Facebook Users are Outraged that Stephen Spielberg Killed a Triceratops
Read about it >>>Here<<<
And These Freaks actually get to vote!
Even voting for the right is doing nothing for it
It’s Henry David Thoreau‘s birthday today. 🙂
Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.
I heartily accept the motto,—“That government is best which governs least;” and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which I also believe,—“That government is best which governs not at all;” and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have. Government is at best but an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient.
All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or back gammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and wrong, with moral questions; and betting naturally accompanies it. The character of the voters is not staked. I cast my vote, perchance, as I think right; but I am not vitally concerned that that right should prevail. I am willing to leave it to the majority. Its obligation, therefore, never exceeds that of expediency. Even voting for the right is doing nothing for it. It is only expressing to men feebly your desire that it should prevail. A wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance, nor wish it to prevail through the power of the majority. There is but little virtue in the action of masses of men.
If the machine of government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law.
Of 10 highest IQ’s on earth, at least 8 are Theists, at least 6 are Christians: Examiner.com.
Andrew Magdy Kamal – apparently the highest IQ ever recorded, at 231.734. This was accomplished last year (2013) just before he turned 17. This includes an adjustment made for his age (which is done routinely for minors), so only time will tell if he maintains his position, but he is listed in Record Holder’s Republic for Highest IQ and Highest IQ average, and it looks pretty good. He is a he is a staunch conservative and a member of the Republican Tea Party. He is also the founder of the Coptic Orthodox Messianicans Group. Andrew Magdy Kamal hopes to use his talents and intelligence to spread the news of Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ) his hero, and he lives in Michigan.
Abdessellam Jelloul – apparently the highest IQ ever scored by an adult in the “advanced IQ test” was by Jelloul, who scored an adult IQ of 198. This was in a 2012 test which included 13 dimensions of intelligence (analytical, spatial, logical, memory, musical, linguistic, philosophical, moral, spiritual, interpersonal, intra-personal, bodily and naturalist). Unlike other tests, the advanced IQ test includes more measures that other tests cannot assess. I tweeted Mr. Jelloul a question about his beliefs in September of last year, and he graciously replied to me that he does “believe in God, a Supreme Architect of the universe” (see a screenshot of this tweet in the slideshow).
Christopher Michael Langan – has a verified IQ of at least 195. Langan achieved a perfect score on the SAT, but dropped out of Montana State University after concluding his professors weren’t qualified to teach him anything. ABC’s 20/20 measured his IQ (as an adult) to be between 195 and 210. Langan has indicated in his writings numerous that he believes in God, for example, in William Dembski’s book “Uncommon Dissent”, he wrote: “…since Biblical accounts of the genesis of our world and species are true but metaphorical, our task is to correctly decipher the metaphor in light of scientific evidence also given to us by God”.
Terence Tao – his IQ was estimated to be between 220 and 230 by the Davidson Institute when he was about ten years old. At eight years old, Tao achieved a score of 760 on the pre-1995 SAT, received a Ph.D from Princeton at 20 and at 24 became the youngest ever full professor at UCLA. I couldn’t find anything about Tao’s metaphysical views. He’s obviously a tremendous mathematician, but doesn’t seem to post much outside of mathematics.
Christopher Hirata – has a verified IQ of 225, calculated when he was in his teens. Hirata skipped middle school, and at 16 was working with NASA on a project exploring the possibility of colonizing Mars. The Daily Princetonian, Princeton’s student paper, where Hirata began attending for his PhD in Astrophysics at 18, reported that his IQ is around 225. Hirata posted the following to his Facebook on October 31, 2013: “Today’s experience: saying the Lord’s prayer with a homeless couple on Colorado Boulevard. It may not feed or shelter them, but I hope that it made a difference in their lives.” So he is clearly both a Theist and a Christian.
Evangelos Katsioulis – has apparently scored a 198 as an adult. Katsioulis is a Greek Doctor/Psychiatrist/Philosopher who has publicly referred to his belief in human souls several times. For example, he did a lecture in 2008 called “BODY AND SOUL”, and made clear that he wasn’t speaking metaphorically in it with lines like: “The soul is not the body. It is not the flesh. It is the spirit.” He is apparently a follower of a strand of Christianity influenced by Teilhard de Chardin.
Rick Rosner – has apparently scored a 192 as an adult, after years of honing his IQ test-taking skills. Has been a writer for the Jimmy Kimmel Show, and appeared on “So You Want to be A Millionaire”. Rosner denied that he was an atheist on Twitter, after an inquiry. He also retweeted this Einstein quote: “God does not care about our mathematical difficulties. He integrates empirically” and in answer to the question “You know there’s a God?” he answered “Maybe. Suspect there’s an infinity of gods”.
Mislav Predavec – has apparently scored a 192 as an adult. [Update – I initially had the wrong quote linked here]. His Christianity can easily be confirmed by a beautiful response he wrote to a friend who had become a Christian in one of the groups he belongs to and which was posted online:
“David, I am so glad hearing good news about your convalescence, and more about your enlightenment, you are aware now that your suffer and pain, your giftedness and sense are a part of plan. Truly, all this can´t exist without being leading it intentionally. Atheistic explanation that everything is accidental progress is full of holes. Stay well my friend.
Mislav”
Gary Kasparov – is alleged to have an IQ of 190. He was perhaps the most universally attested-to as a top-shelf intellect, so it was unthinkable to leave him off of this list. In 2003 Kasparov played to a draw against a chess computer that could calculate three million positions per second. He is considered by many to be the greatest chess player of all time. Kasparov has described himself as a “self-appointed Christian”
Kenneth Ferrell – has apparently scored a 190 as an adult. If I have located the right Kenneth Ferrell online, it’s abundantly clear from his own words that he’s a Christian. Since I’m not sure, I didn’t include him in my count of believers.
So you can see that the brightest of the bright have not foreclosed on the possibility of the existence of an Intelligent Designer. Juxtaposed with the fact that most Scientists are not atheists, I’d say that the Appeal to Authority on which atheist debators have long relied has dissolved.
