Canary in the Mine

The latest opinion poll out today confirms that National is now running neck-and-neck with Labour. Enough's been said on the competition between the two not to need my two cents worth. Something that has not been picked up on by the mainstream media, though, is the split between the major and minor parties. The combined support for National and Labour - depending on the poll - is running in the mid to high 70% range, while the minor parties are gathering well under 30%. This is well under the voting patterns of the 3 MMP elections so far held, where minor parties have picked up as much as 38% of the total vote. Either we are seeing something new happening, or else National and Labour are going to shed support closer to the election. My pick is the latter.

National Party leader Don Brash has landed himself in the cross-fire over comments at the weekend's party conference that they were "Tackling the issues of mainstream New Zealand". I think I know what Dr Brash meant, but he picked a very bad choice of phrase to say it. Since 1999, the Labour government has relentlessly pursued the advancement of special interest groups, introducing such laws as hate crime sentencing and civil unions. More and more, your status before the law is based on your membership of a particular group, rather than as an individual citizen. This is contrary to all the principles of good law. However, "mainstream" is a term as impossible to define as "family values". To consider the latter for a moment, values exist independently of the family, and take their validity from an external source. The family does not create them. They are only "family values" inasmuch as the family embraces what is already there. At best, "mainstream" can only mean the general concensus of society, or prevailing trends. There is no absolute standard, or even an external reference point. It is impossible to state at exactly what point someone is "in" or "out" of the mainstream. All of us depart from the mainstream at some point. That is not necessarily a bad thing, as enforced adherence to a centralised norm is the hallmark of a repressive society. Dr Brash's inability to defend his remarks adequately on Morning Report show that it was a bad choice of terms. The "barmy army" TV ads remind us of the World War II slogan, "loose lips sink ships". Loose slogans could sink an election campaign.

New Zealand’s trade balance was again worse than expected in May. Instead of the $300 million surplus predicted by economists, a $25 million deficit was posted, Statistics New Zealand figures out today showed. That took the deficit in the year to May to over $5 billion against economists’ forecasts of $4.69 billion. The annual trade deficit equates to 16.3 per cent of exports, the largest annual deficit as a percentage of exports since the mid-1970s.

Retiring family planning doctor Margaret Sparrow has taken a parting shot at politicians, saying they are too timid to change the abortion laws. She says abortion should be a health, not a criminal issue. She may be correct to say that the laws not changing, but her implication that the laws are too restrictive is a farce. There were 18,210 abortions last year - that's one for every 3 births. How much easier could it be? And if it were, what would be the consequence? Dr Sparrow also ignores the fact that abortion itself is a significant health risk (to the mother, that is - it's an almost 100% health risk to the baby).

Investigate Magazine this month came out with a big expose on effectiveness or otherwise of condoms. In a follow-up story, Investigate says radio station 95BFM’s Noelle McCarthy has gained an admission from Family Planning that the No Rubba No Hubba safe sex campaign may not be accurate. Family Planning’s Dr Christine Roke conceded that the chances of catching Chlamydia, gonorrhea or herpes through a condom may be as high as 60%. The BFM news director asked whether the Hubba website and TV ads were being “honest” to young people when the chances of infection when using a condom were still so high. Dr Roke then admitted that the Hubba campaign “may not be accurate enough”. The Family Planning spokeswoman then stunned listeners by adding that “abstinence is the best protection”.

The UK government's plans to introduce national identity cards hit a speedbump today with a damning report which highlighted 10 potential pitfalls. The report, by a panel of 14 professors at the London School of Economics, came just 24 hours ahead of a crucial Commons vote on the issue. It concluded that the current scheme is "neither safe nor appropriate", and will cost double, triple or even quadruple the government's estimates.

Three major landmark rulings have been made by the US Supreme Court in the last two days.

Ruling 1. A US Supreme Court ruling has hoisted a severe threat to constitutional rights to private property. The Court has ruled that local governments may force property owners to sell out and make way for private economic development when officials decide it would benefit the public, even if the property is not blighted and the new project's success is not guaranteed. State and local governments had sought the ruling for their increasing use of what is called "eminent domain" for urban revitalization, especially in the Northeast, where many city centers have decayed and the suburban land supply is dwindling. Opponents argued that forcibly shifting land from one private owner to another, even with fair compensation, violates the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibits the taking of property by government except for "public use."

Churches are among those worried by the decision, as recent eminent domain battles have already had religious aspects to them. California megachurch Cottonwood Christian Center was told by the town of Cyprus to make way for a Costco (supermarket). And Chicago's famous Pacific Garden Mission was embroiled in a long-running battle for its downtown facility. It is relocating.

