The Daily Blog Open Mic – Sunday – 19th July 2020

1. Professor Andrew Geddis has made a valiant attempt to repudiate the Three Strikes policy. There may well be a good reason to criticise that policy, but Geddis hasn’t made out the argument. He has also omitted crucial information.

   https://www.pundit.co.nz/content/if-i-were-to-kiss-you-then-go-to-hell-i-would

   He discusses the case of Daniel Clinton Fitzgerald who was sentenced to the maximum of 7 years’ imprisonment for his offending in 2016. “All because he unwantedly tried to kiss a woman passerby on the mouth, instead kissing her on the cheek when she moved her head”, says Geddis.

   That is a misrepresentation of the facts. First, Fitzgerald was convicted of indecent assault as well as assault. Two women, not one, were assaulted. The indecent assault victim was sexually abused as a child. It has apparently taken her many years to deal with the effects of that. “Despite all of my efforts…it just takes one person to undo all of my hard work and take me back to what I was in the past – a worthless, disposable person who people can hurt whenever they like.” (Geddis did not mention that the victim had been sexually abused as a child.) He was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for assault, to be served concurrently. In other words, he was not punished for the assault.

   Second, Fitzgerald could have been given 7 years’ imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The judge went easy on him. Fitzgerald would be eligible for parole after serving only a third of his sentence. He was declined parole in April 2019 and June 2020. Presumably, if the Parole Board felt that he was no longer a danger to women, it could have released him last year. The fact it has twice refused him parole suggests it has concerns that he will re-offend. Professor Geddis does not seem to share those concerns.

   Third, exactly how many times has Fitzgerald committed indecent assault/assault? We know that he sexually assaulted women in 2012 and 2015. According to the Court of Appeal, these attacks were “more serious than the 2016 offending”. On each occasion, he could have been sentenced to 7 years in prison. He was given 11 months and 4 months, respectively. It seems he was treated rather leniently by our criminal justice system.

   When the Court of Appeal recently dismissed Fitzgerald’s appeal, it noted that following his conviction in 2012 the Judge who sentenced him said “she was confident Mr Fitzgerald would not appear again before the courts”. Alas, she was wrong. I imagine that one of the reasons for the Three Strikes law was the judiciary’s overly optimistic views of offenders’ future behaviour. Indeed, Three Strikes would only apply to serial offenders.

   If Fitzgerald had been discharged without conviction following his most recent offence, there is little doubt he would have offended again and again. That would have been tragic for his victims. And utterly preventable.

   https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12048609
   https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases/CA2862018.pdf

   • Three strikes as it is now seems to be at fault for turning a mild crime of someone with repeat prison terms into a tipping-point for a length of incarceration that isn’t justified. Personally I was very upset that someone doing 190 kmh in a built-up area was given 2 years. I feel that we need prison farms where the male riff-raff live permanently with some freedoms. They could grow their own food, it would give them a better life, and as they have shown that they can’t control themselves to live in co-operative community life it would be cheaper and safer for us all to give them a life they could enjoy with limitations on their tendencies for erratic craziness and/or cruelty.

2. “The global and NZ Media are now using reverse psychology on us” as they try to make those responsible for our global problems;
   *such as road freight industries who emit massive amounts of climate emissions as ‘the worst climate change polluters’ https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/421506/whangarei-floods-tow-trucks-help-travellers-sewers-leaking

   *and now the corporations who are now killing our jobs, actually are being made to look like our saviours who care about our loss of jobs; – but studies show that they were the one who automated industry doing away with jobs, such as Microsoft.’’ https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/421514/world-faces-staggering-jobs-challenge-says-microsoft-president

   Here are two such sites the media portray those industries as “the good guys” helping us now in small ways” after they caused the problem in the first place but not pointing out their harm caused to us so they only show the good side and not the bad side. “reverse physiology is being used on us.”

3. We are in for a rough ride for the next decade it seems;

   https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52752172

   Coronavirus: Leading economist warns of 10 years of depression and debt
   By Karishma VaswaniAsia business correspondent
   • 22 May 2020
   Economist Nouriel Roubini has warned of a prolonged downturn and sluggish recovery from the coronavirus.
   Nicknamed Dr Doom for his gloomy predictions, Professor Roubini said there are some jobs that simply will not come back after this crisis.
   Even if the global economy recovers this year from the impact of the coronavirus, it will be “anaemic”.
   He warned of “unprecedented” recession. Professor Roubini foresaw the financial crisis in 2008 before many others.
   “During the global financial crisis it took about three years until output fell sharply,” he told the BBC’s Talking Asia programme from his home in New York.
   “This time around it didn’t take three years, not even three months. In three weeks there was a freefall of every component.”
   Drastic
   Professor Roubini also said any recovery will be in the shape of what economists call a “U”, or even “something closer to an L” – what he calls a “Greater Depression.”

4. I’m just looking at NZPost costs. Size 1/3kg bags are $3.50 postage included.
   For 20 the price is $70. Does this ‘business’ want to promote itself or not? If you buy 20 you should get $3 off and so pay $67 – a round figure, reasonable discount. Everyone understands volume discount except deliberately sluggish NZPost! Seems that it can be likened to two garden pests – slugs and snails. I think it can do better.

5. This is pretty shocking in Lebanon and this Christian Kiwi is doing a lot of good, and it’s not just a ploy to get more numbers to the church. Many of the maids are Ethiopian who are Christian, the Filipinos are possibly Catholic.
   https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/421513/the-kiwi-working-to-protect-lebanon-s-migrant-maids

6. A tale of two businesses

   Last month the mining company Rio Tinto, with the blessing of the Australian government, took rabid capitalism to new levels by desecrating an Aboriginal cultural site. The area destroyed in the name of a quick buck was significant to the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura People who have lived there for tens of thousands of years. It is destruction of sacred sites and world history and it is disgusting. New Zealand would be wise to jettison this company from our shores and their dross scum should go with them (the people and economy of Southland will need to be protected thereafter).
   At the other end of the business paradigm, my thoughts go out to the shopkeepers who were attacked by thugs recently while trying to defend their business. One guy was stabbed when he stood up to these maggots, who robbed not because they were hungry or destitute but because they wanted an alcoholic fix. To the shopkeepers I say thankyou for working hard and trying to grow trade and commerce in the country, and protecting what is yours, you’re the heroes this country needs.

7. fuck all of this bullshit. lets all get horsed. this marijuana referendum should be the massivists party in the world ever for a few hours now am i correct or what the fuck!!! is going on???

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