💉💉💉Kumara📎Republic↙️↙️↙️

@kumararepublic.bsky.social

1215 Followers 1670 Following

“It is cruel jest to tell a bootless man that he ought to lift himself by his own bootstraps.” - MLK World's southernmost capital city, NZ/Aotearoa

Screenshot of a "Stop Data Centres NZ" post ironically using AI-generated images.
Family Guy colour chart meme with "free speech" in the lighter colour section, and "thug's veto" in the darker colour section.
Harry Leslie Smith with his book Harry's Last Stand
Results of test via https://britmonkey.com/2020s-political-compass/: 77% Woke, 23% Chud 42% Techbro, 58% Luddite 53% Hopepilled, 47% Doomer 67% Davos, 33% Dubai Your closest match: Zohran Mamdani
Engulf & Devour logo from Silent Movie (1976)
Still from The Sound of Music (1965)
"LUDICROUS SPEED!" in the style of a Star Trek Lower Decks opening title card.
"42" in the style of a Star Trek TNG opening title card.
Jerry Falwell talks about his first time, Campari spoof ad in Hustler, 1983.
Family Guy colour chart: light skin = free speech, dark skin = thug's veto
James Rossiter stanning Putin.
Save Radio New Zealand sticker and FB page image.
Reverse pyramid of conspiracy theories.
Stuff Poll: Should New Zealand join the effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz? Yes 17% No 76% I'm not sure 7%
DNC.org.nz lookup of "remigration.nz". Registrant's name is Karl Bensemann, and the registrar company is Porkbun LLC (based in the US/Canada Pacific Northwest).
Butter chicken pie
Government (National/ACT/NZ First) Chris Luxon: A Late-Model Executive SUV (e.g., Hyundai Kona or Mitsubishi Outlander). Practical, premium, & designed to look safe & corporate, as he has chosen a "cost-saving" focus while leading a larger team, often using practical, high-value vehicles rather than excessive luxury. David Seymour: High-Performance Electric Hatchback (e.g., Tesla Model 3). Fast, efficient, & disrupts the established, traditional car market. It is often seen as a smart choice by some & a polarizing, unconventional choice by others, aiming to disrupt the status quo. Winston Peters: A Restored 1980s V8 Holden Commodore. Old school, incredibly durable, & has been in the game longer than most. It’s loud, has a huge presence, & knows how to navigate tricky, winding roads better than anyone else. Shane Reti: A Dependable Volvo Estate. Safe, practical, & highly methodical. It’s a reliable choice that focuses on function & longevity, rarely breaking down or causing unexpected drama. The Opposition (Labour/Greens/Te Pāti Māori) Chris Hipkins: A Reliable 2nd-Hand Hybrid Hatchback. Practical, reliable, & designed for efficient, consistent, day-to-day work. It is familiar & generally liked, even if it isn't flashy. Jacinda Ardern: A Premium Electric SUV (e.g., Tesla Model Y). Modern, transformative, & tech-forward. It changed the landscape of the "car fleet" & focused heavily on a cleaner, future-oriented image. Chlöe Swarbrick: A Modern Electric Cargo Bike or Compact City Car. Forward-thinking, efficient, & directly challenging the need for large, traditional vehicles in modern life. It’s designed to get around, skip traffic, & focus entirely on sustainability. Rawiri Waititi: A Custom-Built, Bold Pickup Truck. Unapologetic, powerful, & built to stand out. It represents strength & a distinct, firm voice that isn't afraid to take up space on the road.
NZ Politicians as Cars Jacinda Ardern - 2011 Nissan Leaf - Eco Friendly - Modern - Great for getting the kids around the city - Not great for much else, no grunt Judith Collins - 2014 Audi A7 - Needs to be at the front of traffic - Will tailgate you to get there Jami Lee Ross - 2001 Nissan Skyline - Fuck you all - The creepers car - Under constant police surveillance Shane Jones - 2011 Harley Fatboy - Popular in the country - Hated in the cities - Will occasionally rev its engine just to make noise and draw attention to itself Winston Peters - 1979 Jaguar XJ6 - Is great half the time, terrible the other half - Driven by 70 year old men who flirt with 20 year old women - How tf is that thing still running? Andrew Little - 2015 Toyota Hilux - Reliable - Carries the whole team - Isnt attractive in any way shape or form Paula Bennett - 2018 Holden Commodore - Bogan Success - Wont stop tooting Paul Goldsmith - 2016 Lexus GS - Reliably outperforms all others - Is so boring that no one cares Chloe Swarbrick - Bicycle - Assumes moral superiority - Has small, devoted following - Pisses everyone else to no end Simon Bridges - 2017 BMW LD730 - Crown Limo - Rich asshole who thinks they've made it - Unreliable as hell David Parker - 2002 Toyota Corolla - Been around a while but no one seems to have noticed - Does what its meant to - Nothing flashy Phil Twyford - 2017 Maserati Quattroporte - Looks Good - Sounds Good - Doesn't Work
From the MASH episode "Of Moose and Men": "You've struck coleslaw!"
