambassador says ~ NZ Herald Blog Opinions: Helen Clark sho...

Wednesday's Dominion Post Editorial demanded a response. As it is Friday, and my homeschooling schedule is more relaxed today, I finally have time to do one. First, I have to wonder at the calibre of the editors the Dominion Post employs. Sometimes they are very perceptive, but occasionally some backroom bunny is given hold of the editorial space, with little or no oversight it seems. The editorial is full of the opinions of a typical ignorant blog commenter (of the type we get here) that hates all things religious and cannot be reasoned with. A simple google search would have helped this person realise that there was far more to the typical church bashing talking points that meet the eye. But no, the purpose of the editor was not to opine on the truth, it was to prove the Church is stuck in the Middle Ages. A charge that was not proved in the slightest and has instead shown the writer in question is a moron. If proof were needed that the Catholic Church is stuck in the Middle Age...

UK population must fall to 30m, says Porritt...Porritt is winning scientific backing. Professor Chris Rapley, director of the Science Museum, will use the OPT conference, to be held at the Royal Statistical Society, to warn that population growth could help derail attempts to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Some of the comments are just as entertaining. About time somebody realised we are in this mess because of over population..........What a joke when say we need more houses, no we don't, we need less people, we are a blight, a parasite, a virus on this unfortunate planet and the creatures on it that don't want for anything other than to survive. Bet he's not volunteering to be first. Too many people, not enough abortion clinics. Too many people, not enough euthanasia programs. Too many people, not enough suicide booths. Too many people, not enough genetic screening to weed out the Stephen Hawkings. Too many people, not enough 'one child' policies. But don't...

Negotiations to resume exports of live sheep for slaughter are continuing but Agriculture Minister David Carter says a ban will remain unless they meet the highest welfare standards Ministry of Agriculture - For Immediate Release The Ministry of Agriculture today announced a bold new initiative in livestock management. Sheep and Cows will be exported live, following a bulk berth deal with the P&O Cruise company. P&O have guaranteed 50% of cabins will be available to livestock on all outbound trips, with stop overs in Fiji, New Caledonia and Vanuatu before arriving in Malaysia for slaughter. Under the deal, all ovis and bovine receive a full continental buffet breakfast. Cows, Bison and Buffalo are also provided a light lunch from the "all you can eat" salad bar. David Carter announced that the mix of human and animal on the cruise ship should add to a general relaxed feeling and help create an atmosphere of fun and excitement, so important to animals facing slaught...

Like the pagans of old, we sacrifice babies to our gods here in NZ. But, rather than appeasing the sun god so he will rise in the morning or the god of the crops so that he will grant good harvests or the war god so he will grant victory over our enemies, we sacrifice our babies to the gods of money, convenience and lust. These three gods are so vital to the citizens of this land that we will do anything to ensure that their gods do not deny them. And if a few women whose babies are sacrificed die along the way, well, that is a cost worth taking. But gods who demand the blood of innocents are never satiated. They demand more as time goes on. Our blood soaked altars of death will now expand from the hospital into the home. Rather than being surgically torn apart by suction devices, tiny unborn babies will be delivered at home. Thus expanding the web of sacrificial altars all across the country. Related Link: Garth George: Abortion idea sends chills up the spine ~ NZ Herald

Elvis isn't dead, he's in a rest home with some-one who thinks he's JFK. Between them, they have to stop a soul sucking Egyptian Mummy from killing the other rest home residents. Which doesn't have much to do with building Transmission Gully, but then again, neither do the endless reports that come out periodically, usually after long studies into feasibility and cost which get nailed down and everyone thinks, "finally". Transmission Gully ever built? You'd have more chance of seeing Elvis. And if you want to, I strongly recommend you do it by watching Bubba Ho-Tep. Brilliant. I liked the sound track too. It doesn't stand alone like say, The Crow, but it really suited the movie. It's B Grade, and all the better for it. Speaking of B Grade and soul sucking mummies, I can only assume that anyone working to find Transmission Gully alternatives are victims of a similar curse. Look at the reasons they come up with in order not to build infras...

Judging from an email, Ian Wishart's new book is days away from shipping. Couldn't see an advert on his Investigate Magazine home page though. Soon, perhaps? I must admit, I'm curious about the contents. I'll be ordering a copy and having a read. The conclusion seems to be on the cover page, and that alone will infuriate the AGW Gore-ites. No doubt, it will excuse them from having to even read the book. I'm skeptical about AGW (especially the A part of that) but I'm of the opinion that mankind's score card on pollution control is pretty shoddy, and respecting the environment is simply sensible. And responsible. I don't usually like to mention my opinion on environmental responsibility and AGW together though. When talking to an AGW zealot, they might think I'm likely to automatically agree with any or all of their prescriptions to "save the planet". Forget Kyoto, for starters. Saving the planet is all well and good. I'm inte...

