Feedback: Reply To Peter Dunne PR On Hostile Email

Monday, 22 September 2003, 4:42 pm
Opinion: Scoop Feedback

Dear Editor,

I would be greatful if you could publish a Scoop Feedback item in response to Peter's Dunne's new PR which makes public an email that I sent him.

I am astonished that Peter Dunne has made public a humourous email sent in a personal capacity by a member of the public. Even if I did call him a "dirty lunger" for supporting the tobacco industry. Members of the public have a democratic right to contact MP's with their concerns without feeling scared that their email will be made public with a comment that the email, "lacks good grammar and spelling".

I emailed Dunne after reading the Joint Media Statement by the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation, Heart Foundation and Cancer Society.

The email clearly represents my personal viewpoint, and not that of the Green Party. Mr Dunne seems to assign more importance to the position of Green Party webmaster than exists. It is not an elected position, I am only a volunteer, not paid. I have no editorial control over the website, I only put systems in place so that the Party can update it themselves, and assure the technical quality of those systems.

I am also the webmaster of the National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, http://www.norml.org.nz/ where you can read other personal viewpoints, from myself included, about Peter Dunne in the lively forum.

Dunne says that my email, "never lifts itself above the level of crude personal abuse". Yet I did question him on a number of issues: how can he justify his support for tobacco when he supports cannabis prohibition; and is he going to debate Nandor next month?

Dunne says that, "all it's [my email's] assertions fail the test of being backed by reasoned logic". The only assertion in my email was that cannabis is better for you than tobacco, and the reasoning behind that statement is that the World Health Organisation says that cannabis is safer than alcohol or tobacco.

Dunne also said that, "Noting the time at which the email was sent, I can only assume Stuey's head was adversely affected by all the evening fumes". I can assure Mr Dunne that since I was on antibiotics, I was not under the influence of any recreational drugs and that I still think that he is a hypocrite when I am straight and sober.

It would have been better for all if Peter Dunne had simply thought, "this garbage is not worth replying to", as he did with Greg Soar's email.

Yours,
Dr Stuey Young

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