1985-1996 Mercedes-Benz W124 in good condition.
2000: Go to college or you'll be flipping burgers! 2008: What do you mean you can't find a job? Is flipping burgers too good for you? 2016: You want $15/hour for flipping burgers!? Millennials are so entitled. 2021: Why does no one want to flip burgers anymore? No one wants to work!
"Oh shit. There goes the planet." from Spaceballs.
Now to balance the scale, I’d like to talk about some things that bring us together, things that point out our similarities instead of our differences cause that’s all you ever hear about in this country is our differences. That’s all the media and the politicians are ever talking about: the things that separate us, things that make us different from one another. That’s the way the ruling class operates in any society: they try to divide the rest of the people; they keep the lower and the middle classes fighting with each other so that they, the rich, can run off with all the fucking money. Fairly simple thing… happens to work. You know, anything different, that’s what they’re gonna talk about: race, religion, ethnic and national background, jobs, income, education, social status, sexuality, anything they can do to keep us fighting with each other so that they can keep going to the bank. You know how I describe the economic and social classes in this country? The upper class keeps all of the money, pays none of the taxes. The middle class pays all of the taxes, does all of the work. The poor are there just to scare the shit out of the middle class… keep on showing up at those jobs. So stirring up the shit is something I like to do from time to time but I also like to know that I can come back to these little things we have in common, little universal moments that we share separately, the things that make us the same. They’re so small; we hardly ever talk about them.
Corporate logo of ENGULF+DEVOUR on a boardroom wall from Silent Movie (1976).
Corporate logo for Engulf+Devour on an office wall, from Silent Movie (1976)
You are feeling very sleepy, in the style of Denis Villeneuve's Dune eye poster.
In recommending this program I am thinking not only of the immediate economic needs of the people of the Nation, but also of their personal liberties—the most precious possession of all Americans. I am thinking of our democracy and of the recent trend in other parts of the world away from the democratic ideal. Democracy has disappeared in several other great nations--not because the people of those nations disliked democracy, but because they had grown tired of unemployment and insecurity, of seeing their children hungry while they sat helpless in the face of government confusion and government weakness through lack of leadership in government. Finally, in desperation, they chose to sacrifice liberty in the hope of getting something to eat. We in America know that our own democratic institutions can be preserved and made to work. But in order to preserve them we need to act together, to meet the problems of the Nation boldly, and to prove that the practical operation of democratic government is equal to the task of protecting the security of the people. Not only our future economic soundness but the very soundness of our democratic institutions depends on the determination of our Government to give employment to idle men. The people of America are in agreement in defending their liberties at any cost, and the first line of that defense lies in the protection of economic security. Your Government, seeking to protect democracy, must prove that Government is stronger than the forces of business depression.
AI generated photo of Trump, Netanyahu, Putin, Khamenei with a DECEASED stamp superimposed, and Min Aung Hlaing in prison jumpsuits at a courtroom in The Hague.
Screenshot of Japanese bullet hell game.
Cartoon by Daryl Cable of Donald Trump playing whack-a-mole with Iran's Ayatollahs.
Quantum Link home page as seen on a C64.
Look folks, reality can sometimes be hard to accept. We all want freedom for Iran. The regime was a horrible, nasty pack of religious zealots for whom terrorism & murder was always the first option. Their revolution started by killing 400 people in a theater with arson & chained exit doors. They sent thousand of kids to their deaths with toy keys around their necks promising entry to heaven if they just walk in to Iraqi minefields. I’ve tracked IRGC terrorism across Iraq, Lebanon, Syria & Yemen and even fought them in the PG, They almost killed me in 1988. The Islamic regime needed/still needs to be destroyed … that said: People are getting upset with why I assess this war will likely fail to topple the regime. Because it is a fantasy based in Trump’s head using lethal tools we prepared for 47 years for the right moment. That moment likely has passed. Trump has no idea what he’s doing. Because he has contempt for the people who know what they’re doing & the history of what came before him. If Afghanistan is the graveyard of empires then Iran is the funeral home of empires. It dresses you up and lays you into the coffin neatly. Then closes the lid. Trump cannot understand why Iran hasn’t surrendered … “Lookit all them bombs,” he shouts “They should all love Trump!” That’s it. That’s the Iran-War strategy. He does not care about the people of Iran. It a score settling grudge match egged on by Netanyahu’s 40 years of promises that war will change the regime if we just drop enough bombs & assassinate its leaders. So If you want to live in a fantasy world where we are suddenly being greeted as liberators by the 93 million Iranians … feel free. You are now set up for earth shattering disappointment. You have to account for the fact that Trump could have attacked in support of the protesters in January. He didn’t & he let them be killed. He was completely indifferent. The 30k dead were a one-day talking point.
