Illuminati-R-Us

More world ugliness.


Hoping tubeswell and his loved ones are all OK.

Indeed.

About the same percentage of the NZ population killed as the American population killed on the 11 September attacks.

The suspect is Australian. So now New Zealand have to invade Australia. And maybe Brazil too, just for good measure.

Мастер wrote:About the same percentage of the NZ population killed as the American population killed on the 11 September attacks.

thanks for that visual. Us 'mericans tend (a lot) to not be able to see economy of scale unless it's spelled out for us. Especially when talking about gun violence, 'cause even though it was 49 dead, we get those every year or so it seems (sadly).

I''m currently listening to politically slanted left news, but I agree w/their point that when it's a white guy who goes nutz like this, it's all about "lone wolf" and "disturbed individual" even when the idiot in question was involved w/white power groups, but if the shooter has darker skin, it's all about 'terrorists'. Terrorists are terrorists, color of skin, type of group notwithstanding.

Am reminded of the day a while back when I was sitting downstairs at the home, and the list of multiple local school closings (due to snow or something) was scrolling across the tv screen and one resident said derisively "Islamic school? what the hell is that all about?" And I piped up "It's kinda like the Catholic school, only for another religion". Too easy to demonize another group, isn't it.

and given the scale, and location, I've no doubt tubeswell and his loved ones are affected, definitely hope all of his family are safe, sad that would mean others weren't.

Though it galls me to say it, this awful situation was bound to happen here eventually. One of the guys (Brenton Tarrant) is obviously a total nutcase. Such nut jobs can easily get assault weapons here if they can get a gun license (in NZ, you don’t need separate weapons permits, you only need to hold a generic gun licence which is renewable every 10 years).

NZ is a relatively easy country to get a visitors permit and really easy for Australians to get residency. Not that I have anything against Australians, I have a number of cousins who are Australian (on my Mum’s side of the family). But in Australia, there is a lot of racial intolerance, and far right views often making headlines in their political system, with a number of representatives (like Pauline Hansen and Fraser Anning) often rousing up xenophobic ugliness in public displays of political football.

I feel terribly sorry for all those families and supporting communities whose members were slaughtered. It was premeditated religi-genocide.

Even more sadly, this appalling act of wanton murder happened the same day thousands of NZ school children staged mass rallies around the country for action on climate change. They were out their in their thousands, affirming their beliefs that their collective action might make the world a better place, and then within a couple of hours their triumphal news headlines were upstaged by this savage butchery.

It’s comforting to hear from you, and your inside perspective is sadly all too familiar. I hadn’t even heard about the school kid’s action, though similar things are happening here. They must be deflated, in addition to processing these these terrible events.

This is so awful. Thanks for your words and perspective, tubes.

Meanwhile, across the ditch...

#eggboy

But amidst the horror of the shootings, what a beacon Jacinda Ardern has been. Her immediate response, before she had even got back to Wellington, was to say of the victims, "New Zealand was their home" and to emphasise that their communities have a place in New Zealand while the shooter and those like him do not. And then she picked up on the point that tubeswell made about how easy it was to get a gun - in NZ. Not any more. It reminds me of the comments of a wonderful Aussie, Jim Jeffreys, on such things. "In 1996, Australia had the biggest gun massacre on earth and the Australian government went, 'Right! That's it! No more guns!" And we all went, 'Yeah, right then, that seems fair enough.' Now in America, you had the Sandy Hook massacre where little children died and your government went, 'Maybe, we'll get rid of the big guns?' And 50% of you went, 'Fuck you! Don't take my guns!'" Ardern announced sweeping gun control in under a week. And she went to the school where a lot of the kids who died had gone and called on their classmates to remember them but not to mention the shooter's name. I love that! Why can't we produce someone with that kind of leadership?

Richard A wrote:But amidst the horror of the shootings, what a beacon Jacinda Ardern has been. Her immediate response, before she had even got back to Wellington, was to say of the victims, "New Zealand was their home" and to emphasise that their communities have a place in New Zealand while the shooter and those like him do not. And then she picked up on the point that tubeswell made about how easy it was to get a gun - in NZ. Not any more. It reminds me of the comments of a wonderful Aussie, Jim Jeffreys, on such things. "In 1996, Australia had the biggest gun massacre on earth and the Australian government went, 'Right! That's it! No more guns!" And we all went, 'Yeah, right then, that seems fair enough.' Now in America, you had the Sandy Hook massacre where little children died and your government went, 'Maybe, we'll get rid of the big guns?' And 50% of you went, 'Fuck you! Don't take my guns!'" Ardern announced sweeping gun control in under a week. And she went to the school where a lot of the kids who died had gone and called on their classmates to remember them but not to mention the shooter's name. I love that! Why can't we produce someone with that kind of leadership?

She’s been a shining example to politicians everywhere, for sure.

Absolutely.

Indeed, we could do with her instead of May.