Steve J. Williams is the author of What Your Atheist Professor Doesn’t Know (But Should)
Read full article >>>Here<<< Read more.... Atheism. The Philosophy of Small Minds.
Pasteur’s Law, Creation Science vs Nose Bone Atheism.
Faith, Science, and Reason. The Pomposity of Atheism.
David Berlinski—Atheism and its Scientific Pretensions
The Walls are closing in on Atheism… not Theism.
Rapturous Amazement! The Advance of Science Converts The High Priest of Atheism to Deism. A Flew.
Kings and Convicts (Part 3) Korotangi Paki’s Thug life, and road to redemption.
Because my 2nd post on this subject was so long.
I decided to chop it in half and make a 3rd post.
When I speak of ‘Redemption’, I am referring to becoming a civilised and respectful member of society with something good to contribute, rather than Spiritual salvation from the Ultimate Judgement of God.
It is very true to say that Criminal reform often follows in the wake of true Chistian conversion and faith…. Christianity being describe as ‘that most potent of moral antiseptics’ by the father of sociology, Herbert Spencer, and it is also true to say that Christianity was the major civilising influence for Cannibalistic and Savage Maori culture when the English Protestant ‘Mechanic Missionaries’ first landed in Aotearoa before this country became a British Colony… at the request of the Confederation of Maori Chiefs, whom feared conquest by the French.
The influence of the Christian missionaries is evident in their petition to King William.
1831 Māori petition the British government
The civilising influences of Christianity aside, what follows is not about *how and why* a criminal might seek to reform, but that reform is possible, and that criminals can become valuable members of civil society.
Part One >>>Here<<< Part Two >>>Here<<< Part three is below. ****************************************************
^^^^
It has been a very bad week in the press for the Taunui Monarchy, with growing reports of more misbehaviour from the second son, including Racist ranting, and connections with the Mongrel mob, and we have herd that he was involved in a serious car crash a few years back… and yet was not convicted for that either.
I don’t think it is fair to assume the Kings son’s offending is a consequence of poor parenting, or positive proof the Monarch never bothered to try and instil healthy values in his son… it may indeed be the case.
It is certainly true in many Maori households.
Maybe the King is indeed a Bad Parent, yet it is just as likely that his sons bad behaviour has more to do with his misfit peers with whom he hangs out, than his upbringing.
Sadly many youths of our day… and a very high percentage of Maori youth embrace a delinquent lifestyle as it is a part of a Hollywood Glamorised Rebellious youth culture, and deeper still it has a lot to do with the Nihilism of our ‘age of Atheism’… on top of learning unhealthy values at home, and having Bad Role models.
The Thug life.
Korotangi Paki’s offending, and shameful behaviour no doubt springs from a combination of these things … The actions of a lost young soul who thinks that Lawlessness is cool, and struggles to find anything worth while in life.
I can relate to that. .. yet despite any of these circumstances …. and many others, Youths need to appreciate the fact that as they have become self responsible adults , that excuses for sloth, or bad behaviour simply don’t cut it…. and they must assume full responsibility for their lives and actions.
They must learn healthy values and to respect the rights and property of others.
I cant help but wonder if he had been convicted for his earlier offence , that that ‘reality pill’ could have helped him to appreciate that his High jinx juvenile delinquency comes at a cost.
Is it possible to believe that had he been convicted earlier, that he would not now be dodging punishments for more crimes?
Some kids learn quickly…. Others take decades.
I cant help but think that if I was King Tuheitia, that rather than try and save Korotangi Paki from facing the full legal consequences of his actions, the best thing that could happen to this young rebel is that he receives a conviction for these charges of Burglary and Drinking and driving, and that he is made to pay a fine, and do Periodic detention … to teach him that he is not above the law and that should he continue down this path of criminality, that he will suffer the consequences.
As for grooming the boy for the throne, i cant think of someone being less fit to rule over the tribe, than a person whom via experience has been taught that they are above the law and that the system can be manipulated!
What ought to matter to the King is not that his boy remains free from criminal conviction, but that he *Reforms his ways* Learns the lesson that Crime is not cool, or excusable, and that he grows in Character and virtue.
And being convicted for his crimes is in reality most likely to be a valuable lesson.
Some of us only learn the hard way.
If I was the king I would be very worried about the path my boy was taking, yet I would never say that my boy could *Never succeed me* if he ever received a criminal conviction…. on the contrary I would make it clear that he still has reason to hope if he ‘mans up’ and straightens up his life, and proves himself to have learned from his mistakes, and become a Man of virtue.
Indeed such a reformed person can become a very good leader of men, and a good example.
They can be better communicators to troubled youths, because they can empathise with them… and understand how their mind ticks.
They can use their personal insights … and speak from personal experience.
The reality is Maori don’t need more Pompous frauds whom are experts at ‘playing Maori’.
They do need leaders whom can guide them towards better values and ethics which are essential for Maori to learn if they are to climb out of the Dire social statistics which has resulted …. not from European colonisation, but from of an ethical crisis.
Korotangi Paki’s crimes and shameful behaviour stems from a lack of personal ethics and self responsibility…. not because he is a member of a persecuted racial minority.
The good news is that because this is so, It means the solution to his problems are not beyond his control, but are completely within his power to overcome.
It is simply a matter of him admitting to himself that he has taken a wrong path, and finding the will … the desire to become a better man.
He needs to walk away from any associates who are hell bent on Chaos and destruction, and to find new friends whom are also trying to make the most of life via virtue .
It is not an easy thing to achieve, but it is do-able.
The alternative is to travel further down the path that leads to destruction.
If the king does not give his son any hope that he can work his way out of this mess, and back into favour, that could be a burden too much to bear, and could be the factor which drives his son to destruction.
A Father’s Blessing or curse weighs a great deal upon a son, and when the boy is down… they need their fathers support to help get themselves out of the hole.
Yet the loving parent must never ‘Baby’ them… that’s not helping… that’s perpetuating the problem.
Thus I dare to challenge the common notion that convicted criminals cant make good leaders or examples.
I say that Reformed Criminals can be Great leaders and become inspirational examples to be emulated by others.