@aliamjadrizvi's post on X/Twitter: Having grown up in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, I can confirm that Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate have a much more “Islamist” mindset than Zohran Mamdani. Criticize his policies all you want, but to think that the son of an agnostic Ismaili professor and a Hindu filmmaker mother is an “Islamist” makes you an utter idiot. The rest of the world thinks New York when they think America. And when it comes to values - free expression, pro-women, pro-LGBTQ, pro-secularism, pro-open inquiry - Mamdani is more American than MAGA.
World leaders in the dock at the Hague, from left to right: Donald Trump, Bibi Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin, Ayatollah Khamenei, and Min Aung Hlaing. Khamenei is marked with a red inkstamp labelled "DECEASED".
A plate of panna cotta with berries and compote.
Cover art of "Land of Confusion" by Genesis
Venn diagram of global alliances as of late Feb 2026.
Light-up sculpture on Cobham Dr, near Wellington Airport.
Caption: "When you're accustomed to privilege, equality seems like oppression." Photo: Neo-Fascists with tiki torches at Charlottesville, 2017.
I love New Zealand dearly. The way you innovate, the way you bat above your average. The way we share values, ambition, humour. But there is also a gap – if you’ll forgive me for saying it, as a friend, and someone who has married one of your own – between ambition and reality. You have Scandinavian ambitions in terms of quality of life and public services, but a US attitude to tax. The brand 100% Pure New Zealand lulled many into a false sense of security, when the environmental reality is far more challenging. I remember PM Ardern, late last year, being asked what her vision was for New Zealand. She said: “I want us to be the country that we already think we are”.
Debadged Ram pickup truck.
And an unreformed health and care system expands inexorably to serve (increasingly badly) an ageing population. On current trends, health will absorb half of all day-to-day departmental spending, leaving every other part of the state fighting over what’s left. Without major change, the only result can be further fraying of state provision across the board. The structural shortfall in public services arises from an awkward truth of British politics: we want to pay American taxes and expect European services. Truss’s champions splutter that the UK tax burden is the highest for 70 years. True, but Britons still pay significantly less tax than most of those Europeans who enjoy more generous services. Few politicians even try to bridge the gap in our expectations on tax and services, much less confront voters about dissonant demands. They offer comforting stories of lower taxes and a better NHS — nothing on debt interest that will soon cost more than the health service. Braver leaders would tell voters there is more revenue they can and should raise, especially from inflated property values. And that there is fat to trim, starting with universal giveaways that needlessly favour the fortunate. Bankers’ infants don’t need free school meals. Their grandparents don’t need winter fuel payments. These families would save even without tax relief.
Free Speech Union logo on a police officer's badge arm. Original pic from the Funny or Die "Bathroom Police" skit.
"Better a pig than a Fascist" - from Porco Rosso.
Pie graphs of how rich people think they get rich versus how they actually get rich.
NZ First was the only party where a majority of its voters said they would vote Trump - 56% said they would cast a ballot for the Donald, compared to 30% for Harris. ACT voters were neck-&-neck, with 31% saying they would vote Trump & 31% saying they would vote Harris. This makes sense, ACT’s history is a free markets and rule-of-law party - and while many supporters might loathe big Government Dems, a lot would also be concerned about some of the clearly authoritarian tendencies of Trump. The National Party - a broader more traditional centre right party - was more aligned with Harris with 49% of National voters saying they would vote Harris compared to 29% for Trump. Overall, of those that voted for one of the coalition parties at the last election, a minimum of 30% would vote for Trump. This bears out very similar results in Oz. On the political left, the results are more what you’d expect but also interesting. Based on those polled, 35% of Te Pāti Māori voters would back Harris compared to 19% for Trump; 62% of Labour voters would back Harris compared to 14% backing Trump. The Greens had 80% support for Harris compared to 4% for Trump. (Wouldn’t it be interesting to meet those particular voters!). All of these smaller sub-groups have smaller numbers in the poll - so the figures are probably a bit rubbery but still worth looking at to get a general sense. There are also high numbers of “don’t know” sort of voters as well. Unsurprisingly, NZF voters would majority vote for Trump. Unsurprisingly because Winston Peters was a local version of Donald Trump (minus the vulgarity & pathological lying) decades before Trump popped onto the scene. NZF represents a similar but much smaller set of voters without the Trumpian pretence at religiosity. Blue collar, decent paying jobs, good size Government, a bit of protectionism, suspicion of immigrants, & cultural conservatism and an allergy to everything that could fall under the category of ‘woke’ or ‘social engineering’.
