The GB Thinker
Food for thought. Share it around.
“CENSORSHIP REFLECTS A SOCIETY’S LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN ITSELF. IT IS A HALLMARK OF AN AUTHORITARIAN REGIME . " SUPREME COURT JUSTICE POTTER STEWART, 1966
Thetrickle-downeffect: GoldenBaynotexemptfromcensorship
The Village Theatre has refused to screen an acclaimed locally-made documentary, to the surprise of one of its founders Attempts to have Silenced screened at the Village Theatre have been shut down by the committee. Ironically, the hour long film is about national streams of censorship in media, medicine and academia. The intention was to have morethanascreening;invitingdiscussionwithaQ&Asessionafterwards, in an attempt to bridge some of the divide caused by the Government's pandemic response, augmented by censorship. The Village Theatre decided the documentary “fell outside their policy of not screening movies of a political nature”. Further inquiry as to what policy they’re adhering to and their thoughts on censoring a documentary about censorshipwereignored
Village Theatre founder Gerard Hindmarsh says "'I must admit I was surprised that the Village Theatre did not want to screen Silenced made by Samantha Blanchard Her film brought up valid points about how informationandsocallednewsissteeredinoursociety,asubjectworthy of debate in our current climate. One of our aims setting up the theatre back in 1988 was to not only be a venue for commercial movies, but as a forum for local film makers, and Samantha's offering was a valid and thoughtful contribution to this. Why not let filmgoers be the judge, not a committeeattributingthemselvesasarbitersofpublicopinion..?"
State Cinemas in Nelson also declined because of “inferences to misinformation” Whenpressedforspecifics,noexampleswereprovided Speech was again scratched by the editor of the GB Weekly when discussion about Silenced took place in the letters to the editor after its release The film-maker’s nuanced rebuttal (to an Aaron Marshall's second letter, claiming to represent the scientific community) was declinedwithoutexplanation.Theeditor’sright...butistheeditorright? J
The GB Weekly's letters to the editor have been questionably refused more than once. In February of this year, local GP Bruce Dooley would beattheNewYorkTimesinhisefforttobringpublicattentiontoamajor new study, sending a letter to the editor of our local rag Along with highlighting new findings on Vitamin D deficiency worsening the experience of Covid-19, Dr Dooley wrote about a conclusive review from the Cochrane report showing masks make little to no difference in the spread of respiratory illnesses Editor Jo Richards decided the study “suffered a number of flaws”, and without citing any particular study in response, he replied “research overwhelmingly shows they are effective whenwornasrecommended”
In remarkable contrast, two weeks later, Pulitzer-prize winning commentator Bret Stephens published the same study’s results in the New York Times, calling it “the most rigorous and comprehensive analysis” so far on mask efficacy for respiratory viruses. The headline in theleft-leaningpaperwasconclusive:
1) Which controversial bill affecting a major Golden Bay employer passed its third reading last week?
2) In addition to Pfizer, US Courts recently forced the release of COVID 'vaccine' trial data by what pharmaceutical company?
3) The annexation of what island by the NZ government in 1887 was later found to have been unlawful?
4) What are the names of the two FB noticeboards that emerged to facilitate free speech as a result of the original one's aversion to it?
5) Including this one, how many issues of The GB Thinker have been published?
“
The Mask Mandates Did Nothing. Will Any Lessons Be Learned?
”DrDooleysayshewasshockedathisletterbeing cancelled. “That a lay person would question this gold standard of Science, the Cochrane Review, caused me to oscillateemotionallybetweenamusementandalarm,”saysDr Dooley
Richards also debunked Dr Dooley’s studies referring to VitaminD’smeritswithoutanycitationsofstudieshedeemed better-overridingthelocaldoctor’sMastersinImmunology, and likely ignorant of the GP’s long-term experience with Vitamin D leaving the letter unpublished when Dr Dooley would not edit it according to Richards’ numerous suggestions. Richardsignoredourrequestsforanycomment.
Opposition to other mainstream-accepted issues has also been censored by the GB Weekly One reader, who prefers nottobenamed,pennedaletterpointingoutclimatechange theoriesarehypothesesonlyandnotdefinitives…“However, alternative hypotheses and significant debate on climate change is being blocked. Why? We, the people, have little knowledge of competing hypotheses and research, why is this?Nordowehaveanythingnearasufficientunderstanding toconcludethatonehypothesishasmoremeritthananother. Thisisforscientiststofreelydiscussanddebateandforusto have free access to (we don’t) … Think for yourselves and understand globalist and govt funding (and thus influence) extends to all corners of science, media and beyond" The writer says the refusal to publish her letter followed the editor twice changing titles of previous letters she’d sentwhich she felt were inappropriate and mischievous “I can't trust him to make honest, appropriate and suitable editorial changes to my letters anymore, so can't send any more in,” shesays.(TheworkofNZinvestigativejournalistIanWishart, includinghisbook‘Air-Con’writtenin2010,isagoodstarting point for anyone questioning the climate change narrative, and Reality Check Radio’s programme Greenwashed is also largely devoted to exploring why climate action might be unfoundedclimatealarmism.)