It is in reality up to Korotangi Paki what sort of Man he will eventually become… which course he chooses to navigate….
Life is not Static, nor are we slaves of circumstances, or of our genes.
As Freewill moral agents we are at all times making moral judgements, and expressing our Values.
We can learn from our mistakes and become better people, as long as we take ownership and responsibility for our actions.
I know these things from personal experience.
The return of the wayward (Prodigal) Son from the wilderness of the ungodly world.
>>>>>*If*<<<<< Korotangi Paki snaps out of his current folly, and begins to prove himself to be a Better, more mature person... I dont see any reason why after 7 years of truly self responsible behaviour that he should not be given a clean slate, considered to be a potential leader of the Tainui people... To er is Human, to forgive is divine. Tim Wikiriwhi.
Kings and Convicts (Part 2) The Charade.
The following is Part two of my thoughts on the recent Saga involving the criminal activities of
Korotangi Paki, the 2nd son of the Tainui King.
It is way way too long, and at some time in the future I will revise and combine both parts into a single opinion piece.
They will require a massive hatchet job.
I apologize for their cumbersome obesity.
I hope by the end of this second part that it is obvious how the first part relates to the second.
Update: I decided the best solution was to make this a 3 part series. 🙂
Part one is >>>Here<<<
Part 2 is below ....
Part 3 is >>>Here<<<
In a letter to the Judge, The Tainui King said that there is no way he would consider his son as a possible heir to his throne, if he should get criminal convictions.
It was in the light of this letter, that the Liberal Judge decided not to convict Korotangi Paki for Burglary and Drink driving being persuaded that the cost to him… should he be convicted would be far too heavy in respect to the offences.
While it is true that any penalties a court of justice imposes ought be justly proportional to the seriousness of the crime, this type of defence employed in this case is a Liberal sophistry which has gained currency in New Zealand, which is primarily used to separate and grant favours to the social elite…. most often by the likes of Sportsman and artists whom have careers or at least ambitions overseas.
Because many countries bar entry to convicts, this defence has been successfully employed to avoid convictions by ‘high fliers’, while the plebs of our Nation are afforded no such leniency, even though their lives are in reality grievously affected by convictions for the very same offences.
The Lawyer for the prince was employing this ruse in a very novel way., and it worked.
The prince escaped conviction.
When the News of this travesty, reached the New Zealand public, of course there was an outcry!
Such a blatant contrast between how this High borne child was treated by the Courts compared to how the youth of commoners are dealt with… it is important to appreciate that this was not a case of Racial favouritism …. as some Pakeha have tried to make it out to be… but a matter of Class…. Favouritism for a member of the Social Political Elite.
Large numbers of ordinary Maori are getting convictions for burglaries and dinking driving virtually every day Courts are in session!
Maori as a race may indeed get mountains of Legal and political favours at the hands of our corrupt apartheid State…. Yet I have never herd of anyone being let off such Criminal charges simply on the basis that they are Maori.
I find it Fascinating that the King decided to throw his weight into this matter…. Very interventionalist…. Very hands on…. And I think…. Very short sighted.
His comments to the Judge are very revealing about how his mind works (or were they merely a clever ploy?)
They certainly embody something ominous about how our political system works.
It’s a system founded upon pretence.
Obviously… like most families would be… The Tainui King was embarrassed by his sons behaviour as it causes the community to question his parenting skills, and to wonder what sort of ethics and examples were the Elders of the house and family setting for this Boy to go so far astray, … and as such the King, instead of keeping his distance from the wheels of justice… like a good political leader ought, he instead transgressed ethical boundaries …. Throwing his weight about with the design to minimise the ‘loss of Mana’ he perceives a conviction would carry for his son… and himself… in the eyes of his tribe, other tribes, and the Nation as a whole.
This demonstrates either an arrogant contempt for the legal system, or at least a massive miscalculation… because the Kings Mana would have been greatly increased had he bravely stood aloof from his sons case, and expressed his respect for the Laws of the Nation, and acknowledged they apply to the Kingly Class as much as the lowliest tribesman.
Unfortunately it appears King Tuheitia suffers that all to common delusion of the High and mighty… that they inhabit a plane above the law… and that power may be used for personal legal advantage.
There can be no doubt that the King worded his letter to the judge on the carefully constructed advice of the QC Lawyer he had employed for his son’s defence, and the Judge obediently accepted the Legal charade it presents…. Rather than bravely disregarding the Letter of the King, and taking the higher Road of ‘Lex Rex’…. The Law is King.
The Judge took the low road… and went along with the carefully construed technicality…. that in the light of the Kings letter… it would appear that a conviction for these offences would result in a punishment out of proportion to the crimes.
That there is virtually no chance that this second son will ever have succeeded his Father adds weight to the commonly held perception that this whole defence and escape from justice, was farcical from beginning to end.
That is not the only aspect worth contemplating about this case.
There is plenty more worth consideration.
It is also striking that both the King and the Judge seem to be on a similar wave length as to the social implications as to the seriousness of being convicted of crimes, rather than merely being in fact guilty of the offences.
They seem to think that what matters most is the legal technicalities rather than the moral reality.
As if maintaining a clean record is more important than seeing justice served for crimes that were indeed committed…. we are supposed to somehow assume that by avoiding conviction, *removes the princes guilt* of having committed burglary… and drinking and driving… and that via this legal trickery somehow … not being convicted means he magically remains ‘fit to reign…. Ie that the King would thereby be able to seriously consider his wayward son to succeed him to the Tainui throne.
The shocking part of all this is surely what matters most is the actual innocence or guilt for the offence…. and that is something which cannot be washed away by a letter from a king to a judge.
This being so we should marvel at the nonsense of this whole line of defence employed by the King and the QC.
The mind numbing really is however that such games are in fact how our political machine functions!
What this non-conviction achieves is that it works to maintain the Charade of Righteousness the Ruling elite seek to project downward towards their subject populations… a Mask necessary to promote faith in their Leadership and character in the hearts and minds of the great unwashed, and elicit their willing submission…. duping the people into thinking their leaders are benevolent benefactors, when in reality their policies are Machiavellian, and they are in reality unscrupulous, and motivated to rule more by greed, the Baubles of Office, and social status, rather than a genuine concern for society.
