Rick Santorum releases a campaign ad depicting an Obama reelection post-apocalyptic nightmare.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
Rick Santorum makes the follow up to ‘The Hunge…, posted with vodpod
Month: March 2012
James Takamore will never be buried in Christchurch
This story has been going on nigh on 5 years and I am sad to inform you that James Takamore will never be buried where he wished to spend his eternity, in Christchurch.
After Mr Takamore died in 2007, his whanau from the Eastern Bay of Plenty claimed his body and took it north to bury him – according to their custom – at Kutarere Marae, against the wishes of Ms Clarke. She launched a legal fight to have his body returned to Christchurch, where he had lived for 20 years with her and their two children.
In July 2009, the High Court ruled that the relatives who had taken Mr Takamore’s body had done so unlawfully.
Why was he taken
…the burial of Maori deceased was governed by Maori tikanga (customary practices), because Maori custom was part of common law in New Zealand.
I am sad to tell you this not because I agree, or disagree with, the action of ‘ body snatching…in fact if you speak with many Maori they often take quite a light hearted stance over the event that many non-Maori take as abhorrent.
I have heard stories about bodies being taken ‘up North’ but in the journey the snatchers getting hungry so driving through McDonalds Orewa with a coffin on the roof of the car, I have heard stories about snatchers creeping into a room full of sleeping people on all fours to remove a body…when you hear some Maori speak about it they laugh almost like it’s a game…and I think some take it as that, albeit a very serious game, but if you don’t honour the body by staying with it, awake for 24 hours a day…then they’ll take it and do the job.
The reason I am saddened by the fact that James Takamore will never be buried in Christchurch is that my sources tell me that the body has already been moved, in other words even if the Supreme Court rule in favour of Mr. Takamore’s Christchurch family only a couple if people know where he is now buried and they won’t reveal it.
My sources tell me that shortly after he was first buried, his body was dug up and moved to a new location that only a couple of people know about.
DTW: Japander
Japander (n) a western star who uses his or her fame to make large sums of money in a short time by advertising products in Japan that they would probably never use.
Checck out http://www.japander.com but here is a small sample
An important few days for 59 million Americans
I was listening to American talk radio yesterday, which typically is conservative talk, and the issue of Health Care, aka Obamacare, has come up again.
In the Supreme Court at the moment we have the final hurdle for the Presidents Health Care package to go through.
The nuts and bolts of this are that the Republicans don’t want Obamacare to be law, and the Democrats do. The scary thing is that of the 350,000,000 people in America, the decision on Obamacare will come down to one man…an unelected man…Justice Anthony Kennedy.
The man often known as the Supreme Court’s swing justice posed tough questions about the scope of the controversial health care overhaul Tuesday, suggesting he might have doubts about its validity.
Justice Anthony Kennedy did not tip his hand as to how he might ultimately vote in the case — a ruling is not expected until summer.
But on the most important day of hearings for the landmark case, the bench was thoroughly engaged for a two-hour debate over the constitutional merits of President Obama’s health care law. Based on the tenor of Tuesday’s arguments, the justices appear to be closely divided and the case may ultimately come down to the views of Kennedy.
The general take of those opposing the legislation is this. You cannot force someone to purchase a ‘product’ and it’s illegal to force someone to buy a product in their own state as you won’t be allowed to cross state lines to get health insurance.
For those opposed, the argument never seems to talk about the 59 million Americans who are currently uninsured and what would be best for them.
This may be stopped in the Supreme Court, however if it is it will be a ‘technical’ victory celebrated only by the ill-informed, the private insurance industry and those receiving support from that industry aka The Republicans.
We are hearing people still talk about ‘socialised’ medicine. talk to any American who lives in NZ now, under a socialised medicine regime, and they will tell you it’s better here…you can pay for your private insurance, or if you cannot afford it you can have all of us look after your costs, in a caring society that would seem to be what one would do…isn’t it?
Bradley Ambrose denied to right to stop his name being smeared
Yesterday we found out that the Police were not going to press charges against freelance cameraman Bradley Ambrose.
Forget the accusations about Police holding onto the decision until John Key was away, forget the forced “letter of regret” as opposed to a “letter of apology”, forget the accusation of bullying as the Crown seeks court costs but let’s just have a look at one part of this where I am feeling very uncomfortable.
