Posts by Marc C
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Arrgh, "Slater", it sounds so similar to "Slayer", does it not?
Has the man any tiny remnants of decency? It does not look at it.
And then he tried to claim injury, well it was, I suppose, about some commenting or revealing info on his sick mother.
Cameron Slater is having to learn the hard way, what it means to be done wrong, and I fear he has not learned enough yet, and has a long road to travel until he may come to terms with what he has actually done in harm to many others, actually quite "innocent" and decent people.
I look forward to seeing and hearing Nicky Hager on Media Take!
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Legal Beagle: Terrorism is already illegal, in reply to
I have been wondering, what stand has Key taken re the amputations of limbs of alleged, sentenced "thiefs" in some Arabian countries, under governments we have "agreements" with, what about "organ harvesting", forced prison labour, and dissidents "disappearing" or being killed or maimed by hit squads in countries, ruled by governments we may have "free trade deals" and so with?
ISIS deserve to be on the terrorist list, but are they the only ones committing atrocities?
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Legal Beagle: Terrorism is already illegal, in reply to
And the message is? I suppose: "Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Fuehrer", then?
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Of course Key has to up the ante on all this, as painting the threat of terrorism, or war, is the best "insurance policy" any government can sign. It is the best distraction from what should matter for people locally. Talking about be-headings, about subversive activities, about men with beards meeting in mosques or private quarters, that will get a lot of people worried, and so the instilled fear is the best tool, to keep people loyal to the leadership, that after all "appears" to offer "stability", which most that bothered to vote sought, hence the election result.
It will help pushing through the real agenda, the massive sale of state housing stock, the further welfare "reforms" denying people on benefits more rights and entitlements, the privatisation of education, health, welfare and ACC services, and what else they may have planned. Yes, there is the planned hollowing out of the RMA too, and Key said on Q+A today, they consider merging sections 6 and 7 now, hey that is nice, turn the environmental law into a "developer's law", with as little hurdles for private enterprise to build, construct, change, explore, exploit and whatever else there is, at their pleasure.
Key term 3 will be a nasty one, for those without power and protection, and maybe, just maybe, the "terror" the government will instill on the weak, the dismepowered, the already overly whipped beneficiaries, also soon the state servants, will not even be looked at, because all talk and distraction will be about supposed "terror" we face from outside.
It is time to send that Dunne factor, and that willing Flavell man, many emails, texts and tweets now, to put on the pressure, hey you can surely not agree to this, can you???
As for ISIS, Key and Nats will do them the greatest favour, to have some SAS members on the ground in Iraq, the "infidels" will be shown on screen, if captured, and it will convince yet more Sunni to perhaps give ISIS the benefit of the doubt, rather than the US and its friends. Even the Shiites now call for NO foreign troops to come, as they want to "finish" ISIS on their own, on their terms.
How bloody "welcoming" is this then, Mr Key?
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Hard News: Doing over the witness, in reply to
While I take your point and accept that my earlier comment was in part over the top, I think we have reason to be very concerned about the system we still have in New Zealand. Indeed questions are justified, re how much of a democracy we still are, given that much we witness make it appear to be more and more of a plutocracy, with a dose of meritocracy.
That is also the very reason that so many do not bother to vote anymore, and local elections prove this more than general elections, but the trend is highly concerning. I witness it first hand at present, seeing how the process of an appointed "independent hearing panel" going through the submissions on the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (PAUP) is playing out.
Unless submitters have a competent legal representative, a consultant, an expert witness or lawyer acting for them, going through the complex, highly bureaucratic, legalistic bits of the PAUP and proposed changes, they are basically "stuffed".
That means the remaining submitters, that can argue their cases, and that survive a "clearing out" of less "valid" or well argued submissions, are mostly such as large organisations, businesses, Auckland Council itself, and developers and the likes. They will decide how the PAUP will look like in the end, and what the city will look like in years to come.
Also having had experience with submissions before Parliament's select committees, we have a similar trend there. Individuals have little clout, and the mere casting of a vote means damned little, as parties there are, are generally working "within the system", that means they adapt to the bureaucracy and expert arguing and submitting, so they become part of an elitist kind of system that runs New Zealand and most states now.
And I read today in Auckland's Central Leader (08 Oct.), about Sky City having changed a plan for a convention centre, agreed on with the last government, by adding a large hotel to it, which nobody had previously agreed on. Yet Steven Joyce and the government seem keen to let them get away with it. In his opinion piece even Pat Booth asks at the end: "Do we in fact live in a democracy?"
Given all that, and such actions against Nicky Hager, I think we are indeed in for worse things to come, unless people take a stand against all this. Sadly most choose to shrug things off and focus on "number one issues and interests".
Perhaps it is time to have something of an "outer parliamentary opposition" movement of size, to put the pressure on, to mobilise people in large numbers, who have become disillusioned with what goes on. That is also a reason why such fringe politicians like Colin Craig and his referendum ideas seem to get more support now, so many have lost faith in the system, which is run by the top percentage of vested interest people, and is also supported by middle class property owners, who distance themselves from the lesser folk of about half the population, not able to afford their own home.
That is basically the kind of angle I come from, when making comments questioning the "democracy" in NZ, which to some has become a "demockeracy".
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I did hear this Nine to Noon interview on RNZ yesterday, with Andrew Geddis, and he summarised all the legal issues there may be, that the police, and to some degree Hager, may be facing in this context, being the excessive application of search and seizure:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/20152607/law-commentator-andrew-geddis
It is worth having a listen to.
