The ASB Classic women's tennis tournament is over for another year. All week, we've waited for John Minto and his comrades from Global Peace and Justice to make an appearance; surely, there would have been SOMEBODY whose presence he and mis mates objected to!
Apparently not. A Chinese player made the semi-finals. China apparently oppresses Tibet, to the extent where a New Zealand MP protested when the Chinese Vice-President visited last year. There was not a murmur from John.
The headline player in the tournament was a Russian who is now domiciled in the USA. Did Global Peace and Justice protest her presence? You'd think that they might have, given the US's role in conflicts in Iraq and Afganistan.
There were two players from Japan, whose whaling ships are presently in the Southern Ocean. There were players from throughout Europe, especially the once-repessive East. You would think that an organisation with a name like Global Peace and Justice would have had issues with one of the players, or the country she represented.
There was, of course, one notable absentee; Shahar Peer of Israel. She is the player who has been bullied by Minto and his cronies on her last two vists to New Zealand, and we don't blame her for not returning for another dose. Her treatment by Global Peace and Justice has been despicable.
Maybe it's time for Global Peace and Justice to rebrand, and to show a little honesty. Minto and his fellow protesters are not interested in global issues. It is abundantly clear that their sole concern is to push a Palestine good; Israel bad agenda. If you can think of a better name for them, go ahead.
We guess that we should all be grateful that Minto and his trusty megaphone didn't grace 1 Tennis Lane with their presence this year. Perhaps Miss Peer will be back next year.
22 comments:
Where's John?
In his Hawaiian mansion isn't he?
Had you frogotten Inv?
I was expecting that from you Robert; you're getting predictable. Were you so critical when Helen Clark and Peter Davis climbed Mt Kilimanjaro or went cross-country skiing in Scandanavia?
Don't be facetious IV2 the great south echo chamber has a breadth of political vision to equal Comrade Minto and his mindless bullying.
John Key can not possibly go to his "own" retreat at his own expense, he should go to all manner of exotic locations with a coterie of fellow travelers at the taxpayer's expense, you silly boy.
He is losing his grip a little as he failed to link Simon English to this BS.
Saw John going for a bike ride the other night while walking. Had to resist the temptation to give him a shove.
Sactimonious prick.
And he was missed at the open(not).
Can't believe I spelled 'forgotten' frogotten!
Aside from that, what on earth can you see in my light-hearted post that is critical Inv2?
Or is it that you and the very grave Dodger are just getting altogether too P.C?
Well Robert; it's not the first time you've mentioned the PM's holiday in Hawaii.
Personally, I don't have a problem with it, nor with Clark going overseas at the Christmas break. As long as they pay their own way, they can go anywhere they want. Can you blame Key for wanting to have a complete break from NZ after everything that's gone down since Sep 4th?
BTW - we had a taste of nature's fury in Christchurch on Boxing Day. The 4.9 quake was pretty frightening.
Alex - are you and Minto neighbours?
rg - you are like a broken record. Especially when your aliases from other blogs are taken into consideration. Why don't you take a week or ten off.
Relax pdm - I'm a referee from way back, so if Robert deserves a trip to the sin-bin, I'll make the call. I prefer him to one or to of the other "interesting" commenters that Keeping Stock has attracted as of late!
Didn't Miss Peer retire last year?? I seem to remember that she decided to defend her country rather than play tennis.
Take up a gun, rather than a racquet?
Nice.
Inv - you'll not deter pdm from his mission to stymie my activities in the blog - he's my crabby gardian angel, sitting on my shoulder like a little Helen Clark, tweaking my ear whenever I tease a nat. He's my wee online pet, my personal actoid tamagotchi - you should get one! They're fun!
I've no problem AT ALL with John holidaying in Hawaii, or with him having a crib there worth $5000000.
This from you though,
" Can you blame Key for wanting to have a complete break from NZ after everything that's gone down since Sep 4th"
is dodgy-as!
A complete break from New Zealand?
He's the Prime Minister!
A complete break!
Don't know if the people of Christchurch nor those from Greymouth wouth say, "Yeah, he needs a complete break, poor lamb!"
Fair point Robert; I could have worded it better. I'm sure that Key is being as well briefed in Hawaii as Helen Clark was at the top of the mountain!
Back to the topic in hand though; d'ya reckon Minto and his mates are exercising a bit of selective morality though? Is Palestine "Global"? Russell Norman protested the Chinese VP- where's John's protest at Shuai Peng? Ah, so many questions ...
So many Inv.
Like, why didn't John meet with the Dalai Lama?
:-)
(Had you predicted that one?)
I didn't realise that John Minto didn't meet with the Dalai Lama Robert; after all, it is HE to whom this post is devoted :)
'HE'?
John Minto is God?
He can't be; you don't believe in God!
Yet so many here believe John is divine!
Enough of your nonsense Inv2. This is a serious political blog.
You're making a mockery.
Yeah Inv...what are you thinking, having a sense of humour and giving as good as you get back, sadly wasted on some.
It's a worry eh Suzanne. All good though; I know that Robert is taking the piss, and he knows that I know and am doing likewise. He does seem to have some envy issues though, the way he keeps going on about Key's house in Hawaii ... maybe JK needs to buy up some waterfront proerties in Rivertion and build a mansion there ...
Whoops; Riverton - sorry Robert; my fat fingers again!
@ Alex Masterly - so assassination attempts (shoving cyclists over - presumably in front of traffic) are all good in the right wing? Arizona - yep! Did Sarah Palin give you the crosshairs over John Minto, or was it the beached whale?
@ Charmaine - yes, defending your country, the country formed by stealing other people's land and houses, and killing them.
Inventory - Minto would have demonstrated if Peer had been at the tennis; he said as much. Thanks goodness she has got the message that apartheid apologists aren't welcome in NZ!
What's that? Israel isn't an apartheid state? South African bishop Des Tutu disagrees - he said it was the same behaviour years ago.
And perhaps you missed Operation Cast Lead, where Israel killed 1400 Gazans - suppposedly for rocket attacks on southern Israel. Which makes it collective punishment - a war crime. The stuff we tried Nazis for at Nuremberg.
Yes, there are other brutal regimes, including China's repression of Tibetans and Uighurs. But you clearly missed the GPJA demos against that abuse, huh? And the ones against Mugabe, and the Burmese dictatorship...
For a 'Christian', you seem terribly keen on excusing Israel's murders. Why is that?
"For a 'Christian', you seem terribly keen on excusing Israel's murders. Why is that?
I've excused nothing Anon. When I have blogged on the Israel/Palestine situation in the past, I have regularly commented that neither party is lily-white. Both Israel and Palestine has committed acts of agression/terrorism against one another.
The situation is the Middle East is complex, and far beyond the ken of a simple blogger such as myself. I make no apologies however for criticising Minto and his mates for their attacks on Shahar Peer when she has visited this country. She has about as much influence on Israeli foreign policy as I might have on that of Palestine.
Or, for that matter, as much influence as Shuai Peng would have on China's foreign policy ...
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