Hey Potplant

So if you are the potter and i am the clay,
you don't gotta answer why you made me this way
but evenso, my mind remains curious,
though others look down, cite me as spurious.
a distressed looking potplant catches my eye,
most of the others are dead and dry.
this growth retains the spark of life,
though all around, surrounded by strife
and plenty within - I daresay it's true,
kicked when it's down, now growing askew.
just want to reach down to show it i care,
but i'd kill it with kindness, i'd interfere.
next to it a multi-tiered collection of dirt,
does it represent nothing, or a picture of hurt?
crowding round, last gasps for life spent,
twisted, wretched branches, hollow and bent.
yet close by in a white box of styrofoam,
many pretty light blue flowers made their home,
plain and yet pleasant, the one lasting truth
all else around, callous, uncouth.
the distressed looking potplant, fighting uphill
i'm lying, admiring, its perseverance and will.
some leaves are yellowed, i don't think there's hope,
yet you strive for the light, with your future - elope.
her roots hang on though the ground is unsteady,
the others gave up, she says, "i'm not ready".
she inspires me with wonder, a reason to fight,
but can i pull through when i'm flying that kite?
you can't safely land if you're not in the air,
oh well, whatever, i don't think i care.

so this one's for God - He is not airy-fairy.
His hand's in Creation, I can see it so clearly.
He knows of this potplant, struggling and striving.
He knows every leaf on that little dumb tree,
so how much more then, does He care for me.

Hatred & Water-Balloon-Condoms Thrown at March For Lifers in Berlin

Bryan Kemper writes on his blog of his experience at the March for Life in Berlin on September 18. Unless you read this post, you're really not going to be able to comprehend the nature of the pro-abortion lobby in Germany, and the kind of thing we're going to be up against here in New Zealand if we continue to attempt to "take away women's reproductive rights"...

Bryan writes,

Besides the 1,800 pro-lifers in attendance; there were hundreds of riot police to protect us from the over 500 pro-abortion protesters who came to interrupt and attempt to attack us.

Our team went early to the site of the march to witness to the pro-abortion protestors and share the Gospel with them. We stood right in the middle of their gathering and just began talking to many of the young people there who seemed to hate us so much.

As the time for the march came closer we made our way to the stage to get prepared for Michel and me to give our talks. I was getting so excited as I was meeting young people from all over the world gathered there to jump start a youth pro-life revolution in Europe.

I was so impressed by the resolve of the pro-lifers as the pro-abortion protesters started to mix into our crowd and begin screaming vulgarities at us. Two lesbians walked to the front of the stage and began to make out in an attempt to shock us; they were just ignored as we kept on with the program.

Police hold the counter-protesters at bay

When I got up to speak the pro-abortion protesters were enraged as they announced an American coming up to speak. When they saw that I looked more like them then the rest of the pro-lifers I think it made them angrier. I shared my testimony about coming to Christ and then an encouraging pro-life message. I fired up the young people, challenging them to make sure that we always have the courage to stand up for Christ and for life.

As the organizers began to pass out white crosses to the pro-life marchers, many on the other side began to steal crosses so they could hold them upside down. As we took formation in the street, the pro-aborts were lining up beside us screaming the most foul and sexual things at the pro-lifers. They were holding the crosses upside down, waving rubber sexual organs and throwing condoms filled with water at us...

Read the full article here.

Vlog 8: Aborting New Zealand

New Zealand's over-65 population is spiraling out of control. By 2026 the number of over-65s will have doubled, leaving the Government and the economy struggling to care for them. But the Government - and New Zealand itself have brought this upon themselves with abortion which has killed 400,000 pre-born Kiwis since 1974.

NZ Herald Article: "Urgent plan needed for over-65s - report", 8 Sept, 2010

The Kiwi Party and Abortion

The Kiwi Party has made itself known as a "Judeo-Christian Values Party" - although upon a cursory glance of their website I couldn't find any reference to this. The party's leader is ex-United Future List MP, Larry Baldock. He is backed up with fellow ex-United Future List MP, Gordon Copeland now serving as Party President, and More FM Radio celebrity, Simon Barnett. The party is strongly pro-life, and I have huge respect for their opposition to abortion. The Kiwi Party has just recently adopted Gordon Copeland's "Abortion (Informed Consent) Amendment" bill.

I am absolutely in favour of what this bill seeks to achieve. It seeks to take an incremental step forward through the provision of information through counselling before the mother makes a final request to be considered for an abortion in accordance with the current Abortion Law. Below is a diagram of the change the amendment would make.