Recently, many of us thrashed out the issue of a 9 year old, pregnant by rape, having her 16 week pre-born twins aborted. My post on Child Mothers was probably about 20% of what I actually wrote about the topic. A bit more was over at M and M , and another big chunk of it here at the Hand Mirror . After a very long conversation on that thread, this is how Deborah summed up my argument: Y'know, I'm not sure it's worth arguing with ZenTiger. [He] has a set worldview, that women are worth less than fetuses, and that's all there is to it. Rubbish, of course. My reply is on that link. Even worse was the "logic" by Natalia that if I was against abortion of a rape victim, then I *therefore* support forced impregnation (rape)...that deserves a full post in reply, but as I'm probably the only one who might care that I've been accused of being pro-rape, it can wait until mid winter when it's cold, it's dark, there's nothing worth watching...

It's Friday again and only 23 more days until Easter. I know this because my 8 year old's math programme demands that we fill in a "meeting strip" every day, and one of the entries is to count down days to something. We've chosen Easter this time, as his birthday has just been. Counting down to his birthday was fun - heaps of excitement there. I think I'm officially wiped out today. A week of trying to get the homeschooling back on track after a week and a half of major disruption due to renovations has taken it's toll. It's either that, or sitting in the sun for a couple of hours watching the kids at the local outdoor swimming pool. I am so glad an air conditioner... whoops, heat pump, was part of the renovations. It has cooled down my furnace of a west facing kitchen enormously. Now for that second cup of tea ...

73 AIG executives - including 11 who no longer work for the company - were each last week given bonuses worth more than $1m [with total payouts at 165 million dollars]. Problem is AIG have already received 170 billion dollars in Federal money, and are due to receive another 30 billion. Obama has sucker written all over him even as AIG vacuums up billions. So what's the spin on this? Well, instead of throwing AIG another 30 billion, they'll deduct a bit of money from that figure, and rush through some legislation to tax the bonuses at 100% or some some nonsense. So basically, AIG symbolically pay back 165 million out of 200 BILLION, and the Democrats are happy? The real nonsense is that Government money keeps the fat cats going, and we can argue all we like about how it may have been government policy that fueled this, or any number of other reasons, but the real issue is how much the State will use such events to interfere with business. It's the wrong way to "fix...

BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS, NC—The tree best known for portraying an eastern hemlock in the 1978 film The Deer Hunter passed away Monday morning on the steep, north-facing slope it called home. After shooting to stardom in the late 1970s with its scene-stealing turn as a stately old-growth conifer in The Deer Hunter, the tree soon cemented its reputation as one of Hollywood's most dependable character actors. According to its publicist, the woody plant and beloved fixture of nearly 40 feature films died of complications relating to adelgid beetles and lightning. "It will be missed," Deer Hunter costar Robert De Niro said. "We took a shine to each other immediately. That tree taught me a lot about acting and about life." Sometimes we can't see the wood for the trees. So you'd think chopping a few down might help. But that would be cruel. What's that saying? Trees are people too. And all trees are equal, although some are more equal than others. To rea...

John Tertullian and Contra Celsum have outdone themselves with a superb piece of writing on the future massacre of trees once the restrictions to cut them down are removed. Apparently there are caverns and bat caves beneath the civilised streets where lurk a feral breed of people. They are poisoned by a hatred of trees. They each have a chainsaw--which is the initiation requirement to be part of this community of primordial slime. Every now and then one of these hideous miscreants will start his murderous machine up, and the caverns will be rocked with the raucous sound of his instrument of death, while his comrades lick their lips and sway ghoulishly in the half-light. There is excitement in the caves--not seen for years. Word has been received that the ignorant and cruel government is about to remove from local councils--those noble institutions which keep at bay the dark forces of a long banished past--the power to decree vast swathes of territory as "tree protection zones....