This case in question demonstrates that a person’s criminal record…. or lack thereof can simply be a matter of wealth and social standing. or luck, or cunning, or how good a Lawyer you or your parents can afford.
One thing is certain… not having a criminal record is no proof of good character or worthiness to rule.
********************************************************
The Charade is universally employed the world over.
Having enshrined himself as Caliph in his newly conquered territories in Iraq, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi appears to the public in the pious garb of a righteous and devout Muslim leader designed to engender faith in his authority and rule.
********************************************************
Sometimes this Charade comes close to toppling the highest of VIPs from their perch, for example John Key was very quick to distance himself from his fellow ally John Banks… *once he was convicted* of Election fraud, yet he himself is prepared to tell Bare-face Lies to the people of New Zealand and being Neck deep in the Illegal spying scandal and raid on Kim Dotcom.
Hiding behind multiple ‘Memory lapses’, he arrogantly continues to govern rather than do the honourable thing and resign… simply because he has not been found guilty in a court of law for lying and complicity in the illegal activities of his Spies… whereas John Banks ‘Memory lapses’ have been exposed in the courts…. And he is Goneburger!
For John Banks… the Charade is finally over.
It is not just the Social elite whom carry on this Façade.
They have plenty of help.
The bulk of our society are ‘wilfully ignorant’. Ie they *don’t want to know* anything about this charade because often they support the shysters in power, and most importantly, they don’t want to admit their civilisation is largely built upon lies.
They plead ignorance!
They certainly don’t want to admit that to a very great extent the distinction between Saints and Sinners is a wholly artificial façade!
They are in on this charade of Self-righteousness just as much as their corrupt Leaders are.
They also like to kid themselves that they are righteous and civilised, and also dwell on that superior moral plane and have the right to look down their noses at sinners and convicted criminals …. on that same pretence that they themselves have not been *convicted* for their crimes.
Indeed if this was not so, it would not be so necessary for the Political Game players to put on their garbs of piety.
It does not mean the so-called ‘moral majority’ have not caused others grievous harm.
It does not mean they have never stolen anything…. never committed acts of violence… never committed frauds (told lies)… it simply means they have gotten away with their foul deeds.
… and this is enough to allow the average sinner to be puffed up with self-righteous vanity and bigotry.
“Judge not, lest ye be judged.
For with what Judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again”
Jesus Christ Matt 7vs 1-3
“Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.”
St Paul Romans 2vs1.
And so it is that what parades itself as Civil Order does not bare scrutiny.
And many smart people know this, and decide to forsake society and to live ‘outside’ the constraints of law… They are Fools too, because the fact that society is corrupt does not mean there is no moral reality… no justice in the universe, or that it is wrong for society to convict *real* criminals.
Morality has Objective reality, and so an individual ought to walk in righteousness…. Even when the society in which he lives is savage and unjust.
This is easier said than done.
It is with this in mind that I do my best not to pretend to be ‘Holier than thou’… not to ‘fake’ being more of a Saint than I really am.
I do believe in living honestly and respecting the rights and liberties of my fellow man yet I am painfully aware of my own short comings.
The way I read the Bible… one of the very worst of sins, is Self-Righteous hypocrisy.
*The Charade*.
To Re-word the Kings letter….
“How could I even contemplate passing the Diadem to my Son if he has no ‘Cloak of Righteousness’ to fool the people into submitting to his Authority?
How would he be able to manoeuvre in the political arena unless he can fool the other players into considering him a man of virtue?
No that could never work.
A Criminal conviction will ruin everything.”
End of Part 2.
Tim Wikiriwhi.
There ain’t no easy way
This September 20, vote Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party for Truth, Freedom and Justice!
To vote ALCP, you’ll need to make sure that you’re registered to vote. Are you on the electoral roll? Enrol, check or update now!
But, dear readers, I do appreciate that you may not want to vote for the ALCP. In fact, you may not want to vote at all. Not voting at all is certainly better than voting for any of the other parties on offer! (With the possible exception of the revivified ACT Party.) And not voting is your democratic right. At least, it is in New Zealand.
Across the ditch, voting is not a democratic right, it’s a democratic duty! That’s right, in Australia voting is compulsory. But compulsion is tyranny! The day that voting becomes compulsory in New Zealand is the day I never vote again. I hope that day never comes.
If you don’t want to vote at all, you don’t need to be on the electoral roll, right? So how do you get off of it? There ain’t no easy way.
70,000 voters removed from electoral roll
About 70,000 local election enrolment packs have bounced back to Registrars of Electors marked ‘gone no address’.
The Electoral Commission mailed update packs to the 3.1 million people on the electoral roll at the start of July, to make sure everyone who’s eligible is correctly enrolled to vote in this year’s local elections.
“If you are one of the 70,000 or so voters whose pack has come back to us because you’ve moved house and not updated your enrolment details, you have been removed from the electoral roll, and won’t be able to vote unless you re-enrol,” says Murray Wicks, National Manager, Enrolment Services.
So one way to remove yourself from the electoral roll is to intercept your election enrolment pack, tell a little white lie by marking it “gone no address” and send it back whence it came. But telling lies is bad, even little white ones.
Death is another option, but it’s a tad extreme. How do dead people get removed from the electoral roll, anyway? I’m not sure. Across the ditch, at least voters are provided with a means to remove a dead relative. But here? I couldn’t find anything on the Electoral Commission’s website.
It looks like moving house is the only other option. And then hoping that the new residents of your old home return your election enrolment pack marked “gone no address”. Instead of simply binning it. Which is what I’d probably do …
I suppose the reason that there’s no easy way to get off of the electoral roll is that it’s compulsory to be on it. But why? Why does the government need a list of all eligible voters? I.e., a list of all adult New Zealanders not already in prison? Isn’t that what the Census is for? Sinisterer and sinisterer …
The Speed of Hypocrisy: How America got hooked on Legal Meth. Motherboard.
