Very sick man, in a tiny settlement 100km from here. The creeks between here and there are high and dangerous, the nearest rescue chopper is 1000km away, busy with flood relief work. So his wife is going to try and drive him out, our local police will meet her at the worst of the creeks…the RFDS can then get a plane to the airstrip here to pick him up if all goes to plan. It will be an interesting afternoon for Gecko.

‘Dog fee boost makes rebel ratepayer seek breakaway
A district council could lose almost a third of its population in a breakaway attempt, as a ratepayer’s fight for democracy sparks an official proceeding.
At the same time, its newly elected mayor has become the target of a police investigation over his campaign spending.
The Whakatane District Council faces turmoil with the possibility of 10,000 residents defecting to neighbouring Kawerau following a petition against alleged mismanagement and exorbitant dog registration fees.
Matata resident Bill Hutchinson, who took to rural roads on his diesel truck to gather signatures, said ratepayers were taking back control – and their action should be a warning to councils across the country.
“Councils are there to serve the ratepayer, not the other way round,” Mr Hutchinson said.
“This will bring home to them that in a democracy, it’s government for the people and by the people: We govern the council.” source

This is the level at which any fight back must start–petty bureaucrats, drunk on power and ratepayer’s money too often behave like little dictators. Start with these bastards then move further up the chain……

‘John Key has all but confirmed that the election will take place in late November or early December, and has indicated he will leave politics if he can’t earn another term as Prime Minister.
…….Mr Key said that 2011 election would be challenging for the fact that “essentially there is no money”.
…….Sensitive to perceptions that the Government is not doing enough, he claimed in his interview with the Herald – and repeatedly in other media – that there is a lot going on behind the scenes that people did not see, such as getting public sector savings.‘      source

Bullshit. Are we supposed to believe that the Key Gang wouldn’t be trumpeting  public sector savings if they were significant? Pull the other one. Are they stealth reforms? Again, we’re supposed to take the weasel’s word for it and we’ve already seen where that ends up.

A joke from Kevin:
33,000 Maori meet at the Westpac Stadium for a ‘Maori Are Not Stupid’ convention.
Pita Sharples addresses the crowd.. ‘We are all here today to prove to the world that Maori are not stupid. Can I have a volunteer please?’
Hone Harawira gingerly works his way through the crowd and steps up to the stage.

Continue reading →

‘..If one was prepared to take time and if one was sufficiently ideologically committed to embark upon a genocidal enterprise, the conclusion of which one might personally not live to see, then it is entirely possible to achieve the gradual genocide by stealth of a vast target group without the perpetrators ever having to reveal their blood stained hands.

One need only create the conditions in which the target group will cooperate with its own destruction, and, with any luck, not awake to what is happening until too late.

Travel with me now gentle reader and I will explain to you why some believe that the greatest act of genocide in human history is currently being attempted, and how that act may already well on its way to being achieved…’

Sarah, Maid of Albion

Redbaiter has more.   ‘For Those Who Do Not Know What “Certify” Means’

This afternoon–note the rigid adherence to health and safety guidelines…

One of a noisy gang in the tree by the deck.

Gecko pic

The beer’s in the fridge over there and this is a smoking area.

Wabbit just downloaded and installed Sophos free antivirus for Macs. Fast download, easy and fast install. It works in the background without fuss and is very, very easy to configure.