Posts by Craig Ranapia

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  • Hard News: Te Qaeda and the God Squad,

    I'm pretty sure the Herald doesn't run threats to kill in 'Your Views', Craig.

    I bloody hope not, but doesn't crap like "if these mugs don't wont to be part of the normal NZ society then they get whatever the police see as been fit" and "be very careful not to wake a sleeping giant because middle NZer's might just bite back" doesn't make anyone even slightly nervous? Frankly, I think twice about giving 'Got My Vote' space on any blog I was running.

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

  • Hard News: Te Qaeda and the God Squad,

    And nice to see the contriutors to the Herald's Your Views feature are maintaining the thoughtful and open-minded tone we all know and love.

    My personal favourite:

    Absolutly the police done the right thing, if these mugs don't wont to be part of the normal NZ society then they get whatever the police see as been fit. Aso as a caution to these people, be very careful not to wake a sleeping giant because middle NZer's might just bite back.

    With friends like this...

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

  • Hard News: Te Qaeda and the God Squad,

    The Herald are running the above 'chilling' quotes from Jamie Lockett - perhaps they'd be a little more frightening if I hadn't been reading kiwiblog for such a long time and grown accustomed to nutters like Redbaiter and Dad4Justice promising civil war and oceans of blood.

    How about they read their own reader feedback columns? I really had to roll my eyes when I saw this morning's editorial headlined: Call off the referee witch-hunt. Someone on the outsourced subs bench has a cosmic sense of irony..

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

  • Hard News: Te Qaeda and the God Squad,

    It wasn't Hager's story until the very last moment --- he was only brought in late in the piece to add some security background, so unless the editor of the Sunday Star Times was in on it too, this just doesn't wash.

    Anyway, I don't resile from my view that everyone connected with the 'Operation Leaf' debacle should have lost their jobs - but not because they were the victims of any kind of "classic agent provocateur operation" but because it was a shabby story. Personally, I wonder if it was just one of those stories that were too good to check as carefully as they should have been. I don't think it's OTT to say that if it had panned out Operation Leaf would have been a near-Watergate level scandal.

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

  • Hard News: The standing-still sweep,

    Ooh Craig, the fire brigade turn up to every alarm, even when there's no fire. How's that analogy working out for you?

    Wasn't mine, Stephen, but I note the Fire Service takes a very dim view of having their time wasted with false alarms - a position I have considerable sympathy with. Nor do the public have much sympathy for pyromaniac firemen.

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

  • Hard News: The standing-still sweep,

    Large conflagrations start from a few sparks.

    And to extend the analogy, any halfway competent fire-fighter will tell you that calm heads - and a proportionate, considered response - save lives. Flailing around like the proverbial headless chook does not.

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

  • Hard News: The standing-still sweep,

    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

  • Hard News: The standing-still sweep,

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

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

  • Hard News: The standing-still sweep,

    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

  • Hard News: The standing-still sweep,

    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

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