Extract from Captain America, written by Ta-Nehisi Coates: Cap speaks to a federal agent about the Red Skull.
By focusing on the cities the Dems can create a tribal identity to combat the white, Christian, rural, and suburban identity that the Republicans have cornered. And it's sitting right there, on every electoral map, staring them in the face: The cities. The urbanites. Howard Dean had it wrong when he tried to woo the "Pickup Truck with Confederate Flag" vote. In fact, while Kerry won urban areas by a whopping 60 percent—that actually represents a 15 percent drop in urban support from 2000 when Gore won the election. The lesson? Democrats have got to tend to their urban base and grow it.
Average audience for network TV evening news in 2022 via Pew Research.
Karl Barkley's views on Ukraine, via X.
But if you go back, even to the 1970s, there were still plenty of similarities and parallels between the political preoccupations and debates within the United States and other countries in the Anglosphere. There has been a shift, triggered in part, but not actually caused, by the Roe v. Wade abortion decision and the subsequent rise of evangelicalism as a political as opposed to a religious movement. During the primaries, someone made the observation Bernie Sanders was running as an old fashioned mainstream Democrat and Hillary Clinton was running as an old fashioned mainstream Republican. Donald Trump was running as a kind of John Birch Society candidate. The society states the organisation was formed "to accomplish less government, more responsibility and - with God's help - a better world".
There is no way of knowing exactly what will happen next, only that something will. The aftershocks will continue. There is no law that says political parties must survive. All badly run or led enterprises inevitably collapse. Sometimes it’s desirable. That organisation needs time out to consider its reason for being, to re-examine its values, to reflect on who it is meant to serve. Realignments have already rendered parties unrecognisable to their creators. The Coalition looks more and more like One Nation, Labor more and more like the Liberals used to, the Greens have morphed into Labor’s old guard left. The teals waft and weave between them all. Harris says it’s unrealistic to think Labor or the Liberals can broaden sufficiently to reverse the trend so that they can govern on their own. He predicts minority governments could become the new normal, with majority government still possible, although more as the exception than the rule.
Or, if you are Dokoupil’s boss Bari Weiss, telling billionaires what they want to hear. Which seems to be her mission in life. Weiss and Dokoupil’s vision isn’t going to work. Right-wing viewers still won’t believe him and will continue getting all their news from Fox or Newsmax. More centrist and left-leaning viewers won’t bother because they’ll think CBS is trying to be more like Fox or Newsmax. No one is happy and everybody loses.
"3 arrows" poster by the German SPD from 1932, opposing the conservatism of von Papen, the Fascism of Hitler, and the Stalinist Communism of Thällmann.
Police killings as a proportion of population in 2020, via BBC News
1000 dead Africans = 100 dead Asians= 10 dead Europeans Equals 1 slightly injured salesman from Idaho
The race between Rogers and Tiefenbacher wasn’t about the Greens vs National. It wasn’t about left vs right. It wasn’t even about pipes vs bikes. More so than any recent election, it was a tussle between two amorphous factions that have defined Wellington local body politics for decades. For the sake of simplicity, let’s call them the New City and the Old Town. The New City are the creatives, students, hipsters and yo-pros. They want to live an urbane lifestyle, with trendy cafes, thrift shops and experimental gigs. They look at Melbourne and Amsterdam with their trams, bike lanes and apartments, and aspire for Wellington to be like that. The Old Town are long-time homeowners, deeply rooted in their community, who are uncomfortable with the way it is changing. They don’t want Wellington to become a big city – or think it would fail if it tried. They look at regional towns like Palmerston North or New Plymouth with their ample parking, wide roads, and quiet suburban neighbourhoods, and aspire for Wellington to be like that (while retaining the amenities of city life). In central government politics, parties can at least claim they broadly want the same things, but just have different ideological ideas about how to get there. That isn’t the case here. The Old Town and the New City can’t negotiate, often can’t even communicate, because they have completely opposing goals. The New City and the Old Town are not inherently left-wing or right-wing groups. There is a large left-leaning voter base in the Old Town, who support environmental causes and the arts, but are highly protective of character suburbs and skeptical of new developments. There’s also a right-wing faction of the New City, including the likes of Eric Crampton and the New Zealand Initiative, who want to rip away regulations and let developers build homes in a more free market environment, reducing rates by spreading costs across more households.