Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: The standing-still sweep

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  • Rob Hosking,

    As an etymological aside I notice some people using the word 'hippie' as a derogatory term. Could someone please explain why this is so? I don't understand.

    Punks.

    Young Ones.

    Neil.

    South Roseneath • Since Nov 2006 • 830 posts Report

  • Rob Hosking,

    TV3 has an office in Wellington?
    Err, yip, infact it is about 3 blocks down from the house in question,
    Following the changes to the Willis/Abel smith intersection, I suspect it they may have even walked there, it would have been quicker than driving :)

    They could have cycled up the footpaths, of course, and across the "cross now" signals on the crossings...

    South Roseneath • Since Nov 2006 • 830 posts Report

  • Tom Beard,

    As an etymological aside I notice some people using the word 'hippie' as a derogatory term. Could someone please explain why this is so? I don't understand.

    Ha! I was just going to post this:

    I'm surprised no-one's suggested the obvious conspiracy theory: Kerry P gets re-elected, and immediately thinks "Right, time to teach those dirty hippies a lesson: it's the last time they'll try to stop one of my roads".

    Though these activists sometimes get referred to as "hippies", I think they're more anarcho-vegan punks than "whooa, bad karma man!" hippie stereotypes. And perhaps the Young Ones is where the derogatory use arose.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1040 posts Report

  • Alastair Jamieson,

    So is this our 'Broken October'? - do they arrest authors like Craig Harrison for thinking it all up 22 years previously?

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 99 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Police looking for some good shots of their big day busting activists, needed to bring a TV camera on the only raid near a TV station?

    Well, yes...

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Idiot Savant,

    Posters here whose first instinct is to trash the police might just want to give some thought about what the consequences for NZ would be if a militia was allowed to set off an armed sectarian conflict.

    We'd have people like you demanding we give every jackbooted wannabe thug in a uniform a blank cheque to do whatever they wanted with no public scrutiny or oversight?

    We're not talking about "armed sectarian conflict" here; we're talking about a few isolated nutters with guns and no popular support base (something absolutely vital for any real terrorist movement). And it's entirely proper to treat them as such. But please continue your hysteria, it's most amusing.

    Palmerston North • Since Nov 2006 • 1717 posts Report

  • Rob Hosking,

    We're not talking about "armed sectarian conflict" here; we're talking about a few isolated nutters with guns and no popular support base (something absolutely vital for any real terrorist movement). And it's entirely proper to treat them as such. But please continue your hysteria, it's most amusing

    We don't actually know what we're talking about here yet.
    And since when do "real terrorists" need a popular support base? You mean like Bader Meinhoff, say?

    And, while we're at it, you seem to assume that "isolated nutters with guns" are harmless, which shows a fair degree of either wishful thinking or blind ignorance.

    South Roseneath • Since Nov 2006 • 830 posts Report

  • Michael Fitzgerald,

    Bob
    Hitler was a Hippy

    Free Love = Ledensborn
    Vegetarian
    Artist
    Nudists
    Youth Hostels
    Overt emphasis on "nature"

    All pretty Hippy stuff

    Since May 2007 • 631 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    And given he's referencing himself today you can't really be blamed...

    Ahh ... classic Wishart. He's headlined his post "Apocalypse Now" and referred to a "terror plot" in the first sentence.

    The Kelvyn Alp/AIF stuff is interesting in a survivalist wackjob way though.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • merc,

    Since Dec 2006 • 2471 posts Report

  • Stephen Judd,

    Posters here whose first instinct is to trash the police might just want to give some thought about what the consequences for NZ would be if a militia was allowed to set off an armed sectarian conflict.

    We'd have people like you demanding we give every jackbooted wannabe thug in a uniform a blank cheque to do whatever they wanted with no public scrutiny or oversight?

    I don't want armed sectarian conflict OR jackbooted wannabe thugs doing whatever they wanted with no public scrutiny or oversight.

    How does that fit into your dichotomous world view, I/S?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report

  • Steve Barnes,

    The Kelvyn Alp/AIF stuff is interesting in a survivalist wackjob way though.

    Apology accepted ;-)

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

  • Danyl Mclauchlan,

    I don't know about 'armed sectarian conflict' but I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of folks in the peace movement had come up with the bright idea of throwing molotov cocktails at sites such as the US embassy or the GCSB offices. Kind of surprised it hasn't happened already, actually.

