Marc Ellis' TV career rooted

[Zed]

"addict" and "junkie", zed?
how can you make these judgements?
it's not like you to judge others.....
is someone with a 6pack an alcoholic?
where do you get off making calls like that?
what experience do you have with E and the people that use it to make your judgements look like anything more than ignorant puritanical righteous name-calling?

Those are loose terms for drug users, I think I got my point across though - drug usage isn't an overnight affair, usage is continuous. I did also use the word "probably" when talking about Marc using it for years. I've had enough first hand experience between the age of 16-23 yrs to know what I'm talking about Badcat, not to mention my Christian beliefs that came after that.

really dude, that's pretty unloving.

Nah, I still love Marc's soul and want to see him prosper, but not through drugs!

Drug usage leads to crime and without making a huge *judement* call on him, I wouldn't be surprised if the rabbit hole goes quite alot deeper in his life and those of his associates.

What experience have you had with drug usage Badcat, declare if thou hast any understanding?

[Beemer]

I hate drugs, have never been interested in trying them and have no time for people who use them, but I think many people are being very hypocritical if they think it is only celebrities who use drugs.

Yes, Marc Ellis is stupid for taking drugs, but did anyone see Samuel L Jackson on Parkinson last night, talking about his cocaine use? To my mind, that is far more serious than buying ecstacy tablets in a club - but you can't deny he is a damn good actor. I am certainly not condoning drug use, but it's a fair bet that if you searched everyone in a nightclub on any given night, more than half of them would be in possession of E or something similar!

And I would bet that amongst these people are university students, doctors, lawyers, bank tellers, hell, probably even police officers for all I know. I hate that drug use is so prevalent, and I agree that it is likely Marc Ellis was not a first time offender, just a first time 'got caught', but should he lose his career over it? Will shares in Charlies magically rise now he is off the board? Will he fade into oblivion following this conviction? If it had been marijuana instead of E, would people be as horrified?

Drugs are drugs, whether they are heroin or marijuana, and if people think that celebrities and television presenters are all holier-than-thou people who never touch illegal substances, then your favourite movie must be Mary Poppins! I bet a lot of so-called christians are drug users too - especially the ones who go to confession and admit their sins in the belief they can slip into heaven while no one's looking - yeah, right!

[Kickaha]

Drugs are drugs, whether they are heroin or marijuana, and if people think that celebrities and television presenters are all holier-than-thou people who never touch illegal substances, then your favourite movie must be Mary Poppins!

What about Alcohol then? it could be argued it's responsible for a damn sight more death, injury, crime etc, ah sorry that's ok that one's legal

[onearmedbandit]

Ho hum - storm in a tea cup material. Love reading some of the comments posted - not!

[Zed]

And I would bet that amongst these people are university students, doctors, lawyers, bank tellers, hell, probably even police officers for all I know. I hate that drug use is so prevalent, and I agree that it is likely Marc Ellis was not a first time offender, just a first time 'got caught', but should he lose his career over it?

Drugs are drugs, whether they are heroin or marijuana, and if people think that celebrities and television presenters are all holier-than-thou people who never touch illegal substances, then your favourite movie must be Mary Poppins! I bet a lot of so-called christians are drug users too - especially the ones who go to confession and admit their sins in the belief they can slip into heaven while no one's looking - yeah, right!

So you are saying that you hate the drugs but have accepted the usage of them by people who influence your life and that of your family? If you have kids aren't you concerned that the likes of doctors and teachers are using drugs and may be diagnosing incorrectly and teaching unethical practises to them? I'm sure you are, but isn't accepting this behaviour part of the problem with our world?

I am not apologising for taking the hard-line, 'against the grain' voice on this issue - lets clean up our society...if you want to make this world a better place to live in that is.

It's obvious that you who reply to my posts like to think you can justify your argument by taking the religious angle and using it against me...shame on you for judging me, this issue isn't about Christianity!

[Ixion]

Well that's just it right, cops spend their time and effort as well as our tax payers money to catch criminals and solve crimes only to have the judgement system to take a shit on them in the form of soft judges with hearts of gold.

But to be really honest in this case, who gives a shit if he is taking E or not - seems to me that there are far more serious 'crimes' than taking or possessing a couple of Ecstasy tablets.

[shrug]. Personally, I don't really care if he takes the stuff or not. Figure what stuff people use is their own business, except maybe for P and similar, because it seems to turn those using it into raving nutters. I don't care what drugs you do (including alcohol) so long as it just makes you wibble quietly in the corner.

But what pisses me off is the attitude of the judges. On the one hand, we have speeding. Get done for doing 160kph and the learned judge can pretty well be relied on for an Old Testment denunciation of your monstrous wickedness and iniquity. And you'll be BUYING a bus ticket

But here, someone charged with class B possession, on the face of it a more serious offence than excessive speed, and he gets the bus ticket slap .

