Chief word nana at the Cairns Post, Gavin King is holier than thou when it comes to telling us what is right and what is wrong.
The Chief of Misogynist Attitudes, and all round woman-power hater, Gavin King was a bit perturbed when he got a joke email doing the rounds, from Councillor Robert Pyne.
King poses an ethical question if it's right for a Councillor to send around, or forward dodgy [joke] emails.
He cites the Councillor's Code of Conduct where it states, that they must "conduct themselves in a way that promotes and maintains the public's trust and confidence."
Now remember that this reminder is coming from someone who likes a great titty laugh like the next un-pc guy in the street. It's a bit rich days after King found it rather amusing having a good perv at the revealing photos on the Dick Smith mobile phone that ended up on the editorial desk. "Yeah, most of us were rather amused by the photos. We showed it all around the office," King said.
Now everyone who knows Robert Pyne, knows he's probably the last man standing, I mean sitting, in Council to have a healthy sense of humour. To me, it shows us he's human.
This all hit home for me this week as I was one of guests at a luncheon to launch Disability Awareness Week celebrations. Robert, despite his physical obstacles, is a lively, passionate, funny, educated and opinionated contributor to his community. He's action orientated and outcome focused. Gosh, I'm sounding like a doctor of spin already.
However, I listened to Robert's address on Wednesday, and I've also heard him address numerous political and community meetings over the last year. There's always something missing. Not once does he talk about his physical disability. He's a quadriplegic and has been confined to a wheelchair for a number of years following a tragic boating accident, yet he rarely ever tells his story. This is a testament to a truly remarkable individual. I look up to and applaud individuals in society that stand up and advocate for the greater community. In Robert's case it's even more amazing that he simply wants to get on and effect positive change for his community in the face of such adversity that us 'normal' folk would find confronting and monumental. He doesn't seek sympathy.
I've only known Robert for a couple of years, but you quickly form opinions about people that engage, impress, invigorate and are genuine about working with their local community. Sure I'd easily win Pyne's chief of publicity role hands down, but I know he's a true blue. His spirit is infectious, and he's fiercely independent.
Now I guess I should declare up front that that the email at the centre of this drama was sent by me. That's right. I often include Robert in some lighter emails. Anyone who spends too much time online, instead of out committing street crime, you tend to get a lot of trashy emails. Some amusing. Some for another penis enlargement, I send those ones onto KB.
My office email in town also gets it's fair amount too. One of our managers in South East Queensland sends around some rather risque stuff, but I just delete it if it's not that funny. Like the junk I get in my street letterbox, if I don't want it, I throw it in the bin. I mean, the marketing manager at Woolworths doesn't know want I want, so they send it to everyone in my neighbourhood. No harm done really, besides that waste of paper. Anyway, I'd rather get my veges from Rusty's, with respects to Robert.
In another double booby today, the Cairns Post fails to realise that Tom Pyne, Robert's father and former Mayor of Mulgrave from 1979 to 1995, and Mayor of Cairns until 2000, is no longer around the Council table.
King prints Tom's name below the photo of Robert.
Post writer Roger Dickson, along with myself, was a guest of Robert's at the disability lunch this week. Like Gavin, who Pyne often treats like a minor King, probably naively treats these guys at the Post as his friends. "I thought they were both becoming mates at a social level," Robert told me. Oh, rule number one, never trust the media to be balanced and fair Robert!
Now we all err past the boundary at times. Pub jokes should stay in the pub, however some spill out, and with the ease and immediacy of email communication, we forward on all raft of things, usually not our original material, but simply to spread the love and happiness. It makes the world go round.
However, was this behaviour fit for a Regional Councillor to be party too? That is the question my fellow comrades. And Gavin King is right to question this. It is one of the more pressing issues facing our city in this time of record local crime; poorly conceived development; sediment runs off at False Cape and Foley Road; a Council that is not communicating much better than the last one; poor tourism products; service around town questionable, the list goes on and on, worst than having diarrhea in the middle of your favourite footy game.
Roger Dickson, who is slightly taller than your average Hobbit, posed a number of questions after receiving the risque email from Robert Pyne, I mean Councillor Robert Pyne. At first his blood pressure rose quicker than you could say Cairns Post Online Bikini Gallery, and he confronted Robert at a function, plunged a recorder in his face and demanded the down-sitting Councillor explain his walk on the booby side.
"Why did you do it? What were you thinking?" Dickson exclaimed demanding answers. "Roger, send me an email with your questions, OK?"
Here's Robert's reply unedited, unlike the King's spin in today's Post...
- Is the address you sent it from paid for by council or any other organsiation [sic]?
No, it is paid for by me.
Do you regret using an address that gave the appearance of it coming from council? Why?
Not really, I pay for the connection and the email only went to a quite small group of adults who I knew would not be offended. I did send it from home and it didn’t go to Germain Greer or the clergy.
Are you in the habit of sending risqué emails to friends?
