BREAKING NEWS: 3 more NZ soldiers dead
NZ soldiers killed in Afghanistan Three New Zealand soldiers serving with the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Bamyan have been killed in Afghanistan.
'Provincial Reconstruction Team' makes them all sound like they are docile engineers building schools and drilling wells while excited locals cheer doesn't it? They are soldiers in armored vehicles, we are not reconstructing anything here.
There is no military solution in Afghanistan - this occupation has failed and the coffins are filling. There is no honour in propping up a corrupt narco state to ingratiate ourselves to the United States for a misdirected war of terrorism.
John Key used his sons baseball game in America as a reason to not attend the last funeral because his son had sacrificed so much. Let's hope the Prime Minister can find as much time as he does when using the military as personal transport to attend this funeral for those who have suffered the ultimate sacrifice for a war he has recommitted us to.
As I do every time we lose a soldier, here is James K Baxter's poem that sums up the contempt we should feel towards our political leaders who are so quick and gung ho to commit NZers to war...
The Gunner's Lament
A Maori gunner lay dying
In a paddyfield north of Saigon,
And he said to his pakeha cobber,
"I reckon I've had it, man!
'And if I could fly like a bird
To my old granny's whare
A truck and a winch would never drag
Me back to the Army.
'A coat and a cap and a well-paid job
Looked better than shovelling metal,
And they told me that Te Rauparaha
Would have fought in the Vietnam battle.
'On my last leave the town swung round
Like a bucket full of eels.
The girls liked the uniform
And I liked the girls.
'Like a bullock to the abattoirs
In the name of liberty
They flew me with a hangover
Across the Tasman Sea,
'And what I found in Vietnam
Was mud and blood and fire,
With the Yanks and the Reds taking turns
At murdering the poor.
'And I saw the reason for it
In a Viet Cong's blazing eyes -
We fought for the crops of kumara
And they are fighting for the rice.
'So go tell my sweetheart
To get another boy
Who'll cuddle her and marry her
And laugh when the bugles blow,
'And tell my youngest brother
He can have my shotgun
To fire at the ducks on the big lagoon,
But not to aim it at a man,
'And tell my granny to wear black
And carry a willow leaf,
Because the kid she kept from the cold
Has eaten a dead man's loaf.
'And go and tell Keith Holyoake
Sitting in Wellington,
However long he scrubs his hands
He'll never get them clean.'
James K Baxter
1965
We need to put morality over impressing America and get out of this war now.
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posted by Bomber @ 7:04 am
13 comments
13 Comments:
What excuse will Key use to avoid the soldiers funeral this time?
Not reconstructing anything, aside from teachers training colleges, health clinics and entire towns and giving them at least a hope in hell once we leave.
You want a welfare state at home, but an isolationist approach to our brothers overseas.
Maybe you should work on the contradictions in your own morality before critiquing others.
Baxter what a genius! How galling for you Bomber. As you predicted the bodies of kiwi soldiers continue to mount. I ventured into that depressing online chat room of Opinion and Politics @ Trade Me on the weekend. The rednecks are finally registering slipery's spineless bootlicking sycophancy to the US. The trip to the baseball game has not gone down well. Sound of pennies dropping in abundance we would hope.
I don't much care. What is more concerning is the flood of cheap jingoism butressed by lies that is spreading through the media. Our man in kabul, some kiwi stringer working for mcclatchy's has been very eager to back up any nz army press release with the handies half truth that comes to mind. For example on TV 3 this am he was defending the most expensive coffin on wheels, the army's light armoured vehicle (LAV) by saying that it must been a bloody big ied or some such shit. Meanwhile on the other side of the world the wellington gutter press is singing from a different key sourced song sheet that claims the dead mercs were travelling in humvees.
Probably neither is correct cause none of them have a clue about what is going on over there since NZ journos don't 'do' wars any more.
The worst this am came from the english TVNZ breakfast host interviewing the english otago university security expert who tried to sell the lie that the deaths are the fault of Hungary.
If the expert knew what he was talking about he would be aware that Hungary's deployment is not responsible for the area that the ied activity occurred within, nor are they responsible for security in the south of Baghlan.
Their Baghlan Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) is located in the north of the province and they have never been allocated 'forward operating bases' in the south where the freedom fighters are located. It is the NZ troops who have forward operating bases closest to that area and if security there is any ISAF deployment's responsibility, it is New Zealand's. They have the closest bases and can operate in the area without having to overnight outside their secure bases.
