Hone's Words Say So Much More...

Hone Harawira has a well-earned reputation for 'opening mouth before engaging brain'. This week, he surpassed himself!

"Shoulda kept my mouth shut, eh bro!"

His "white motherf***ers" comment pales in comparison to his eulogising of the dearly departed Osama bin Laden.
Hone-bro stated the al Qaeda leader should be honoured, not damned!! On Maori TV's Native Affairs, HH said bin Laden had pursued independence for his people, his family and his tribe. He twice paid tribute to bin Laden in his maori tongue, saying it was maori custom to acknowledge the dead. Asked if he was concerned about how that comment may be construed, he said he was maori and "tributes to the dead are always appropriate".
Harawira also said on TV One's Te Karere: "I acknowledge him and bid him farewell. Return to your ancestors who wait for you beyond the veil of death. His family, his tribe, his people are in mourning...for the man who fought for the rights, the land and the freedom of his people. We should not damn them in death, but acknowledge the positive aspects of life."
Utter bullshit! Maori have always had the custom of revenge (utu). Any romantic notion that ancient maori spent hours saluting the enemy is crap. Traditionally, enemies were enslaved, incinerated or eaten...and people rejoiced, because their suffering had been avenged.
God only knows what HH's been reading, to form the opinion that bin Laden was fighting for the freedom of his people... perhaps Urewera Terror Camps 101? He was a straight-out terrorist, who subverted his own culture/religion to spur others into murderous acts. He was no freedom fighter, but held a warped view that would only accept global domination by extremist Islamic jihadists. There was neither glory in his deeds, nor any glorious final gesture either. There is nothing about bin Laden to glorify.
And it matters not that Hone is now back-pedalling on his comments: we know the true value of a Harawira apology! His hero worship of bin Laden speaks volumes about his own character...
PS: 07 May 2011 - Hone's sideshow ignores the brutal truth (NZ Herald)...a good read.