Posts by Che Tibby

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  • Hard News: Te Qaeda and the God Squad,

    loving that social media.

    like having talkback radio transcribed, real time.

    i have a serious question for the group.

    "where in the hell do these people come from?"

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

  • Hard News: Te Qaeda and the God Squad,

    For example the Save Happy Valley Coalition have dug up the lawn of the home of an individual Solid Energy director

    yeah... but is that 'terrorism' or 'a crime'?

    i think that's the key issue behind these arrests. are the police dealing with terrorists, or (lunatic) criminals?

    now, let's say that fcking up someone's lawn is terrorism (which you aren't), wouldn't it be employed more often?

    osama "i have a plan to strike fear into the heart of america"
    no.2 "yes of wise master, what will we need?"
    osama "first, we need the name of the gardener at the white house, and a rotary hoe..."

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

  • Hard News: Te Qaeda and the God Squad,

    On a pedantic note, isn't "sectarian" conflict between religious groups, or sects? ...I wouldn't characterise a struggle between Maori nationalists and the state as sectarian.

    a maori-state struggle isn't sectarian. you might be able to characterise it as "anti-colonial" or "revolutionary". semantics and pendantics are important in this kind of situation because they let you know who and why people are fighting.

    but in graeme's defence, he was alluding to maori nationalists and something like aggrieved farmers.

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

  • Hard News: The standing-still sweep,

    The closest you could find in Western countries of what you're talking about are religious cults. Waco, TX, and...

    even the waco one is a poor example.

    the shooting there wasn't started by the godbotherers, it was started by the law enforcers. the latter got a bit trigger happy, the godbotherers shot back and won.

    then the cops came back with the really big guns. this involved killing a number of cultists, including women and children burnt alive after the law really went to town.

    there's an american documentary on the whole thing somewhere.

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

  • Hard News: The standing-still sweep,

    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

  • Hard News: The standing-still sweep,

    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

  • Hard News: The standing-still sweep,

    If nutbars succeed in doing real harm, even if they are not popular in their own group, they can still create or increase friction between that group and other groups. They can inspire previously unmotivated nutbars, in their own group and in others. That's one of the frightening things about extremists, that they can suck people into their view.

    i just have more faith that people will understand that such an action would be limited to the insanity of a few.

    even had these "radicals" gotten some violence out, mainstream opinion wouldn't support and "counter" force of some kind to sort them out.

    in this day and age, the police and the army would deal with it.

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

  • Hard News: The standing-still sweep,

    I really am not trying to be mindlessly alarmist as you seem to be implying.

    i agree. you weren't. i laughed because it was such an implausible scenario.

    the one thing i remember about cabinet papers surrounding the treaty settlement process (early 1990s), was concern about undermining the social conflict before it escalated into exactly the kind of thing you're alluding to.

    that particular type of conflict will never happen in nzl.

    even had tama's troopers actual harmed someone, the police would be on it like flies on a week-old steak.

    if i'm concerned about anything, it's the extraordinarily wide net the police seem to be casting.

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

  • Hard News: The standing-still sweep,

    Had the police not acted as they have that is what we might have got. Iti may be a fool but that does not mean that he couldn't be a catalyst for something pretty nasty.

    that is a very, very long bow.

    the first thing you'd need is the preconditions for an armed conflict. for example, an intractable civil conflict to feed it.

    this doesn't exist.

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

  • Hard News: The standing-still sweep,

    Now tell me you wouldn't be just a bit concerned if Brian Tamaki was up to the same sort of thing?

    absolutely. brian is actually capable of organising things.

    but neil, listen to yourself. tama iti.

    mostly though i laughed at "armed sectarian conflict".

    a few nutters, and the police/army sorting them out is not a "sectarian conflict".

    you might want to put away the al qaeda and affiliates handbook for a bit there.

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

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