    I walked past the Peace Center on Abel Smith St on a regular basis when I lived in Aro Valley - during the last election they had various posters in their windows explaining that refusing to vote was the only real way to change the system. I stopped and chatted to a couple of them now and then - they seemed like your typical dole-bludging commie arts graduates ('You have a job? Man, you're just a brainless SLAVE to the system, say comrade can I borrow some bread?'). I can't imagine they're much of a threat to national security.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 927 posts Report

  • Bob Munro,

    Bob
    Hitler was a Hippy

    Free Love = Ledensborn
    Vegetarian
    Artist
    Nudists
    Youth Hostels
    Overt emphasis on "nature"

    All pretty Hippy stuff

    Sorry Michael this makes no sense to me at all.

    Thanks Merc for mentioning the Yippies. Surely Auckland is in dire need of them right now?

    Christchurch • Since Aug 2007 • 418 posts Report

  • George Darroch,

    The Wellington TV3 news team are pretty dynamic, think on their feet kind of people in my experience, so their footage doesn't surprise me. The fact that the police were pulling the curtains closed shortly after busting the door down indicates to me that they weren't brought by the police to film.

    WLG • Since Nov 2006 • 2264 posts Report

  • Michael Fitzgerald,

    They didn't raid the Peace Foundation in CHCH.
    The Peace Movement by definition is pacifist.

    http://www.peace.net.nz/about.htm

    Since May 2007 • 631 posts Report

  • Heather Gaye,

    One thing Wishart is right about: military training camp conspiracies have been around since the '80s. I recall a concerned conservative whackjob in a suit doing a talk tour of all the churches, warning congregations about the imminent threat of a Maori militant uprising. Only difference was that the secret training camps were all on the fringes of the southern alps, and pretty much the entire population of every iwi down south was involved. Wishart wants to know why it took the police so long to act. I want to know if the noughties group will be as dangerous as the eighties one was[n't].

    Morningside • Since Nov 2006 • 533 posts Report

  • Michael Fitzgerald,

    Parihaka revisited?

    Since May 2007 • 631 posts Report

  • George Darroch,

    At the moment I'm remaining cynical of claims from all sides. A lot of things are being implied that might be only partly true, out of context...

    WLG • Since Nov 2006 • 2264 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    __The Kelvyn Alp/AIF stuff is interesting in a survivalist wackjob way though.__

    Apology accepted ;-)

    Fair enough. I've ended up being quite diverted by Mr Alp's continuing adventures now. Seems he's a subscriber to the 2012 Mayan catastrophe theory and has set up a super-secret financial transactions service for 2012ers who want to be ready for the forthcoming apocalypse.

    Although anyone who can be mates with Auckland mayoral candidate Steve Crow, serial Maxim-letter-to-the-editor spammer (and one-time United Future candidate) Steve Taylor and irritating conspiracy nutter Jonathan Eisen is clearly pretty brave.

    But it does seem proper to note that the police didn't take Alp seriously enough to mount nationwide raids under terrorist law, even if he does own a bunch of guns.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Che Tibby,

    Posters here whose first instinct is to trash the police might just want to give some thought about what the consequences for NZ would be if a militia was allowed to set off an armed sectarian conflict.

    LMAO.

    sigh.... thanks neil, best laugh in days...

    "armed sectarian conflict". first you'd need, you know, some sides who were actually willing to fight.

    what's that great quote from "lock stock and two smoking barrels"?

    "i'm gunna need a couple of sawn-off shotguns"
    "this is a bit heavy, this is London, not the Lebanon, whoodya think i am?"
    "i think you're Nick the Greek"

    the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report

  • Stephen Judd,

    Hmmm, thinking about the ethnic composition of the NZ armed forces most military training camps for Maori are probably run in the open by the Army :)

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report

  • Che Tibby,

    military training camp conspiracies have been around since the '80s.

    are you suggesting there are still some tuhoe training from the old libya days?

    actually... come to think of it... that isn't unlikely. time stands still up there.

    the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report

  • Angus Robertson,

    Margaret,

    Rudman has a good point in the Herald about the Hobson Wards that came out against Banks and killed the eastern bypass not being present this time.

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 984 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    Hmmm, thinking about the ethnic composition of the NZ armed forces most military training camps for Maori are probably run in the open by the Army :)

    Dude! That's the scenario of the notorious Political Review cover story where Chris Trotter proposed (as a good thing) a coup led by Maori army officers to install a new constitutional structure with a parallel Maori Parliament. Legendary.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

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