Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: The standing-still sweep

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  • Russell Brown,

    Oh, and One News had this on Lockett:

    The 46-year-old, who has been in the public eye before for providing security to failed Auckland businessman Mark Lyon, says he is seeking private prosecutions against a number of public servants later this week.

    A search warrant was also been executed on another south Auckland address where Lockett has been receiving life coaching and is involved with a Maori sovereignty group that has issued him with a new birth certificate.

    He certainly seems a strange guy. He's suing the police for $100 million for letting Mark Lyon evict him from a property he was occupying.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia,

    So far as I can tell, no has used the phrase "terrorist threat" in a report today, so no need for a moratorium on that.

    Indeed, Russell. I was doing a bit of channel surfing on the radio, and it's not really fair to hold NewstalkZB responsible for a rather over excited caller - especially when the host did try and calm things down a bit.

    But I don't think I was having an auditory halucination when I heard the phrase 'terror raid' pass the lips of Simon Dallow and Mark Sainsbury this evening. And I really, really want to be told I've got that wrong too.

    I withdraw and apologise if I've been unfair, as they say in Parliament - and I actually mean it. :) And I'm ready to be pleasantly surprised by the Herald's sober, fact-based, speculation and hyperbole light coverage tomorrow morning.

    It's shaping up as amazing story that someone's going to come out of poorly.

    Indeed - and my concern is that the media isn't going to be that someone. On one level, what really concerns me is that the fairy tale of The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf has quite a bit of truth in it, and I don't know about anyone else but I don't tend to make sound decisions when in a state of panic.

    And, Michael, I just don't give the Liarbore Dykeocracy that much credit. However, I fully expect opportunistic political arse-hattery to be spread fairly well across the political spectrum. Just the nature of the beast.

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

  • Idiot Savant,

    Well, Howard Broad has been quite careful to caveat what he has been saying, and to refuse to answer where it might compromise his investigation, so he's in the clear. OTOH, given the cops are leaking the juicy sewer details to the media, as an institution they don't look so hot.

    Palmerston North • Since Nov 2006 • 1717 posts Report

  • tussock,

    Oh dear. Suppression of Terrorism so quickly becomes suppression of dissent. Who would'a thunk it? Oh, right, me.

    BTW, personally, I am trained in the use of firearms, in possession of a firearm and ammunition (though not technically so), know how to make molotovs, and know how to make Napalm or reasonable fax thereof. I have blown shit up for fun, several times.

    Also, I think race-based land confiscation is a really bad idea, believe the constitution (as it is) could do with a few changes, think a Maori parliament is a brilliant idea, don't like the exemptions from animal cruelty laws granted to chicken and pig farmers, think coal is a bad idea anyway (snails or no), believe in preserving heritage buildings above having more fucking motorways, and so on.

    Apparently, had I talked to anyone about this who was into activism, I would have had to miss the rugby this morning thanks to the goon squad breaking down my door and arresting me.

    One would hope Tame Iti at least would sue the bastards for harassment.

    Since Nov 2006 • 611 posts Report

  • Kyle Matthews,

    Animal Rights groups with fire bombs for example, and the Earth Liberation Front with even more firebombs. The Unabomber, who killed 23 people, was an anarcho-primtivist who had writings published by Green Anarchy magazine.

    Then you've got Timothy McVeigh and Eric Rudolph, a survivalist nutter and a Christian terrorist respectively. So it can happen.

    Well those are all overseas. If this was happening elsewhere I'd be taking it more seriously, but after 12 years involvement on and off with the NZ peace movement, I'm particularly dubious about any peace activists having anything to answer for.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    Well, the SKS rifle is semi-automatic, but quite plausibly a deer hunting weapon.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Well, the SKS rifle is semi-automatic, but quite plausibly a deer hunting weapon.

    Oy... going Christmas shopping with the Brown-Rae household must be an experience. "I'm looking for something plausible in a deer hunting weapon that matches my eyes, and doesn't make the thighs look chunky." :) (Sorry, thought some wholly inappropriate levity was in order.)

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

  • Russell Brown,

    Well, Howard Broad has been quite careful to caveat what he has been saying, and to refuse to answer where it might compromise his investigation, so he's in the clear. OTOH, given the cops are leaking the juicy sewer details to the media, as an institution they don't look so hot.

    It's an interesting one, because in addition to quite concerted leaking, there's all this stuff sitting around on the internet: most notably the Trade Me records. And it looks like if I could be bothered to join findsomeone.co.nz I could go and check out cyber hori's profile there. Awesome.

    Anyway, it's late. I think there is a small group of people that's been having crazy thoughts and, to judge by the Herald's teaser, acting out.

    Quite how crazy those thoughts are, how close those thoughts are to being reality, and how appropriate the police response has been remains to be determined.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    Oy... going Christmas shopping with the Brown-Rae household must be an experience. "I'm looking for something plausible in a deer hunting weapon that matches my eyes, and doesn't make the thighs look chunky." :) (Sorry, thought some wholly inappropriate levity was in order.

    Oh god, bring on the levity. There's a part of me that thinks this is all totally awesome. News stories as Google puzzles can be fun.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Michael Fitzgerald,

    Lurching from theories of conspiracy to incompetency.

    The BOP raid was planned & fully supported road blocks searches - the works (someone just got back from overseas depolyment) .

    AKL picked up their man with a dodgy past.

