Callous Socialists Exploit Tragedy
Nobody knows exactly what happened. A family is grieving the loss of a wife and mother. Emotions are running high and talkback is buzzing.
The perfect opportunity for Socialist Worker to strike a blow at "capitalism". Never mind the family, never mind the facts-just another chance to stir up resentment.
Socialist Worker, its fronts-Residents Action Movement and the Solidarity Union plus a few "hangers on", made the TV news tonight. I'll bet they were so excited.
From Socialist Worker's Blog
Trade unionists and community activists from South Auckland will join forces at an angry picket at the headquarters of Mercury Energy, 602 Great South Road in Green Lane, today Thurs 31 May at 4pm, to protest the death of Folole Muliaga.
Folole died after her power was disconnected from her house by a contractor employed by Mercury Energy, leaving her family to grieve in the dark. Her family had warned and pleaded with the company beforehand that her life support required electricity. She was $170 behind her bill.
Protest organiser Joe Carolan-
"Yet again we see a so-called State Owned Enterprise put profit before people in New Zealand. Mercury Energy should be renamed Murder Energy- they are corporate bully boys who prey on the weak, old and vulnerable of South Auckland, and are no better than the corrupt money lenders who plague our communities. They rely on the fact that people feel alone and isolated- thats why we want to give them a dose of people power tomorrow they will never forget.
Trade unions like my own Solidarity Union will join community activists at Murder Energy Headquarters today, 602 Great South Rd, Greenlane. We will be calling for the sacking of Murder Energys CEOs and their blood soaked moneymen, and for proper democratic community control over the decision making to ensure that this tragedy that Folole and her family suffered is never, ever repeated. We call on the people of Auckland who are angry about this to come join us and say People Before Profit- Murder Energy- Never Again!"
The perfect opportunity for Socialist Worker to strike a blow at "capitalism". Never mind the family, never mind the facts-just another chance to stir up resentment.
Socialist Worker, its fronts-Residents Action Movement and the Solidarity Union plus a few "hangers on", made the TV news tonight. I'll bet they were so excited.
From Socialist Worker's Blog
Trade unionists and community activists from South Auckland will join forces at an angry picket at the headquarters of Mercury Energy, 602 Great South Road in Green Lane, today Thurs 31 May at 4pm, to protest the death of Folole Muliaga.
Folole died after her power was disconnected from her house by a contractor employed by Mercury Energy, leaving her family to grieve in the dark. Her family had warned and pleaded with the company beforehand that her life support required electricity. She was $170 behind her bill.
Protest organiser Joe Carolan-
"Yet again we see a so-called State Owned Enterprise put profit before people in New Zealand. Mercury Energy should be renamed Murder Energy- they are corporate bully boys who prey on the weak, old and vulnerable of South Auckland, and are no better than the corrupt money lenders who plague our communities. They rely on the fact that people feel alone and isolated- thats why we want to give them a dose of people power tomorrow they will never forget.
Trade unions like my own Solidarity Union will join community activists at Murder Energy Headquarters today, 602 Great South Rd, Greenlane. We will be calling for the sacking of Murder Energys CEOs and their blood soaked moneymen, and for proper democratic community control over the decision making to ensure that this tragedy that Folole and her family suffered is never, ever repeated. We call on the people of Auckland who are angry about this to come join us and say People Before Profit- Murder Energy- Never Again!"
posted by Trevor Loudon at
5/31/2007 07:59:00 PM
39 Comments:
Other unions and groups were there too- Len Richards and Jill Ovens from the SFWU, Joe Slade, John Minto and a whole crew from Unite, Anthony Main from UNITE Australia and Louisa from the EPMU. The protest was organised by Solidarity Union's Joe Carolan in conjunction with the Public Servica Association's Brendan Sheehan, a close relative of Fofole's family.
Where were the ACT party? Arguing for more market forces and corporate control over our public services. The precise policies that end in the callous tragedy that has happened in Auckland.
