Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Te Qaeda and the God Squad

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  • Sacha, in reply to Just thinking,

    Like this guy

    Who, the article reports, had this lot:

    two military flares, a smoke grenade, a thunderflash explosive, part of an anti-personnel mine, eight sticks of powergel explosive, a grenade launcher, and two military-style semi-automatic firearms.

    I presume the court will be told why, but in the meantime that sure doesn't sound too harmless from here, no matter how friendly the guy is.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Kracklite, in reply to Just thinking,

    Actually, yes, I agree that people can be dragged into, indulge in radical movements due to an excess of testosterone or simple vileness, but there have been a lot of the activist community who were attacked because they were simply activists. "Activist" and "terrorist" are two different categories and as I know in Wellington, the police cracked down on activists using the pretext of suppression of terrorism and that is what I find disturbing. Suppression of actual terrorism, however incompetent it may be, is justifiable, but the fact is that they used this as a pretext to persecute activists, however wrong, naive, foolish they may be, is the most disturbing aspect of Operation 8.

    The Library of Babel • Since Nov 2007 • 982 posts Report

  • Kracklite, in reply to Sacha,

    I presume the court will be told why, but in the meantime that sure doesn’t sound too harmless from here, no matter how friendly the guy is.

    That does disturb me, but using that as a pretext to suppress political dissent by people who do not use such things also disturbs me.

    The Library of Babel • Since Nov 2007 • 982 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to Kracklite,

    the police cracked down on activists using the pretext of suppression of terrorism and that is what I find disturbing.

    That sucks, sure.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Rich of Observationz,

    The courts don't seem to treat firearms offences all that seriously though, as long as the perpetrator is a white male without left-wing links.

    This guy, whose offending (selling guns to (other) criminals) must have been at the very top end of the scale, got 21 months.

    And this police employee got a discharge without conviction for having illegal machine guns hidden in his house.

    Not to mention a certain right-wing blogger who keeps his gun license despite meeting several of the disqualifying criteria.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report

  • DCBCauchi, in reply to Sacha,

    two military flares, a smoke grenade, a thunderflash explosive, part of an anti-personnel mine, eight sticks of powergel explosive, a grenade launcher, and two military-style semi-automatic firearms.

    I presume the court will be told why, but in the meantime that sure doesn’t sound too harmless from here, no matter how friendly the guy is.

    That sounds perfectly harmless to me. The collecting impulse is deeply strange. All sorts of people collect all sorts of things, out of a fascinated interest in the things themselves. For the things themselves, not to use them on some fantasy rampage.

    I am no more nervous of this guy than I would be of a can opener collector if I were a tin of soup.

    Since Feb 2011 • 320 posts Report

  • Russell Brown, in reply to DCBCauchi,

    That sounds perfectly harmless to me. The collecting impulse is deeply strange. All sorts of people collect all sorts of things, out of a fascinated interest in the things themselves. For the things themselves, not to use them on some fantasy rampage.

    Except for the odd person who collects all those things and isn't "perfectly harmless" -- David Gray, for example. There are legitimate uses for power gel explosive, but it's not good stuff for anyone to "collect" and have lying around the house.

    I am no more nervous of this guy than I would be of a can opener collector if I were a tin of soup.

    That's an impenetrable metaphor ...

    But there is no indication that this guy was talking about the violent use of the weapons he was obtaining, no.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Rich of Observationz,

    This guy, whose offending (selling guns to (other) criminals) must have been at the very top end of the scale, got 21 months.

    Hmmm ...

    And this police employee got a discharge without conviction for having illegal machine guns hidden in his house.

    He will also lose his job, appropriately.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to Paul Campbell,

    I wonder does someone (some foreign entity) have a fibre splitter in our main fibre trunks somewhere?

    Someone like Cisco perhaps?
    They seem to be keen on appeasing governments...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report

  • DCBCauchi, in reply to Russell Brown,

    I am no more nervous of this guy than I would be of a can opener collector if I were a tin of soup.

    That’s an impenetrable metaphor …

    Is it?

    I imagine tins of soup would be extremely nervous about people wielding can openers with intent but not about can opener collectors. Just as I'd be extremely nervous about David Gray but not about a military paraphernalia collector per se.

    Since Feb 2011 • 320 posts Report

  • Russell Brown, in reply to DCBCauchi,

    I imagine tins of soup would be extremely nervous about people wielding can openers with intent but not about can opener collectors. Just as I’d be extremely nervous about David Gray but not about a military paraphernalia collector per se.