Something about charging money to watch a concert in a Catholic Cathedral strikes me as very wrong. Asking for donations would be one thing as the group in question is registered as a charity. Maybe it's the denying entrance to those who do not pay, when there should never be a door charge to enter a place of God. Then there's the questionable concept of using the sacred place for a concert when it ought to be a place of prayer. Yet the concert has a very religious theme that could create a prayerful atmosphere ... I don't know, maybe someone can help here. The whole thing just strikes me as improper. Related Link: Festival Singers Next Concert - Stabat Mater

Is it really Friday? I have to keep pinching myself as I have just endured more than a week and a half of renovations on our only bathroom, with EVERYTHING being ripped out (except for the floorboards and framing) and then rebuilt. Just this afternoon I have continued the cleaning out of my pantry and dishes cupboard because my 8yo left the door to it open yesterday morning while the plasterer was sanding down all his work from the previous day in kitchen (there had been a cupboard in that wall, but it was reclaimed by the bathroom). Hence, a coating of fine dust on nearly all the dishes and food items! There is a lot to be said for indoor toilets after having used a Porta-a-loo for this period. For the first several days I became severely sleep-deprived because I'd wake up in the night, need to go to the loo, try and talk myself out of it, until I was so awake that I'd have to go outside anyway (down the stairs to the lower back garden) and then be unable to fall back to s...

Dear old Bill, getting a bit senile in his old age. Or, does he really, really believe that human embryos do not become little babies until they are fertilised? Because, if they were fertilised, it would be a bad thing to experiment on them. But "unfertilised" embryos - hey, that's ok! Seen on WDTPRS & Creative Minority Report .

It was perhaps the bravest act of espionage of the Second World War. After voluntarily being imprisoned in the Auschwitz concentration camp for 2½ years, and smuggling out its darkest secrets to the Allies, Witold Pilecki overcame a guard and, with two comrades, escaped almost certain death. Now new details have emerged of the extraordinary tale of the Polish officer who hatched a plot with the country's resistance to be rounded up by the occupying Germans in September 1940 and sent to the most notorious Nazi extermination centre. At the time Auschwitz was predominantly a camp for captured resistance fighters , although Jews and anyone considered a threat to the Nazi regime were also being sent there. Newly released documents from the Polish archives reveal how Mr Pilecki, going under the false name Tomasz Serafinski, went about setting up an underground resistance group in the camp , recruiting its members and organising it into a coherent movement. KG of Crusader Rabbi...

The seven dwarfs went off to work in the mine one day, while Snow White stayed at home to do the housework and cook their lunch. However when she went to the mine to deliver their lunches, she found there had been a cave-in, and there was no sign of the dwarfs. Tearfully she yelled in to the mine entrance:"hello - is anyone there. Can anyone hear me". A voice floated up from the bowels of the mine: "NASA will name a room in a space station after US comedian Stephen Colbert" "Thank goodness" said Snow White "at least Dopey's still alive" Actually, when I heard that joke, it was all about Australia winning the world cup. Why tempt fate, I thought. What else is happening around the world anyway? Apart from Stephen Colbert manipulating NASA's online poll? Ah, doesn't matter. I've got work to do. A LOT of work to do. Might see you late Friday. Related Link: Ground Control to Major Colbert Actually, the funniest part of the arti...

Dear Stephen, I agree with a great many things you write on your blog (when I read them that is), but this opinion of yours on stem cell research astounds me . The embryonic stem cell research federal funding ban that has been lifted by President Obama in the US now means that unborn children can be experimented on with American tax-payer funds. These are tiny children, of course, but still human no matter how small. To equate the opposition to stem cell research with superstition is beyond ridiculous as it is a scientific fact that at least one unique human being is created from the moment of conception. Scientific fact, not superstition. Our regard for human life on this planet is already very low, and funny that you should mention the superstition of the Greens, as many of them believe that human beings are a scourge and should be reduced . The Greens, like you, will be applauding the lifting of this ban. Government's role ought to be the protection of human life - not fund...

The luck of the Irish may have run out, with the recent shock murder of two soldiers and the wounding of four others, including a couple of innocent pizza delivery men who inadvertently provided opportunity for the gunmen to launch their attack. This sort of event had been due for some time now, with several security threats registered on police forces over the last year, with only a bit of Irish luck and determination deflecting previous murder attempts. That luck has run out. I hope and I pray this is not going to spiral back down to the level of violence we saw 30 years or so ago. What happens next is going to be important. Let us hope wiser heads prevail and Ireland can pull back from the brink. Related Link: Pizza delivery

"We will retaliate any act of intercepting our satellite for peaceful purposes with prompt counter-strikes by the most powerful military means," North Korea says it has put its military on full combat alert as an annual military exercise by up to 50,000 US and South Korean forces begins. North Korea called the manoeuvres a dangerous provocation, as they prepare for a satellite launch that may be a long range missile test in disguise. So do you feel lucky, punk? Meanwhile over in Japan, exports in January dropped a record 46.3% from a year earlier. Tumbling exports have hit companies such as Toyota, which is expected to make its first annual loss in 70 years, Honda has had to cut production, and Sony is set to register its first annual loss in 14 years. Oh what a feeling. Related Link: Japanese exports down heaps - oh what a feeling Related Link: North Korea ready for war.