What we're witnessing in Afghanistan is an ancient thing . It's as old as school yard fights and the allegiances they forge . In a nut shell , I guess I'm trying to say it's been human nature . To fight for territory , to kill others for it and to try to convince the mourning ones back home that it was all for a good and noble cause .
Of course , we as a unique species whom are becoming ever more ' self ' aware and are increasingly and fearfully understanding of the terror and horror of ones kids being murdered for the comfort , profit and power-plays of someone else . In that ironic sense , every time a boy of girl is killed I feel we're getting closer to ultimate global peace . Does anyone remember a hippie mantra in the '60's ? " What if they gave a war and no body came ? " Oddly , it was a line out of a pro-war poem by Bertoit Brecht and written in the 1930's but some good ol' hippie came along and fucked it up for the old bugger by pinching it and turning into a call for peace . Just like Adolf did with the perfectly beautiful , well meaning and extraordinary Swastika symbol . He flipped it around and used the significances of it to do his bidding , the silly little man .
I think the peace process is certainly being accelerated by the Internet and it's wondrous abilities to strip away the lies and propaganda that fuels the war machinery and the irony is not lost on me to ponder the great Julian Assange and his materializing back into the media at this time .
Having said that ;
We should all be mindful of how fragile the Internet is as the murderous Oil Empires start to crumble . I'm a bit fearful of the cornered rat syndrome and I have grave misgivings about what might transpire over the next ten years say . Our entire worlds Capitalist System is based upon Oil and it's parts .
And now we have the Chinese and the Japanese getting all itchy/scratchy for two uninhabited islands for their ' natural resources ' .
And just this morning I saw a car commercial for the new Chrysler Sedan . A gravely voiced , American father- figure sounding type told that this car is what I need to symbolize the rewards for all my hard work . Fuck off ! I don't work that hard Hahahahahah!
What are you going to do when your Chrysler runs out of gas and you have no food ? Eat the ugly fucking thing ? There's something no one has invented ! Edible cars !
Might I suggest going here . Now .
http://www.mygarden.co.nz/
Indeed! And for all those really stubborn pesky little terrorist stains, we recommend you soak them in 2 parts WAR to one part RINSE,. Garanteed quicker abd more effective than COMMON SENSE.
Indeed! And for all those really stubborn pesky little terrorist stains, we recommend you soak them in 2 parts WAR to one part RINSE,. Garanteed quicker abd more effective than COMMON SENSE.
PS Bomber and co - you really are making it difficult for those with a disability to comment. Never mind though, since the last election, we're all probably well used to pushing shit uphill
@ Arto - you didn't happen to see the 'press conference this morning at 11.30 did you? Key trying to look all staunch, tough and efficient. At the completion of a speech that one could be forgiven for thinking the guy was half cut, a quick shuffle of the papers.... and a 'next....passing you over to my Minster in charge - with more platitudes and "ultimate proice' bullshit. I continue to ask myself How the fucking hell did the NZ electorate get conned by this used-car salesman - back in 2008 even labelling him the average man and even krismetuk. I console myself in the knowledge that far more people DIDN't vote for the pillock and that he resides in his "space" (an emerging media spin descriptor) by virtue of one or two Uncle Toms, an utterly dishonest ACT operative or two, and a Dunne, hlf of whose electorate would rather look neck him rather than look at him.
Let'e be clear though, they cudda shudda wudda - they're still sleeping though (those Broderick Road treffuck loits appear to be working just fine and the Slow Colge natives aren't causing too much trouble just at the mo.
Hey! just by the way Bomber - or ANYone else....
once was a time when we had thing like a Press Club - a 4th Estate Club (in Auckland it used to reside above Arthur D Riley in Hobson Street, Auckland). Sure most were half pissed most of the time, but they held certain principles and any Garner or (Christ! [I forget] ... ex TVNZ defector now doing 60 minutes WHOSE name temporarily eludes me....bro who works/worked for The Press....anyway, they would be held to account for their fundamental dishonesty). In the case of the latter, I'm sure the family used to wonder, but now its all skittles and cream.
I can see the sequential stream of events that got us to where we are now, but I'm just not so clear on how journalists and journalism can have become so compliant and so namby pamby in this country. I ALWAYS used to be proud of the fact that NZ journalism and Media generally was somehow superior to that in OZ. NOT SO NOW!. At the very least THEY still have a Press Club where Politicians and people of their ilk front up occasionally and one can judge the competence of bullshit artists from whichever quarter.
Maybe that's why there are a couple of Paganis that have decided not to cross the ditch.