Either change the law so that Class B possession is an instant fine (or abolish it as a crime altogether, if you want, I don't really care) , like minor speeding, or have the judges change their sentencing.

If I were one of the cops involved I would be mightily pissed off and disillusioned.

[Beemer]

So you are saying that you hate the drugs but have accepted the usage of them by people who influence your life and that of your family? If you have kids aren't you concerned that the likes of doctors and teachers are using drugs and may be diagnosing incorrectly and teaching unethical practises to them? I'm sure you are, but isn't accepting this behaviour part of the problem with our world?

It's obvious that you who reply to my posts like to think you can justify your argument by taking the religious angle and using it against me...shame on you for judging me, this issue isn't about Christianity!

Crap, I don't justify my argument by taking the religious angle, I am just saying that many christians (you don't have to count yourself amongst them) are the biggest hypocrites in the world! Take the Mafia for one - lovely Catholic family there.

I don't accept the use of drugs by people who influence the life of me and my family (and I don't have kids - if you'd read any of my other posts you'd realise I hate kids), what I am saying is that it should be one law for ALL. Why should a university student or a lawyer or anyone else who is caught with drugs be treated any differently to a so-called celebrity? Would Joe Anonymous, theatre nurse of Anytown, have his name splashed all over the news? No, because most people wouldn't give a flying fuck who he is - but should HE keep his job when he could be responsible for your life one day? Marc Ellis's crime is no more or less a crime than anyone elses and everyone should be treated the same way. I'm certainly not advocating leniency because he is a 'star', but I'm also saying he shouldn't be treated harsher for his crime when others aren't exposed to the same media interest.

I agree with Ixion, I am not personally offended if someone I don't know does drugs, but the punishment should fit the crime. No doubt the calls would be the same if he'd been caught shoplifting. The judges can't sentence them to jail or force them to go into rehab, so it is almost a waste of time bringing the cases to court. What did he get fined - $300? I bet it cost more than that for the court sitting. If he'd been riding a bike without an L-plate his fine would have been $400 - so where is the justice in that?

I don't 'accept' drug use any more than I accept someone drinking to excess (before you start, I drink, but in moderation and I never drink and drive) and/or beating up their partner. If I personally knew someone who was taking drugs, I would speak up or let the police know. But when it is someone I have never met and only know through their entertaining antics on television, I say give him a break. Yes, punish him for his crime, but then let him get on with his life.

Edit: now even Lana Coc-Croft has been implicated in this drug ring and Starship Hospital is reviewing its association with her for fundraising! Who will be charged next, Judy Bailey? And when you look at the fine that guy Henderson got, and his involvement was much bigger, it makes you realise that the laws are outdated and urgently need reviewing. Wonder which political party will have the balls to tackle that in election year?

[Badcat]

Those are loose terms for drug users, I think I got my point across though - drug usage isn't an overnight affair, usage is continuous. I did also use the word "probably" when talking about Marc using it for years. I've had enough first hand experience between the age of 16-23 yrs to know what I'm talking about Badcat, not to mention my Christian beliefs that came after that.

Nah, I still love Marc's soul and want to see him prosper, but not through drugs!

Drug usage leads to crime and without making a huge *judement* call on him, I wouldn't be surprised if the rabbit hole goes quite alot deeper in his life and those of his associates.

What experience have you had with drug usage Badcat, declare if thou hast any understanding?

i have a good working knowledge zed, and i'm a sober family man (second child 1 week old). a good enough knowledge not to call someone a junky or addict because they bought some pills.
you obviously know your stuff about religion, but relax on the condemnation, dude - your ignorance is painful.

ken

[SixPackBack]

Yes it would be a big blow to the industry, but it wouldn't cease to exist mate, there is plenty of entertainment within the industry that's not immoral and filled with impurity like the stuff you watch and listen to!

You have no idea what i watch or listen to......another brainless comment Zed!

[oldrider]

Personally I don't care what Mark Ellis does (Freedom of the individual) as long as he does not harm or influence me or any one else.
He Knew the risk and decided to take it, foolishness in my book but that's the law.
"we" own the law."We" are all accountable for it's outcomes.
If you don't like the law, help change the the law makers. You get a chance every three years.
If your people get out voted accept, it that's democracy. Work harder to change it next time.
Personally I prefer the political right to the political left but look who's there, the peoples choice. I have to accept it. We live in a democracy.
It is the inconsistencies in the application of law and justice that pisses me off. Unfortunately that probably will not change even if the law and lawmakers do. (left or right). Cheers John.

[Skyryder]

Crap, I don't justify my argument by taking the religious angle, I am just saying that many christians (you don't have to count yourself amongst them) are the biggest hypocrites in the world! Take the Mafia for one - lovely Catholic family there.