I've made my feelings clear on the monster called Fritzl before . Of course, he denied being a monster. After months of trial preparation with his defense attorney, they too are now chanting the "not a monster" insult to any right thinking person. Mr Myer says Fritzl was not a sex monster, but had loved his daughter in his own way. Mr Myer needs to be locked in a dungeon for 24 years and repeatedly abused by this guy, so he could get the opportunity to clarify his thinking. It seems he hangs around with the wrong crowd, and is easily led astray. I'd check to see how often this guy holidays in Stockholm . Check his basement after the trial, in case he loves people in his own way too. "Josef Fritzl is being portrayed as a horrific monster and sexual tyrant," Mayer says. " My job is to show him as a human being ." Shouldn't take long to prove he's not a dog, rodent, or penguin. After that, we can probably have to accept human beings ...

High Priestess of the Green Party, Jeanette Fitzsimmons decrees that titles such as Sir have no place in front of names such as Edmund. Helen Clark is probably relieved she isn't up for an honorific. They would have to tighten the laws on slander and vulgar language. Mr Cullen, oops Dr Cullen, recalls with fondness the time he handed out cash awards for excellence, rather than sticking a fancy title like "Dr" in front of anyone with a History Degree. I'm also wondering if the same people, who step back and pay full respect to Maori honoring their rangatira with name and ceremony, suddenly spew forth the opinion that when it comes to our cultural heritage and tradition, they think such honours are divisive and cancerous. Peasants. And I'm left quietly chuckling as John Key moves forward by looking back. Masterful. Another item of the secret agenda ticked off? Keep it up good Sir. Related Link: Dames and Knights - Arise!

PARENTS who took their children out of school to prevent them being taught about lesbian, gay and transgender relationships are facing prosecution. Around 30 pupils from an east London primary school were absent from a week of special lessons to highlight non-heterosexual partnerships. To mark the event some students watched a special adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet retitled Romeo and Julian. Stories covered in the lessons at George Tomlinson School included a fairytale about a prince who turns down three princesses before falling in love with one of their brothers and the tale of Roy and Silo - two male penguins who fall in love. I'm so glad I homeschool. Not that anything remotely like this is happening (yet) in NZ, but, boy oh boy, the lunatics are running the asylum in England! What's next, pornography education as an artform for 8 year olds? Related Link: Parents face prosecution over 'gay' education class protest ~ Times Online

In the midst of craziness, nothing else matters but what you choose to do. The myth is that all choice can be taken away from you, but even then you can choose how to react.

Michael Cullen is being tipped for a six-figure salary as chairman of one of the country's top state-owned enterprises. How about instead we pay him $5,456.50 a year (six digits with a free decimal place) to run Kiwi Rail? It seems the right thing to do.

A quick Google finds recently in Idaho a 10 year old was raped and subsequently gave birth to a healthy baby. The same again in Idaho with a 9 year old who subsequently had a baby girl. Hopefully, all will be given the care they require to grow up and lead happy and healthy lives. Do you think they deserve that chance? Or do you think the babies should be, err, 'terminated'? As for the rapists, hell is probably the right place for them. Until then, life in a maximum security prison will have to do. This story isn't just about child mothers of course. It's about the outrage people are expressing because a Catholic Priest is against abortion, even if it be for a 9 year old girl expecting twins. Yes, giving birth at that age is risky, and we would hope that such a case would provide such media attention that the poor girl receive the best possible medical care. We would hope that the situation is closely monitored and Doctors intervene to save the mother or childr...

Official [UK] figures show that more than 21,000 girls under 18 chose to have a termination in 2007, the first time the proportion has reached 50 per cent . The overall rate for all girls under 18 rose for the first time since 2002. It means that a Government target to halve the number of teenage pregnancies by next year now looks almost certain be missed despite intense efforts to promote contraception and more sex education in schools. The figures come amid the furore over 13-year-old Alfie Patten, the schoolboy from Sussex who is said to be the father of his 15-year-old girlfriend Chantelle Stedman's daughter, Maisie Roxanne. Ann Furedi, chief executive of the charity the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), the UK's largest abortion provider, said: "The fact that half of the teenagers in this position felt able to end their pregnancy in abortion is actually a positive sign." She described the fact that there is less social stigma among young people about ha...

