March

Well, it's been awhile since we've posted, and even longer since any of you have commented (ahem!), so we figured we'd throw out an update.

We've spent the better part of the last week looking for work, so we can make enough scratch to explore the South Island a little while and then head back to the East Coast of the good ol' US of A. It's harder than you'd think. Dizzle had an interview at an arcade - a job for which he is overqualified - and was denied the position. He has another interview at a temp agency today and we both have 2 set up for tomorrow. By Sunday, we should have a good idea of our ETA back home.

So, since we'll be in town this afternoon anyway, we've decided it's important to go to a protest in honor of International Women's Day (the commemorative day is what's international - not the women, although we suppose some of them are, too). A couple weeks ago, a court case made headlines here in New Zealand involving three police officers who have been accused of raping a woman 18 years ago. One cop, Clint Rickards, was the Commissioner of Police in Auckland and was highly successful. After a several-month-long trial, all three men were acquitted of all charges, saying the woman (and all those who've come forward with the same or similar allegations since) was a consenting partner. That she was 17 at the time is apparently a moot point.

Well, once the case was over, and this guy Rickards is fighting to get his job back (you should see him in interviews, by the way - he's a really angry guy), it has come out that the other two cops were in jail the whole time. That's right, folks. In the States, if a convict (for whatever reason) is on trial for another crime, we usually know he's a convict at the time, right? Usually the handcuffs and orange jumpsuit give it away. On the occasion that he's allowed to wear a suit (we are not experts in criminal law, and don't know the distinction. In this case, it doesn't matter), it's still released that he lives in, you know, a cell. Well, not here. Here, if you're in prison while they're trying you for another crime, you don't know they're inmates until after the verdict is read.

So follow us here: 3 cops busted for rape. All 3 acquitted. 1 is highly successful and is currently fighting to get his job back after he's been 'slandered'. 2 are already in prison. What are they in prison for, you ask? What crime did 2 upstanding civic officers do to be put in prison previous to these accusations? They were there for...wait for it... rape. We kid you not.

So there's a protest today in Wellington that we're going to attend. There's also one in Auckland and one in Christchurch. We'll let you know what it was like in the next couple days, but in the meantime, feel free to google some of the details of the trial. Just because we're not citizens doesn't mean we shouldn't fight for what's right. We're glad there's a protest at all, as many countries wouldn't even allow that much.

We'll keep you posted on all of it. Wish us luck on the job thing.