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My two cents

  • Writer: Amanda Riddell
    Amanda Riddell
  • Nov 8, 2023
  • 2 min read

Updated: Nov 10, 2023

Well, here's the prompt that generated all my art for the motion comic: ''make a kaleidoscopic portrait of the Israel-Hamas conflict, sourcing images from the news to create a collage that emphasises an anti-violent message. Highly detailed, highly realistic. Show the horror to whatever extent Stablue DIffusion allows. Truly brutal, almost shocking." - the typo was genuine; it's a black activism thing too, and that's why I do that. - Why should Kiwis have an opinion about Israel anyway?


I see: from the international relations perspective, it would represent an open declaration of war against the US from all of the Islamic countries if they were to exterminate Israel. I heard a taxi driver saying that during my recent vision quest that resulted in AMPP.


But that's only if the US continues to support Israel. If they were to throw them out, or at least to condemn the policies of the current government, then I think the States could probably escape the situation without causing a world war. - Regarding AMPP's foreign policies:


China's an observer re: non-aligned, which is perhaps an important distinction between them and the US as imperial powers go.


So, I mean, China may have its own more or less fascistic laws, but they're not terribly into territorial expansion, whereas I think the US has Israel as an example of their imperial vision. I've said elsewhere that I expect New Zealand to hold China and Indonesia and Phillippines to account on their human rights issues: I think we should have some kind of Human Rights Charter that countries who wish to trade with NZ should sign. 🐝


-


But, yeah, I think that it's dangerous for Labour and the Greens to egg on Palestine, and that reflects people far higher up in those parties than any Kiwi. As I say, AMPP is resolutely local; there's no international chapters or branches: it's just me, the AI and some of my mates. 👋




 
 
 

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2 Comments


Amanda Riddell
Amanda Riddell
Nov 08, 2023

You - all the pros - are probably thinking 'Why Phillippines and Indonesia?' The answer: The War on Drugs! These are two of the most important export nations on the planet when it comes to drugs, and far more geographically relevant than the Latin American drug trade. This is why Kiwis and Aussies are constantly arrested in Bali for drug trafficking, and the Phillippines War on Drugs is a current humanitarian crisis. Drug Law Reform is a very international issue, but I'm only loosely affiliated with NORML. ✊🥝

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Amanda Riddell
Amanda Riddell
Nov 08, 2023
Replying to

My vision of legalisation does involve an export market for psychedelics, though my natural inclination is to limit the exporting of drugs (unless to similarly aligned jurisdictions). My cannabis policies are particularly about the local hemp farming market, and expanding that to be something that the Provincial Growth Fund could invest into. Rongoā is something that I've indicated an interest in studying before, and I'm certainly considering it as an option.

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