The Jackal: Terrorism
Showing posts with label Terrorism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Terrorism. Show all posts

5 Sept 2021

Now is not the time to overreact


ISIS Terrorist - Ahamed Aathill Mohamed Samsudeen
We all agree that the attack on innocent people at LynnMall on Friday was a cowardly and despicable act. Six people were seriously injured, with three still remaining in a critical condition at Auckland City Hospital.

However, this is not the time for a knee jerk reaction by the public or Government. This is not the time to blame ethnic minorities or religious beliefs, because they played no role in the radicalisation of the now deceased terrorist. Likewise, this is not the time to close our borders to refugees or those looking for a safe place to raise their families.

This is also not the time to propose laws that would remove citizenship, or the time to give the Police or judiciary more powers to surveil or convict individuals, other than the Counter-Terrorism Legislation amendments that have already been proposed.


Here is one of the amendments that may have prevented this atrocious crime:


5A Carrying out and facilitating terrorist acts

Carrying out includes preparations, credible threats, and attempts

(1) For the purposes of this Act, a terrorist act is carried out if any 1 or more of the following occurs:

(a) planning or other preparations to carry out the act, whether it is actually carried out or not:

(b) a credible threat to carry out the act, whether it is actually carried out or not:

(c) an attempt to carry out the act:

(d) the carrying out of the act.

 

Being that these amendments are currently before the House of Representatives, perhaps if the National Party wasn’t always trying to ‘gum up the works’ of Parliament, the Government may have amended the legislation in time to have prevented this despicable attack. Maybe if Judith Collins had got the legislation right in 2013, we wouldn’t be in this situation either. Possibly, if instead of trying to rehabilitate this deluded individual, the judge had sentenced Ahamed Aathill Mohamed Samsudeen in July to more jail time, the outcome might have been different. Maybe if the Police had used the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act to have him properly assessed and treated; he wouldn’t have felt compelled to try and kill innocent people.

Hindsight is indeed a great thing, and in this regard the PM should feel vindicated for her legislative changes following the Christchurch mosque shootings. In my opinion, this is where the semi-automatic and assault rifle ban has been proven effective. Imagine what would have occurred at LynnMall had this lone wolf had access to military style weapons. However this is also not the time to ban over the counter knife or scissor sales. Clearly somebody who has become radicalised to this extent won’t be deterred by such pointless measures.

The problem isn’t only a failure of our current systems. The problem is that no matter how well we prepare or work to counter terrorism, certain people will continue to become radicalised by online disinformation.

The key therefore is to further develop systems that firstly inhibit people’s access to objectionable terrorism inducing material, and secondly ensure that people are educated enough to be able to determine fact from fiction.

New Zealand doesn’t need to respond by inhibiting access to everyday items or further limiting people’s privacy or freedoms. Instead, Aotearoa would be better served by trying to de-radicalise those who’ve become mislead by hateful online material. We would be better served by making sure that individuals aren’t isolated to an extent whereby exposure to terrorist propaganda can take root in the first place. 

The best response is therefore one of inclusiveness. In this regard the Government should increase the refugee quota to help those trying to escape situations that are the breeding ground for terrorism, situations that New Zealand, like many other western countries, has to a degree been complicit in creating. This would go some way to deescalating terrorism by reducing the reasons some people hold for hating Westerners. Although this isn't politically convenient at the moment, the benefits to this long-term approach far exceed any risks, which are currently painfully apparent.

However, despite the rawness of the situation, this is not the time to allow segregationists to seize the narrative. Instead, we should look to increase and enhance the broadcasting of our multicultural and diverse communities. Because without inclusiveness, it is far more likely that more individuals will feel isolated and thus be more prone to radicalisation…consequently making it more likely that similar terrorist attacks will occur again in New Zealand.

16 Jun 2021

Juliet Moses - Arsehole of the Week

It’s no surprise that Juliet Moses was the antagonist who caused people to walk out from the Anti-Terrorism Hui yesterday.

Having crossed paths with the deluded fanatic before, there is no doubt that Moses knew exactly what she was going to do before she got up on stage.

After all, the spokesperson for the NZ Jewish Council and self-proclaimed Zionist is an old hand at making people angry, especially amongst New Zealand’s Muslim and LGBT communities.

The outspoken extremist's history of provocation and disinformation in well-known, so you’ve really got to wonder why anybody would allow her to speak at a hui organised to counter terrorism in the first place?

The event organisers should have been aware that Moses, who often propagates falsehoods on behalf of the Israeli regime, would once again try to grind her old broken axe. Her bias should have been even more evident to organisers being that she had recently been gleefully blaming Palestinians for the escalation and continued bombing of woman and children in Gaza.


Yesterday, Stuff reported:


Walkout at counter-terrorism hui in protest over 'insensitive' speech

New Zealand's anti-terrorism hui has been marked by a mass walkout from members of the Muslim community.

The country's first hui on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism in Ōtautahi involved experts discussing the evolution of terrorism risk in New Zealand, online extremism, the role of media, and the consequences of hate.

The country's first hui on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism in Ōtautahi involved experts discussing the evolution of terrorism risk in New Zealand, online extremism, the role of media, and the consequences of hate.

The walkout happened today during a panel addressing the causes of terrorism after a comment from NZ Jewish Council spokesperson Juliet Moses about the Israel-Palestine conflict sparked a commotion.

"Hezbollah and Hamas, their military wings are proscribed terror organisations in New Zealand but we saw a rally in support of Hezbollah on Queen St in 2018."