    WLG dawn raid on a doss.

    CHC wanted to be seen to do something as well, but forgot to get the paper work (or have any justifiable actions to take).
    Was Helen Clark really briefed on this one?

    Since May 2007 • 631 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia,

    There's a part of me that thinks this is all totally awesome. News stories as Google puzzles can be fun.

    I think there's going to be a lot of people who are going to have some seriously odd Google searches racked up before this story is done. But for once, I actually have to agree with both you and Idiot Savant. There's some heavy duty weird in the BOP (I'm probably related to a good chunk of it), and "acting out" may well be solid grounds for bringing some serious firearms charges to court. Don't think for a moment I don't take firearms offenses seriously (because I do), but I still wish the T-word had been brought into play a little more judiciously and if the Police are using the SoTA they've got rock solid reasons for doing so,

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

  • Craig Ranapia,

    If nothing else, do the Police need another (largely) self-inflicted credibility leak?

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

  • Grant McDougall,

    Back to the local body elections...I'll give a free chocolate fish to the first person from Christchurch to use the words "Bob Parker" and "beard" in the same sentence...

    Dunedin • Since Dec 2006 • 760 posts Report

  • Che Tibby,

    I still wish the T-word had been brought into play a little more judiciously and if the Police are using the SoTA they've got rock solid reasons for doing so

    that's exactly the criticism of the police being bandied about this morning.

    rb is right. this case is interesting. and i think 'fishy'.

    maybe it's a quota-mafia thing.

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

  • Stephen Judd,

    "I'm particularly dubious about any peace activists having anything to answer for."

    Me too. My bet is that the so-called peace activists will turn out to be dodgy hangers-on who used the phone in a co-operatively run office, hung out and drank coffee in the lounge, or something like that.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    that's exactly the criticism of the police being bandied about this morning.

    rb is right. this case is interesting. and i think 'fishy'.

    maybe it's a quota-mafia thing.

    The Herald has an interview with a woman who was urged to join the "freedom fighters", and thought they were "out there and pretty mad".

    Maybe it's all nothing to worry about, but assume for a moment that the police do actually have the surveillance evidence they say they have. How exactly should they proceed?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Neil Morrison,

    It's pretty much a foregone conclusion that Tame Iti and Planet Earth parted company some time ago. But that's not good enough reason to minimise the potential damage that could result from the sorts of things he's alleged to do.

    There's a few of nutters in the white supremist world and I'd be pretty worried if they were setting up military-styled training camps.

    Since Nov 2006 • 932 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    Meanwhile, the Dom Post leads with a story whose headline and body seem to say different things. Were the bombs and guns found in the raids, or were the police just looking for them? Unhelpful.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Che Tibby,

    There's a few of nutters in the white supremist world and I'd be pretty worried if they were setting up military-styled training camps.

    i refer you to someone who has a link to kyle chapman's blog.

    down kyle's page you'll note him and a few friends going camping. in camo gear. etc.

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

  • Michael Fitzgerald,

    Sykes has a few good points by comparison to Parihaka

    http://www.teara.govt.nz/NewZealanders/MaoriNewZealanders/Taranaki/4/en

    Neil - I linked the survival club that Kyle Chapman is part of earlier on & he has conviction s for fire bombing marae. Tame Iti has no such convictions.

    Since May 2007 • 631 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    There's a few of nutters in the white supremist world and I'd be pretty worried if they were setting up military-styled training camps.

    I see someone's picked up the God Squad angle.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • Neil Morrison,

    That Dom article also mentions "reports" a particular threat to the PM. Reported by whom exactly? It's a bit frustrating when things are so unclear.

    It's understandable that the pols won’t be fronting on this for a while but given that this was all passed by the PM and now there's talk of threats against her at some stage it might help if they do.

    Since Nov 2006 • 932 posts Report

  • Danyl Mclauchlan,

    Meanwhile, the Dom Post leads with a story whose headline and body seem to say different things. Were the bombs and guns found in the raids, or were the police just looking for them? Unhelpful.

    The story appears to (deliberately?) confuse the weapons found in the Bay of Plenty with the raids made in Wellington and Christchurch, in which the police appear to have merely confiscated clothes and documents. To my knowledge no weapons have been found in any of the raids on peace activists.

    I suspect that the police had a genuine investigation into the rather alarming 'freedom fighters' movement in the Bay of Plenty and that their operation has been expanded by the NZSIS who are indulging their long standing delusional fantasies about communists using left-wing activist groups to overthrow the government.

    On the other hand, some of the comments over at Indymedia are fairly incendiary - note the similarity to the average kiwiblog nutter?

    http://indymedia.org.nz/feature/display/71721/index.php

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 927 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Neil Morrison wrote:

    But that's not good enough reason to minimise the potential damage that could result from the sorts of things he's alleged to do.

    I don't think most of us here are doing any such thing, we're just showing an entirely justified level of prudent scepticism about whether there's any Te Quaeda cells or brown neck Timothy McVeighs here. Perhaps I'm a wet surrender monkey pussy, but if you're going to use the SoTA you better have a damn good reason for doing so, as opposed to using it as convenient catch-all when you don't quite have a case using more conventional means. I sure hope that's not the case, but I don't feel any need to apologize for asking the question.

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

  • Danyl Mclauchlan,

    Te Quaeda

    Heh. I'm gonna use that.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 927 posts Report

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