You should really exercise some discretion on this matter, Trevor. Have you consulted with the ACT caucus before attacking this protest? I for one will be passing details of your lowdown attack on these concerned people protesting to the media.
Let us remember-
It was your mate Prebble who passed the SOE act in 1986 that helped create this mess. The more market policies of a neoliberal Labour Party must also be condemned, however, and Mallard should resign along with the CEOs of Mercury.
Lighten up shocked-neither you nor anyone else knows the full facts of this case. There are other peoples lives and liberties at stake here-including the contractor who cut off the power.
You're putting a lot of pressure on this man, who may yet prove to be innocent.
You should all be ashamed of yourselves for exploiting a tragedy like this for political purposes.
Solidarity Union had been in contact with the family's close relative Brendan Sheehan from the PSA, Trevor. Brendan told the picket the family supported it 100%, and thanked the unions for organising the protest. At no stage has the ACT party approached the family to help so far. The picket took up a koha and gave it to the family to help with funeral expenses.
Why don't you take a break from your keyboard and write out a cheque for the family, and then get Rodney to match it? Or will you add insult to injury by insinuating that the family is lying?
PLEASE CIRCULATE WIDELY AND COME ALONG
There is a rally outside the Electricity Commission Friday 1 June at 12:30pm to protest against the cutting of power to Folole Muliaga’s home and to send a clear message to the Commission and power companies that they should put people before profit.
The rally will be outside the Electricity Commission, ASB Bank Tower at 2 Hunter Street (corner of Hunter and Victoria), Wellington .
Everyone welcome,
Fleur Fitzsimons
For further information: 0274 418 209
Andrew Campbell
0275 487 006
Stop being an idiot Shocked.
There are two main possibilities here
a there was a misunderstanding.
b The contractor deliberately cut off the power, knowing it would put a woman's life at risk.
I don't know the answer, but I know which is more likely.
I will wait till I know the facts before I condemn anyone.
I'm condemning the protestors, because I know for sure that they don't know the facts, but are irresponsible enough to talk about "Murder Energy" etc.
What if the contractor proves to be innocent? What are you going to do then? Are you going to issue a grovelling apology?
I'd post anonymously too, if I were a dishonest, lynchmobbing gutless wonder like yourself.
"Callous Socialists Exploit Tragedy"
Gee Trev
Unreal, your mates Prebble and Douglas started privatisation, the Nats carried it on and those two initiated the ACT Party! Hence our power companies! Corporate mate!
Hello? Trev? Go talk to Mah!!!
So who exploited?!?
HAM
Good one Trevor!
This family didn't pay the power account in full or on time, and suffers this sad fate. End of story.
However of course, everyone else is to blame - Mercury Energy, the contractor, the health authorities, capitalists in general - Yeah Right!
First, let's offer respect and aroha for the poor lady who died. At 40. And for her husband and her kids broken with grief, and for those who are close.
Then let's acknowledge, as you yourself say Trev, that none of us knows right now exactly what happened.
If it's NOT a fact that this lady died for want of payment of $100 plus and instead it's some terrible tragic cock-up, then I agree with you. The protestors are being exploitative and it's obscene "drum beating". If it's not a fact. And I feel also for the contractor guy.
If it IS a fact that this lady died for want of payment of a lousy bastard $100 plus to a wealthy corporate then I am sick with outrage.
But as you say - we don't know right now.
Why then Trev, not knowing, as you acknowledge, did you open with the headline "Callous Socialists Exploit Tragedy" ?
In common morality you could only say that about them if you DO know that the shit $100 plus WASN'T why she died. You've already acknowledged that you DON'T.
So am I being unfair when I say that if at this point they're exploitative, then so are you ?
Honest, decent man answer please Trev. And do know this - many, many people will rightly judge you by the answer you do give.
Rodney Of The Dance will hear about this ! He'll close this shitty blog down Trev.
Barry, would you have the balls to give me your address ?
I want to meet you.
Barry, would you have the balls to give me your address ?