Her remarks caused a strong response from members of the Muslim community including victims of the Christchurch mosque attacks, as people shouted: "Free Palestine."


Her remarks were also entirely incorrect! The march she is referring to had nothing to do with Hezbollah, which clearly shows that Moses is a deceitful propagandist that nobody should ever believe.


Yesterday, Scoop reported:


Juliet Moses Attack On Palestine Solidarity Protestors At The Christchurch Counter-terrorism Conference Was Wrong

Press Release: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa

The New Zealand Jewish Council spokesperson Juliet Moses should never have been invited to speak at a counter-terrorism conference in the wake of the terror attack against New Zealand Muslims on 15 March 2019.

As a mouthpiece for the Israeli Embassy, Moses uses every opportunity to make false smears of anti-semitism against the Palestine solidarity movement and anyone who calls for sanctions against Israeli to make it comply with international law. She did this today with her opportunistic attack on Palestinian solidarity protests at the counter-terrorism conference.


Today, Newshub reported:


Alternative Jewish Voices 'horrified' by NZ Jewish Council's 'Hezbollah' comment at anti-terrorism hui

An alternative New Zealand Jewish group says it's "horrified" by comments made about the Israel-Palestine conflict at NZ's first annual hui to combat terrorism.

Muslim community members walked out of the inaugural hui in Christchurch on Tuesday, after NZ Jewish Council spokesperson Juliet Moses said leaders needed to be consistent in censuring terrorism.

"We need to hear leaders condemn all support for terrorism and all terrorism equally whatever the source, target and circumstances, and even when it is not politically expedient to do so," she said in a speech.

"We are, additionally, horrified to hear Jewish Council spokesperson Juliet Moses double down on her claim that she was expressing the sentiment of our national Jewish community," the organisation said in a statement.

It was "wrong" to use the hui for such statements, it said.

"We feel for those who have been hurt but we are heartened to hear that the hui will continue with its mission.

"Such statements are wrong, period; and it was additionally wrong to bring those politics into the anti-terrorism venue in particular."

Gamal Fouda, the Imam of the Al Noor Mosque targeted in the 2019 Christchurch attacks, said on Facebook the comments stereotyped "New Zealand Muslims of supporting terrorism".


This isn’t Juliet Moses’ first rodeo either. Through trial and error she knows exactly what to say to illicit a reaction from the victims of terrorism. However her campaign to cause conflict in New Zealand didn't end there. Despicably Moses immediately became moderate once her hurtful diatribe had been successful, which is an old tactic used by manipulative arseholes to try and gain the high ground.

That’s essentially why Juliet Moses wins an Arsehole of the Week Award. She intentionally insulted people in the audience to try and stop the hui from working towards what it set out to achieve, peace. Let’s hope that she isn’t provided with an opportunity to express such hateful lies again.

30 May 2017

MI5 failed to stop Manchester bomber

Today, Stuff reported:

Missed chances to catch Manchester bomber Salman Abedi will be investigated the Home Secretary said as it was claimed that US officials warned MI5 that he was planning an attack.

As the security services faced growing questions over the failure to prevent Abedi from killing 22 people in the Manchester Arena, Amber Rudd said that whether there were "signals" that were not picked up on would be examined.

Despite the terror threat being reduced from critical to severe on Saturday, she confirmed that members of Abedi's terror network could still be at large.

She spoke after claims that the FBI had told MI5 earlier this year that Abedi was part of a north African terror cell based in Manchester looking to launch an attack.

Why didn’t MI5 act on the intelligence? They could have prevented this terrible attack.

US federal agents had been monitoring Abedi since last year and had passed on information from Libya and from intercepting his communications, it was said.

"Following this US tip-off, Abedi and other members of the gang were scrutinised by MI5. It was thought at the time that Abedi was planning to assassinate a political figure.

MI5 thought Abedi was going to assassinate a political figure, but just let him gather the items he needed to make a bomb anyway? Unbelievable!

I wonder who Abedi’s political target was or if he actually had one. Perhaps MI5’s failure to properly act on intel to stop Abedi was because of who they thought his target was?

"But nothing came of this investigation and, tragically, he slipped down the pecking order of targets," a source told The Mail on Sunday.

Abedi was also reported to authorities by residents at least five times in five years.

Reported five times to authorities and they did nothing! It appears that Theresa May's police funding cuts did in deed put Manchester and national security at risk.

Clearly English authorities could have acted on intelligence and therefore prevented the deaths of 22 innocent people. Why they didn’t should be the topic of a thorough inquiry.

24 May 2017

Katie Hopkins - Asshole of the Week


It's truly heart breaking to see the terrible images coming out of Manchester at the moment. Not only have 22 innocent people, some of them children, been killed in a senseless attack...the inevitable backlash by hate groups has targeted more innocent people just because they're Muslim.

You’ve really got to wonder therefore why the Islamic State terror group who claimed responsibility for the bombing would target a concert? The only thing they’ve ensured is further justification for Middle Eastern wars and perhaps the re-election of warmonger Theresa May.

In such times it’s important to keep a level head and not increase racial or religious tensions. Don't tell that to England’s PM though.  She's very busy at the moment gaining support for a more hard-line approach and is undoubtedly not interested in finding peaceful solutions to Middle Eastern conflicts, which are in fact the root cause of terrorism.

Unfortunately English television personality Katie Hopkins also didn’t get the memo.