    I imagine the trick would be knowing the difference.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • DCBCauchi, in reply to Russell Brown,

    I imagine the trick would be knowing the difference.

    Quite. You wouldn't think it'd be that hard.

    Since Feb 2011 • 320 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to DCBCauchi,

    military paraphernalia collector

    I understand uniforms and even old weapons, but do they usually collect explosives as well?

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to Russell Brown,

    imagine the trick would be knowing the difference

    And I'd rather they err on the side of caution when it's about things that can kill people.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Kumara Republic,

    The whole thing now seems to come across as some kind of SLAPP.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • DCBCauchi, in reply to Sacha,

    I understand uniforms and even old weapons, but do they usually collect explosives as well?

    I have a friend who is into these kind of mock battle games, kind of like a real-world computer game shoot-em-up. Like paintball, but I don't think they use paintballs, at least judging from the marks he's shown me. He's invested a lot of time and money into it, as people do with their hobbies and interests. It would not surprise me if he or some of his mates had some explosives as part of that, used carefully under strictly controlled conditions by suitably qualified people.

    Apparently, these kind of games are big with the rozzers. They have all kinds of dodgy sounding scenarios they play (e.g. 'room clearances').

    Even when he's been extremely drunk and very angry about something, I nor any of our other friends have ever been concerned about our personal safety because he plays these games (or for any other reason).

    I don't share his interest, but that's all it is. A way to blow off steam after work.

    Since Feb 2011 • 320 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to DCBCauchi,

    I have a friend who is into these kind of mock battle games

    I've never heard of LARPers using explosives. Expensive swords and armour, yes.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • DCBCauchi, in reply to Sacha,

    I’ve never heard of LARPers using explosives. Expensive swords and armour, yes.

    But this isn't swords and armour stuff. It's guns and explosives stuff. They spend a lot of time and money making it as realistic as possible. Whole sets and everything.

    Since Feb 2011 • 320 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to DCBCauchi,

    Interesting.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • DCBCauchi,

    Don't get me wrong. I freaked out when he first pulled out these guns and battle armour he'd bought. It's pretty weird. Not scary but.

    Since Feb 2011 • 320 posts Report

  • DCBCauchi, in reply to Sacha,

    Interesting.

    That was the great thing about our civilisation. Millions of people with large amounts of disposable income and an advanced industrial society in which to spend it.

    Since Feb 2011 • 320 posts Report

  • Just thinking, in reply to Sacha,

    And I'd rather they err on the side of caution when it's about things that can kill people.

    Car Collector would be the most deadly, surely.

    I have a friend who is into these kind of mock battle games, kind of like a real-world computer game shoot-em-up. Like paintball

    - Not this guy I hope.

    Paint Ballers and the Neo-Nazi crossover call themselves Survive Club.
    http://www.surviveclub.org.nz/photo.aspx?path=News/181&caption=

    Recognise anyone here?
    http://www.surviveclub.org.nz/photo.aspx?path=News/182&caption=

    Putaringamotu • Since Apr 2009 • 1158 posts Report

  • Rich of Observationz,

    I have no real objection if neo-nazis want to play paintball with real live ammo and high explosives, providing they do it in a suitably remote area, and leave the wounded to rot rather than troubling the medical system.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report

  • Paul Campbell, in reply to DCBCauchi,

    two military flares, a smoke grenade, a thunderflash explosive, part of an anti-personnel mine, eight sticks of powergel explosive, a grenade launcher, and two military-style semi-automatic firearms.

    That sounds perfectly harmless to me. T

    I guess it depends - it sounds like a scary bunch of things but .....

    Flares, smoke grenade, thunderflash, grenade launcher (basically am empty tube) - all no less harmless than an old fashioned guy fawkes night .... or last Saturday night at Burning Man

    bits of an anti-personal mine - depends on which bits I guess, could be as harmless as that empty deactivated hand grenade granddad brought back from the war

    powergel - safe without detonators - useful on the farm ... but not a toy, and understandably scary to the powers that be

    Assault rifles - well we have pretty well known laws about those (no excuses IMHO)

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report

  • DCBCauchi, in reply to Just thinking,

    Recognise anyone here?

    Ha ha. The very thing I asked.

    Since Feb 2011 • 320 posts Report

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