Family Values? Whose Family?

"'Family values' appears to be the reason that J-Day organisers have suffered a last minute eviction from Aotea Square," reports Libertarianz spokesman Peter Cresswell today, "whatever a 'family value' might look like," he mused. He said that he was happy to further report, however that J-Day organisers and participants enjoyed a successful afternoon of activism and amusement at their more traditional venue of Albert Park - "despite the best efforts of moral minoritarians to thwart the day."

J-Day organisers reported that, despite the last minute withdrawal of the organised venue, attendance figures were commensurate with previous years, and speakers including Libertarianz' 'Hooch' Helen Hughes were able to address a relaxed and enthusiastic crowd.

It appears, says Cresswell, that "the puritans in Auckland City Council object to the idea of consenting adults enjoying an afternoon of peaceful enjoyment together, and tried to sabotage it." He observed that the council puritans "seem to reflect a growing puritan-prohibitionist ideology best summed up by H.L. Mencken who observed that the essence of a puritan is the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, might just be having a good time. John Banks' Auckland City Council is simply doing their best to ensure that no one does anything they object to while they can do anything about it."

"They need to learn more about the really important 'F' word," says Cresswell. "Not 'family,' but 'freedom'! The nature of freedom is that sometimes some people will do things with which we are going to disagree. Mature adults, however, realise that just because they disagree with someone's actions that doesn't however make those actions any of their business; that we must each make our own choices for ourselves. In the words of Lou Reed: 'In the name of family values, we must ask: Whose family?' Whose indeed! The new puritans need to realise that in a civilised country, consenting adults should be free to do what they wish as long as they respect that same right for others. If Greg Innes, John Banks, and the new puritans had climbed the hill to Albert Park this afternoon, they could have had an object lesson in how peaceful people go about such a thing."

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