I want to meet you.
Barry, would you have the balls to give me your address ?
I want to meet you.
C'mon you disgusting creep. Give me your address. If you've got any balls.
Oh yeah; on the news I saw the signs of the RAM. Thanks to Trev I'm beginning to understand the deceitful and ulterior motives behind the '81 Springbok tour protests, ALF, anti free-trade protests, and now even this.
*Roll Eyes*
What a pack of dishonourable cunts...
"White trash" is what I'd call them all quite frankly.
[Sorry TL, but this language is, well, kind of justified]
As a social conservative, I'll almost look forward to the day when I have to grow a beard and learn the Quran - knowing that the pinkos and reds are being put to the sword.
"What a pack of dishonourable cunts..."
Trevor, and Shout above the Noise-
does the above quote include PSA member Brendan Sheehan, who is a close family relative, and who spoke at the protest today giving the thanks of the grieving family?
A transcript of this blog will be posted to Rodney Hide tomorrow along with the rest of the NZ media.
Hey Trev, Rodney's Inbox is gonna be full as tomorrow morning Darling.
I've done my own personal best to ensure that. All my commie mates have been tappin' away. He's gonna have a shit of a day. And Granny Herald's got hold of it too !
All thanks to you ! Your vicious right-wingism, racism, and general madness has finaly fucked you over Darling. It's proved damned near as fatal as not paying a shitty power bill !
Well, either you're gonna get closed down or Rodney's gonna publicly cane you !
Have to go off to NY and seek succour from lunatic Mah then, won't you.
Kia Ora. No apopo about it !
C'mon Trevor, I know you're awake, "watching developments" so to speak.
Where's you answer, Fat Man ? Ain't you you got the balls libertarian ?
"Have to go off to NY and seek succour from lunatic Mah then, won't you."
Steve, you're comments on "I want to meet you" or "Ain't you got the balls" comments makes YOU the damn lunatic. You are threatening people on the Internet because of an issue they like this they simply just want to see the bigger picture of it all, instead you believe a slanted Socialist Workers' blog that doesn't give the entire picture to the story? And you are threatening Trev, and calling me a "lunatic" over this?!
Face it Steve, you're mentality is slowly falling apart. And also this comment against Barry:
"Barry, would you have the balls to give me your address ?
I want to meet you."
I would take that as a direct threat from a lunatic from Northland.
My my, some irrational comments from both sides while I soundly slept.
Both sides, knock off the threats and bad language or their will be future deletions.
Barry-This is more complicated than merely not paying a bill. The central issue here is how much the contractor knew or understood before he disconnected the power.
This guy's life must be hell right now. Maybe he deserves it, maybe he doesn't. I will reserve judgement until I know the facts.
So should everybody else.
Steve. If you'd read my second post correctly, I explained there why I condemned the protestors and still do.
They don't know the facts, yet happily use words like "murder", "contract killer" etc.
That is unconscionable.
This issue has generated much heat and will no doubt generate more. It may be a while before the hysteria subsides as the facts become clear.
The Socialist Worker Marxists and their friends have behaved in a lynch mob fashion and should be publicly shamed for their apalling behaviour.
I hope its a better day for the Muliaga family and Socialist Worker and Co leve them to grieve in peace.
The police will get to the bottom of this and then people can start laying blame where it deserves to be laid.
Just off to work, will be back at lunch time.
Piss off Mah you creepy little zionist. This is New Zealand stuff. Got nothing to do with you.
"Piss off Mah you creepy little zionist. This is New Zealand stuff. Got nothing to do with you."
Trev's message to you Steve and to everybody is to tone things down, and so far Steve, you have not done so with ANYONE who dares disagree with you.
You can't stand me for praising Zionism can you Steve? It's wrong for Jews like me to have a modern state of Israel, is that so offensive?
The only one who seems to be creepy around here is anyone who is so cowardly to hide behind a computer and make threats on the Internet and pathetic insults. Now Trev states that everyone should calm down, or there'll be future deletions. So summer down.
