NZ Politicians Can Be Ignorant Rubes

Trump is Right On the Issue of Border Control

US presidential aspirant, Donald Trump was roundly condemned by all parties in the NZ Parliament recently.  (At this point, we need to register a disclaimer: we have no liking for Donald Trump as a politician.  He is a showman--someone who performs and blusters--for notoriety's sake.)  Poor man was condemned over his apparently reprehensible comments that Islamic immigration into the US should be stopped "until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on."

Politicians from across New Zealand's political spectrum have condemned comments from Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump. . . . Trump has called for Muslims to be banned from entering the US, saying many Muslims nursed a hatred towards America.  They should be kept out "until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on".

NZ First leader Winston Peters said he didn't worry about Trump's comments as he had no chance of becoming US President, or even the Republican nominee. . . .National Cabinet minister Paula Bennett said Trump's comments were both ridiculous and appalling - and took the opportunity to have a dig at Labour's analysis of Auckland housing data based on Chinese surnames.  "It is almost like defining houses on a surname instead of actually looking into the depth of who a person might be and what they really stand for."

We believe that this represents a classic example of the kettle calling our "Hello, pot".  Our politicians have shown they are likely considerably more myopically ignorant than Donald Trump.

In the first place, soundings of public opinion after Trump's comments, as shown in a Bloomberg survey,  indicated that over sixty five percent of Republican voters agreed with him.
 So, apparently now NZ political leaders are dismissive and condemning a substantial number of citizens in the United States.  This would be rather extreme position to occupy, one would have thought, which accused two thirds of  Republican party supporters in the US of being ridiculous and appalling.

One suspects around about now if these petty politicians Down Under were to have stopped to put their brains in gear, albeit after spouting forth the most ignorant, xenophobic rubbish on the matter, they would now be busily removing egg from face.  But it gets worse:

Labour Party foreign affairs spokesman David Shearer said they were "moronic" and undermined the United States' reputation for religious freedom.  "I think it's likely to play into the hands of the very people he is worried about," Mr Shearer told the Herald.

"This is exactly what extremists would want to see. But more importantly, he's missed the plot in terms of the violence that claims most American lives. It doesn't come from Muslim extremism, it comes from people within their own society."  Mr Shearer said he was optimistic Trump would be overtaken by a more sensible and humane Republican candidate.

Shearer's comments are asinine.  If an Islamic guerilla soldier infiltrated into NZ and shot several people, Shearer would gravely tell us that we have missed the plot.  We ought to be focusing upon all the murder and road deaths that come from within New Zealand society.  What!

But let's look more closely at what Trump actually said.  He wanted Islamic migration to the United States to be suspended  "until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on".  Now that seems a perfectly reasonable position--which explains why Trump's remarks have resonated so positively with the US public.  Consider the alternative: Islamic folk should continue to be let in to the United States whilst the Congress, and the Administration do not know what is going on so that active jihadis are now present in the country. To oppose Trump on this warrants being labelled a madcap.

Maori Party co-leader Marama Fox said the comments showed Trump's ignorance, "but that's America for you, what are you going to do".  "If you look at the freedoms, to express your voice, to speak, the freedom of religion is also one of those freedoms. If he is going to go down that road, he is actually going against his own religion."

Ms Turei said Trump was "idiotic".  "He is no example to anyone, I am amazed that he is being reported in New Zealand. Really, why would anyone pay attention to such a man?  I can't explain American politics, I'm sorry, but I certainly don't feel like it has any relevance to New Zealand."

Fox's folly is embarrassing.  There is a difference between rights reflected (and protected) in the US Constitution for US citizens, and rights held by would-be migrants to the country.  If Fox is seriously suggesting that the US ought to be acting as if the US Bill of Rights applied to all peoples in all country's, she would be signing up as a fellow-traveller alongside those dreaded Neo-cons who believe the US had a right to go to war with any nation that breaches the US's version of human rights.

Sigh.  What a useless, inept, superficial, ignorant bunch of politicians we are cursed with.