9th - Kaipara Konnection Weekly Newsletter - Dargaville.BIZ
9th - Kaipara Konnection Weekly Newsletter - Dargaville.BIZ
9th - Kaipara Konnection Weekly Newsletter - Dargaville.BIZ
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Editorial<br />
“If you don’t imagine, nothing ever happens at all.”<br />
-- John Green<br />
1. The news of the week has to be the “Roast Buster” saga. It seems simply amazing that so many people have got<br />
involved – to their detriment mainly – in what started out as another news headline. Broadcasters John Tamihere and<br />
Willie Jackson were stupid enough to question a caller who rang in claiming to be a victim of these macho image<br />
teenage boys who at a very young age (15 and 16) started having sex with girls their own age or younger and then<br />
posting pictures and comments on the Internet. Like Sir Lockwood Smith who was savaged by the media and feminist<br />
groups for suggesting that Asian women had small, dexterous hands, Tamihere and Jackson asked a girl who claimed<br />
to be 13 at the time what she was doing out late at night and what clothing she was wearing. Did she willingly drink<br />
the alcohol that the teenage boys offered her? As a consequence of this line of questioning their show has seen all the<br />
advertisers withdraw and even the Prime Minister has agreed not to appear as a guest again until the New Year.<br />
Then the political stampede started. The Minister of Police has seemingly interfered in Police procedural matters by<br />
insisting that the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) investigate why a prosecution was not fothcoming after<br />
a complaint against the Roast Busters in 2011, while she of the brow beating, breast thumping, Gucci glasses, aka the<br />
Minister of Justice, has promised laws to prevent the Internet being used to publicise such horrendous acts of teenage<br />
behaviour in the future. The poor old Police Commissioner has once again had to defend the actions or inaction of his<br />
subordinates. No wonder he is not seeking another term in the job.<br />
The media firestorm over this matter – and yes it has very serious issues that need to be addressed – has meanwhile<br />
allowed Parliament to sneak through quite of lot of legislation that would otherwise have been subjected to much more<br />
detailed scrutiny and explanation. Now the security boffins can demand that your personal communications be handed<br />
over to them. All this in the name of making sure that New Zealand does not get attacked by terrorists. Who needs<br />
terrorists when our allies are spying on us anyway?<br />
At the end of the day the only apparent “winners” are the teenage clowns who posted the claims of their self perceived,<br />
ego massaging, macho behaviour, online in the first place. They could never have imagined just how much TV and<br />
media time they would get. Talk about making hero’s out of villains. Now we will have to put up with the “copycats” who<br />
want to emulate or even better the Roast Busters. Responsible media behaviour? Yeah right.<br />
2. Notice how people power can work? Suddenly, last weekend, Countdown put up the price of the blue, approved,<br />
Council rubbish bags to $3.60. Seems that this was a Countdown decision and nothing to do with the <strong>Kaipara</strong> District<br />
Council or it’s contractors <strong>Kaipara</strong> Refuse. First Countdown take the blue bags off the shelf claiming that there were too<br />
many being stolen, and now they put the price up 80c. For what?<br />
The blue rubbish bags are a rort anyway. When they were introduced to replace the stick on labels, the bag capacity<br />
shrunk from the standard, off the shelf black rubbish bag size, so we are effectively paying more for less anyway, Yet<br />
another McKercherism foisted onto the ratepayers of the <strong>Kaipara</strong>,<br />
This photo was taken at the gate of the Council rubbish dump in Awakino Road, <strong>Dargaville</strong>, earlier this week. Notice the<br />
price for a rubbish bag? Two dollars and eighty cents. Go dump yourself.<br />
Northern Wairoa Memorial RSA<br />
Hokianga Road <strong>Dargaville</strong>. Phone (09) 439 8164<br />
Bar, Restaurant, Pool Tables, Free Parking, Courtesy Coach