Pulling one bad apple out cannot save the Navy

One of the biggest warning's which I received when applying for the Navy had nothing to do with expectations. No talks about high physical demands and little sleep. Surely then it had to be mental fatigue. No. My biggest warning came from the Navy doctor who warned me over and over again at the medical not to sleep around with Navy girls. I asked him why.

"Well, Navy girls and boys like to have sex. And they like to perv too."

Trying to suppress the laughter was hard. He'd been through the process of seeing so many people flocking to him with all sorts of STD's, so none of this was even remotely humorous.

So when Electronic Technician David Timothy Simpson pleaded guilty to filming women in bathrooms, nothing seemed amiss. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10869306. If anything, secretly trying to fulfill some strange desires, Mr Simpson was embracing the sexual openness the Royal New Zealand Navy openly encourages.

One commissioned officer (who is now a commanding officer of a RNZN ship) happily spoke about all his sexual escapades as a midshipman. According to him, "Navy girls are as easy as they come."

While the officer and many other young men may not have gone as far as Mr Simpson and made videos, very little is done to hide the sleaziness present within the Navy. Trying to fix it overnight because one man got caught would be impossible. Promoting a more professional, self restrained attitude towards a government funded unit is a starting point.

Suppressing information from the press is a sensible move. Most women who fell victim to the perverted creature will work hard to suppress it. The misery is that somebody will take the helm and begin working towards following their officers example. A mass exodus of serving men and women has more to do with personal well being than ridiculous budget cuts.

A future with less cats...still a long off dream

Standing behind Gareth Morgan, who wants to eradicate New Zealand's cat population, a recent survey seems to have more people supporting.

I have never been a big supporter of cats. They have always presented themselves as rather arrogant creatures, full of self pride, unwilling to ever try be friendly. For over half the day, they sleep away, often in remote quarters, only reappearing every now and again to eat dinner. Training them to do anything is a mission, as they are already convinced of their own smartness, which has yet to be regularly displayed.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10869395

While his proposal to supposedly rid the country of cats has found favor with some, others disagree. SPCA say it's "a slap in the face" that a voluntary organisation loaded with volunteers is slammed. Many stray cats are rescued by them and made available for ownership.

My respect for the SPCA is immense, but I wish they'd work towards helping more dogs. Friendlier, more intelligent, faster, humble, protective and energetic. For the most part, many dogs meet many or all of these criterion. Even if they aren't over friendly to others, they're always happy to see you. Unlike cats, who are often not there to see you.

Something rather amusing came up on the very biased stuff.co.nz. Which band do you prefer. The two options were Coldplay and Radiohead. At the time of writing 55% chose Radiohead. For a band which has senseless, depression fueled lyrics, this seems rather odd. One such song "Creep," goes 
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong hereUnless a sudden tirade of Radiohead fans stumbled upon Stuff, it's an indication of who the audience is largely comprised of.

For those people who are crying out day and night for New Zealand to become a Republic, think to yourself. Do you really want to have somebody like John Key, David Shearer or Meteria Turei as the all powerful dictator, who can influence any change in the snap of a finger? Somebody whom you have to, out of their position, respect them. If so, then that's fine. Like a chessboard though, the respect we offer to the monarchy allows us to ridicule politicians and prime ministers for the meager contributions they make.