I don't accept the use of drugs by people who influence the life of me and my family (and I don't have kids - if you'd read any of my other posts you'd realise I hate kids), what I am saying is that it should be one law for ALL. Why should a university student or a lawyer or anyone else who is caught with drugs be treated any differently to a so-called celebrity? Would Joe Anonymous, theatre nurse of Anytown, have his name splashed all over the news? No, because most people wouldn't give a flying fuck who he is - but should HE keep his job when he could be responsible for your life one day? Marc Ellis's crime is no more or less a crime than anyone elses and everyone should be treated the same way. I'm certainly not advocating leniency because he is a 'star', but I'm also saying he shouldn't be treated harsher for his crime when others aren't exposed to the same media interest.

I agree with Ixion, I am not personally offended if someone I don't know does drugs, but the punishment should fit the crime. No doubt the calls would be the same if he'd been caught shoplifting. The judges can't sentence them to jail or force them to go into rehab, so it is almost a waste of time bringing the cases to court. What did he get fined - $300? I bet it cost more than that for the court sitting. If he'd been riding a bike without an L-plate his fine would have been $400 - so where is the justice in that?

I don't 'accept' drug use any more than I accept someone drinking to excess (before you start, I drink, but in moderation and I never drink and drive) and/or beating up their partner. If I personally knew someone who was taking drugs, I would speak up or let the police know. But when it is someone I have never met and only know through their entertaining antics on television, I say give him a break. Yes, punish him for his crime, but then let him get on with his life.

Edit: now even Lana Coc-Croft has been implicated in this drug ring and Starship Hospital is reviewing its association with her for fundraising! Who will be charged next, Judy Bailey? And when you look at the fine that guy Henderson got, and his involvement was much bigger, it makes you realise that the laws are outdated and urgently need reviewing. Wonder which political party will have the balls to tackle that in election year?

I don't believe that the names you have mentioned have been treated (in law) any different than anyone else. They have placed themselves in the public domain for their own personal gain. I don't have a problem with that. If they can make a living through endorsments, TV entertaining, the speaking circut or whatever good on 'em. But by doing so they have become public figures and if they get themselves in the shit then they become news. They can not have it both ways: depend on public recognition along with a law abiding personia for their paycheque and anonymity if they become a news item.

Skyryder

[Beemer]

I don't believe that the names you have mentioned have been treated (in law) any different than anyone else. They have placed themselves in the public domain for their own personal gain. I don't have a problem with that. If they can make a living through endorsments, TV entertaining, the speaking circut or whatever good on 'em. But by doing so they have become public figures and if they get themselves in the shit then they become news. They can not have it both ways: depend on public recognition along with a law abiding personia for their paycheque and anonymity if they become a news item.

Skyryder

I agree, but the fall out has been huge compared to the crime - Joe Anonymous buys E off an undercover officer, gets a $300 fine and probably that is the end of it. Marc Ellis does the same, gets the same penalty, but also receives extra punishment in the form of publicity and threats of losing his job. Yes, he did put himself in the public eye by being a celebrity, but is it really news? Only if you believe that news also includes who's sleeping with who, who has the biggest bank balance and who's the latest 'star' of Shortland Street. As the judge said in the Henderson case, he escaped a fine because the size of the fine would not be any punishment, but he donated $10,000 to a drug agency to appease his conscience. Since then business pundits have come out and said publicly that the conviction will do nothing to hurt his business because his drug use has no bearing on his ability to do business.

What annoys me is that if this had been an All Black, his name would still be suppressed - double standards are rife in New Zealand.

[onearmedbandit]

If I personally knew someone who was taking drugs, I would speak up or let the police know.

Not trying to start a debate here, but would this apply to someone who say has a quiet toke at home? Someone who puts in a hard days work and just wants to relax in the comfort of his/her own home.

[Skyryder]

Not trying to start a debate here, but would this apply to someone who say has a quiet toke at home? Someone who puts in a hard days work and just wants to relax in the comfort of his/her own home.

Can't answer that one but a quiet toke in the privacy of one's home 'should' be nobodys buisness.

Skyryder

[Biff]

Does anyone actually care that Mark Ellis uses e?

Nope. Each to their own.


Who is Mark Ellis?

Edit - just Googled - I know who he is now. Great TV personality - damned shame if this ruins his career IMO.

As far as I'm concerned as long as whoever does whatever doesn't effect myself or my fambly, or innocent poeple, then I've no problem with anyone doing any low risk drug (such as grass or E - not shite like heroin or P - that's just plain nasty shite). The biggest risk faced by society by the use of E is people getting over effectionate and telling you that they love you. Ban alcomahol, then watch the crime rate fall. Make E legal, and watch the pregnancy rate rise.