Editorial

I read with a certain amount of trepidation the verdict on a certain high profile trial here in good old New Zealand. last year 3 so called "protesters" cut through a mesh security fence & slashed a protective plastic inflatable dome over a radar installation at a place in the South Island called Waihopai. Conspiracy theorists would have us believe that the whole deal is a secret spy base for the Americans. I know, & it's fairly common knowledge that it is owned by the Americans, but just what theyu are actually spying on is open to conjecture. I mean, there isn't really a lot down here when you look at it. As for the possibility that the installation have some arcane & sinister purpose that endangers the average Kiwi, well I have my doubts. Lets just say I don't feel moved to make a pilgrimage to damage said installation.

Enter stage left our hirsute & rather unkempt trio of so called demonstrators, do gooders who took it upon themselves to represent the rest of New Zealand in what proved to be a protest that was pointless & destructive albeit extremely well publicised. The only thing that this twinky trio of refugee geriatric hippies had going for them was the fact that they freely admit to their guilt.

So guilty as charged on the counts of wilful damage & trespass huh ? Not so simple. You see, it was a jury trial. Guess what or 12 good men & true decided? Not a guilty verdict as you may think, but because they "honestly believed in what they were doing," they were found not guilty. Now it doesn't take much of a legal beagle to see the implications here. Even a worn out old stay at home trucky like myself can see it. Sure the admonition has been made not to see this as a possible precedent & the justice department is thinking about appealing the verdict, but the implications scare me.

Honestly believing in what you are doing opens all sorts of possibilities. lets face it. Hitler, Bin Laden, Mugabe, Saddam Hussein, even Attila the Hun for god sake, all believed in what they were & are doing. Can I now go get drunk & drive a motor vehicle because I honestly believe in what I am doing? I really don't fancy my chances much, do you ?

OTHER NEWS...

In other news, i think the herbal sleeping tablets are starting to kick in. I'm sleeping better & longer now & feeling like I can actually accomplish something worthwhile in my day. Herself had a lovely pamper treatment at the local beauty clinic yesterday & we both had a wonderful massage today. Have a good weekend & enjoy the cooler weather,