Last Straw » Indigenous rights

Whanganui or Wanganui but why not Whanganui/Wanganui

Christiaan — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:22:46 +0000

I’m in Aotearoa New Zealand for a couple of weeks and driving about provided me with the great privilege of catching up with the sea of enlightenment that is NZ talkback radio, in this case the lovely Leighton Smith. Flipping through the channels I just had to stop and listen to one of Smith’s callers complaining…

Tony Blair gets payoff from Zionists

Christiaan — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:09:58 +0000

War Crim Tony Blair has been awarded a prize from Zionist organisation Dan David Foundation, amounting to $1 million. Presumably for his efforts to ensure Israel can continue its ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

Arabic press on Israeli elections

Christiaan — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:05:51 +0000

Arabic press on Israeli elections: Mazin Hammad in Qatar’s Al-Watan Regardless of who will win, the differences between the right, left and centre [of Israel’s politics] are not clear for those who closely watch the election from outside. They all pounce on Palestinian blood. Rashid Hasan in Jordan’s Al-Dustur The victory of extremists, with [Likud…

Let Netanyahu Win

Christiaan — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 08:28:20 +0000

Gideon Levy, writing for Haaretz: Netanyahu would offer something else. First, he is a faithful representative of an authentic “Israeli” view — an almost complete distrust of Arabs and the chance of reaching peace with them, mixed with condescension and dehumanization. Second, he will finally arouse the world’s rage towards us, including that of the new…

Why the Maori seats matter

Christiaan — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:31:52 +0000

No Right Turn on why the Maori seats matter. Quite something.

Israel/Palestine: The future is one nation

Christiaan — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:33:36 +0000

Outgoing Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, recently quoted as saying: (I am saying) what no previous Israeli leader has ever said: we should withdraw from almost all of the territories, including in East Jerusalem and in the Golan Heights. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki, in response: We wish we had heard this personal opinion … (before)…

NZ Government arbitrarily ends Treaty claims

Christiaan — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 07:14:24 +0000

No Right Turn on the arbitrary end of all historical Treaty of Waitangi claims. How can you put an end to seeking redress for breaches of a treaty? It’s an absurd contradiction. Either breaches exist and they need to be investigated and redressed or they don’t exist. Arbitrarily ending the formal process for these investigations to take…

Free Gaza boats successfully break Israeli blockade

Christiaan — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:28:02 +0000

Over the weekend a group from the Free Gaza Movement, including my good friend Ken O’Keefe, set out in boats from Cyprus and successfully broke Israel’s contemptible economic blockade of Gaza. Ken emailed through a few photos today, with this message: Some pictures to share of a day that may have largely ignored in the West, but was deeply…

Story of Cain and Abel still taking place today?

Christiaan — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:22:39 +0000

Speaking of Survival International, they’ve posted a video on their website of gunmen hired by farmers to attack a Makuxi Indian village in Brazil, part of a brutal attempt at an Indian land grab. The correlation between this and Daniel Quinn’s alternative theory of the story of Cain and Abel is quite stark.

Peter Beaumont’s lost tribe ‘controversy’ that wasn’t

Christiaan — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:51:14 +0000

If you read The Observer over the weekend you might have had the misfortune to come across this grubby tabloid-like excuse for journalism by Peter Beaumont, foreign affairs editor for The Observer.

Beaumont—clearly having a slow news day—focused his attention on the uncontacted tribe photos I commented on the other day, crudely attempting to drum up controversy where there is none.

Striking images of uncontacted tribe in Brazil

Christiaan — Fri, 30 May 2008 09:30:13 +0000

Via Survival International: ‘We did the overflight to show their houses, to show they are there, to show they exist,’ said uncontacted tribes expert José Carlos dos Reis Meirelles Júnior. Meirelles works for FUNAI, the Brazilian government’s Indian affairs department. ‘This is very important because there are some who doubt their existence.’ Survival’s director Stephen…