If the power bill had been paid this death would not have happened.No one else is to blame.Socialists never accept responsbility,they alway blame someone else.
Trev your constant attempts to exploit events to the benefit of your anti-red crusade sometimes forget the facts. Brendan Sheehan, Mrs Muliaga's nephew and spokesman for the family during this hard time, is himself a trade unionist and gave a speech at yesterday's demonstration. These demonstrators were literally standing in solidarity with the family.
The standard socialist plaint is that the consumption of reticulated electricity is a "human right." They apply the same terminology to the consumption of reticulated water.
This perverts the language of rights to cover what are in fact political demands.
Someone has a right to stand outside during an electrical storm to collect electricity via lightning strike. They have the same right to hook their bicycle up to a generator and a storage battery and pedal for all they're worth.
They do not, however, have a right to unpaid access to electricity generated by a third party.
Should someone invest large sums of money in a system that generates electricity and reticulates it to almost every part of the country, they are [a] entitled to seek an appropriate commercial return on that investment; and [b] set whatever terms and conditions of use they deem appropriate.
This, of course, includes a procedure for terminating service to anyone who fails to pay for it within a set time frame.
Ditto for reticulated water. Anyone has the right to stand out in the rain with a bucket and collect water as it falls from the sky.
They do not, however, have a right to demand unpaid access to water that has been collected by someone else.
If water is collected in a dam, chemically treated to eradicate pathogens, and reticulated to almost every part of the country, the supplier is again: [a] entitled to seek an appropriate commercial return on their investment; and [b] set whatever terms and conditions of use they deem appropriate.
While the death of this woman is indeed a great tragedy for her family, we need to consider that (unlike in the years-old photographs her husband has been clutching on television) at the time of her death she was morbidly obese. The lady was also reportedly a diabetic.
It seems highly likely that owing to her lifestyle choices she wasn't long for this world anyway and Mercury Energy is getting the blame for something that could have happened at any time due to a number of medical complications.
As Trevor correctly identifies, the Commies are simply exploiting this situation to create dialectical class conflict.
Good post Trev....its a shame the mouth foaming socialist bottom feeders can't understand your point.
Personally I feel that the family are the main party responsible for what happened.If they had not been wasting their time on praying and instead applied some reason to the situation this tragedy need not have occurred.
Whether by ignorance or religious conviction they ignored facts and the law of cause and effect and reality punished them accordingly....sad but true.
ME are just the fall guys at the end of a chain that started way before the day this woman died.But that won't matter to the "kick a corporate" crowd who just want to vent their envy ridden insecurity on something.Over eating,lack of exercise,faith over reason,failure to upskill and find productive work....all added up to this sad and unnecessary conclusion..
Steve your mind is Diseased. Seek help.
As Trev said, we don't know the full facts yet.
This tragedy is a gift for the hard left. It's got it all: An eeevil faceless corperation (Who are probably Israeli or something), a robotic and uncaring company stooge, a poor, virtous brown family.
No wonder the mouth-foaming leftists are geeting all excited, they couldn't write this script better if they tried.
Trouble is , ther are real people involved here.And they are hurting.
Oh and Steve, if you want to 'meet me', I'm game little man.
EXOCET
All Kiwi's ever do is stand around with placards bearing semi intelligent comment waiting for five oclock so they can go home and see if they made the six oclock news.
Observing New Zealanders demonstrate is like watching the grass grow. I always reckon a good petrol bomb or overturned car adds much to the impact of a protest. But all you get here is "yes you did. No I didnt, NA NA NA NA"
More importantly they left the power on for us to watch the boat race.
Dirk.
I would really appreciate it if steve and his red mates chip in an buy me a ticket to New York as I am very tired of the peoples republic of New Zealand.
I'm going next month. I'm hoping I can stay at Mah's house.
Dirk.
Dirk,
You should be fine at Mah's house - he is rich as. Watch out for his tin soldiers though....
