The Sunday Newspaper Brunch Club

On the Sunday Newspaper Brunch Club today at 11am, Sky Digital 65, Ben Thomas from the NBR

News that caught my eye –
1: National’s Weekess Horriblus - Sale of State Owned Assets, hiding the removal of Dr fee limits in their Health Policy and Bills kid doesn’t seem to like queer folk – is there only so much John Keys smile can cover up? And then on Saturday, in the Herald - Dramatic clawback has Govt breathing down Nats' neck - Labour has fought back to within 5.2 points of National in the latest Herald-DigiPoll opinion survey. The Greens are the only other party to pass the crucial 5 per cent threshold, rising 1.2 points to 7.2 per cent.
2: Story in the Dominion Post yesterday regarding Louise Nicholas’s new Book, and her allegations around the first Police Officer she says raped her when she was 13. This cop was granted permenant name suppression after 3 trials found him innocent, only because the cop in charge of the prosecution, John Dewar threw the case because Louise’s accusation included his mates Shipton, Schollum and Ricards. But the cop she alleges raped her first was then caught out on line when he posted comments about hooking women up with dates for Shipton and Schollum in prison and another Trade Me user who claims she was raped by this name protected cop, at around the same time Louise claims she was first raped by him called him out on line by identifying him. But because he was found not guilty (even though the prosecuting cop threw the case) he can’t be trialed again for Louise’s claim of rape.
3: Ahmedinejad Visiting America – land of free speech?
4: Spanish eyes are shining – released transcript from the 2003 meeting of the then Spanish Prime Minister Aznar and Bush where it’s discussed that Saddam had offered to step down for $1Billion, but Bush thought they could just assassinate him instead. Hasn’t the war cost – according to former world bank chief economist and nobel prize winner - Joseph Stiglitz – well over a Trillion now? A Billion would’ve been a steal.

STORY 1 – 'Don't name shooter cop' - sst
The Police Association has appealed for the media not to name the officer who fatally shot a man in Christchurch, after details were revealed about his history in the force. Newspapers said yesterday the officer who shot Stephen Bellingham had previously shot and injured another person and has also successfully defended charges of assaulting prisoners. He has served on the frontline for more than 30 years. Should this case be the real push to gain an independent police complaints authority?


STORY 2 - Sacked lecturer asks for dole - HOS
Sacked Auckland University lecturer Paul Buchanan says he has been forced to seek help from Winz after being unemployed for two months. The high-profile academic and intelligence expert says he has lost his income and has filed an appeal against his dismissal. Buchanan said some of his speaking engagements had been cancelled as a result of the row with the university, which sacked him in July after he sent a blunt email to a student, refusing an assignment extension. Was the University right to sack Paul for an ill tempered a-mail to a student criticiisng her ability to pass the class, does the University enroll ill-prepared students just for the money and what about the young Muslim student in all of this?


STORY 3 - Police to get power to test drug drivers - HOS
The government is to introduce new laws within a fortnight that will give police new powers to administer a blood test on drivers thought to be driving under the influence of drugs. Police already have the power to charge those considered to be incapable of driving through suspected drug use, but it is legally difficult to prove, and rarely used.
The Land Transport Amendment Bill would lower the legal threshold of being impaired by illegal drugs and give police the power to do roadside co-ordination tests if a driver seemed impaired but passed a breath test. Is it really that good an idea to give the Police such unclear and ill defined powers over the entire driving public that are open to the discretion of the cop on the street?


STORY 4 – UN envoy flies into Myanmar maelstrom - HOS
YANGON - A UN envoy has flown to Myanmar to persuade its ruling generals to use talks instead of guns to end mass protests, but the US expressed concern that Ibrahim Gambari had been moved away from troubled Yangon. What pressure is possible on someone so out of line as the regime in Burma? What is China, it's largest trading partner doing?


Final Word
US carries out successful missile defence test
A US interceptor missile has shot down a dummy warhead replicating an incoming North Korean missile in the seventh successful test of Boeing's long-range missile shield, the Pentagon said. The Missile Defence Agency said in a statement it completed a test "involving a successful intercept by a ground-based interceptor missile designed to protect the United States against a limited long-range ballistic missile attack". BUT North Korea and Iran have nothing that would come close to being able to hit the American Homeland, this entire multi-multi billion dollar military industrial complex corporate welfare is driven by non public tendered contracts feed by paid every month tax payer funds. It has little to do with 'National Defense' and everything to do with fat cats lining their already well carpeted worlds.