But it is possible to hate war and yet admire warriors. My Japanese teacher fought the Americans in the Japanese airforce, and was selected for a kamikaze mission when the war ended. History has shown he fought on the “wrong” side, but he did what he believed to be right at the time, and was prepared to die for his country. In the same way, the ANZAC fighters who went to their death in Turkey were prepared to die for their beliefs. So I actually agree with BB that the Wellington protest at ANZAC day is not appropriate. Many of the ex-servicemen may have actually agreed with the protestors about the futility of war, but there is a time and a place.

The Wellington protestors are not “Scum”; they are also fighting for what they believe in, but IMO they made a serious error of judgement.

What is “special” about apartheid TV?..what is “special” about apartheid seats in our Parliament?

If this TV channel is so “special” then it obviously does not need to be funded by me.

Any protest at ANY Anzac day service is NOT respectful, you could chose any other day of the year (there are after all 364 of them) when your protest would not offend anybody yet you chose this one.

You did this because it would cause controversy, and yes you are damn right, I am lumping all of you into the same basket as not one of you has one ounce of decency.

As far as I am concerned you and your protesting “friends” (I note that man arrested in Wellington is an unemployed bludger) are scum.

Well differentiated! Thank you.

> Well - put me out on a limb but I think people had every right to protest. If those who died, died for freedom as someone above said, then they died for the full, messy, complex beast that is freedom.

People have the right to protest, and other people have the right to criticise that protest for being insensitive or inappropriate. Just like with the Mohammed cartoons - I’ll defend the right of that Danish newspaper to commission those cartoons, but I won’t defend their decision to do so.

I can certainly understand people finding the Wellington flag burning protest offensive, and I have issues with it myself.

But I am concerned that everyone is throwing all the protests into the same basket and condemning all ANZAC day protests as a result.

At the Auckland protest we had a mixed response from the public, with some people telling us we were being disrespectful, but many other people supporting us.

grace..?..yes..!

janis..?..yes..!

norman..?..w.t.f..?..

and eredwen…much praise to maori tv for showing that most-excellent doco..

and a pox on them for breaking up a carefully themed/nuanced piece of art with their poxy station promos..

that was insulting/disrespectful..on so many levels..and the juxtapositions often jarring..

and the ultimate insult to this doco was that both the boy and i thought they just cut it short..(ran out of time..?..)

and they most certainly did not run the credits..

and i would like to note..that in the theatre the boy and i saw this…not a soul moved/left before that last credit rolled up the screen…

it was an integral part ofthe experience..

y’know i get really pissed at the rigid/old school ‘teacher tells pupils what is’ style of teaching..

a system locked in the past..tied to old methods..

and this doco couldn’t be a clearer example of a piece that teachs more in one viewing..than a year of study of gallipoli under any teacher could..

and when i reviewed this doco..i made the call it should be in every secondary school in the country..

and required viewing for all pupils..(and all new zealanders for that matter…

c’mon tvi/tv3..!..step up to the plate..!..eh..?

yes..it is turkish-made..but it is most definitely about us..

(for those who haven’t seen it yet….find a half-way decent video store..and they should have it..

and it really should be viewed without being littered with/by station promos..

eh..?..)

and i guess..on a superficial reading..racism would be another arrow in b.bs’ quiver..eh..?

(anyway…back to work..)

phil(whoar.co.nz)

Well then bb, you have just missed a great big dollop of ANZAC history … a lot of it newly researched and excellently presented (almost all in spoken English, plus a few bits with English subtitles for the spoken Italian or German … and a little Maori).
This is because Maori speakers also speak fluent English and are polite enough to use it when speaking to Pakeha, and many of the people speaking were Pakeha. (No sign of “aparthied” there!)

Aotearoa/NZ has two official languages bb. Get used to it or be left behind
(even further than you are already!)

I have been glued to the Maori Channel since 1530 hours this morning, unable to tear myself away! I have laughed and I have wept, and I have been reminded of a lot of things that I used to know, and have learnt a lot that I didn’t know, and above all I have gained more condfidence in the fact that we have something very special in this Country that we must treasure (and a sad suspicion that people, like you bb, don’t understand what I am talking about!)

I have also been reminded of the (well deserved) respect that Kiwis (Maori and Pakeha) are afforded in the World outside Aotearoa/NZ.

eredwen
(born in 1941, remembers bits of WW2, and our troops coming home … )

Personally, I think the flag reeks of the legacy of colonialism, and I would like to see us adopt one that better reflects Aotearoa/New Zealand’s bicultural heritage. I don’t even have a problem with the desecration of the flag per se (I was pleased to see Tame Iti’s appeal against his conviction for firing a shotgun at one on his marae was successful) - it’s all to do with the context and setting, and an ANZAC Day commemoration is not imo the appropriate context or setting.