HAM
"You should be fine at Mah's house - he is rich as. Watch out for his tin soldiers though...."
Dirk, HAM, knock this pathetic behavior off.
Less than a week after the death of Folole Muliaga, Tony Wall discovers how a small corner of Mangere is coping with the glare of worldwide media coverage.
Brendnen Sheehan takes a couple of minutes' break from an exhausting week to have a cigarette at the back of the Muliaga family home, away from the glare of TV cameras and photographers.
"I bet they (Mercury Energy) are cursing having someone like me around," says the Australian-born union organiser.
He and a scrum of media representatives have just witnessed the most extraordinary scene - Mercury Energy chief executive Doug Heffernan and other executives with lava- lavas over their suits sitting crossed-legged and humbled on the floor of the Muliaga family home in Mangere Bridge, South Auckland, asking forgiveness.
Sheehan is directly responsible for the death of Folole Muliaga making news around the world. He and his wife Makelita, a niece of Folole's, were told of her death a few hours after she passed away last Tuesday afternoon. When Sheehan, an organiser with the Public Service Association, heard a Mercury Energy contractor had turned off the family's power a couple of hours before she died, leaving her oxygen machine inoperable, he was "outraged", and "decided to swing into action".
By that night the former media officer for the Australian Services Union in Brisbane had phoned a contact at Radio New Zealand - "we have some union members there" - and the story was broadcast nationwide early the next morning. "If they didn't have a relative with media skills, it might have been just another Auckland death, another number. It's an amazing story."
Sheehan and his wife are renting around the corner from the Muliagas while he works on a contract in Auckland. Their usual home is Waipukurau in Hawke's Bay.
Makelita Sheehan says her Irish Catholic husband is passionate about human rights, the underdog and the poor. "I just thank God for him. If we didn't have him, we'd be sitting in the dark grieving without a voice."
Makelita said she was fully aware that by inviting media scrutiny, the family was opening itself up to criticism of its own actions. "We welcome people criticising because then we can explain, `this is why'. It's only human nature, we're not afraid at all, we feel we're speaking the truth."
She said Samoans were a proud, humble people and Folole would not have wanted anyone to know about their situation. "They never tell you about their health. An aunt of mine had a mastectomy and never told anyone. Folole was suffering but she didn't want the children worrying. Samoans don't want a fuss. She would have been telling them, `It's all right, I'm fine'."
On the day Folole died, life in Scott Ave, Mangere Bridge, went on as usual. Next door, hairdressers Halmer Searle and Alan Bettesworth, who run a salon in Onehunga and bought their house seven weeks ago for $610,000, were having a coffee and a chat on their back deck, surrounded by exotic plants, male busts with pearls, and a spa pool.
The two men saw the contractor go inside the house, then go to the back of the house and disconnect the power at the wall. A few hours later they saw Folole's son Ietitaia, 20, known as "Yeti", run crying down the drive to a neighbour's house.
They wish he had come to them earlier. "I feel so awful, it would have been so easy," Searle said. "We could have put her in our sleepout for the rest of the afternoon. I feel so sad because it was like we were so close and yet so far."
Yeti, unable to call 111 because the family's phone was cut off too, went to the 72-year- old widow living behind his property. She did not want to give her name, but described how frightened she was when an ambulance officer told her over the phone that she would have to give CPR. She had never done it before. "You see it on the TV, but doing it is quite different." The woman did her best until ambulance officers arrived.
Yeti, who is doing a building construction course at Manukau Institute of Technology, insisted the contractor was told of his mother's condition and saw the tube in her nose. "Big time, big time," he said when asked if the man was fully aware. "He said, `I'm just doing my job'."
Yeti has been grilled for hours at Mangere police station, as his version of events will be crucial in determining whether charges will be laid.
When the Mercury Energy executives arrived on Friday, and were left standing outside the home for more than two hours before being asked inside, Yeti said he had nothing to say to them. "I've had my time, it's too late. It will just bring back memories."