Lessons are not learned from censorship. Writer Laurie Halse-Anderson famously said ‘Censorship is a child of fear, and the father of ignorance’ But the microcosm of Golden BayisrepresentativeofacultureleachedacrossNewZealand andtheglobe.SociologistJodieBruningsaysthepublicneed totakeituponthemselvestoovercomethosebarriers.“Itis incumbent upon us to be curious and open-minded Since ancient times, oligarchs have always wanted to know more than the people. Nothing has changed. However, in the meantime,power(inparticular,theglobaloligarchicsystem) hasconsolidated”
That’sevidentfromtherecentadmissionfromFacebookCEO MarkZuckerberg,recallingthesocialmediagiant’sapproach to censoring Covid misinformation, he said in June this year the “establishment,” asked “for a bunch of things to be censoredthat,inretrospect,endedupbeingmoredebatable ortrue.”Thatculturehasevidentlytrickledallthewaydown, toourlocalinformationsources.
As with historical censorship regimes, the blocking of informationhasgonehand-in-handwithanincreasein
propaganda. Along with media outlets across New Zealand, the GB Weekly was an eager receiver of Government advertising dollars - (amounting to over $125 million total for the Unite Against Covid-19 campaignandsubsequentvaccineadvertisingcampaigns through to the end of 2022.) The Weekly was given over $12,000 in a grant for small publications from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage after the first lockdown, and then took cash for Covid and vaccination related advertisements that would dominate any page they occupied - hauling over $40,000 in advertising revenue, at rate card value, up to the end of last year Payments came from the Government, Te Whatu Ora Nelson/Marlborough, OMD - a PR firm contracted by the Government, TDC and others A $50,000 pandemic cashbonus.
The Weekly isn’t the only obstacle for free-flowing discourse in our local community Historically the town hall, plaza or village green would be a location for the exchange of ideas and discourse - today, like it or not, we’ve gone online The Golden Bay Community Noticeboard on Facebook is your best bet for engaging with your community at large, with over 16,000 followers - and it’s great if you want to notify everyone of a lost dog or your upcoming garage sale but efforts to discuss anything controversial are quickly silenced by moderators. Most recent was conversation about Julian Batchelor’s Stop Co-Governance roadshow, where comments were closed before members had the chance to exercise discourse within the group’s rules of being kindandcourteous
How are we able to discuss issues as a community if moderatorsofsuchagroupdecideforusthatwe’renot allowed to? Sociologist Jodie Bruning says access to all the information, including via those that are daring enough to share it, is ‘of the essence’ for a healthy society “Information is intelligence How intelligent we are, how much we might 'judge' a situation, is dependent on the breadth of information. If it's fine grained, more detailed, we will have greater knowledge of a problem” Bruning says - otherwise, we’re vulnerabletotheabuseofpower.“That’spartlybecause oftheabsenceofcriticalvoicesinpublicmediaandthe commercialisedprioritiesofNZpublicmedia”
Much like the burgeoning of independent media to elevate critical voices, there are now two other local Facebook'Noticeboards'whichhavesprungupbecause of the original group's aversion to free speech. Admin for Golden Bay Noticeboard (omitting the word 'community'), Andrew Kelsall says he started the new group'sothepeopleoftheBaycouldsaywhattheylike. Topics like the use of 1080 were getting blocked on otherlocalgroups"
The word ‘misinformation’, a catch-phrase for cancel culture, is getting a fresh run on RNZ's latest contribution 'Undercurrent' The Free Speech Union have pointed out disagreement is not violence During Silenced, world-leading cardiologist and prolific speaker to the pandemic science, Dr Peter McCullough calls misinformation a propaganda term “There’s no such thing as misinformation. There’s simply data, and two or more points of view. Disagreement is how we make scientific progress” One could argue: societal progressaswell. ~SamanthaBlanchard
Censorshipmakesusvulnerabletoabuseofpower. WhyarewevulnerabletoabuseofpowerinNZ? Thesereasons,fromsociologistJodieBruning.