A terrible number of words have been written about Breaking Bad, yet none have struck upon the irony at its core. For all of the cult hit’s vaunted fine-brush realism and sly cultural references, the show never even winked at the real world “blue” that grew up alongside it.
During the five years Heisenberg spent as a blue-meth cook, the nation experienced a nonfictional explosion in the manufacture and sale of sapphire pills and azure capsules containing amphetamine. This other “blue,” known by its trade names Adderall and Vyvanse, found its biggest market in classrooms like Walter White’s. As this blue speed is made and sold in anodyne corporate environments, the drama understandably focused on blue meth and its buyers, usually depicted as jittery tweakers picking at lesions and wearing rags on loan from the cannibal gangs of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.
For presenting such a compelling one-sided cartoon of speed in America, Breaking Bad deserves recognition as a modern day Reefer Madness. That 1937 film immortalized the selective attentions of the first drug war, in which hysteria was stoked over Mexican marijuana but nothing was said about that era’s brisk drugstore trade in Benzedrine, the patented speed of the Great Depression.
To understand why the “edgy” AMC drama fits so snug in the Reefer Madness mold, it helps to see the show from the perspective of pharmaceutical executives, whom I suspect held some rowdy Breaking Bad viewing parties.
Because here’s the thing about hide-the-children caricatures of street speed and the class stigmas they weave: Without them, the needle starts to skip on pharma’s marketing lullabies about the safety and expanding therapeutic application of their purer product. Take away Goofus and Gallant-style contrasts between backwoods Crank Zombies and suburban Adderall Aspirationals, and suddenly we’re having some very awkward conversations about the periodic table, addiction, and the experience of getting high.
Aside from some foul cutting material, Winnebago methamphetamine and pharmaceutical amphetamine are kissing chemical cousins. The difference between them boils down to one methyl-group molecule that lets crank race a little faster across the blood-brain barrier and kick just a little harder. After that, meth breaks down fast into good old dextroamphetamine, the dominant salt in America’s leading ADHD drug and cram-study aid, Adderall…
Read more >>>Here<<< And Here>>>> Forbes: Everything You’ve Heard About Crack And Meth Is Wrong
I have no doubt that with the process of time that all the Hype about synthetic cannabis will also be exposed as just another Prohibitionist witch craze…. as suggested here >>> NZ Research finds Synthetic Cannabis Low Risk. The Star Trust.
The common thread of Drug Prohibition has been lies and Politicised Pseudo-science inciting a public Hysteria for the express purpose of justifying the State usurping tyrannical powers in complete disregard for Rights and liberties… in the name of ‘Safety and social order’.
Socialists have convinced the Clean shaven Perfumed masses of arrogant vicious little dipshits that Pragmatism trumps just Ideals… that it’s Ok for the State to trample those whom dont share their tastes and phobias underfoot.
Even though their interventions are Catastrophic… The Liars and the Fools delude themselves that the alternative…. Liberty and an end to the War… would result in something much worse.
Western Social Democracy is a Lunatic asylum… run by sadistic psychopaths whom cloak their criminality in the garb of ‘Sisters of mercy’… and ‘Doctors.’…. they will cut the devil out of you! Their noble Ends justify their Depraved means.
(Hence my choice of ‘American Horror story’ Artwork for this Blogpost 🙂 )
What is beyond insane is that the same legions of Zombies whom are happy for the State to persecute Meth dealers and users will happily allow major corporations to manufacture truckloads of the very same products and to gobble them down via Doctors prescriptions!
The very height of self delusion and hypocrisy.
Tim Wikiriwhi.
Kings and Convicts. (Part 1) The Clean Slate Act.
Hello my Pretties,
I apologise for my recent absence and neglect….. I still love you…. believe me when I say that matters of Cosmic importance have kept me in the field… chief among them earning my ransom for the IRD.
Without blood…. calamity from on high befalls us… this is a scientific fact.
Brain hurts.
Several events have taken place in recent times which I hope to tie together in this blogpost, on an important topic which I have been meaning to address for ages…
….The Clean slate act, and the diversion/ non-convictions of the 2nd son of the Maori King on Drinking driving and Burglary are my impetus, and to summarise my topic, I want to talk about the pretentious ‘mask of holiness’…. the cloak of ‘self-righteous ’ , which our ‘Special Hat’ wearing Political Task-Masters attempt to portray *As Real Piety*… as a supporting pillar of their personal credibility, and fitness to rule.
The ‘Clean slate’ Act is an interesting piece of legislation which raises many questions, regarding personal privacy … the right to remain silent…. and other peoples ‘right’ to know.
I cant say that I have spent much time investigating it, or reading the debate it has generated.
I cant claim to be speaking with indifferent objectivity either when I say that IMO I think this act is an enlightened piece of legislation, yet I hope my subjective ‘insider’ perspective adds some clarity to the topic, rather than detract from it.
I shall try to explain why in as short a space as possible as Part One … and how I tie this subject in with my main topic >>>Part two<<< , and I have now finnished off with >>>Part 3<<<
This act interests me for personal reasons.... having in the past been convicted for a variety of offences... some of which I am ashamed of... :-) .... some of which I say... ‘was not me’... not because I didn’t commit them.... but because they happened a very long time ago, and I am ‘a different person’ today.
I make no attempt to deny my guilt, nor do I deny that my convictions... in these particular matters.... were unjust.
There may have been some mitigating circumstances... yet no excuses.
A recent Newspaper article caught my attention, in which a representative of some employers association was upset that the Clean slate Act means that after 7 years without any further convictions that a person whom may have been convicted for theft as a servant, will not have to admit to such convictions when asked in any Job applications.
They argue that this exposes employers to greater risk of suffering thefts.
But is this really so?
I think not.
Though there may be a tiny % of Unrepentant recidivists whom manage to maintain their skulduggery in secret…. flying under the radar …. to my way of thinking that is highly improbable, and it is far more rational to believe that any person whom has maintained themselves without further conviction for 7 years… has in fact reformed their behaviour, and has earned/ *deserves* a fresh start.