Folole's only daughter, 16-year-old Morwenna, was doing exams at Onehunga High on Tuesday and came home to find her mother dead.
She said her mother, rather than father Lopaavea, ran the household. "We always looked up to her for everything. Mum did a lot of the talking."
When her mother stopped working at the Congregational Christian Church childcare centre in Mangere several weeks ago, she and her husband told the children that things would be tight.
"It was hard, it was difficult," Morwenna said. The family had to survive on Lopaavea's $470 weekly salary. With that they had to pay $300 rent. She did not think her parents knew about government assistance that might be available.
But Morwenna says they didn't go hungry. "We could always go around to my auntie's house."
Morwenna said life was better for the family in Samoa. "Life is harder here. You have to pay for water and electricity and all that, but there you can go and live at other people's places; here you have to live in your own house and raise your own kids."
Her mother was too proud to ask for help. "She didn't want anyone involved in her situation."
Lopaavea Muliaga said that when his wife died at first he was very angry towards Mercury Energy, but God told him not to be. "God loves us, God will help us," he said.
When Lopaavea was asked if he regretted the way the family had handled his wife's medical situation, Sheehan was quickly back in media manager mode. "He won't be answering that question, it's not appropriate."
Add Your Comments >>
I counsel the inhumane pigs so quick to define $100 plus more valuable than Folole Muliaga's life (not knowing the facts as Trev AND I said): read my first post on this matter.
I did actually express a genuine thought for the contractor, on the basis that at the time of posting I, like the rest of you did not know the whole picture.
A view much the same as Trev's although he too was rather quick to leap. He saw a socialist and had a little accident in his underwear. You'd agree we were much on the same line Trev ?
It's just that minutes later as I read the post of the pig "Barry" my vomit sort of "tapped" the keyboard.
Oh well, karma will look after him and the other racist pigs who were so quick off the mark ! New Zealand does have a dirty underbelly of racist pigs but they'll never win ! I live in Northland mate and mutants like you won't ever lick the Ngapuhi ! Nor a very large number of Pacific Island people contibuting magnificently to this country.
Hey, Exotit, you're "Barry" are you ? Don't bank on anything pig !
Hey Mah, I'm fabulously rich too. Got an oil concesion in Iraq. My uncle Maxwell gave it to me for nothing.
I'm picking up HAM and Dirk in my Lear jet, we're zooming over to Venezuela, picking up Hugo, and then on the NY.
You will have the presidential suite in your mansion all ready won't you ? Beds all turned down etc. Hope so. I'll introduce you to boil-up. It's choice. Little bit like steamboat without the bean curd.
No Mah, we're coming by Learjet, not by package steamer !
You want me to bring you some Northland Noodles Matey ? Best noodles in the world up here in Northland !
"Add Your Comments >>"
Seems like this issue should properly dealed in the courts to decide the wrongful death. Not by non-objective parties.
Steve, Dirk, HAM, knock off your childish behavior. You three sound like the Three Stooges (pardon me to Trev for using this analogy even if it's the truth).
Hey Mah Mah, why is it that whenever you think you're onto a howler you offer Trev your apologies in advance ?
Here's a truism for your earnest consideration: one never has to apologise for telling the truth - like when people identify you as a Holocaust Nazi. And Uncle Maxwell (Not Very) Smart as a war criminal - responsible for maybe hundreds of thousands of deaths of innocents while he salivates over the Episcopalian Bible. No apologies. None at all. Uncalled for. It's all true
As is - IDF: 10 Palestinians: 1
Anyway, it was my jewish grandfather was one of the Three Stooges. Which makes me a Three Grand Stooge.
Well.....my appearance fee is slightly larger in these "E" Channel times but call my agent Moshe Superstein. We'll see what we can do. OK ?
When did this blog become a haven for the insane?
I have no gall Mah. You are all of those things. In bucket loads ! You're a snivelling embarrassment and a weirdo zionist fanatic!
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