"There is an absence of critical voices in a public media withcommercialisedpriorities
There is an uncritical acceptance in legacy media of the reports of news agencies, which have ownership structures that build into their structure and function extensive, pervasive conflicts of interest This is one of the biggest censorship problems. Institutions are multiscalar (ie local institutions are owned by companies that are eventually found to be a component of eg Blackrock's share portfolio, and horizontally with ownership porfolios across different business categories, including media Then they are tied across companies when industry sectors have representative lobby groups, suchaspesticides,pharmaorinFMCGs.).
Ourlargelegacymediaoutletsareoftenoffshoreowned. There has been three decades of reducing funding and academic space for the humanities, arts and social sciences studies (HASS), disciplines of history, philosophy,politics,sociologyandethics,tonameafew
Informational railways in our government, such as StatsNZ and regulatory agencies, have limited funding and are inevitably 'corrupted' by a requirement to conform to central government priorities and agendas, and their chief industry stakeholders. It is almost impossible for these organisations to clearly and transparently release information that contradicts state/industrypriorities.
Our system for science funding and projects is ridiculously opaque and unaccountable It's highly speculative rather than focussed on on-the-ground problems. There is no ROI reporting system for speculative applied research, while public good research isdismissedbecauseitisinnovative
Global guidance mechanisms (such as the International Monetary Fund) and other powerful global institutions havestrongerrelationshipswithofficialsthanthepublic Judges in our court system are (in the absence of contradictory information) politically appointed. Cabinet can produce secondary legislation in secret. Government canfundmedia
Trust Siouxie, or trust yourself? > "Congenial, respectful debate is water and sunlight for our democracy." - RFK Jr, Presidential candidate https://youtu.be/g1npEoRMQo
way to censor - shoot the messenger with ad hominem, Siouxie styles.
Itisincumbentuponustobecuriousandopen-minded.
Jodie Bruning is a prolific critic of Government policy on her Substack, Talking Risk Her primary focus is the regulation of scienceandtechnology Sheappearsin'Silenced'There's censorship - and then there's spin
It passed its third reading but that's not stopping a Coalition of Natural Health retailers (including Healthpost) petitioning against the Therapeutic Products Bill - sign here: https://petitions parliament nz/4011ca16-08e5-458e6fea-08db7e84cb09/sign
Maintenance
Shaun 0278803535
We are grateful for all the supporters who made The GB Thinker possible. Our email, bank account and online platforms will remain active.
gbthinker@protonmail.com 03-1354-0620658-00
Hi,I'mArohaatBeingPresenceCentre-Possibilities30 CommercialSt,Takaka,theonlyupstairsshopintown, followthesignsandrainbows!
I'mkeentoletyouknowthatIdoCustomFashion Designpiecesmadetofiteachindividual.Youcanorder yourselfgarmentsforspecialevents,weddingsor everydaywear,purchasefromarangeofdesignerwear in-storeoracquireoneofmyoneoffSculpturalFashion ArtCreations Pleaseseesomeofmy Fashionworkonmywebsite:www.ybe.co.nz. LookespeciallyatmyConceptualDesignsandCustom designwork Ialsomakehats,gloves, scarves,bags,younameit-Icanprobablymakeitfor you!Icanalsohelpwithmendingorrevampingitems MysecondpassionisdoingLifePathGuidancesessions withOraclecards Thesehelppeopletoclearblocks, focusonstepstotakeandaligntheirenergywith positiveforwardmovementtobringabouttheirbest future Bookasessionwithme:messagemeon 0272317447,beingpresencecentre@gmail.com.orpop intotheshoptoarrangeit.
Also,Ihelppeoplewithhealthandwellbeingwith doTERRArangeofessentialoilsandotherremediesand sprays.Istockavarietyofhealth,spiritualandhealing books,incense,crystals,jewelleryandamultitudeof otherproductsandgifts
Cometovisitsoon!Blessings.
Tuesdaysbyappointment, WedstoSat1030am-430pm BeingPresenceCentre-Possibilities
Food shortages explained
The United States has joined twelve other nations from around the world in an agreementtocrackdownontheagriculture industry to fight “global warming.” International governments have agreed to sign a pact pledging to target food production by shutting down farms to reduce“methaneemissions”
The thirteen nations signing the Global MethanePledgeare:
Argentina,Australia,Brazil,Burkina Faso,Chile, CzechRepublic,Ecuador,Germany,Panama, Peru,Spain,TheUnitedStates,Uruguay
The move seeks to drastically cut meat and dairy supply around the world to allegedly “savetheplanet”from“climatechange.”
The U.S., Australia, Brazil, and Argentina, nationsthataresigningthepact,areamong theworld’slargestproducersofmeat.