Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: To defame and deflect

52 Responses

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  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to Bevan Shortridge,

    For a few Teraflops more...

    are lawyer-client emails subject to privilege as communications? I’d imagine a fair few may have been caught up in a dragnet

    I'm guessing they are treated the same as all 'potentially useful' commercial communications - information is currency - can't sell it if ya don't have it.
    Hmmm, it seems Intelligence Gathering must code for the 'hoarding gene' as well, poor souls, squeezing between towers of data they can't bear to dispose of, while grabbing more to make up the 'Big Picture' - a jigsaw with unknown pieces and no box lid image to piece it together with...
    Paranoia runs deep!

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    the coup was directed by a military Admiral

    Commodore. I think he promoted himself after the coup, Amin-style.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson, in reply to Rich of Observationz,

    Oh dear, I was out by one ridiculously high level of military empowerment.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson, in reply to Idiot Savant,

    I read it – and John Hayes view – as being more an argument that this is entirely the wrong sort of intelligence gathering.

    I read it that way too, but felt that the underlying point was that different spying was needed, that the problem with this move is it’s ineffectiveness. To me that misses the point entirely, which is that spying itself is a covert activity bordering on the criminal most of the time, and to argue that it should be done better is only helping to justify doing it at all, which in turn justifies the pissly gains we make from what we are doing now. It’s like a spying concern troll.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • andin,

    suggested that only someone who was not “a good, hard-working honest, New Zealander”

    As has been said before.This is spoken evil. Anyone who will use language like this should not be anywhere near a position of power.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie,

    John Key is still ducking and diving over the latest document release.

    John Key says new claims around intelligence collection are wrong - but he won't say why.

    He also says the GCSB is acting legally - but won't say how.

    And he says we are spying - but won't say on who.

    The Prime Minister has fronted media after a day of controversy caused by the publication of documents taken by whistleblower Edward Snowden while a contractor for the United States' National Security Agency.

    He refused to talk in specifics but said: "Some of the information was incorrect, some of the information was out of date, some of the assumptions made were just plain wrong."

    While our PM seems to be wearing his "slippery when dry" hat again, it's great to see the Herald behaving like a grown-up newspaper.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • Marc C,

    John Key does not trust YOU or ME, that is plain simple, and whatever his comments may say, they are just further diversions from the matter in question, as usual. If you have nothing to hide, you should not argue with us, is the message, the same applies to new measures that NZ Customs wants to bring in, to get a law change, to enable them to force people to provide their passwords for any computers, tablets, smart- or i-phones they bring with them, when entering New Zealand.

    Soon we will all be asked to walk around naked 24/7, and if you refuse, you will be a prime suspect, and able to be charged for anything, for concealing "illegal material" to "terrorism". Get your clothes off, for a public protest, showing you have "nothing to hide", dear people. Get it off, and show you are "clean" and "loyal" and "follow the law".

    John Key's New Zealand, the perfect example of how George Orwell's novel 1984 did eventually come true, and nobody bloody noticed it.

    Auckland • Since Oct 2012 • 437 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Campbell,

    we were talking about Key tonight - and largely agree he's losing it, the outburst in parliment over Iraq, his recent pressappearances - the teflon is flaking he's starting to look a lot like Muldoon in his last days

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • Mike O'Connell, in reply to Steve Barnes,

    It may be something to do with his appalling pronunciation but now we seem to have a Minister for Terrorism and the people of New Zealand are fighting “The War on Tourists”

    It's times like these one needs Minties...look, the tourists are fighting back:
    Tourists take law into own hands by confiscating New Zealanders’ alcohol

    A Korean husband and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Keum, were shocked to find the tavern, a popular site for tourists, overrun with drunken locals, throwing objects at one another, and swearing about the rugby in front of their children.

    Mr. Keum felt that the locals were creating a “dangerous situation” for themselves and other patrons, and forcibly took a total of 11 beers from 6 separate individuals.

    What I will say is that the GCSB is not spying; just ‘inadvertently looking’!

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 385 posts Report Reply

  • Katharine Moody, in reply to Paul Campbell,

    A loss in Northland - could be his Waterloo :-).

    Wellington • Since Sep 2014 • 798 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson, in reply to Katharine Moody,

    Battle of Vitoria maybe…

    I'm humming along:

    Winston came over the mountain
    Winston came over the mountain
    Winston came over the mountain
    And so say all of us...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie,

    Toby Manhire parodies Key rather nicely.