This period of time was chosen because it is *long enough* to suggest that they have ‘turned over a new leaf’... have learned that honesty is the best policy.... and most importantly are in reality... just as trustworthy as anyone else.
Here we meet several interesting issues.
Forgiveness.
Reform.
The delusion of piety.
Faith in society base upon truth, rather than hypocritical Fakery.
Forgiveness is important for society, to allow reformed criminals to re-enter society.
Without such hope, why bother to reform... if the marked man is to forever remain marked, and kept in alienation?
If you keep them alienated, not only do you risk imposing a punishment which is wholly out of proportion to the crime.... you also are denying the principle that a criminal can reform, and pragmatically speaking you are exposing society *to a greater risk* that this person will re-offend... because they have been effectively locked out of honest employment/ normal participation in society.
The Devils rejects.
Forgiveness is not only a Christian virtue, it is essential for society to heal its wounds, and progress.
Nobody can force the victim of any crime to forgive the person who wronged them... even after long periods of time... after a sentence served... and after an expression of contrition, yet I would suggest that not to forgive.... is to remain wilfully a spiritual cripple... carrying a dead weight about.
Obviously some crimes are harder to forgive than others, yet I would question the character of an unforgiving person whom is unwilling to grant others a fresh start considering the fact that *there is none righteous.... no not one, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God*
Ie.... who among us... even those whom have never been convicted in a court of Law... is not in need of forgiveness for some evil deed we have done to our fellow man?
There are only two types of human beings.... Convicted criminals and un-convicted criminals.... those whom either live above or beyond the law.... or simply those whom have never been caught... or at least successfully prosecuted.
A third type we may describe as ’temporarily innocent’ only because they have not come of age.
I am not suggesting that every human being poses an equal danger to the life and property of their neighbour.
Obviously some people are much more virtuous than others, yet I wanted to explode the idea that just because a person *has not been convicted for theft or fraud* does not mean they have never stolen anything , or never told a lie.... *Everyone is guilty* of these crimes/ sins... and knowing this explodes the idea that a person whom has no criminal convictions is somehow more trust-worthy than someone whom has been caught and convicted.
This undeniable truth is a fundamental reason that political power must be kept to a minimum... so that the evils of politicians have the least scope to wreak havoc upon the population.
I will return to these ‘inconvenient’ facts about the human condition shortly.
It’s a fact which the self-righteous social elite and powerful desire to remain unarticulated....
“Trust Me.... said the liar to the fool”
[I actually quite like Queen Lizzy…. I posted this pic simply to portray ‘the Pomp’ of government which fills the subject with Awe and dread….. a sense of the Divine…. an unquestionable righteousness and authority to govern… engendering submission.
All Politicians, rulers, and powers attempt to portray ‘majesty’ to some degree.
It’s a part of statecraft]
When I speak of contrition, I refer to a real inner remorse… an acknowledgement of wrong doing and true repentance, not merely a regret at being caught.
And this require the perpetrator to take ownership of their crime…. that they made evil choices, for their devious selfish ends, and that though circumstances may not have made doing the right thing ‘easy’ , that none the less they made the wrong choices, which harmed others.
How a criminal may be brought to true repentance is a subject for another time.
Obviously it requires a re-shuffle of values and a restoration of faith in society… in humanity, and that living an honest, moral life is not just a Charade.
It is enough for now that I give my personal assertion…. from personal experience… that Reform is possible…. thank God.
While I reject any delusions about human perfection, or perfectibility, Reform is an essential social concept (reform / self improvement are also an important factors within Christianity) .
We are human beings smitten with the common Human lusts and aspirations, yet an individual’s morality and character are not genetically determined, and any theory which attempts to reduce ethics down to genes and chemicals needs to be exposed for the anti-Human Pseudo science that it is.
The people whom promote such delusions have serious prejudices, ulterior motives, and a very specific ideological agenda.
Empirically we ought to be well aware that the Human Individual is a free-will agent operating in a ‘ moral field’… we call society, in which our actions can and often do effect our fellow citizens… for good or ill.
This is what is meant by the term that our deeds are said to have ‘moral weight’.
Being Humans… not gods, the universe does not obey our whims, and we must navigate ourselves on the sea of life via our own compass… our personal values, wisdom, and moral convictions… or lack of them… and it is a relentless ocean, Tides and tempests, Calms, and shallows.
What defines the Human life is not the circumstances of our birth, but about how steer our ship in the seas new find ourselves in.
Circumstances may vary greatly, yet our duty as morally responsible beings is the same.
We all start off as Babes…. Yet we learn, we grow,….* we change* … yet Objective morality remains always the same.
We embody the ethics we have chosen to embrace…form one moment to the next.
Life is in Flux.
The truth is a person…. As long as he has breath, can either grow in moral character…. Plateau…. Or regress.
A persons behaviour can be effected by many things… yet can only really be said to be moral when life is lived well *consciously* and freely.
Thus many people live as passive obedient sheep… never ending up in court …. Not because of true piety… inner convictions that certain actions are truly evil, But out of fear…. Fear of becoming Social outcastes…. Fear of prison, or a fear of nihilistic lawlessness.
The system does’t care….. These flocks of sheeple obey their masters…. And delude themselves this slavish conformity is in fact a virtue… to the degree that they believe anything is really virtuous… a great percentage of them dutifully embrace what their ‘Liberal’ educators teach…. That everything is merely culturally relative … and that societies Laws… and all things ‘Moral’… are merely the convenient constructs of the social order… which is the highest power in the universe and may dictate anything whatsoever it deems to be in the best interest of the collective organism.
Yes our society is filled…. Top to toe with this *Fake moral Piety…. And Slavery*
If that is all there is…. The belief that that is all there is … is not a sufficient foundation for a Free, Civil, and just society!
