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/rant
Made the mistake of actually watching One News tonight. The lead story, deemed more important than anything else, was that a fucking club somewhere had a black and white parade float in some tiny town featuring people with painted black faces with the Micheal Jackson song "Black or White".
They managed to find some Maori people to talk about being offended on behalf of Africans.
That was deemed more important than:
- the damage synthetic cannabis is having, and the need to change the laws around drugs.
- NZers dying on the roads.
- Pacific people in PNG getting absolutely shafted by their corrupt as fuck government.
Among a host of far more serious stories. Some people getting offended on behalf of other people was apparently the most pressing fucking issue today. MSM is beyond parody.
/rant
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What do you do with an unrepentant arsehole like this? Home detention my arse. He has killed 4 people in 2 separate drunk driving collisions (not accidents, he was hammered so it was probably inevitable with the only think accidental being who the unfortunate dead were), been jailed and still won’t take the hint.
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He was sentenced to six months' home detention, 180 hours' community work, and disqualified from holding or obtaining a licence for two years.
Yeah I'm sure restrictions around licensing concern him deeply. That's utterly pathetic, WTF was Judge James Johnston thinking?
I'd just lock the prick up as a clear threat to society.
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@antipodean or find a way to restrict his driving without jail. Say a $50 weekly uber allowance or something. Essentially a perk, which feels obscene, but waaay less $$ than prison. Bottom line is he is never going to change, and we need these sorts of fuckers off the road. I just can't stand the thought of paying for jail time. Hmm maybe a work exchange in PNG??
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Wow. This fucking sack of shit killed FOUR people in two accidents in the past and has just clocked up his 12th offence, and he gets 6 months home detention, some community service and two year licence suspension? Fuck that judge. This guy clearly gives no fucks for the law at all.
Also, the penalties for drunk driving causing injury/death are way too lax. -
NZ has a massive problem with drink driving and speeding. Our laws are obviously way too lax. Having a driver's license is a privilege, not a right. You don't have to have a license to live.
This part sums it up:
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Among Hawthorn's many convictions are 12 for drink-driving, 10 for driving while disqualified, three for dangerous driving, and one for careless driving, as well as others for burglary, theft, drugs and violence.
'''Why did he still have a license? And why will he get it back in 2 years? If the judge thinks he's better off in rehab then fine, though I'd lock him up, but he should never have a valid license again. That may not completely stop him from driving, but at least the police could arrest him every time they saw him on the road.
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@no-quarter curious as to why you say NZ has a massive problem with drink driving and speeding. I ain't lived there for decades, so I don't know but massive problem relative to what?
Stats show increases in accidents and fatalities? More dui charges? Worse than ever in history?Not having a go but I wonder about authorities and media dramatising our road fears. Apparently there's money to be made out there.
As for the fuckwit in the article, what's the main, number 1 objective of our criminal justice system? Is it to protect society or the rights of criminals? If the former then MAKE him unable to drive, don't fucken ask him!
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@siam said in NZ Politics:
"Apparently there's money to be made out there."That is why they changed the law to catch people over 250 mcg breath. Just a fine, no court appearance. Basically you can't even have a beer, so not drunk, but still get fined.
I don't have a problem with it, at least you know where you stand, rather than wondering whether a second one is wise even for a 90 kg bloke. You just can't have any alcohol at all, really simple, but it does sound like revenue collecting rather than fixing our horrendous road toll.
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@siam said in NZ Politics:
@no-quarter curious as to why you say NZ has a massive problem with drink driving and speeding. I ain't lived there for decades, so I don't know but massive problem relative to what?
Stats show increases in accidents and fatalities? More dui charges? Worse than ever in history?Not having a go but I wonder about authorities and media dramatising our road fears. Apparently there's money to be made out there.
As for the fuckwit in the article, what's the main, number 1 objective of our criminal justice system? Is it to protect society or the rights of criminals? If the former then MAKE him unable to drive, don't fucken ask him!
Yeah, fair point about the media, hyperbole is what they do.
But, I know that following a decline in road deaths in line with other western countries, we have had a sharp increase in recent years. Mostly to do with speeding and drink driving. Overall we sit around the middle of the pack when it comes to deaths by population, but the recent trends are heading in the wrong direction. Granted there are other issues at play - nearly half our highways have very poor safety ratings as they are too narrow and have nothing separating traffic - but when you see cases like this you have to wonder why we are letting people like him back on the roads. And this case is far from the only one like it out there, our laws for repeat offenders are just way too lax.
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@no-quarter said in NZ Politics:
This part sums it up:
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Among Hawthorn's many convictions are 12 for drink-driving, 10 for driving while disqualified, three for dangerous driving, and one for careless driving,
'''and yet the judge thinks suspension is the solution.
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Her only achievement of note of 22 years in parliament is marrying her cousin
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@mn5 yep, I think you kill someone while under the influence you should eb charged with as close to murder as they can.
And being banned from driving for 2 years, FFS, should be banned for life after 2 drink driving convictions...but given his disregard for the law, he'd drive anyway.
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@taniwharugby said in Alternative needed from the absolute crap of stuff.co.nz:
@mn5 yep, I think you kill someone while under the influence you should eb charged with as close to murder as they can.
And being banned from driving for 2 years, FFS, should be banned for life after 2 drink driving convictions...but given his disregard for the law, he'd drive anyway.
Was listening to talk back, apparently he had the option to reduce his sentence by attending AA classes and refused. He got ten years and served the lot cos he's clearly a stubborn fuck.
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Whatever his tipple of choice, someone fills a barrel and drowns him in it.
(Honestly, I cannot even fathom how this guy with four deaths and multiple offences to his name has still even had a license to lose let alone be suspended. And it shouldn't be a choice of alcohol rehabilitation, but a long, long stay in a secure facility.)
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@taniwharugby @Mokey @MN5 its all of our fault apparently
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=12164640
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@jegga in part I think there is some truth in that, the soft approach to his convictions, even being allowed to drive at all, but at the end of the day, if someone doesn't think they have a problem or want help then no amount of help provided will matter.
NZ Politics