Where better to read about the perils of social networking than on a blog? Stay away from them. They is bad. New Zealand Conservative links to a technology update that shows how social networking causes brain damage, jealousy, social ineptness and cancer:

Tis Friday! A regular Friday. Not yet the "every second Friday" the government pays us to take a training day, or whatever that idea was. Just when TEC is shrinking, they think of another plan to replace those lost government jobs with new government jobs. Self improvement every two weeks? I'm in some form of training every day (in the general sense). Don't get any government assistance for it though. Not looking for any either. Seems to me the blogs are picking up a bit. After a bit of a hiatus, the old issues are crawling out of the woodwork. ACC. Foreshore and Seabed. A new "Iwi Tax" as slippery as the eels they are taxing, via Fishers of Eels. Bill of Rights. Section 92A. New reasons for bludging. Labour moaning that they aren't in power.... This week, it's a bit of a moan at Phil Goff, their leader, the future Prime Minister and therefore heir apparent, apparently. But it's not really Phil that they are moaning about. They ...

As some readers here know, I reverted back to the Catholic faith of my childhood a couple of years ago. Therefore, all of the shenanigans during the past 20 years or so that have been going on in Catholic churches in NZ have been somewhat of a huge surprise to me. The worst that I could really remember was the horrendous folk music that we sang, such as Kumaya and The Rivers of Babylon by Boney M, back in the days were I had no idea. Now, it's far worse. When I first came back, I was asked to attend a woman's retreat where the Enneagram was to be taught to the participants by a pair of nuns. Sounded a bit off, to me, and yes, upon researching it, I found the Enneagram is a form of New Age spiritualism that many Catholics have taken on. Having dabbled quite a bit myself in the New Age prior to coming back to the Faith, I wondered to myself: Why be Catholic if you are gong to play around with the New Age? Why not just be honest with yourself and leave the Catholic Churc...

The NZ Dairy Board is reportedly investigating the latest advancement in milking technology. Said industry representative Farmer Brown: "We've seen a 10 fold increase in milking capacity from our cows. We expect this figure to improve to yield 20 times the original amount within a few years." This milking technology was based directly on the example of providing free physiotherapy via ACC. "Let's milk the system for all it's worth, gentlemen." Scientists are predicting that such excessive milking is likely to kill the sacred cow. No Minister: No Turkeys for Christmas and Kiwiblog: Pruning ACC

Dave at Big News points out abortionists are effectively paid on commission, putting the three top abortionists on the ultimate baby bonus scheme. Over $200 grand a year. Nice work if you can get it. I always wondered why the waiting lists for abortion weren't at least 9 months, like some other medical issues. It's all in the funding.

[WARNING - SATIRE] Left wing blogger Idiot/Savant has called for teams of bum wipers to wipe bums for people not working (otherwise known as bums). "The greatest obstacle to my freedom is that I have to brush my teeth, wash my clothes, and wipe my bum. These are all activities that severely impact on my time, and thus my freedom, and so the government needs to do something about it. Otherwise, I am not free." Idiot was last seen negotiating with his mother to continue to wash his clothes and prepare his meals, but hadn't solved the bum wiping issue. However, the Freedom Consulting Group, a group of beneficiaries on multiple benefits and various ACC compensation schemes video conferenced in from the third hole of the Western Pines Golf Club with some very good suggestions. "Some of our members don't wash. This frees up a considerable amount of time, and keeps annoying social workers well away. In fact, one guy I knew used it to support a compensation claim th...

If you are innocent, you have nothing to fear. If you have your DNA taken and stored by the Police, it's only so they can rule you out as a suspect on future issues. If you spend a few days in jail, it's for your safety and the safety of the public. So what's the problem? Maybe nothing. Or maybe Nanny has a Big Brother. On one hand, the Police have to check out suspicious acts, and we never hear exactly why Clarke became a person of interest. Surely though, grabbing him and checking his phone for photos would have been enough? At least they didn't just shoot him like the last terror suspect. Small mercies and all that. The police hypersensitivity is debatable, but Stephen Clarke raises a fair point. Not charged, so they should drop his DNA record. I see the idea of managing everyone's DNA in New Zealand pop up fairly often, around the time Dr Kiro, nearly ex-Children's Commissioner, bangs on about getting a national database tracking every child. Dre...