But not for retailers. Just about all big stores have armed security guards now and it’s a safe bet that smaller ones have handguns at easy reach behind the counter. Some shops put merchandise in locked glass cabinets to stop shoplifting.
Kamala lays down the Welcome mat for Illegal criminals
As the so-called ‘border czar,’ Kamala had nearly four years to fix the border problem. She did nothing. Nothing at all. Now she’s full of solutions to her own border failures. Vote for Kamala so she can fix the problems she created. Kamala in effect laid out a welcome mat to 15 million invaders—and she still has that welcoming attitude. The disaster that is the Biden/Harris administration stopped building the wall once they were in office. They even sold off material at basement prices. Less than 24 hours after Kamala’s staged photo op, the Biden DOJ sued Alabama for removing illegals from the state’s voter rolls, unbelievable!
No, they are real people, it’s the name of the three performers in the final concert in the Waikanae Music Society’s 2024 concert program.
The Wellington-based Ghost Trio consists of three musicians who have performed in Waikanae, although with different ensembles. Violinist Monique Lapins is well-known as the second violinist of the New Zealand String Quartet, Ken Ichinose (Associate Principal Cello with the NZSO) has frequently visited us as a member of the Amici Ensemble, and sought-after pianist, accompanist and chamber musician Gabriella Glapska was part of a 2022 concert by TrioNique.
Named after Beethoven’s famous piano trio, the Ghost Trio was founded in 2019 as one of Gabriella’s PhD recital projects. Having quickly realised that they immensely enjoyed playing together, the group decided to continue working as a trio. All three are accomplished soloists and chamber musicians with diverse backgrounds. They have toured nationwide for Chamber Music New Zealand’s Music Up Close series, a tour where their performances were described as possessing “elan and unfailing attention to musical detail”.
Two of the greatest and most popular piano trios by Schumann and Ravel will dominate the programme, with some intriguing additions from Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho and New Zealander Leonie Holmes.
Just why the pretense? They are doing nothing to achieve any ceasefire. Well, we know why: 1. There is a presidential election on so supporting wars that kill tens of thousands of civilians may not be a good look with their voters; 2. They don’t want to anger Arab countries too much.
It’s still a lot less than Biden & Co. have spent on their war in Ukraine that began under the Obama administration. But while the loot that awaits the DNC pillagers in Ukraine is obvious, is the US ‘aircraft carrier’ in the Middle East really worth that much?
…unlike the people in NZ who voted for her tyrannical regime, iwi elites and top public bureaucrats excepted.
Perhaps they believe Her claim to be the ‘Sole Source of Truth’?
Here is a pic from Her facebook page with John Kerry, who was Obama’s second Secretary of State and in 2014 oversaw the violent overthrow of the Russia-friendly government in Ukraine and installed the disaster they have now. He is also an active member of the Globalist Climate Cult.
Lloyd Austin, the USA’s Defense Secretary, is no wimp. For one thing he looks the part – he’s a big tough guy in an imposing uniform. He got lotsa medals for bravery in the invasion of Iraq. A four-star general, he was the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Then he left the military to join the weapons-making firm Raytheon. Lloyd is a strong supporter of Israel, and of Saudi Arabia. He ordered air strikes against Syria. He’s ready to wage war against Iran, when that time is “needed”. Lloyd has declared “America’s commitment to Israel’s security is ironclad. It is not negotiable. And it never will be.”
So, nobody can accuse Lloyd of weakness, of cowardice. We know where he stands – ready to lead the USA into its next war.
And as for the war in Ukraine – Austin has been an all-out supporter of Ukraine, and devout hater of Russia. But, he is opposed to the plan to supply Ukraine with long range attack missiles to send deep into Russia. He doesn’t see any military reason for this drastic step that would really provoke the Russians. Previously, Austin rejected a plan for a no-fly zone over Ukraine. He saw it as not militarily useful and “to enforce that no-fly zone, you’ll have to engage Russian aircraft. And again, that would put us at war with Russia.”
There’s the clue – a “military reason.” Austin doesn’t mind war; it’s his business. But he’s not keen on unnecessary actions that are not useful militarily and could bring chaos upon us. We know to be wary of belligerents like Austin, but at least there’s a certain logic in his actions.
Then we come to the case of the good-looking slim and silver-haired Antony Blinken in his lovely suits, (and he even plays the guitar). Here we have the ultimate in what a diplomat should be – well-spoken, charming, calming – just what you need for peaceful communication between nations?
Blinken struts the world stage, making motherhood statements about protecting civilians, promoting peace, human rights, and harmony – and sounding so good! All this lovely talk is a cover-up for what he is really supporting – American military hawkishness and Zionist genocide.
Blinken has consistently promoted US military interventions. During the Obama administration, Blinken pushed strongly for the overthrow of Libyan president Muammar al-Gaddafi. In the years before he became Secretary of State, Blinken co-founded and worked for the secretive WestExec Advisors firm, which lobbied the Pentagon on behalf of weapons-making companies.
In Blinken’s Senate confirmation hearing, he affirmed that he would be belligerent towards China and Venezuela. Even while he publicly supported U.S. policy for reviving a deal with Iran, he made belligerent statements against Iran.