Yesterday, the guardian reported:

Katie Hopkins reported to police after 'final solution' Manchester attack tweet

Complaints made to Metropolitan police amid widespread condemation following newspaper columnist’s now-deleted tweet

The newspaper columnist Katie Hopkins became the subject of a police review after the Manchester bombing on Monday, as questions were raised about the limits the press can go to when reporting the fallout from terrorist attacks.

Hopkins, who is employed by the Mail Online and LBC, was reported to the Metropolitan police for a tweet in which she called for a “final solution” as part of a longer anti-Muslim tirade.

The columnist quickly deleted the tweet, directed at the This Morning host Phillip Schofield, and posted an edited version after receiving widespread condemnation for repeating the Nazi term for the Holocaust.

The original tweet read: 

Katie Hopkins clearly doesn't have the level headedness an unbiased public figure requires. She has tried to incite hate against an ethnic group when most Muslims in England feel just as aggrieved by the cowardly attack as any other Englander.

Clearly political rhetoric and further violence is not the solution to the terrorism problem. Dialogue and peaceful negotiation, putting a halt to weapon supplies and political stability in the Middle East is the only way western countries like England will ever see an end to these horrible bombings.

Ugly old trolls like Katie Hopkins who actively incite racial hatred are a part of the terrorism problem. How many more innocent people are going to be beaten or killed because of idiots in places of power inciting violence? That's why Hopkins is this week's Asshole Award winner. This despicable hate merchant should be fired immediately.

18 May 2017

Donald Trump's Treason

With the current President of the United States openly admitting that he provided sensitive information to Russian officials, you’ve got to wonder what all those flag waiving patriotic voters are thinking.

They will be highly disappointed because there’s no question that by providing Russia with information of the highest classification, Donald Trump has betrayed the United States and its allies.

On Monday, the Washington Post reported:

Trump revealed highly classified information to Russian foreign minister and ambassador

The information the president relayed had been provided by a U.S. partner through an intelligence-sharing arrangement considered so sensitive that details have been withheld from allies and tightly restricted even within the U.S. government, officials said.

The partner had not given the United States permission to share the material with Russia, and officials said Trump’s decision to do so endangers cooperation from an ally that has access to the inner workings of the Islamic State. After Trump’s meeting, senior White House officials took steps to contain the damage, placing calls to the CIA and the National Security Agency.

Clearly blathering classified information to the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Russian Ambassador to the US as well as a Russian news agency makes Trump entirely unfit for office.

“This is code-word information,” said a U.S. official familiar with the matter, using terminology that refers to one of the highest classification levels used by American spy agencies. Trump “revealed more information to the Russian ambassador than we have shared with our own allies.”

Such a betrayal of the United States' intelligence sources by somebody controlling the world’s fate should be raising concerns with their five eyes partners. They should be questioning the legitimacy of the rogue administration and halting all sensitive communications with them.

But if that treasonous act wasn’t bad enough, yesterday Reuters reported:

Trump asked Comey to end investigation of Michael Flynn: source

U.S. President Donald Trump asked then-FBI Director James Comey to end the agency's investigation into ties between former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn and Russia, according to a source who has seen a memo written by Comey.

The explosive new development on Tuesday followed a week of tumult at the White House after Trump fired Comey and then discussed sensitive national security information about Islamic State with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

It seems inevitably that Trump will be impeached for interfering in an FBI investigation. Even a majority of Americans think he should be. After all the evidence is undeniable that he’s obstructed justice and there are simply too many questions now being asked for him to conceivably avoid a hearing.

Of course Trump could decide to go through the process of denying the allegations while firing any officials who ask too many difficult questions. But such a decision would inevitably cause more instability for the US and their allies. This would undoubtedly increase friction at the highest levels of international relations.

It’s likely therefore that a large amount of White House insiders and government official's will be looking for a more scripted way for Trump to exit the Presidency. Despite his renowned arrogance, the Donald will probably just throw in the towel and retire.

On Tuesday, The Washington Times also reported:

Trump didn’t know source of classified info, says Security Adviser McMaster

White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster reiterated Tuesday that President Trump didn’t put national security at risk in a discussion with Russian diplomats last week about new threats posed by the Islamic State.

“The president in no way compromised sources or methods,” Mr. McMaster told reporters. “What the president shared was wholly appropriate.”

He said Mr. Trump didn’t even know where the information in question came from.

Apparently we're just meant to believe what McMaster says despite evidence to the contrary.

It’s simply implausible that Trump wasn’t aware of the source and secrecy of the information he decided to present to the Russians. Prior to the meeting where he learnt of the highly classified information Trump would have been briefed about its secrecy. Officials would have been at pains to make Trump pay attention to the 'CONFIDENTIAL' stamped all over the documents.

The President of the United States has been running a country of approximately 324 million people like a two-bit reality show. He's proven himself time and time again completely unfit to be the President of the United States. Trump should therefore do the world a favour and resign.

16 Dec 2014

Key uses tragedy for propaganda

As Australians and Kiwis are learning about the tragic events that have resulted in the deaths of three people, the Prime Minister of New Zealand has taken it upon himself to use the situation to promote a complete untruth.

Today, Radio NZ reported:

John Key said it was clear from what unfolded across the Tasman that ISIS was running an outreach campaign which was trying to tap into the disenfranchised.

The Prime Minister said the holding up of an Islamic flag in the Lindt cafe in Sydney made it feel like ISIS was the driving force behind what happened.

The problem for Key is that he's entirely wrong! Today, Radio NZ also reported:

Deadly end to Sydney siege

Earlier, police confirmed to Radio New Zealand the man behind the siege was Man Haron Monis, who had been on bail for a charge of accessory to murder.