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Hard News: Terror panics and the war imperative, in reply to
Yep, and as our leaders are such loyal supporters of freedom and democracy and human rights all over the world, I am sure that The Right Honourable We Know Who has uttered some "support" to the tens of thousands democracy protestors in Hong Kong. He will equally have stood firm on human rights, especially equal rights of the gentler gender in places such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and a few other places, to where a fair few exports go, same as to the lands north of Hong Kong.
In loyal support of all such noble values, New Zealand's government is "leading the way", I suppose, everywhere, on equal terms, in all fairness, so all are treated equally, no matter what economic relevance they may have or not.
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What is also bizarre with the Key government's approach to this crisis in Iraq and Syria, where ISIS has taken control of large swathes of territory, is how determined they seem on wanting to play a role in it.
We are told that we are just too small and insignificant a nation, when it comes to doing our bit on dealing with global warming and pollution, i.e. carbon and other gas emissions. It would not make much of a difference, so we rather not bother doing too much, seems to be the general agreement within Nats, and certainly ACT.
In contrast, when it comes to taking part in military actions, or in "security" and surveillance activity, they jump to the guns, as most loyal fighters for the cause the rest of the "allies" like US, UK, Australia and Canada want to commit themselves to.
How bizarre, how bizarre, I'd say.
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Well, I am impressed that Russell dares to share the Vice video on ISIS here, same as the other video links. I think it is the same Vice documentary I watched a few days ago, and it does not make for pleasant watching. Indeed Islamic State are a serious threat, and most certainly measures must be taken to stop them and ideally beat and somehow neutralise them. But that will be no easy task, it will not happen with mere air bombings, and with just handing out some weaponry to other groups in the region. That has been tried in Syria, it has not solved the multifaceted war there.
The Middle East is in Iraq and Syria, and likely soon in some neighbouring states, a real powder keg, it is more volatile than ever, and there are massive amounts of weapons and ammunition in the hands of the many groups fighting each other.
It will be insane to send in ground troops, that is "western" troops, as that is exactly what ISIS will exploit to the max, ideologically, as it will prove their case, well be useful for their propaganda, that the "infidels" are the enemy and must be fought, like once the "crusaders" who invaded their "holy land".
Australia's government is playing with fire, and sadly Abbott is having limited intelligence, to step up their security measures and propaganda to high levels, now having caused serious frictions within the Australian community, between Muslims and those mistrusting that part of the citizenry. That again is also just helping Isis.
Perhaps it pays to use secret and spy agencies to use strategies undermining ISIS and their supporters, rather than go in with planes and more? If the 5 Eyes are so "smart" and expert with their technology, they must have something up their sleeves and deal with this challenge. That of course is, if they are competent.
I fear John Key will risk taking New Zealand into this battle, to have the SAS gather intelligence and so forth on the ground, but if he does so, this country will become a target, for sure, for certain fanatical hit-men and women, who may indeed cause serious damage. Sadly Mr Key is too keen on pleasing his US friends in high office, perhaps to help get concessions for the TPPA deal, and also for a UN seat. But the latter will look less likely, if New Zealand uses the traditional military lever, rather than some alternative means of working with affected states and peoples in the Middle East, to solve the crisis differently, without direct own involvement.
Only the people on the ground there, affected by ISIS and other groups, have the power and ability to deal with the crisis. So indeed, perhaps make arms available to groups that can be trusted, plus intelligence and so, but then again, will those "allies" stay allies for long, as Afghanistan and also Iraq has taught us a painful lesson?
A kind of expert on Islamic State, Loretta Napoleoni, was on Nine to Noon on RNZ National this morning, and she also gave a somewhat good insight into the formidable threat and challenge that goes out from that movement. Here is the audio of the interview that Kathryn Ryan had with her. It is worth listening to, at times though she almost sounds, as if the has some sympathy for ISIS supporters:
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Hard News: Doing over the witness, in reply to
I was only trying to be "positive" in times deserving serious consideration on where we are heading. One must never give up to fight for freedoms, democratic and other rights according to the Rule of Law.
Yes, I admit, the Tuhoe - Urewera raids under Helen's government were a very worrisome development also, where police seemed to abuse powers and went well over the top, also first arresting many activists, who were later left to go again.
We know the rest of that story.
There was the over the top Dotcom Mansion raid, and we know how the agencies and police involved even broke the law, in doing what they did.
Now we have a newly elected government exploit the momentum, created by the horrifying news of some beheadings by ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and wanting to send soldiers to Iraq, to take part in another war. It must be noticed that all countries that have agencies forming part of the 5 Eyes network have recently been launching statements and announced policy changes that will result in more use of spy and surveillance technology. And in Australia 800 police did not long ago raid numerous homes of "suspects", supposedly linked to extremist groups, of which only one was charged in the end.
Now we have the NZ government about to announce that they will send soldiers to Iraq, to support allies in the fight against IS.
Clearly Key and his government are taking advantage of the opposition largely being busy licking its wounds after the election loss. They are creating facts, and the MSM is merely reporting what is to come, and asking too few questions.
Statements made before the election are already irrelevant, who knows what will come next.
Re Hager, I hope he and his lawyers will succeed in getting his computers and so back, and that the police will be taught another lesson.