And that is the typical Blinken way – say one thing, while promoting the opposite in action.
Blinken supports the plan for long-range missiles to be supplied to Ukraine – according to reports in the Guardian and the New York Times.
Not that I’m a fan of Lloyd Austin. Indeed, just like Blinken, Austin has made $millions from his work for weapons industries. As of October 2020, his Raytheon stock holdings were worth roughly $500,000 and his compensation, including stock, totaled $2.7 million. He was a partner in another weapons investment company Pine Island Capital, in which Antony Blinken is, or was, also involved.
Finally, my point is: I worry about the smarmy types like Antony Blinken. He is the epitome of the liars and hypocrites who cover up for governments. Ever in the media, Blinken lulls the world, including Americans, into the belief that America wants peace, that zealots like Zelensky and Netanyahu are right, that somehow – don’t worry – all will be well.
But, worse than Lloyd Austin, Blinken doesn’t even grasp the military realities. At least Lloyd Austin doesn’t want to plunge us into World War 3 for the sake of a pointless military exercise like letting Ukraine send long range missiles to Moscow.
Politicians have never rated highly, but the significant aspect now is that the predominately Leftist journalists of the Mainstream Media are not seen as being any better.
by Nick Hanne
Declining trust in our society’s key institutions undermines their credibility. Kiwis are clearly calling for a return to first principles, and the reality is, protecting free speech is essential if we are to keep public confidence in our key institutions.
When approximately only one in three Kiwis trusts politicians or journalists, you would think this ought to be a wake-up call for our key institutions.
I’m writing about three damning pieces of research that have emerged in the past couple of weeks. To me (and I think you’ll get the same impression, too), they illustrate again that without open discourse and the right to speak our mind, we will forfeit the way of life we’ve come to take for granted.
This is a problem — democracy doesn’t fare well when trust is at a deficit. And frankly, that’s impossible without the basic freedom you and I are working to preserve. It’s clear, we need free speech to enable the transparency and accountability that will restore the public’s trust.
While the Bill of Rights Act guarantees “the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and opinions”, attempts to erode the legal and cultural protections for our fundamental civil liberties, such as free speech, continues apace.
Forfeiting our lawful freedoms for the promise of “safety” is a recipe for disaster.
Attempts to introduce hate speech laws, the registering of “non-hate crime incidents” by NZ Police, and the weaponisation of human rights law are all evidence of this trend. The Stats NZ results also highlighted an increase in the public’s concerns about crime.
The danger of “thought suppression” should be abundantly clear in light of the work FSU is doing. Unsurprisingly, public confidence and trust are two of the first casualties when a culture of censorship is promoted.
The public is tired of being told that politicians, bureaucrats, academics, and the media know best on behalf of everyone else. When controversial discussions and debates labelled as “dangerous” are prevented from taking place, members of the public often doubt their own judgment at first.
But bitter experience means many of us eventually wise up. Is it any wonder, then, that Kiwis are growing frustrated and disillusioned with the elitist response they’re receiving from so many politicians, journalists, academics, and judges?
As we pointed out last month in response to calls for ‘the Government to be trusted‘, the emphasis should always be on the Government being trustworthy. The public’s confidence will flow from that!
This is not an argument against the need for education or expertise or leadership. Rather, it is a criticism of what happens when people in positions of responsibility disregard their need for humility.
Vibrant democratic culture – as with free speech – depends on both confidence and humility. Be confident enough to share what you think. Be humble enough to allow other voices to speak and critique. Then listen and analyse.
It is not a perfect process, but it’s supremely better than the alternatives.
By standing up for our neighbour’s right to freedom of speech, no matter our differences, we build trust and respect, and eventually develop tolerable compromises and solutions in dealing with the issues of the day.
One example that comes to mind is the Treaty Principles Bill controversy. Irrespective of what you think about te Tiriti, it is a clear demonstration of the opposite phenomenon: a paternalistic attitude towards the public.
Judges are obviously highly trained and experienced experts on questions of law. No one seriously disputes this. However, many Kiwis are beginning to question whether some of the highest-ranking members of our judiciary are being as impartial as they’re supposed to be on matters of crucial constitutional significance.
It’s possible that perceived partiality could be very different from what’s happening in reality, so I don’t claim to hold privileged information on this question.
But what should be obvious is that in a democracy, public concern about judicial overreach – especially the potential for personal ideology to creep into legal interpretation – should not be dismissed out of hand.
We want those in positions of authority to be open and respectful toward the public because the average person on the street whether they’re in Auckland, Foxton, or Timaru, will readily admit that they don’t claim to be an expert on Treaty issues or constitutional law.
But ordinary citizens also don’t want to be told they’re incapable of understanding certain fundamental principles that guide constitutional decision-making.
If key institutions – the judiciary, media, politicians – can’t explain and show transparently what they’re doing and why they’re doing it, we begin to lose faith in the institutions they represent.
If we cannot even be trusted with our own freedoms, despite these being guaranteed under NZ law, the only peaceful, reasonable response is to coalesce as concerned citizens in the form of civil society organisations; just like the FSU.
