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Entries Tagged as 'Rights and Freedoms'

Thoughts on Roast Guinea Pigs and Balancing Freedoms

October 7th, 2008 18 Comments

We have google set to “strict safe search” … you have probably worked out where this is leading, check out the first pic that came up on her search – roasted guinea pig complete with two roast spuds.

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Electoral Finance Act Threatens Privacy and Family Home

October 7th, 2008 10 Comments

Imagine coming home to this on your lawn: it’s 1000 knives! No this isn’t something from the “only in America” files it is Bob McCoskrie’s front lawn covered in knives, complete with threatening note related to Bob’s political activities! How did they get his address? Compliments of the Electoral Finance Act; law abiding critics of […]

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Labour Erodes More Human Rights: The Criminal Procedure Bill

June 20th, 2008 4 Comments

I was absolutely horrified to wake up this morning to hear that Parliament had passed the Criminal Procedure Bill last night. While there were some good things in the Bill (as there usually are) such as the district courts being able to hear P cases, I am most appalled at the attack on double jeopardy; […]

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Home Education

June 18th, 2008 Comments Off on Home Education

Recent reports of parents being jailed for home schooling their children in Germany have made me think how greatful I am for our government (a rather rare moment). Six years ago we removed our children from school and began home educating them. We did this because at the time our eldest son who has Aspergers […]

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That Is Soooo Unfair

September 13th, 2007 1 Comment

Frequently when my six year old son tries to take something from his siblings, something that belongs to them and he has not asked for, he attempts to justify his actions with the phrase “but I want it” said in an annoying whiny, loud, self-pitying tone. An important part of moral education is to teach […]

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Against Liberal Morality

August 10th, 2007 Comments Off on Against Liberal Morality

In debates over abortion, homosexual conduct, euthanasia, prostitution, drugs. Those who call themselves liberals often mount the same basic argument. A socially or morally permissive stance is necessitated towards such practices because people have a right to choose do what ever they like with their bodies. As Mill put it, The only part of the […]

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Jim Flynn’s suggestion: Contraception and Religious Freedom

July 12th, 2007 3 Comments

When I was teaching the history of early modern philosophy at Otago last year, one of my students told me I reminded them of Dr Jim Flynn. This was supposed to be a compliment. Flynn was highly regarded at Otago even those who considered themselves conservatives had good things to say about Flynn. I knew […]

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