Slow blogging

Apologies for having a few days off, quite simply I've been away home for a while and preferred to spend the weekend with my girlfriend, having human company rather than spending more than short periods in front of this infernal thing. I'll be back at full tilt tomorrow though.

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There is much to say about fuel prices, taxes and subsidies, David Davis and 42 days detention without trial, Bush's last trip as President to Europe, the emergence of further new technologies that could replace crude oil with oil generated by bacterium, and the tragic ongoing debacle of Zimbabwe. I am about to fly back to the Middle East. May Lufthansa treat me well (my experience is that it's ok, it's better than airlines from the US, but isn't as good as BA or Air NZ), and I'll have ample time to blog there in the evenings. Not a lot is too interesting about NZ at the moment, except for some reason I've noticed Libertarianz spokespeople appearing in mainstream media more often than in the past - maybe something is happening putting Libz in the top tier of parties outside Parliament.

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The Green left is almost joyful over fuel and food prices, a new armageddon that means we "have to change", amid nonsensical calls to stop building roads and to all return to growing our own food. Meanwhile, spare a moment for those in Zimbabwe - they are about to have a sham election, terrorised into voting Zanu-PF, whilst the beloved ANC run South Africa appeases the blood dripping despot at its gates. South Africa can now join the ranks of China for providing succuour to murderous dictators - but don't expect those who rightfully campaigned against apartheid to campaign against the ANC, you see black Africans murdering other black Africans isn't racist, so it doesn't quite get the left as upset as racist violence. South Africans murdering and attacking the refugees from Zimbabwe, refugees because of Mugabe's filthy violence loving mates in the ANC giving him a continued lifeline of money and fuel - it makes me wonder how much longer African regimes can continue to give cover for this vile dictatorship.

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Oh and I haven't forgot Camp 22. Others have. Amnesty International prefers to focus on Guantanamo Bay, and almost ignores North Korea. You might ask them why, you might ask why the Green Party campaigns about China and Burma, but ignores the far far more murderous and repulsive North Korea. Ignorance is hardly an excuse. So think that this morning when you woke up, tens of thousands of North Koreans were woken at dawn, in prison, men, women and children - to work till dusk, non stop, receiving starvation food rations, being physically and sexually abused. Those women with Chinese fathers having compulsory abortions, as part of North Korea's own eugenics programme against "contamination".

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and if you think I'm exagerrating, read this book and this book and ask yourself whether these prison camps for entire families would still exist if the world united behind a message of abolishing them? Ask yourself why children should be allowed to live in this Orwellian nightmare? Ask yourself why more get agitated about whether you recycle, drive to work or fly on holiday, than the daily murder, torture and hell so many North Koreans go through in gulags - it will tell you what value many put on human life compared to the cult of ecology.

So be grateful for those who fought for our freedom, be grateful for where you are not, and it will give you some perspective.