Sunday, September 8, 2013

I have said it before----'An attack on a police officer is an attack on us all!'

When I heard the news that a police officer was viciously assaulted; hit from behind, kicked in the head, over and over again and only stopped when two brave women (who knew him) put themselves between the fallen officer and his assailant.
There can be no excuse for such behaviour. I do not want to hear that the accused had a difficult upbringing or had experienced a 'bad day.' His choices led to this assault, nothing more. The officer was alone, doing his duty, a situation that needs to be looked at, especially late at night.
Now, the officer faces a long time off work and the damage to his health could well affect his future career in the police. The public has responded by donating money; it will take a large amount to make up for the pain, loss of confidence, (not just for him, but his close colleagues) and possible decreased functioning. Only time will tell just how bad the ramifications are for him and his future.
The accused was described as a 'youth worker;' a position that must raise some concerns re his carrying out that particular occupation. I watched the news reports as he faced the court and wondered what could possibly drive his uncontrolled anger. I tried to understand, but in the final analysis, he has damaged two lives; his victim's and his own. Another unfortunate fact is that these assaults on our police are not uncommon; this one however, being at the extreme end of the spectrum. I am sure that the vast majority of New Zealanders support the work of our police. They are after all doing what we want them to do, upholding laws that we generally agree with and protecting those who most need it---us! Just know that you have our support.
www.authorneilcoleman.com 

The America's Cup. Exciting or a damned farce.

OK, I have to admit that the sight of those two huge catamarans slicing through/above the water yesterday in SF was wonderfully enticing. Yes, they were dangerously beautiful and for a while we even had a real competition.
I am not going to go on about the ‘money the New Zealand Government gave to our ‘effort’ as being ‘better spent on other issues, because in my view NZ stands to gain far more than that.
What angers me is that the ‘carnival’ could have been so much more. Let’s face it; the number of contestants was pathetic and it is only NZ’s obsession with winning back the Cup that made it of any interest to us here. Most other countries in the world would hardly even know the regatta is going on. I would far rather see a return to the days when more than a dozen countries contested the ‘Olde Mug.’
I used to love the long drawn out affair we had in the past when many weeks were involved in finding the ‘challenger,’ for the Cup. The ‘craft’ used were more traditional but even they had to be right up there in terms of technology.
Will we see a return to the good old days? Will the huge catamarans be the order of the day, because the sheer excitement and speed will rule the day? I hope that sense prevails and the winner of this round will be able to take us back to the future!
www.authorneilcoleman.com