Ruling 2. A sharply divided US Supreme Court has issued two historic rulings on the Ten Commandments, allowing them to be displayed at a state Capitol but striking down two displays at courthouses. The decisions -- both 5-4 votes -- were the first on the issue since the court ruled 25 years ago that the Commandments could not be displayed in public schools. At issue was the constitutionality of framed copies of the Commandments in two Kentucky courthouses and a monument on the grounds of the Texas state Capitol. In the Kentucky case, the court declined to ban all displays on government property, saying some, like their own courtroom frieze, are allowed if they have a neutral purpose, such as honoring the nation's legal history. But the courthouse displays were deemed a promotion of religion. In a dissenting opinion, Justice Antonin Scalia argued that Commandments displays "have a proper place in our civil history." In a stinging rebuke to the court, Scalia said, "What distinguishes the rule of law from the dictatorship of a shifting Supreme Court majority is the absolutely indispensable requirement that judicial opinions be grounded in consistently applied principle." Scalia was joined in his opinion by three other judges. Attorney Mathew D. Staver, who argued the case before the high court in March, said the decision is historic and will have a significant impact on future court decisions regarding the interaction between church and state.

Ruling 3. The US Supreme Court has ruled that Internet song-swapping websites like Grokster can be held liable for copyright infringement. The court is siding with the entertainment industry in its effort to curb online piracy. In a unanimous decision, the court overturned lower court decisions that said the developers of emerging technology cannot be held liable for piracy by third parties who use the technology.

The Internet - like creation - is groaning for redemption. Hackers, viruses, worms, spam, spyware and phishing sites have proliferated to the point where it's nearly impossible for most computer users to go online without falling victim to them. Many criminals roam the network with relative anonymity. Originally developed by the Defense Department, the Internet is now a global electronic communications network made up of hundreds of millions of computers, servers and other devices run by various governments, academic institutions, companies and individuals. Because no one entity owns it, the network depends on goodwill to function smoothly. It has become so huge -- and so misused -- that some worry that its power to improve society has been undermined. Now a movement is gathering steam to upgrade the network, to create an Internet 2.0.

A Jerusalem court has ruled that the city must allow an annual "gay pride" parade to take place on Thursday, despite the Mayor's objections. The Mayor argued the assembly would offend Jerusalem's mostly religious residents, and could spark violent counter-protests. Court Judge Mussia Arad stated Mayor Lupolianski had no right to "act with prejudice" against any group because he disagreed with their "world view." It ordered the mayor to personally pay about $8,000 to the Jerusalem Open House, the city's homosexual and lesbian center, to cover its legal fees and help underwrite the event. The city of Jerusalem was ordered to pay an additional $8,000. In light of the decision, a group that has been previously banned from holding Jewish protests at the Temple Mount told WND it will hold a pride parade of its own Thursday – on the Temple Mount.

I don't know who are the more gullible - journalists or businessmen. An article in the business pages of the Sydney Morning Herald claims corporate Australia is turning to the occult in a bid to boost its bottom line, employing psychics and witches as alternative business consultants. Self-employed professionals, small business owners and executives in major, publicly listed companies are among those joining an expanding network of "covens" organised by businesswoman and self-described witch, Stacey Demarco. The former public relations manager turned pagan and author of There's A Witch In The Boardroom said people were looking for new ways to combine spiritual values with their material success. Elsewhere, Sydney-based psychic and former lawyer, Alana Fairchild, is providing "intuitive diagnostics" sessions to large corporations, focusing on personnel issues. Charging up to $385 per hour, she uses intuition to detect problems or "blockages" within the organisational structure.

The Telegraph reports that a suvey of 2,000 8-14 year old UK children nominated Jesus as the figure who most represents what it means to be a "superhero", followed closely by Florence Nightingale and David Beckham. Asked what makes a superhero, 92 percent said he or she would "stop bad things happening", 91 percent said a superhero "is generally a good guy", and 90 percent said they would "tell the truth".

We are hearing a lot about the ability of eugenics to create a people without defects. Is a perfect society desirable? Angela Beise, the mother of a handicapped child, writes: "I tried to imagine a society devoid of people with disabilities. What if any and all babies with special needs were to be eliminated? What would a society look like if everyone were 'normal', if we never had to make provisions and exceptions for people who are deaf, blind, mute, or lame? I wonder, if our advanced technologies successfully eliminate the weak and needy, will future scholars, theologians, politicians, and poets ponder: "Why has our society become less loving, so selfish, so intolerant, so uncommitted to anything outside of individual gain? Why are we so full of selfish ambition and vain conceit?"