The Iranian man, also known as Sheikh Haron, was convicted last year over offensive letters he sent to family members of Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2009.

Man Haron Monis was an Iranian and Iran has been fighting ISIL for a long time now. The failure of John Key, who just so happens to be the Minister in charge of "Intelligence" Services, to provide any evidence to support his claims is profound.

So desperate is the Prime Minister of New Zealand for an excuse to send more troops off to war and justify the implementation of further domestic spying legislation that he's willing to blatantly lie about Man Haron Monis' affiliation with ISIL.

In my opinion this shows complete disrespect for the people caught up in the tragedy…especially the hostages who lost their lives and their grieving families.

It also shows that our leaders and the mainstream media are willing to use such tragedies in order to promote a war that the good people of Australia and New Zealand clearly don't support.

10 Sept 2013

When terror acts go wrong

Today, Stuff reported:

A former Taranaki man working in Saudi Arabia learned money he sent home to pay bills had been seized under an anti-terrorism act.

Michael Shaskey says Kiwibank froze US$2600 ($3265) he sent to his New Zealand account under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act.

Shaskey, who has been teaching in Saudi Arabia since June, said he only learned the funds had been sequestered after several messages to Kiwibank went unanswered and he threatened to go to the Banking Ombudsman.

Actually, under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009 (PDF), the Reserve Bank is the responsible supervisor. That means only they could have ordered that Shaskey's funds be forfeited.

Under that act, Kiwibank is required to comply with the Reserve Banks AML/CFT supervisor's orders. Also, they wouldn't have been allowed to notify their client about what had happened.

In effect the law is a complete ass! Firstly it requires financial institutions to keep tabs on all their customers at their own expense and secondly it then gives powers to institutions that have no proper investigative capabilities.

But the real kicker is that no civil or criminal proceedings can be brought against an AML/CFT supervisor, meaning there isn't any real accountability when things go wrong. How many other innocent people's bank accounts have the "supervisors" dipped into I wonder?

2 Aug 2013

An international embarrassment

Yesterday, the same day that a controversial GCSB amendment bill was due to be read for a second time, the Prime Minister of New Zealand announced to the nation that Al-Qaeda trained terrorists were operating in New Zealand.

The National party leader chose to announce the security threat on a breakfast radio show where he claimed that an undisclosed number of New Zealand citizens had travelled to Yemen to attend Al-Qaeda training camps.

Today, the NZ Herald reported:

He refused to give further details but, asked later in the day, said he had signed warrants for surveillance of "a small number" of people who were in Yemen.

"Some of them are still off-shore and some are in New Zealand.

"The fact someone might have a link might be the sort of reason the Government raises a warrant to observe their behaviour. It doesn't necessarily mean they've broken the law at this point."

This is obviously scaremongering in order to try and justify a huge expansion of spying legislation, legislation that despite the numerous claims by those in support of the bill will in fact mean warrantless surveillance of New Zealand citizens is available to the GCSB. The law change will mean mass surveillance of all communications can be legally undertaken.

Why is this a problem you might ask? One only has to look at a recent case where the illegal interception of communications has resulted in a serious breach of privacy. The reporter at the centre of that controversy, Andrea Vance, is "mad as hell" about her communications being intercepted and has clearly gained widespread support from other journalists.

However, instead of anybody who is actually responsible for that "cock up" being held to account, the head of Parliamentary Service, Geoff Thorn, has been made the fall guy in another blatant attempt to protect brand Key.

Today, the Otago Daily Times reported:

Mr Key later said he had signed warrants to observe people from New Zealand in Yemen and knew who they were.

"There are very specific and unique examples where we know that there is a threat or a potential threat and we have to take those responsibilities seriously," he said.

"People have trained in New Zealand and gone off to those camps and that's just the way things are.''

Mr Key would not reveal how many people were involved, or give their names.

The only cases we know the identity of New Zealand citizens who have been spied on are the Kim Dotcom case, the Jon Stephenson case and the Andrea Vance and Peter Dunne case. These people can hardly be considered radicals or terrorists to warrant such a grievous breach of their privacy.

If there is such a threat as Key claims, why haven't there been any prosecutions for terrorism? We have very specific laws in place in New Zealand to ensure those who might be aiding or undertaking terrorism are brought to justice. Nobody has ever been prosecuted under those laws, which can only mean that the internal terrorism threat to New Zealand is non-existent.

But he said some of them could be New Zealand citizens and they were already being monitored.

"There are small numbers of radicalised New Zealanders who have either gone over to those environments or returned. Some are offshore and some are in New Zealand."

Security Analyst Dr Paul Buchanan has labelled this politics of last resort while a professor at the University of Otago, Richard Jackson, said Mr Key's claims of New Zealanders working with Al-Qaeda were likely "exaggerated".

Labour leader David Shearer said Key was simply being "dumb" and that bringing up threats to national security wasn't "the type of thing you'd usually expect the prime minister to raise on breakfast radio."

Here's the crew over at MoreFM that Key announced the terrorism threat to yesterday.


That's why John Keys' statements have seen little reporting by any reputable news organizations outside of New Zealand. Of course Fox News has reported the ludicrous claim that Al-Qaeda trainees who are also New Zealand citizens are operating in this country and abroad, but that's to be expected. The rest haven't even bothered to acknowledged Keys bullshit!