From OneNews
But today police revealed they will not lay charges against Ambrose, despite finding the recording to be unlawful.
Police said they agreed the conversation was private and said the recording was at best “reckless”, but more likely deliberate.
In this small release, we find out that the Police have deemed the action unlawful, deliberate and the conversation private…the problem is that this is not the Police’s job.
They have ‘passed sentence’ on Bradley Ambrose, and he has no right of recourse in court, unless he then chooses to take a libel action himself…which seems unlikely.
This morning David Slack quoted Graham Edgeley by saying that if there is any public statement about guilt prior to a conviction is a violation of the presumption of innocence.
In this case the Police have said Ambrose is guilty and wrong…when it’s not their job to do so.
The Panel with Bob McCoskrie and David Slack
Bob and David chat about SKY City sponsoring celebrities to come and be on site, have the Police handled the Teapot saga well and their thoughts on the one month anniversary of the shooting of Treyvon Martin in Florida by George Zimmerman
Gerry Brownlee gets ‘served’ by Finland
Gerry Brownles has offered his apologies for comments he made about Finland in the house
From the ODT
Government minister Gerry Brownlee has apologised for disparaging remarks about Finland, when he described Finns as uneducated, unemployed murderers who don’t respect women.
The storm started over comments Mr Brownlee made in Parliament last week in response to Labour leader David Shearer’s speech calling for New Zealand to follow in Finland’s footsteps.
Finnish media picked up the story and said Mr Brownlee caused embarrassment to their country, while a Facebook page has also been set up calling for him to travel to Finland to “learn some facts”.
So the cunning Finns have gotten their own back
Tuomas Enbuske, a Finnish radio and TV presenter and journalist, had this to say
The Panel with Ian Wishart and Steve Tollestrup
Steve Tollstrup and Ian Wishart talk about what David Shearer needs to do to make inroads into John Key’s domination and paying teachers performance bonuses
Mojo Mathers in serious case of ‘irony’
A tweet from the lovely Mojo Mathers this morning
With tongue placed firmly in cheek, can I suggest that the use of the word ‘hearing’ may not be the best term to use here
Sacha Baron Cohen offending Kazakhstan all these years later…without even trying
When the Borat movie came out the people of Kazakhstan were outraged, the government started doing press around the world to show Kazakhstan was nothing like the parody that Cohen put forward as a comedic character. All this proved is that Cohen is brilliant and played the world perfectly for millions of dollars of free advertising. But even Sacha Baron Cohen could not have predicted the latest upheaval to come out of his 2006 mockumentary.
At a shooting event in Kuwait, upon make winning the gold medal for her glorious country, Kazakh shooter Maria Dmitrienko had to stand on the podium and listen to Borat’s version of the anthem.
The spoof anthem praises Kazakhstan for its superior potassium exports and for having the cleanest prostitutes in the region.
I am sorry for the most make glorious Maria’s moment for beloved nation, but it is pretty funny and to her credit she seemed to take the error pretty well, she smiled and walked off at the end of the ceremony…which upon the complaint of the team was later rerun.
The BBC reports
The team’s coach told Kazakh media the organisers of the Kuwait tournament had downloaded the parody from the internet by mistake and had also got the Serbian national anthem wrong
However it’s not just ‘foreign dogs’ that are the enemy of the most glorious Kazakh National Anthem…sometimes they are their own worst enemy. From the Mirror speaking of the latest mistake.
It comes just weeks after embarrassed Kazakhstan officials made an anthem gaffe of their own.
As the announcer at a ski race declared: “Eyes on the flag of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the anthem of the Republic of Kazakhstan is beginning,” proud dignitaries put their hands on their hearts.
However, instead of the earnest anthem to ‘make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan’, Ricky Martin’s rather more breezy 1999 No1 Livin’ la Vida Loca blared out of the speakers.
Giggling officials in Kostanay were left standing for a few awkward moments, possibly expecting Borat to leap out at them in his mankini, before the worker in charge of the loudspeaker hurriedly switched to Menin Kazakhstan.
Maybe that’s why Sacha Baron Cohen had such an easy time convincing the world he was from this Ricky Martin loving country.