It's a great bill, and you can read an excellent short summary of it here. However, it is not going to go anywhere. In another document entitled "Abortion Law Reform in New Zealand; a Political Strategy", the Kiwi Party outlines its strategy for reforming New Zealand's abortion law for the better by passing the informed consent bill. Coincidentally, the strategy involves getting the Kiwi Party into Parliament. However neither the Kiwi Party, nor any of its candidates will ever enter Parliament again. This is because they are incompetent and unprofessional.

Baldock's referendum to repeal Section 59 of the Crimes Act (subsequently adopted by the Kiwi Party) was a thinly veiled bid to build the platform necessary to get Larry Baldock back into Parliament in 2008 with the newly formed Kiwi Party. It failed in this objective. Baldock's 2011 Election Bid was to run a referendum seeking to amend New Zealand's law on referendums so that they would be binding. The question read: “Should Parliament be required to pass legislation that implements the majority result of a citizens initiated referendum where that result supports a law change?” Confusing, huh. Anyway, this referendum also failed in building a strong platform to get Baldock back into Parliament. Last I heard it was 280,000 signatures short of completion, and with only a few months remaining. So what new strategy from the desk of the Kiwi Party? A policy to make a significant improvement in New Zealand's abortion law.

Let's be clear. The law would not restrict any abortions. However through the improved system of counselling, it is strongly likely that the number of abortions in New Zealand would drop significantly. (over 10% I think).

Earlier this year I wrote Referendum File 1: The Logic of the Campaign for Democracy and Referendum File 2: Can They Be Trusted?, outlining a critical lack of wisdom and integrity in the Kiwi Party. I will be writing further "Referendum Files" shortly. One of the party's key policies embodies the Socialist ideal of wealth-redistribution through an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour. There are also major issues with the party's Law and Order policy which I have written about here.

In their political strategy document, they write:

Therefore progress can not be made unless the Kiwi Party or some other Party which is prepared to commit to this issue, is elected to Parliament. The Kiwi Party already has a high recognition factor in New Zealand with an independent poll indicating that 8.7% of voters would “likely” vote for the party if they were confident that it could achieve either 5% of the party vote or one electorate seat, thus ensuring its presence in the next parliament.

This 8.7% figure, obtained through "independent polling" is old news. The Kiwi Party used it at the last election... and I have no idea who the independent pollsters were, but they didn't quite get it right did they... In the 2005 election Baldock received 3.67% of the vote in his electorate of Tauranga. However you have to get roughly over 40% to win in this electorate. In 2008 he received 5.11% of the vote. That election, the Kiwi Party received 0.54% of the party vote, even with their platform, repealing the Anti-Smacking Law being one of the key election issues. How well are they going to do at the 2011 election where neither abortion nor smacking will be key election issues?

I will be writing more shortly about The Kiwi Party; why they should not run at the next election, and why you shouldn't waste your vote on them.

Republicans to Campaign on Federal Abortion Funding?

Just heard from the Manhattan Declaration project that,

So many of you emailed the Republican House leader's office last week urging the party not to backtrack on its commitment to life, liberty and marriage that you brought the email servers down. We have just been informed that the Republican leadership WILL now include references to marriage and federal funding of abortion in their election agenda.

This is excellent news. However it will remain to be seen if the Grand Old Party will run with a decent pro-life platform, or if they'll make either promises they intend not to keep, or make promises that offer no genuine improvement to the problem of abortion in the United States.

Vlog 6 - Christchurch Earthquake 4 Sept. 2010

My day in Christchurch on the day of the second biggest earthquake of our country which shook up the whole city, leaving many homeless, including a cat who seemed quite content to find a seat in some rubble. This video includes previously unseen footage and photos and is a first-hand account of the catastrophic event.

My follow up video to this vlog is entitled "Christchurch Earthquake: Thank God Nobody was Killed...?", and is a quick look at the deeper side to the 4/9/10 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. More photos are here.

Previous vlogs here.

Vlog 7 - Christchurch Earthquake: Thank God Nobody was Killed...?

Why do Christians say "Thank God nobody was killed in the earthquake"? What do they mean... or do they even know what they mean? This video is a quick look at the deeper side to the 4/9/10 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. This video is a follow-up to my last vlog entitled Christchurch Earthquake 4 Sept. 2010 in which I discussed my day in Christchurch on the day of the second biggest earthquake of our country.

Previous vlogs here.

Vlog 5 - It's a Silent Issue

The sponsor of New Zealand's latest "Abortion on Demand" bill, Steve Chadwick believes that there aren't enough abortions in New Zealand. What's going on behind the scenes here?

Vlog 4 - "If You Don't Like Abortion, Don't Have One"

"If you don't agree with abortion, don't have one!" This is a statement which is made frequently by those in the pro-abortion movement. In this video I discuss what an absolute pathetic excuse for an argument that it is.