Harawira takes on smoking giant due to Maori deaths

[spajohn]

I'm not a smoker, and would be keen to see less of it, but what gets me with this is at what point should people take responsibility for their own actions? If there are 600 deaths a year amongst Maori from smoking, didn't everyone of them choose to smoke?

What are your thoughts?

"A tobacco giant has been told there should be a statue to commemorate dead Maori smokers killed by "the enemy that lies within our midst"."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/poli...king-battalion

[Tank]

Yep - because smocking deaths is a Maori only issue.

[Mully]

I thought that while I was watching Hone banging his drum on te News yesterday.

"Personal responsibility" seems to be a foreign concept.

It's a pity Dean got sand in his vagina, cos I'm sure he'd have a unique POV on this.

[FJRider]

Lots of kids go hungry because their parents would rather buy smokes ... than food.

Must be the goverments fault ...

[bogan]

Hone can get fucked, we commemorate the soldiers because they died for something (NZ'rs freedom etc) what did the smokers die for?

Also, yeh where has dean got to? got back from my hols and kb hasnt been nearly as funny without him

[FJRider]

"Personal responsibility" seems to be a foreign concept.

I've heard that said a few times ... quite a few times actually ...

But few take responsibility personally ...

[Mully]

Funnily enough, I was just watching this:http://tvnz.co.nz/close-up/meat-loaf...-video-3398739

(It's a Meat Loaf interview from Close Up earlier in the week) - there's a good bit in there about personal responsibility. A minute or so in.

[spajohn]

Funnily enough, I was just watching this:http://tvnz.co.nz/close-up/meat-loaf...-video-3398739

(It's a Meat Loaf interview from Close Up earlier in the week) - there's a good bit in there about personal responsibility. A minute or so in.

Great interview...and excellant point on personal responsiblity.

[MisterD]

Why take personal responsibility when you can blame the white man for everything?

I know a few others on here are regular readers of the Whale...but really you should read this about his appearance in front of that select committee:

http://whaleoil.gotcha.co.nz/2010/03...ke-it-up-em-2/

The further reading, which is what he was trying to present:

http://whaleoil.gotcha.co.nz/2009/11...g-101-results/
http://whaleoil.gotcha.co.nz/2009/11...troughing-102/

...and you thought the Treaty was the only gravy-train in town...

[Tank]

I know a few others on here are regular readers of the Whale.....

All Hail the Whale - love his work.

[Swoop]

...and you thought the Treaty was the only gravy-train in town...

It appears the train is pulling quite a few carriages behind it.

All aboard! No ticket required, the taxpayer is being bled dry to fund everything.

[puddytat]

They should give up the ciggies & just stick to dope.....

[EJK]

Lots of kids go hungry because their parents would rather buy smokes ... than food.

Must be the goverments fault ...

Probably the only consumer product they buy from dairy?

[riffer]

Let the tobacco companies sell as many ciggies as they like. Just don't allow them to have any nicotine in them. Problem solved...

[bogan]

Let the tobacco companies sell as many ciggies as they like. Just don't allow them to have any nicotine in them. Problem solved...

or just let em sell as many as they like full stop, if people want to shorten their own lives with cigarettes let em; most buildings are smokefree now so i doubt second hand smoke is doing much damage.