After the huge uproar from Keys criticism concerning football legend David Beckham and other similar stupid incidents there is but one conclusion: The Prime Minister is making New Zealand the laughing stock of the world. He is now an international embarrassment that cannot be managed. The cost to our credibility as a nation and the resulting business issues such incompetence causes should not be underestimated. The current Prime Minister is a joke, let's not let New Zealand become one as well.

6 Jul 2013

Top secret America


25 Apr 2013

Economic sabotage

It's been somewhat amusing to see the right wings response to the Labour/Greens policy announcement last week that will make power prices cheaper. In fact their reaction has been way over the top with claims that intervening in the "free" market that has obviously failed consumers will somehow be the end of the world.

Clearly level heads did not prevailed, with Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce saying the policy was "nothing more than deliberate economic sabotage" and amounted to a "Polish shipyard approach". Energy and Resources Minister Simon Bridges said the proposal was "reminiscent of Soviet communism" while Prime Minister John Key said it would result in power cuts and "leave families huddling around candles" for warmth.

But if that wasn't enough baseless rhetoric, Business NZ chief executive Phil O'Reilly said it amounted to "economic vandalism" while right wing propagandist Fran O’Sullivan said Labour was adopting a Hugo Chavez style of politics and likened them and the Greens to a "Mafia". Not that anybody really cares what he thinks, Libertarianz Party leader Richard McGrath said it "smacks of economic dyslexia" whatever that is?

Meanwhile John Banks claimed it would "destroy the incentive to invest and to use electricity efficiently" and was therefore a "return to Muldoonism" of all things. Not to be outdone, Cameron Slater said it was "wanton vandalism" and "economic terrorism" while David Farrar said it would cause "no new generation" to be built and lead to the government confiscating people's houses... You couldn't make this shit up.



Now stop laughing for a second and give their insane claims the credence they clearly don't deserve... Let's explore the concept of economic sabotage:

Economic Sabotage is the practice of undermining the economy of a nation. It is a tactic used to pressure governments. The power of the markets is such, that it may be wielded as a weapon to damage the stability a countries economy, raising food/fuel prices, interest rates on international debts and other factors important to an economy. Economic Sabotage can be used against a foreign government to undermine their standing, or by the ruling class to undermine left-wing governments.

So, economic sabotage is generally defined as raising prices for consumers, which would make NZ Power (PDF) the exact opposite of economic sabotage. An actual example of economic sabotage can be seen with Nationals huge increase in external government debt:


That's what real economic sabotage looks like folks.

14 Feb 2013

Newsflash! Tame Iti gets parole

Tame Iti, the mastermind behind the infamous "terrorist" training camps throughout te Urewera, has been granted parole to return back to his base camp and continue plotting the demise of the government.

No longer content with merely painting, writing and being outspoken about indigenous rights, Tame Iti has vowed to ride a horse bareback past local authorities and might even do the Haka... The sheer audacity of the man!

Today, Stuff reported:

Jailed activist Tame Iti says he is to be released from prison.

"It's a good day. They are sending me home. I can't wait to be back with my whanau," Iti tweeted this afternoon.

Iti is clearly talking in code here, and will instead be plotting to take over New Zealand with Tikanga Māori... Oh the humanity!

In January, Iti said he had a parole hearing scheduled for today. "As it is valentines day...I wonder if the parole board will show me some love."

Of course this wasn't about love, with the level headed Garth McVicar of the Sensible Sentencing Trust quick to respond to the news:

"I'm shocked! That evil genius Iti has obviously blackmailed his way to freedom" said McVicar. "When I signed up with Serco, I assured them that all Maori activists would be locked up forever. Now I'm in breach of contract and we'll lose millions."

The fallout to the parole boards surprise decision has only just begun.

12 Feb 2013

Richard Prosser - Asshole of the Week

Today, the NZ Herald reported:

Comments on Muslims by New Zealand First MP Richard Prosser have sparked online outrage and have been slammed as racist by a Muslim leader.

In a column for Investigate Magazine, the Waimakariri list MP suggested young Muslims shouldn't be allowed to travel on Western airlines because 'most terrorists are Muslims".

Oh dear! Not only is Richard Prosser clearly a complete bigot, his claim that most terrorists are Muslims is entirely incorrect.

Such stupid claims have been disproven by research conducted by the Duke University and the University of North Carolina.

Collating FBI data also shows Muslim extremists undertook only 6% of terrorist attacks on US soil from 1980 to 2005, so clearly the idiot Prosser has no basis in reality for his claims.

He accepted that most Muslims are not terrorists, but it's "equally undeniable" that "most terrorists are Muslims".

"If you are a young male, aged between say about 19 and about 35, and you're a Muslim, or you look like a Muslim, or you come from a Muslim country, then you are not welcome to travel on any of the West's airlines," he wrote.

If the New Zealand government started discriminating against people in the way Prosser wants, they would be breaching the Human Rights Act 1993 (PDF).

In his article, Mr Prosser also said: "I will not stand by while [his daughters'] rights and freedoms of other New Zealanders and Westerners, are denigrated by a sorry pack of misogynist troglodytes from Wogistan."

The 9/11 hijackers were Muslims, as were the London "tube bombers", Mr Prosser said, along with the Taleban and al-Qaida.

"There is a pattern here, I promise you," he wrote. "These are angry, young Muslim men who hate the West and want to destroy it.

"They attack us, and our institutions and infrastructures, and our way of life, and our values and beliefs and precepts, because we are not like them, and for no other reason."

One minutes googling can disprove such ignorance, so why in this day and age of technological advancement could Prosser still be so damn deluded?

