I
keep demonstrating in this blog what a travesty for our freedom the majoritianism that representative democracy has fallen to is: mob rule, and politicians tied to
the - in this case - cruel childishness of party lines.
Per
my post yesterday, after contacting nearly all the sixty one National,
United Future, and one Independent members of parliament who are voting in this
Bill to authorise/demand animal testing for mere recreational drug use, I got
just the one response … there’s nothing representative about this system, and
party politics is deliberately used to take away individual accountability. In answer
to my tweeted question, this was Tau Henare’s answer:
@tauhenare The Green amendment which would have stopped the animal testing lost; now you're voting 4 animal testing. Get informed.
— Mark Hubbard (@MarkHubbard33) July 9, 2013
From
that exchange I surmise Tau hasn’t even read the damn Bill: and why would he
when he has no choice but to vote along party lines in this immoral system we
have? His will be a mindless vote in favour of animal cruelty.
I
know, fact, simply because we are all so different, that there is no way 100%
of the MP’s from National will be happy voting for animal testing so kids can
get high. There are two alternatives to this dreadful legislation:
My
Libertarian take is simply to decriminalise cannabis: it has been tested on
humans for over 6,000 years, with not one recorded death from it; it has
definite medicinal properties, indeed, in more civilised and grown-up countries
than ours serves as ammunition in the pain relieving arsenal of Western
medicine. It’s not toxic, decriminalising it serves the end point of this Bill,
with no animal having to be tested. That logic is irrefutable.
The
second approach is the authoritarian one: simply ban all these awful synthetic
substances so these teenager can’t touch the stuff. I’ve said before on this
blog, animal welfare issues are the chink in my rationalist armour: even I
would prefer the outright ban, here, if that saves the animals (and then I
would just carry on advocating for decriminalising cannabis, because the government should have no say in what I do with my body, and because prohibition never works – Portugal’s stunning success in reducing
addiction since decriminalising all drugs proof of this.).
Many
of the conservatives in the National caucus would definitely opt for the
authoritarian option: I bet Judith Collins is having some personal problems
voting to make legal highs for teenagers possible, and she has a sense of
humour and a heart, read her Twitter time line; I would be interested in her
honest feeling about animal testing for this purpose. But some idiot backroom
deal, in this corrupt system of (un)representative democracy, has been done
with Peter Dunne, the man who through his midlife crisis is both trying to stop
heli-hunting (deer being killed outright with a single shot), while pushing for beagles and
animals to be tortured and killed in the most painful ways possible over
extended periods of time; a contradiction which is insane, frankly; but all
these MP’s are now being forced to vote for this insanity because the Party
says they have to, just like in all of Orwell’s nightmares.
Disgraceful.
Put
this dreadful Bill to a conscience vote and I don’t think it gets through; or
at least the Greens humane amendment would be added to it. The Bill concerns
animal testing and drug taking: why isn’t it a conscience vote?
(I
still hope to get an ‘official’ response to my email to Minister McClay: that
will be published when received).
Update 1:
For the record, despite their amendment to take animal testing out of this bill has been struck down, the Green Party is still going to vote for this dreadful legislation. Shame of them. Shame on all who vote for this. There is no one in this awful Fortress of Legislation who represents me, or, apparently, the humane society.
Update 2:
Judith Collins has just put up the below confusing post. I've read nothing to say this is a conscience vote: as yet she has not confirmed whether she is voting for this Bill or not. Can someone please edify me. Is this damned thing only getting through because Greens are voting for it?
In the absence of confirmation from Judith Collins, I presume this means she has a belief psychoactive drugs issued under this new act will 'not fry kids brains'. That is simply nonsense: they will still be psychoactive drugs, that is, mind-altering. At best as harmless as cannabis, at worst, worse. With the difference being she is voting for animal testing for the synthetics. Such a position as deluded as it is cruel.
Update 1:
For the record, despite their amendment to take animal testing out of this bill has been struck down, the Green Party is still going to vote for this dreadful legislation. Shame of them. Shame on all who vote for this. There is no one in this awful Fortress of Legislation who represents me, or, apparently, the humane society.
Update 2:
Judith Collins has just put up the below confusing post. I've read nothing to say this is a conscience vote: as yet she has not confirmed whether she is voting for this Bill or not. Can someone please edify me. Is this damned thing only getting through because Greens are voting for it?
Labour reaches new low. Mallard has denied leave for Parliament to sit until Psychoactive Substance Bill passed. More kids brains fried.
— Judith Collins (@JudithCollinsMP) July 11, 2013
In the absence of confirmation from Judith Collins, I presume this means she has a belief psychoactive drugs issued under this new act will 'not fry kids brains'. That is simply nonsense: they will still be psychoactive drugs, that is, mind-altering. At best as harmless as cannabis, at worst, worse. With the difference being she is voting for animal testing for the synthetics. Such a position as deluded as it is cruel.
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