Colonialism.

Driving native culture underground.  Supression of the weak and poor.  Supression of education.  These are the problems requred by what we have called “progress”.  Loss of land rights and soverignty.  Entire nations employed as cheap labor.

Is this always true?  Is domination by the more powerful only inevitable?  Do we take the “common sense” approach, ignore the rantings of silver haired university ivory tower logic and have a good old war?

The West lurched to the Right to shelter from the dented ego of 911 and respond with  all guns blazing, making the statement about the real threat, unrestrained military power.

Forget the dreadful fate of tolerating a little PC hyper-zeal on occassion.   This full fledged lurch against reason has started to pendulem swing.  Suddenly the voters are behind the idea that protecting the environment is meaningful and a display of restraint and improvements in security are actually quite muscular.

There is nothing worse than that moment of ”victory”.  When the dignity’s imposers congratulate themselves for achiving squat.

Plus the sickening realisation that much of the official press on 9/11 begs logic before blind acceptance.

It may be the most expensive act of war ever, more than just a mere clash of civilisations.

And then there are those who see everything the Bush-Cheney junta do and salivate for more of the same being reigned down upon Iran.

That may be the real threat to the world, the requisite political will behind acts like atomic war.

That hot air may be causing all our problems.

Is the USA Economy going to seriously melt down?  While mortgage collapses rob banks of billions due to the actions of US financiers exercising too much freedom, productivity increases appear to belie a healthy economy, or does it?  Is it just the increased hours all round to avoid desperation and mortgage foreclosure as the debt level causes the base interest levels to rise or inflation to run rampant?

If the USA equalises the effects of the tax take on the broad population and start educating their children with facts rather than a prescription of ill defined “faith” and a change in direction offers a second New Deal – we think it is possible that the USA could avert another major depression.  Or things will just carry on the way they are – the status quo becomes the background against which other things are rejected.

It is a damning and sad story but not half as hard as the young couple expecting who suddenly lose their house and entire life structure.  Not to mention to effect on the overall health of the USA economy. How are they going to make productive lives for themselves now?

Some one please tell me how this is a good result of the Bush tax massacre?

This terrorism thing is really just semantics. This set of sounds = this kind of politics. The Mäori independence movement arises directly from the independence of language. But language is not wood. It is the sea. The language of weapons and threat is like trying to pull up a tree by the roots, it is so ineffective in convincing the opposition, it defeats any progress it thinks it is making.

But politics? If the threat of a weapon drives us, then we are ruled by thugs. The worst idiot in the world declared war on ideology.

Helen Clark was talking with GW Bush a few days before this nonsense. He probably just infected her with evil, or got the CIA to douse her tea. The horror is that it is more than likely. At least she is human. Not sure about the other mob. Too much smiling.

The way to Mäori sovereignty is not weapons. But as a demonstration of will, it is certainly a statement that will tug at the hearts of many. A moment of pause – a breath and some Reo to attempt to bring about a partnership of power now seems possible due to the Mäori Party. It is not as if they will not win more power at the next election. Labour voters must go somewhere other than National. Recognise the domination of Mäori in the film industry boom in New Zealand. Moko moko everywhere and not a drop of blood in fear. The haka is the real source of “National Pride”.

The trouble is – before all this terrorism nonsense – even though I am not of this land, I recognise that the land and the sea clearly do belong to the tanga te whenua.  Mäori culture is the source of our unique identity. The bleached bushman – the mythic independent, introverted “Kiwi bloke” complete with half full stubby and staring into a bonfire – is the body of a departed soul. 1950s New Zealand would provide a fresh flavour as a nightmarish backdrop for a Stepford Wives horror. New Zealand should embrace its real culture with a vengeance! We can not afford to lose our best asset.

If we lost Spanish culture, we could import it again. But Mäori only exists here as a culture. It is so stunningly unique when it expresses its meaning.

The magical realism of Mäori stories are quite unique in the world. Rugby is not. Art is finally what is important about a culture. More powerful than sport or politics. Everyone knows the value of Picasso, who remembers Pelé or Péron?

Europe has understood the value of acceptance and happy integration. France is still French.

This is the MEMBERS site. Where you can join and write your own Disturbing Trends under our Authentic DT Banner – you can be sure the stories written herein are carefully thought about – not just the rant of some end-days lunatic or teen aged demon – but well considered and sifted truth with a little philosophy behind it preferably by authors who have different views of the reality of it all.

Check out Christopher Albritten’s brilliant journalism on the spot in the Middle East. Read Sean Paul’s – The Agonist. These are the voices of first hand experience. Find War Stories blog on this site – is but an example of raw experience writing even if it is fictional.

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Yes – we are also about other issues, but the global voice I am looking for is not Left vs Right diatribe – just relaying real stories (a creative example is on my very early attempts at economic realism, see the links on the other Disturbing Trends blogger blog: http://disturbingtrends.org

I am very interested in discussing the recent “terrorism” arrests in New Zealand, is the state intending to get us more used to police raids on groups who protest? It is not a good look, for a left wing government that is under threat from a more strident opposition just waiting to take over and really spend up silly fighting a non-existent “terrorist force” or something? One surely hopes that open discussion, and understanding the unique nature of Aotearoa has done more for New Zealand than most understand.

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