Although he's distanced himself as an MP from his repugnant article, Prosser is still responsible as a representative for what he writes.

Prosser therefore has no place within parliament and Winston Peters should sack him forthwith. If NZ First allows Prosser to remain, they're condoning his defunct beliefs, and that's something no reasonable political party should be doing.

10 Oct 2012

Rena's toxic legacy

Today, the NZ Herald reported:

Just over a year after the Rena struck the Astrolabe Reef in the Bay of Plenty, containers of hazardous substances still lie beneath the water.

The Minister of Transport, Gerry Brownlee, has confirmed the contents of three containers of cryolite, a byproduct of the aluminium smelting process, have been lost at sea.

The location of a further 17 containers with cryolite is not known.

Mr Brownlee said it was not possible to state with certainty how many of these containers remained within the wreck in cargo holds.

Why haven't they sent a diver down to see what containers remain in the Rena's cargo hold and then check the shipping manifest to see what is in these containers? Clearly they should have done this already and Brownlee's excuse doesn't wash.

A risk assessment provided to the Government stated cryolite posed "both an immediate and long-term pollution hazard to marine organisms and plants". But scientists had advised Maritime New Zealand that a number of factors suggested the risk could be reduced.

Cryolite was only slightly soluble in water and the rate of release was expected to be diminished because of packaging. It broke down to naturally occurring elements - mainly aluminium and fluoride - which became less harmful in seawater because of reactions with other naturally abundant elements.

The scientific evidence that the synthetic cryolite that was onboard the Rena will become less toxic in seawater is based on pure speculation. It's all dependent on how fast it dissipates in the water, and they haven't bothered to find this out.

Cryolite is sometimes used as an insecticide, and works by poisoning the stomach of any insects that eat foliage. It has been found to be highly toxic to aquatic organisms and especially shellfish.

Currently produced in Japan from sodium aluminate, ammonium fluoride and sodium hydroxide, which are known to be toxic to aquatic life and carcinogenic/neurotoxic in humans, Cryolite is not meant to be used in conjunction with other chemicals such as lime because it causes phototoxicity.

Clearly Cryolite is not as benign as they would want us to believe.

Maritime New Zealand began an investigation when it found cryolite had been loaded onto the Rena in Bluff without being classified as a dangerous substance.

The agency decided not to prosecute the manufacturer after it alerted authorities to the error and co-operated to address the gap in its processes.

The agency decided not to prosecute because it evidently doesn't give a damn about marine safety. Neither does the National government, who is not interested in compulsory shipping lanes that might ensure another Rena disaster doesn't occur again.

The contents of containers carrying ferrosilicon and one of potassium nitrate are also thought to have been lost at sea.

Another container of 5400kg of trichloroisocyanuric acid was on the seabed next to the wreck in March, but has not been recovered.

How fucked is that? They're just leaving all these dangerous chemicals in the ocean to slowly leach out and pollute the entire East coast, presumably because it would cost a lot of money to recover the hazardous shipping containers and dispose of their dangerous contents.

Meanwhile the "scientific" studies that have been conducted so far have only looked at the effects of hydrocarbons from the heavy fuel oil and none of the other substances the Rena was carrying that are known to be dangerous. Anybody would think they're trying to bloody well wreck the environment on purpose.

Maritime New Zealand is still refusing to release the Rena's full inventory (citing commercially sensitive information), which would let us know exactly what was onboard. You've got to wonder if the bad news about the Rena disaster is only going to get worse.

10 May 2012

Police extend olive branch

Yesterday, the Police reported:

The Commissioner of Police, Peter Marshall, and Tuhoe spokesperson, Tamati Kruger, said a meeting in Rotorua this afternoon had been a good initial step towards the future for Police and Tuhoe tribe relations.

In a joint statement Mr Marshall and Mr Kruger said the meeting was essentially a private one solely focussed on having the Police and Tuhoe leaders in the same room to talk.

It's good to see that the police are willing to extend the olive branch and be proactive in repairing relations with Ngāi Tūhoe after the disaster that was anti-terror raids.

Hopefully the police have learnt their lesson and instead of going ballistic about a few unregistered guns, will simply let the local cops have a word with those they suspect of breaking the law.

It would certainly save a lot of tax payer dollars with some estimating the financial cost at $14 million. What a waste of money.

8 May 2012

No retrial for Urewera Four

Today, the NZ Herald reported:

The "Urewera Four'' will not be re-tried on a charge of belonging to an organised criminal group.

APNZ understands that the Crown will file an application for a stay of proceedings relating to the charge which a High Court jury could not return a verdict on.

The stay of proceedings - to be filed at the High Court at Auckland tomorrow - means that no retrial will go ahead.

Thus with some happiness ends a very sad chapter in our countries history.

The so-called anti terror raids way back in October 2007 should never have occurred. Such repressive and draconian measures undertaken by the police have set Ngāi Tūhoe and crown relations back decades and fundamentally entrenched long standing grievances that should have been rectified a long time ago.

What needs to happen now is a concerted effort on the crowns part to mend relations with Ngāi Tūhoe to ensure grievances are heard and appropriate recompense given.

A formal apology for the  abuse of law abiding citizens who were trying to go about their business would be a good idea as well... but unfortunately this worthwhile gesture has already been ruled out.

An independent inquiry into police conduct and a repeal of the Suppression of Terrorism Act (PDF) that in part caused the problems in the first place would also be appropriate.

2 Apr 2012

Guilty until proven innocent

Today, the BBC reported:

The government will be able to monitor the calls, emails, texts and website visits of everyone in the UK under new legislation set to be announced soon.