    I don't know what's coming but I know that what's coming is wrong, and it's outdated, and it's made up, but even if it isn't wrong and outdated and made up, which it is, it's based on stolen materials and in any case it's absolutely the right thing to do and, of course, we do it because, at the end of the day, terrorism!

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • John Madden,

    Sat here in the Northern Hemisphere, I am ridiculously pleased to see that the New Zealand Herald (my first career choice out of school in 1969!) can still behave like a newspaper. Key and his donkeys are clearly unsafe, but it beats me who you can elect instead. Any country that can consistently elect Winston Peters shouldn't be allowed out at night.

    United Kingdom • Since Mar 2012 • 10 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic, in reply to Alfie,

    Toby Manhire parodies Key rather nicely.

    My comment in that article (still in moderation at the time of posting):

    "Those with nothing to hide have nothing to -- oi! My Swiss account details are none of your beeswax!"

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

  • Josh Petyt, in reply to Alfie,

    Are you sure that's parody and not paraphrasing?

    Japan • Since Apr 2014 • 45 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    Down by the Old School yard...

    Joe America and Lizzie Britain are plotting this years stunt for the "Homecoming" party.
    "Hey Joe, what about an ugliest date gag, a competition for who brings the ugliest date"
    "Yeah, You could get that liitle creep John, the Kiwi one that thinks camping it up in sports gear looks cool." Chirped Joe.
    "I got him good the other day, got him to give me the goods on Liu and Judiths lunchtime milk scam, told him he could be in our club."
    Lizzie's eyes lit up
    "Hey, you mean the little guy you tricked into fighting Mohammed with that cellphone app?"
    Joe laughed
    "Yeah, he got snotted good, little punk. I got access to everything he does on his phone".
    "Well get this" said Lizzie "We could rig the school election and get him in, shit, we would control all the students"
    "Lizzie you're a genius, bend over, I feel like making love"

    Meanwhile, back in the changing rooms, little Johnny is parading around in an oversize football shirt and no pants,
    "Oh, I don't remember having ever felt this good" he thought "I really don't recall".
    "Hey, give me back shirt you little shitnik" shouted Vladimir, the Russian exchange student.
    "You thinks I not like wear shirt?"
    "Well" replied Johnny "At the end of the day I think any reasonable person can see I am better than those others, the girls"....
    Vlad impales him.

    Moral.
    If you want to run with the big guys, expect to get shafted.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • JLM,

    I was looking for verification of the " good, hard-working honest, New Zealander" quote without the misery of wading through videos because I wanted to put it on an anti TPPA placard. Can someone verify that those are pretty much the exact words as they don't come up with a google search - except for this site.

    signed,

    an obsessive

    Judy Martin's southern sl… • Since Apr 2007 • 241 posts Report Reply

  • Rob Stowell,

    Towards the end of this - https://soundcloud.com/knowyourproduct/john-key-on-nicky-hager-press-stand-up-040315
    Pretty close to
    "I guarantee you it'll be wrong, I guarantee it'll be extreme. If I was a good honest hard-working NZer, discount it massively and you'd be in the right space."
    But check and check again whenever quoting anyone!

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes, in reply to Rob Stowell,

    If I was a good honest hard-working NZer,

    And that is one big IF....

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • JLM, in reply to Rob Stowell,

    Thanks very much Rob! Can't stand listening to the man, have to turn off the radio each time he is on.

    Judy Martin's southern sl… • Since Apr 2007 • 241 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    If National remains in power for much longer we are headed here...
    Worse than Rwanda: life prospects in Britain’s poorest areas

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie,

    The scaremongering continues. I thought that Matthew Hooton had taken a more centrist position after escaping lightly from the fallout surrounding Dirty Politics, but it seems that he's still ignoring common sense and trotting out the party line. He's penned a (paywalled) story in today's NBR for which the subheading reads...

    The Labour leader had a choice to stand beside John Key or Mohammed Emwazi, Jihadi John. He chose the latter.

    So if you're not pro-Key, you're obviously pro-terrorism? Honestly Matthew, I thought you were a little better than that.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • Rob Stowell, in reply to Alfie,

    if you’re not pro-Key, you’re obviously pro-terrorism

    Hooten took that half-witted line on twitter, too. Remarkably dumb.

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson,

    I sometimes wonder if there's two Hootons. Van and Jethro.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to BenWilson,

    Project Gemini...

    I sometimes wonder if there’s two Hootons. Van and Jethro.

    Who can pursue this 'Outrageous Importune'?
    But if it's true, he'll be beside himself!
    ;- )

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

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