Not only does such a corrosive anti-ideology- ideology undermine the credibility of living a good and decent life… rendering Society a giant fraud… and morality merely a tool for the ruling elite…. Protecting the haves… from the have-nots…. This becomes the excuse…. The vindication for the mass production of Evil legislations and tyranny…. Which not only directly treads souls underfoot, it also energizes the mass production of ‘Criminals and outcastes’ whom either take this philosophy as truth… embracing lawlessness as the ultimate truth….rejecting Civilisation as a gimmick… Or conversely those brave individualists whom retain a faith in objective morality…. Yet reject the authority of the State to impose laws upon them …. Prohibitions, Exactions, or Compulsions which they believe are unjust…. Thus it is is not only the Amoral whom can find themselves outsiders, and criminalised, but the truly virtuous and moral…. Which is why people like Jesus, and Socrates…. were executed as criminals.
Anyway, I have digressed somewhat…. I think the point that sometimes society, and the Law can be in the wrong…. And the so-called criminals in the right was worth making.
When the law is corrupt… The Real Criminals are in power… feigning piety…. Wolves in sheep’s clothing.
I also think it was worthwhile touching upon the consequences of a society which embraces toxic ideas… how that tends towards injustice and chaos.
Do you believe any crimes are truly Objectively Evil or are all crimes merely rebellions against subjective social/cultural norms?
A person whom is raised to believe Toxic / amoral/ nihilistic Ideas is sailing his ship witout a compass, and is a person capable of committing crimes and atrocities…. Likewise any person whom ‘looses faith’ in society…. And the value of enlightened, civilised, and humanitarian ideals …. Is someone whom has thrown his compass overboard… and can descend into real criminality.
Yet let me also say that a person whom may have been living a directionless chaotic existence for a very long time can find a moral ‘north star…. And straighten out there course… and begin to consciously navigate …
Enlightenment and reform are as real and as valid as any fall from grace into darkness.
Humanity has the capacity not only for descending into debauchery…. But to escape it too should they find the reason…. The will, and the faith to do so.
People can change for the better.
Savages can learn, and embrace civilisation.
Sinners can Repent.
Social reform is possible… and the ‘Clean slate’ act is all about motivating this personal improvement.
It’s about justice…. And a better, safer, society.
I will say that most of the things I have written today come from my personal journey… into crime…. And out again.
I have already dragged this out way too far…. I will have to stop here and make this the end of Part one.
Tomorrow, or the next day I will write part two and tie this rave in with the latest travesty of Justice with regards to Korotangi Paki escaping Justice .
Though I have many criticisms of what has transpired, it is not my intension to write a Guile filled spiel of condemnation upon him and the Tainui Monarch.
I will include aspects of my own situation… and how I have stood for election many times…. In spite of my own criminal past.
I will be so presumptuous as to offer the King some advise….
I actually have something positive to say
But for now enough has been said…. I will have to tidy this (part 1) up somewhat later… its time for nigh nighs….
Brain hurts…
Tim Wikiriwhi
Part 2 Kings and Convicts The Charade. >>>>Here<<<<
The STAR Trust is perishing from an orgy of weasel words
My outlook for Thursday was good but Thursday turned sour when I read the following report and watched a 3 News interview with Grant Hall of the legal highs industry lobby group the STAR Trust.
Today is a global day of action for groups around the world campaigning for drug law reform.
Really? It’s the first I heard of “a global day of action for groups around the world campaigning for drug law reform.” I belong to (at least) a couple of groups in New Zealand campaigning for DLR. I’m the Vice President of the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis and a member (and former board member) of drug law reform umbrella group NORML. I’ve been a drug law reform activist for more than a decade. While it’s entirely possible that I was told about it but was paying no attention, I don’t recall ever hearing of a global day of DLR action on a Thursday. At the end of June. I spoke to a couple of other DLR activists and they hadn’t heard of it either.
(The global day of action for groups around the world campaigning for drug law reform is, in fact, the first Saturday in May. In New Zealand, we celebrate J Day. In Nimbin, Australia they celebrate the Nimbin Mardi Grass. Elsewhere, the Global Marijuana March is held in cities around the world.)
In New Zealand, advocacy group the Star Trust has released research it says shows that the Psychoactive Substances Act was working, before synthetic high products were pulled from the shelves.
I’m not sure what Grant Hall means by “working”. The Psychoactive Substances Act was supposed to ban all new psychoactive substances not already banned by the Misuse of Drugs Act, with the exception of products containing psychoactive substances that had been shown to pose only a low risk of harm after being submitted to a battery of scientific tests, which products would then be approved for regulated, legal sale. That was its stated intent. While all new psychoactive substances have now been banned, none has yet passed the scientific tests. The Ministry of Health, in charge of implementing the Act, has yet even to tell us what the scientific tests that NPS must pass actually are. I don’t call that “working”. I call that prohibition. (As for the fiasco that was the so-called “interim” period, during which untested, unsafe NPS were temporarily approved for sale, don’t get me started.)
The trust’s Grant Hall says they would like a “compassionate” approach to dealing with drug harm, instead of the current “punitive” regime.
What does a “compassionate” approach to legal highs retailers look like?
“All of the data during the interim period of the Psychoactive Substances Act… there were two things that came out of it that are really interesting,” he said on Firstline this morning.
“There was a reduction in crime – we saw a 22.7 percent reduction in cannabis-related crime… quite a significant number.”
There is no such thing as cannabis-related crime. Cannabis does not cause crime. So we saw a 22.7% reduction in what? A 22.7% reduction in cannabis use? A 22.7% reduction in arrests for cannabis “offences”? I say that the reason there’s been a 22.7% reduction in “cannabis-related crime” (whatever that is) is because it’s an election year.
Watching the actual interview, Grant Hall indicates that the reduction is in cannabis use. But people smoking less cannabis isn’t a good thing, because what are they smoking instead? Less safe, less fun synthetic cannabinoid products manufactured by the industry for whom Grant Hall is spokesman.
He says only 14 people contacted the Ministry of Health about addiction problems with synthetic highs, out of 11,000 people using them a day.
“We would say that’s a pretty good outcome.”
I’d say that’s a pretty good outcome, too. If only 14 people experienced addiction problems. But it wasn’t only 14 people, it was hundreds of people who became seriously addicted to legal synthetic highs. The 14 people who contacted the Ministry of Health were just the tip of a very large iceberg that advocates of the PSA’s interim period simply don’t want to know about.