Internet firms will be required to give intelligence agency GCHQ access to communications on demand, in real time.

The Home Office says the move is key to tackling crime and terrorism, but civil liberties groups have criticised it.

And with good reason. The problem here is that government will likely use the new provisions to broadly monitor large groups of people that oppose their capitalist based regimes.

The question is can we trust our so-called "representatives" to act ethically and ensure that such powers are not abused?

Past misconduct by various MP's and government agencies clearly shows that we cannot trust their standards.... and they will assuredly use such widespread control for personal and political gain. In many instances, their ethics are sold to the highest bidder.

On March 22, New Zealand's Parliament passed similar repressive laws, with Stop the Search and Surveillance Bill reporting:

Police and State agencies will have even more powers to spy and surveil people. The police and others have more power to do unwarranted searches and surveillances. Human intervention devices (spies) need no warrant and have no time-limit on how long they can operate. The road-blocks seen in Ruatoki on 15th October 2007 can become the norm. The list of powers given to the police and other agencies is atrocious.

The Bill also attacks core concepts of 'justice', including the loss of right to silence and the right not to self-incriminate. The old adage of innocent until proven guilty becomes guilty until you can prove your innocence.

Big brother isn't just watching you, he is going through your trash, opening your email/letters and putting recording devices throughout your house. Welcome to the brave new world.

19 Sept 2011

John Key's War on Terror

Last Tuesday the Prime Minister of New Zealand announced that New Zealand has designated a further three international terrorist groups under the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002.
The groups are: Jundallah in Iran, the Revolutionary People’s Army/Party (DHKP/C) in Turkey, and the Shining Path in Peru.

“These designations help implement our international obligations under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 aimed at preventing the activities of terrorists,” says Mr Key. 

“All three entities have committed various terrorist acts, including the killing of civilians.

“As a result of the designations, any assets held by the groups and found in New Zealand either now, or in the future, will be frozen. It will also be a criminal offence to deal with their property or make property or financial services available to them.”
An EU Court of law ordered that the DHKP/C, not be included on terrorism lists in April 2008. They ruled that it's illegal to black list and freeze their assets. That ruling means EU nations are obliged to implement the court ruling, and remove the DHKP/C as a terrorist organization. In June 2010 the DHKP/C was again ruled inadmissible under EU law:
The charge consists of supposed violations of the Foreign Trade Act (AWG) in the context of alleged membership of the DHKP-C. However, almost all concrete allegations put forward referred to work done for legal cultural organizations, solidarity work to ameliorate human rights violations in Turkish prisons and financial support of political prisoners.
The evidence shows that the DHKP/C has not undertaken armed struggle for over ten years, mainly because most of them were rounded up and executed. The organizations remaining activists are now believed to live in exile, although there is still a political resistance within Turkey.

According to different sources, state terror against non-violent students, intellectuals, and political activists who were presumed to form the social, non-combatant base of the DHKP/C, claimed tens of thousands of lives. So who are the real terrorists here and why is John Key promoting a falsehood?

16 Sept 2011

A Crown Contradiction

On the 14 September TVNZ reported:
The Crown said it didn't have enough evidence for a case against 13 of the 18, nearly four years after they were arrested in connection with alleged military training camps in the Ureweras. - Chief Justice Sian Elias. 
Then today the Otago Daily Times reported:
Charges against 13 of the Urewera accused were dropped because the police gathered their evidence illegally, according to the Supreme Court. 
It keeps getting more ludicrous!


18 Aug 2011

They Love Me

I don't usually like to blog about myself, but in this instance I think the topic might apply to others who utilize social media to convey their beliefs and political viewpoint as well.

There's no such thing as blogger etiquette, or any enforceable rules that apply to blogs, but I'm surprised at the opposition and abuse I've recently received for merely using social media to communicate my ideas.

A few days ago a Jackal impersonator started posting on Red Alert comments that were clearly not in line with my left wing tendencies. I was rather surprised that somebody would go to the trouble of making comments that were always going to be removed. This particular impersonator also registered my second public email address at Red Alert as to make banning them an inconvenience.

However this is not the only annoyance I’ve had since I started blogging. My blogger Spam box is a mix of comments about my bottom, race, advertisements for rhinoplasty and oil drilling as well as assumptions about my sexual preference. All of which seems rather ludicrous considering they will never see the light of day.



So I’m rather perplexed about the attention a part time blogger such as myself is receiving. Perhaps they perceive me as a threat? However I consider myself a pretty average Kiwi bloke. I like to watch the All Blacks, I’m not gay, I enjoy the odd drink but don’t overindulge and I work hard and play even harder. I'm neither rich nor poor and consider myself practical and level headed.

That’s why I was rather disgusted when a RWNJ recently compared me to Anders Behring Breivik, the Norway mass murderer. Perhaps that particular Troll made such a comparison to try and get people to associate my blog with extremism. Well let me make something very clear, I do not condone violence in any form. In fact I'm a pacifist unless attacked.

That's effectively what has been occurring. My computers have had three intrusion attempts in as many months, of which less robust systems would have succumbed. How many other bloggers have been shut down by the underhanded activities of people on the internet who do not share their views?

I also do not appreciate all the racist comments that have been made on my Youtube account. The time it takes to moderate such crap is time I could spend doing far more important things. In this way the perpetrators are winning.

Although I could join the dots and link to the people who are obviously far to mentally deficient to debate me on the merits of my arguments, naming and shaming these people would give them far more attention than they deserve. Hopefully the problem shared will do more to deter than justify their behaviour, but I'm not entirely sure.