Time for TVNZ to screen another feel-good documentary about the "community work" of our troops in Afghanistan.
Indeed Arto......what excuse will the powers that be in control of THIS JOURNALISTIC ALTERNATIVE use to apoogise for their lack of a RESPONSIVENESS>
Being fucked up the arse maybe from that Whaleoil closet Hoe, or that once-were-HoughtonBay harrier dweller of public facilities whilst journaliste extraordiaire Fuk me! the journalistic protectionsism and lack of principle these days is something to behold!.
I'm not sure WHY the Garners that hold Pollies to account have the same wholy excellence applied to them and aren't held to the same wholiness, even though there's a Mihi or two that could attest: OR why there's an Espiner that professes such integrity whilst there's one or two around Houghton Bay/Island Bay folk left wondering about a few we once used to refer to as bog crawlers.
CHRIST THIS 201x Decade is proving to be superficial ain't it?
Shame beart konmy aye John. Hope there's not too many in Woieee lining up to neckj ya. The fences seem fairly rigid to me though aye. Just the kids I worry about.
Oh...and we know the DipProdSquad is still in order aye. Still Got that Ginga cnut on board that fucked over little Ayshun in Karori carpark - all good.
I'm not sure he'll see out his natural life out tho aye - they have long memories, but while he does - I'm sure he's a stalwart to the cause. He's got a shitload of a better chance than Paul - whathisname? family who NEVER forgot ....
Jeeez the NZ Police in the past 15 years have got a fair bit to be ashamed of aye.
I bet they squeel like piggies when the Paul killer gets his beans, as is ......; as is......; as is......;
How long has Greg what's his name been the pol assc rep?
One could say when one looks at things, he's actually a policeman's WORST enemy.
Pardon the rave,,,, but just reflecting, and thinking
Let alone the conflict of interests if a Greg.....never mind .... piss useless piece of work pretending to represent a fair few decent at the coal face (and unfortunately managing to convince them)
God , it's so annoying that we as a species on this planet need bloody oil . Because that's all this is about . Oil . It's kind of freaky to stand still and look about and see just how much of the stuff we own in our homes and workplaces that is oil based . Plastics , paints , medicines , cosmetics , not to mention the supply lines needed to get that stuff to us . It's a mind bogglingly complex system and our dependency on oil is not only undeniable but the grisly specter of serious , impending shortages are being felt as the bullets fly and bodies pile up .
What then I wonder ?
' Who Killed The Electric Car ' and ' The Hemp Revolution ' are two excellent documentary's to give hope and to provide alternatives to our looming oil crises ( If in fact there is one but that's another rant ) at least to some degree .
However, even if some - one or some organization came forward with a complete set of alternatives to our need , want and addictions to oil we'd still have those evil old oil Barons controlling their empires and consequently us with their exploding , iron fists .
Does it not then beg the question ; Should [we] not be targeting [them] in their offices and homes ? Like [they] target [us] via the TV ?
Who is BP , Shell , Gulf , Exxon , Castrol , Mobil , etc ? And where do those Big Players who run those companies live ? Do they have a door to bang on ?
Who is Johnson & Johnson , Pfizer , Roche etc ?
Ok . We know that our politicians are owned essentially by those Big Players and those Big Players own everything else . Even the stuff not directly related to Oil .
Seriously , ask yourself ? Who's putting pressure on local and central governments to pass laws that seriously compromise our abilities to think for ourselves , grow our own food ( The new Food Bill is just mental ) , congregate to party , piss up , smoke pot and tobacco and generally hang out ? That fascist environment is justifying itself by using a barrage of horror movie style and frankly pathetic TV commercials stating the obvious to deliberately mislead us .
Who is behind all that suffocating , mind deadening , fear peddling , head fucking shit ? Could it be BP , Shell , Gulf , Exxon , Castrol , Mobil , Johnson & Johnson , Pfizer and Roche ? Do they have massive advertising budgets that they can take away anytime they want to ? Do they have armies of Lawyers and other aliens on their payrolls ? Let me tell you ! Yes they do !
Ok . We may now know who's behind the deaths of ten dead Kiwis murdered in a country that didn't need us there until we arrogantly forced our way into their culture . When one might have visited Afghanistan years ago you might have found an amazing and ancient civilization who lived happily without one fucking speck of our filthy ,dirty oil they now unwittingly fucking live above . Is the Telibhan any more dangerous than the Freak Show of Christians on early morning TV ?
Know your enemy !
If you want to find out who killed those ten Kiwis , look in the mirror !
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