Only if the material is genuinely amusing. Most material of this nature that I receive I delete, as it fails to be funny enough to forward.
What do you think your constituents would think of the content and that is linked to Division3 address?
I don’t really know, perhaps the Cairns Post should run a poll? Personally I think my constituents are well and truly sick of self appointed judges of what is and what is not politically correct. In any event, I did say that I did not necessary approve of the content, but I did think the ones I opened were funny.
How many people did you send it to?
I think it went to 7 people.
Do you think sending these emails on is demeaning to women?
Not really, but I am all for equality when it comes to demeaning people, whether on the basis of sex, race or physical impairment. Heard any good Irish jokes lately?
Do you regret sending the email and if you had time over would you not do it?
I would still do it, but I would leave Roger Dickson and Gavin King off the list. I thought they were both becoming mates at a social level.
Do you apologise?
Only to any unintended recipient, but I do exercise a fair degree of care in vetting who I send these funny emails to. I don’t think there is anyone for me to apologise to. I did say that I did not necessary approve of the content, but I did think the ones I opened were funny.
They say to keep your friends close to you and your enemies even closer. In the case of the Cairns Post, maybe Robert should reverse this theory. I think that King's column today makes him look lit a right tit.
So what happened to the rest of those titty photos? Well, in a breach of my own code of conduct, and this grates against my questionable journalist ethics, I bring you the 'offending' photos. Now before you jump up on you high moral horse and remind me the numerous times I've lambasted the Cairns Post for printing scantily-clad bikini bimbos and presenting it as 'news'... let me remind you, oh what the hell, I have no argument for this.
Here's some gratuitous titties, for those of my readers that are into titties. For those who are not, have a great laugh anyway, and while you're at it, how about sending Councillor Robert an email telling him what you think. Personally I like the Michael Jackson t-shirt the best. You're welcome to rate yours here.
5 comments:
Concerning Gavin King and Robert Pyne, those two miners at Beaconsfield Tasmania were imprisoned in a steel cage for two weeks.
Like all spinal cord injury victims Robert Pyne is imprisoned in a steel cage for life.
It is called a wheel chair. Hypocritical mentally deficient yet able to walk provincial scribblers like King are unable to comprehend that S C I victims need an outlet to let off steam. Robert uses three methods one of advocacy assisted by his university training while in a wheel chair, two as a vocal independent councillor and three by examples of humour like the ones sent to a limited audience which the wowsers now squark about.
Gavin King and these squarkers should volunteer to spend one day in a wheelchair, propel themselves by pushing everywhere, transfer from the wheelchair to a car without using their legs, and contemplate how it would feel if they couldn't pee or poo without artificial aids. If the King has the guts to do this there is a spare wheel chair available.
This wheelie for a day has been done in the past. The volunteers have seldom lasted the full day because their hands are too blistered to keep going and they found doors to high or too hard to open, many shops with frontages too high to go in without tipping over and footpaths seldom with proper surfaces.
I received the following email, which I forwarded to a few friends. Perhaps I should have forwarded it to Gavin King.
The sad truth of this...
London Times Obituary of the late Mr. Common Sense, interesting and sadly true
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six year old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by his four stepbrothers; I know My Rights, I Want It Now; Someone Else Is To Blame; and I'm A Victim.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
I give up! Which one is Gavin King?
I'm too lazy to red this post, too long, is it about cametoes?
Since becoming involved with PADYC, to help save the Yacht Club building, I have taken to reading it on a Saturday morning.
This last Saturday morning, tucked up with the paper, a good coffee and my husband, I was bemused to hear him say "This guy's a dickhead"............. ("ooooh can't wait to read that article, it must be good if the husband has commented on it", I thought to myself).
Upon reading your article Gavin I am very inclined to agree with him!
Sounds to me .............(and reading between the lines, which is pretty easy to do with your loose, ambiguous, innuendo style of reporting, for example " I also know some councillors believe the sending of the email was inappropriate and offensive.........blaa blaa blaaa, come on Gavin be a man not a mouse, if you know, name them, not so hard is it?)............ that you had other issues with Cr Pyne, but this email came along, and you decided to be the goody goody two shoes kid in the school and pin it on him.
People send emails that are funny, sometimes they offend, but mate, you're a big boy now, build a bridge and get over it! He sent it from his home, not on taxpayers time, he didn't author the email, he just sent it on, hoping to get a giggle, big bloody deal! Australians love to laugh Gavin, you should try it more often, it's very therapeutic.
One good thing though, you've saved me some time on a Saturday, I will again resume to skipping your article on a Saturday morning, and get on to more interesting reading, like the Weekender with Carrie on, much more riveting than your dribble. One more piece of advice, you should change your header ..........."Opinion with bite", you could get done for misleading the public!
Even reading the TV guide would be more interesting than the dribble (some would say verbal diarrhoea) from Gavin King. We have a new name for him in our household, "King of the dickheads"!
Come on editor, doesn't someone check his work? Surely you are not paying good money for his articles, if so you are being extremely ripped off.
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