Free Republic

Can you be my new best friend? You fully crack me up. It's so entertaining to read your posts, and you always get a bite! You actually remind me of Rudy from the first Survivor series, he was my favorite. Anyway, the point of this post is simply to remind you that what you were reading is just actual journalism - reporting of the facts with no bias. I have to say that after watching CNN almost nonstop, I don't think that they offer an objective perspective on world events. I am eagerly awaiting your reply!! :)

Really, damian5 - you are actually really funny? Methinks you are being obnoxious and trying to appear uneducated simply to wind us up. You have provided my friends and I with many a laugh as we have speculated whether you actually mean what you say, or whether you are just having a bit of fun. We have come to the conclusion that noone could really be as backward as you and be able to use a computer - so congratulations!! You had a fair few of us sucked in!

Oh, please Damian5. I was going to respond to your posting with a rather lengthy reply, but realised that you just don't get it. New Zealand has offered it's support to the United States in the fight against terrorism. The point is, that there are many NZs who don't want to see even more innocent lives lost. The Treaty of Waitangi is a point of contention in NZs culture, true - but are you even aware of what the issue is? Let me fill you in... there were two versions of the Treaty. One in English, one in Maori and there were some major discrepencies between the two. One of the biggest problems revolves around the use of the word 'Rangatiratanga'. As a New Zealander, I am horrified at the sentiments you have expressed, particularly seeing as there seems to have been very little actual fact behind your statements. All I can say to you is : Kei te porangi poaka pakeha. For all open minded Americans, who truly want to see peace in the world, Kia kaha and arohanui.

Mmm, nice. I'm glad to see that literary ability is alive and well. New Zealand has nothing to be ashamed of, except perhaps our support of the USA in the Vietnam and Korean wars. Also, when it comes to WW2, where were America when the Nazis invaded Poland? It took a direct attack on the USA for any involvement in the world's events. Not that that's a bad thing, of course. War should never be something that is entered into lightly and without proper forethought. New Zealand has offered it's support to the USA. Most of the public here simply want to be sure that we are fighting the right war, for the right reasons, and against the right people. If you can't understand that, then I sincerely hope that you are a minority. I would have hoped that as a species, we would have learned something from our past mistakes. If you don't think that war is bad then there is something very very wrong with you.

For the record, New Zealand went into shock when we woke to the news of the terrorist attacks in the States. Like many others, I did not believe the news at first, and suspected that it was some kind of sick prank. When the full extent of what had happened sunk in, the sheer tradgedy of it all hit me. Literally thousands of innocent people have died needlessly. I have been glued to CNN when not at work. I have cried countless times while watching news bulletins. Whilst I completely support the sentiments to wipe out terrorism (as does the rest of New Zealand, including our Prime Minister), I don't agree that the best thing to do is go in with guns blazing. For some nations, the attack on the USA is the kind of thing that they are facing as an every day reality. The people that would really suffer from a full scale military attack are the innocent people who are suffering already. I am proud to be a New Zealander. I would lose that pride in my country, as should any self respecting western country citizen, if we act emotively and cause the loss of more innocent lives. We would be no better than the terrorists themselves. By all means, take out the terrorists. Don't kill more innocent people who had the misfortune to be born into the wrong country. If compassion and respect for human life makes myself and all the other New Zealanders who feel this way 'communists' and 'greenies' then I am more than happy to be seen as both.