That’s Leo Tolstoy, the father of Christian Anarchism, in case you didn’t already know. 🙂
Can the most simple subjects be explained to the most slow-witted man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of a doubt, what is laid before him? Matt Ridley gives it a go. This is a MUST WATCH for greenies!
Fossil fuels are good, mmmkay?
[Hat tip: Whale Oil]
RIP Clive Burr (8 March 1957 – 12 March 2013)
I’m waiting in my cold cell when the bell begins to chime
Reflecting on my past life and it doesn’t have much time
‘Cause at 5’o’clock they take me to the Gallows Pole
The sands of time for me are running lowWhen the priest comes to read me the last rites
I take a look through the bars at the last sights
Of a world that has gone very wrong for meCan it be that there’s some sort of error?
Hard to stop the surmounting terror
Is it really the end, not some crazy dream?Somebody please tell me that I’m dreaming
It’s not easy to stop from screaming
But words escape me when I try to speakTears fall but why am I crying?
After all I’m not afraid of dying
Don’t I believe that there never is an end?As the guards march me out to the courtyard
Somebody cries from a cell “God be with you”
If there’s a God then why has he let me go?As I walk all my life drifts before me
And though the end is near I’m not sorry
Catch my soul ’cause it’s willing to fly awayMark my words please believe my soul lives on
Please don’t worry now that I have gone
I’ve gone beyond to see the truthWhen you know that your time is close at hand
Maybe then you’ll begin to understand
Life down here is just a strange illusionYeah, yeah, yeah … Hallowed be Thy name
Yeah, yeah, yeah … Hallowed be Thy name
Yeah!
At the NORML New Zealand conference at Tokaanu last Saturday, Chris Fowlie was elected unopposed to the position of President. As it is written
And then shall they see the Son of Mr. and Mrs. Fowlie coming in a cloud of smoke with power and great glory. (RSG)
That’s Chris third from the right (at the back) standing behind me on the far right (LOL!) and Phil Saxby second from the right. From NORML’s post-conference press release
Regulate cannabis like alcohol, says reform group
New Zealand should regulate cannabis like alcohol and save at least $300 million per year, says the National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, New Zealand Inc (NORML).
At its weekend conference at Tokaanu, delegates elected Chris Fowlie of Auckland as President, and Phil Saxby of Wellington as Secretary.
Chris Fowlie was previously President of NORML from 1997-2008 during which time NZ came tantalisingly close to cannabis law reform, has owned and managed The Hempstore for 16 years, and regularly appears in court as an independent cannabis expert witness.
NORML is optimistic New Zealand is entering a period where cannabis law reform will finally happen here, and so am I, particularly now that we have competent, committed, convivial people with proven track records of activism such as Chris (and Phil, Billy, Gary, Dakta, …) running the National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. It really is high time.
Veteran cannabis law reform campaigner Dakta Green’s Armistice Tour culminated in a hikoi on Parliament on Armistice Day, 11 November 2010.
Mr Green said it was called the Armistice Tour because he wanted to stop fighting with the Government over cannabis legislation.
“When two warring parties choose to stop fighting without either side conceeding defeat that’s what an armistice is,” he said.
“We are waving a white flag … we want peace.”
The white flag is the “flag of temporary truce in order to parley.” Inspired by the Armistice Tour, the Wellington branch of NORML started a tradition of White Flag meetings on the first Tuesday of the month when Parliament sits. We convene at the Cenotaph at 12:45 pm, then at 1:00 pm fly the white flag of negotiation to the Richard Sedden statue outside Parliament Buildings. Once there, we pause for a One Minute Silence for the victims of the global War on Drugs. Following that, a few words spoken regarding our actions, and our intentions for these meetings, with a reading of a letter to an MP, and then a photo or two …
At the first white flag meeting on Armistice Day 2010, many of those protesting the War on Drugs™ also celebrated New Zealand’s cannabis culture by smoking cannabis on Parliament grounds. Cannabis campaigners light up at Parliament, reported TV3. But no one was arrested.
Protesters marched to Parliament to demand a law change decriminalising cannabis; it’s a law they have no respect for and one they were quick to break, and all under the watchful eye of police.
“Our role is to make sure this protest is peaceful and everyone gets away on time and in good humour,” said senior sergeant Scott Miller.
Bucket bongs, joints and a pipe lit with a magnifying glass were used to smoke up; there was even a hash cake although the decorator may have eaten some first.
But no matter how much was puffed there was still no movement from police – does this signal a change in stance by police?
“Well that’s not a comment I can make in relation to an overall stance by the police,” Mr Miller said.
Police say it was the Speaker Lockwood Smith’s office who issued the directive to only arrest protesters if they climbed over the barrier or became violent. Those two problems never threatened to fire up.
At today’s White Flag meeting, cannabis campaigners again lit up at Parliament. And no one was arrested. Presumably, the Speaker’s directive is still in force. Anyway, that’s the premise behind regular 4:20 meetings at 4:20 pm every Friday on Parliament lawns. See you there. 🙂
It’s all about the motherfucking oil
Regardless of the flag upon its soil
In a blood bath we pad our fucking greed
The price is high to maintain liberty
I didn’t realise quite how bad things are getting in government-stricken Christchurch.
EQC workers threatened by frustrated Cantabrians
Angry Cantabrians, frustrated with the speed of the rebuild, are threatening to blow up earthquake repair hubs and shoot staff.
The abuse of rebuild staff escalated yesterday when an eastern Christchurch hub, which looks more like a fortress, was locked down after an angry homeowner, with a violent past, threatened staff.
Things are going to get worse before they get better.
Bullying of EQC workers could escalate
[EQC] Customer services general manager Bruce Emson says staff have been verbally and physically abused by homeowners frustrated at the speed of the rebuild.
He says there have been death threats as well.
“It’s exacerbating a little, as people become less resilient and less tolerant as I guess as we head into our third winter it might even continue to escalate.”
You think?
Fletcher EQR general manager David Peterson said the firm had spent thousands of dollars on extra security to protect its 700 staff after threats and verbal abuse from homeowners.
“We have 20 hubs around the city and we’ve had to make the fences slightly higher, put in exit doors for staff and the reception counters are higher now too, so people can’t jump over them so easily,” Peterson said.
He understood homeowners were frustrated but some behaviour had forced staff out because “customer interaction had become unbearable”.
“When it’s every single day, it really does wear you down. We’ve trained staff specifically to be able to handle aggressive phone calls, and we’ve trained them how to deal with threats physically and emotionally.”
Some areas of the city, such as North New Brighton, were “more problematic” than others, he said.
Perhaps the EQC should focus its rebuilding efforts on “more problematic” areas—areas where people actually live—instead of on the CBD, where rebuilding has continued apace. Take a look at the recent picture below. You’d hardly think that just over two years ago the city was struck by a devastating earthquake.