25 Jul 2011

Jumping to Conclusions

Anders Behring Breivik
Speculating on things without enough information is a dangerous practice at the best of times. You run the risk of appearing the fool if that guess work is later shown to be incorrect.

That's exactly what happened in John Key's meeting with the US President Barack Obama, when news of the Norway killings was commented on by the leaders.

John Key jumped to the conclusion that the bombing and youth camp massacre that claimed the lives of 93 people was the work of Muslim terrorists. He tried to justify New Zealand's involvement in the Afghanistan war when he said:
“If it is an act of global terrorism then I think what it shows is that no country, large or small, is immune from risk and that’s why New Zealand plays its part in Afghanistan.” he said.
David Farrar then blogged:
Initially many thought the terrorist attack may have been an extreme Islamist group – partly because such a group actually put out a press release claiming responsibility. But it is a reminder that killing innocent people because you don’t like Islam is just as evil and demented as killing innocent people in the name of Islam.
In this case David Farrar has used a falsehood to try and defend John Key's guesswork that was clearly based on his prejudices. The report that said Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami claimed responsibility for the Norway killings was fabricated, anybody with half a brain and any journalistic integrity would know that from a few minutes search on the internet.

It's a further indication that the right wing will utilize tragic events and disinformation to try and increase peoples acceptance for their stupid actions and what is essentially unjust wars that have claimed millions of innocent lives.



The initial unfounded belief by the right wing and so called experts that Al Qaeda were to blame extended through many false reports. But the facts of the matter told a different story.

In a statement made by the English Defense League to refute any link between them and the Norwegian right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who wrote of his admiration of the EDL in his 1,500-page manifesto entitled 2083, they said:
Be it the arrested man or the Islamic terrorist group Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami, who claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that Norway’s involvement with NATO forces and the Norwegian press re-printing cartoons of Mohammed, were the reasons for the attack.
It's a common practice by those who want to perpetuate falsehoods to link to reputable outlets to try and increase believability in their lies. That's the case with this article that states the New York Times reported:
A terror group, Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami, or the Helpers of the Global Jihad, issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack, according to Will McCants, a terrorism analyst at C.N.A., a research institute that studies terrorism. The message said the attack was a response to Norwegian forces’ presence in Afghanistan and to unspecified insults to the Prophet Muhammad. “We have warned since the Stockholm raid of more operations,” the group said, according to Mr. McCants’ translation, apparently referred to a bombing in Sweden in December 2010. “What you see is only the beginning, and there is more to come."
This is another false report, with much of the incorrect claims being generated by a William McCants. He's the founder and co-editor of Jihadica, and apparently served as Senior Adviser for Countering Violent Extremism at the U.S. Department of State, is a program manager of the Minerva Initiative at the Department of Defense, and fellow at West Point’s Combating Terrorism Center.

McCants translation/interpretation was incorrect and unverified when he published it. They have blamed the media for being too quick at disseminating the incorrect information that claimed Al Qaeda was responsible. It's not much of an excuse for their falsehood really.

Even when the evidence is clear, McCant continues to try and involve Al Qaeda in Breivik's crimes. It's similar to the "weapons of mass destruction" ruse and is effectively another load bullshit! Benjamin Doherty from the Electronic Intifada summed up McCants lies well when he wrote:
The threshold for a terrorism expert must be very low. This whole rush to disseminate a false, unverifiable and flimsily sourced claim strikes me as a case of an elite fanboy wanting to be the first to pass on leaked gadget specs.
While much of the media, dishonest blogger's and an ignorant Prime Minister were quick to lay blame on Muslim's, the truth of the matter seems to point in another direction entirely.

In September, Norway backed a Palestinian bid for recognition in the United Nations for their sovereignty. This might seem unremarkable, if you're unaware of the Israeli and Palestinian conflict.



Israel strongly opposes Palestinian sovereignty because it would mean an end to their occupation. Palestinian sovereignty begins with what Obama called “the full and phased withdrawal of Israeli security forces,” including from the Jordan River border area and with the removal of all settlements not on land covered by “mutually agreed swaps.”

Israel has long denied democratic freedoms for millions of oppressed Palestinians, imposing various restrictions and imperial harshness, which has exploited and brutalized the Palestinians for decades. It's no wonder that the democratic Norway fully supported Palestinian sovereignty: 
“We will consider very carefully the proposed text that’s to be put forward by the Palestinians in the coming weeks,” said Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas beside him at a recent press conference.
Jonas Gahr Stoere spoke again about recognition for Palestine Forty-eight hours before Fridays massacre. He told the youths that the Palestinians deserve a country of their own and that the occupation must end. 
Labour youth camp prior to attack.
So there's definitely motivation on the part of Israel to support the despicable act that occurred in Norway. It would also seem that such a horrendous act would be difficult to execute by a single right-wing Christian Fundamentalist alone. Could he be an Israeli Manchurian Candidate and how will the world react to such a sinister threat if this is the case?

It certainly makes John Key’s initial incorrect blame the Muslim's for what occurred and attempted justification for New Zealand's involvement in the Afghanistan war even more repugnant!

I wouldn't like to jump to conclusions, but the possible Mosad connection is why we need clarification concerning Key's cover up of possible Israeli agents working in New Zealand.

It appears that they were harvesting false passports to presumably commit further murders and terrorism throughout the world. It's definitely something that shouldn't be swept under the carpet, but I presume that's exactly what's going to happen.