I’ve been blogging on the PSA for a couple of years now. Synthetic cannabis addicts would sooner comment on my blog posts than contact the Ministry of Health. I mean, why on earth would someone with an addiction problem even contemplate for a moment calling the Ministry of Health anyway?
Synthetic cannabis addicts are regularly in the headlines. Here‘s a chap who appeared in the MSM the day before Grant Hall’s interview. Did he phone the Ministry of Health in between committing aggravated robberies, I wonder?
A “polite and well-mannered” South Auckland teen with an unblemished record committed two aggravated robberies in four days, driven by his synthetic cannabis addiction.
What the legal highs industry should have done is proactively investigate reports of addiction to their products. They should have front-footed it. But they don’t want to know.
Someone else who doesn’t want to know is Peter Dunne. He doesn’t want to know about the miraculous and thoroughly well-documented healing properties of natural cannabis. Anecdotal reports are not hard science but they do stack up. Here‘s one that’s hard to dismiss.
Christine said the cannabis oil had an immediate and dramatic impact. Ellen’s seizures reduced from hundreds each day down to only a handful, allowing her to return to school for the first time in five years.
“She’s gone from 120 hospital admissions in 2012 to just eight last year. It’s quite amazing. She is still on some pharmaceuticals. We’ve found that combination with the cannabis oil has been hugely beneficial.”
But Peter Dunne dismisses it.
“I have yet to see any evidence that cannabis in any form has contributed in any way to help children, or indeed anyone, recover from serious diseases,” he said.
I know that Grant Hall is a veteran campaigner for medical cannabis. Good on him. I know that Grant Hall wouldn’t dismiss any of the numerous reports of the benefits of medical cannabis as anecdotal. And yet he chooses to ignore the numerous reports of the addictive nature of synthetic cannabis.
In fact, the legal highs industry is well aware of the potentially addictive nature of some of their products. That’s why Matt Bowden was up front. His Stargate products came with appropriate warnings, e.g.
Frequent or daily use is not recommended, users should be aware that development of dependence on this type of product has rarely been reported, and appropriate limitations on use may be required in some individuals.
A report I read about a year ago, of a Nelson man arrested for selling natural cannabis to get the money to feed his synthetic cannabis addiction, should have sounded the alarm with the legal highs industry. That’s when the plot lost them.
Now Hall says people are turning back to hard drugs like P, and that synthetic highs were only banned because of the upcoming election.
Bullshit. We put people who are addicted to opiates on the methadone progamme, because methadone itself is an opiate and it substitutes for other opiates. Methamphetamine (“P”) is a stimulant. Synthetic cannabinoids are not stimulants. If I wanted to find the energy to stay up partying all night or simply do the housework … P would be great … but the last thing I’d do is smoke some synthetic cannabis. It’s not a stimulant and doesn’t substitute for other stimulants. I’d get nothing done at all and then fall asleep.
Speed freaks were taking stimulants before, during and after synthetic cannabis.
[Hall] There was a reduction in crime. So we saw a 22.7% reduction in cannabis-related crime during the interim period, now that’s quite a significant number.
[3 News] Was that inevitable? Because they’re just going to synthetic highs.
[Hall] Yes, but isn’t that a good thing? That’s a good result, isn’t it? So we’ve transitioned those people away from the black market into the white market where they are controlled …
Transitioning people away from safe, natural black market cannabis to unsafe, synthetic white market cannabis is harm reduction? Not in my book.
Check out what Grant Hall has to say about “congestion issues” and “restricted retail environments”. Weasel words! They had congestion issues and a restricted retail environment in Colorado in early January, and nothing bad happened. (Except that the cannabis ran out, obviously.)
As for the claim that “synthetic highs were only banned because of the upcoming election.” Actually, no. Synthetic highs were banned because a group of mothers whose teenage children had become addicted to synthetic cannabinoids or otherwise schizzed out kicked up one hell of a fuss. And then got on Campbell Live.
The reality is that journalists have got more power and influence around this issue than the scientists.
Grant Hall got that much right. It will be John Campbell who legalises cannabis in the end.
The demonisation of cannabis (and other drugs) started in earnest with prohibitionist propaganda campaigns like Reefer Madness in the ’30s. I’d say we reached peak demonisation in the ’70s. 1970 was when Keith Stroup, funded by a $5,000 grant from the Playboy Foundation, founded the National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) in the U.S. That’s when drug law reformers started in earnest to undo the decades of prohibitionist propaganda damage. It’s taken 40 years of hard slog to counter all the prohibitionist lies and misrepresentations about cannabis.
I’m work shy. So it irks me when anyone, be they prohibitionists or non-prohibitionists, tells lies about and misrepresents the harms (whether by exaggerating or downplaying) of any drug. How are we ever going to have sane, evidence-based drug policy when those making and influencing the policies refuse to face up to the facts? I’m work shy but I’d still much rather spend my time getting the word out to the masses than spending it patiently pointing out to my fellow DLR activists that they’re doing it all wrong.
I’d like to see Grant Hall quit the STAR Trust and return to his roots. I reckon he’d make a great spokesman for GreenCross New Zealand. They could use a level head.
If he hits me should I leave?
Man comes home
woman is glad
until she discovers
that man is madNot again, not again, not again!
please make him leave me alone
woman’s prayers go unanswered, he hits her
as she lets out a quivering moan
man feels power so strong
such joy to hear her weep
how can he leave it at that
woman is still on her feet
he strikes her again on the face
this time she falls to the ground
she is hoping that blackness will come
so the world will stop spinning round
instead the spinning stops
with a blinding jolt of pain
woman’s pelvis starts trembling and twitching
as he kicks her again and again
man’s pelvis is twitching as well
though pain is not the cause
his foot changes course to her head
he erupts as he walks out the doorWoman is left in a heap
blackness is coming on fast
child is crying, the journey is long
child’s bedroom she reaches at last
unable to stand woman crawls to the crib
stretching her arms through the bars
she pacifies child while drifting
to a blackness of tiny white stars– Pippi