Well, after all that dicking about, and the Police and Maori groups yelling at one another, but refusing to be transparent, it took the media to reveal some of this. Thank GOD! So, the Dominion Herald yesterday (Nov 14) put out a news article leaking some of the police evidence. Apparently there was talk about the assassination of John Keyes (if he got in power (which he unfortunately probably will)) and George W. Bush (if he came to visit). Also the camps in the Ureweras talked about how to blockade themselves against police, how to use Molotov Cocktails, and the ousting of Pakeha farmers.
Well, shit. As much as I dislike the NZ police force, this is some pretty damning evidence. Were they in the right?
However, a couple of things about this bug me.
Firstly, while I applaud Fairfax media for their release of this information, I'm worried about their bias, and the selectiveness of their release. We have no idea of the context of the quotes, and the level of seriousness associated with them. Is it just two jokers on the phone laughing about how they could knock of John Keyes? Or are they seriously plotting it? Were they seriously talking about kicking Pakeha farmers of their land, or was it just pie in the sky discussing? Without a context it's hard to judge. Goodness only knows that when I was in high school, my friends and I discussed how we would barricade the place and protect it if anyone tried to attack. We weren't particularly serious, but it was a fun enough exercise, and completely harmless.
So once more, I end this with a plea for more information. Let us see for ourselves exactly what's going on here.
Showing posts with label tuhoe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tuhoe. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Please give me more information, governmental people
There are two major issues in the news that, right now, are driving me insane due to lack of information.
Firstly, the whole situation in Chad. The Government of Chad is saying that these French (and Spanish) nationals are kidnapping these children, who still have parents, and are not from the Sudan, and possibly selling them on for organ harvesting and to pedophiles. What? The hell is that about? That sounds mighty suspicious, but if they were trafficking these children for such means, you think they'd be doing it a bit more surreptitiously than that. So, what's the real story? Was this aid organisation intentionally taking these kids, knowing full well that it was illegal, and they weren't orphans? Or were they trying to help, and just a bit useless? Is there anything behind these accusations of the organ harvesting and pedophilia? Or is it when a Government lays pointless charges against western workers in order to get them out of the country, like calling aid workers spies? The French government hasn't been particularly helpful in combating these charges. What the hell actually happened?
Likewise, the Anti-Terror raids of about two weeks ago. The police are saying these were training grounds for separatists, who were learning military tactics and firearms use. The locals say they were just learning how to hunt and track. Who do you believe? The NZ police are notorious dicks, especially with regards to the manner in which they treat Maori. But they claim they have substantial evidence, backed by over a year of surveillance. Yet in the time since the raids, they haven't presented any of it. Instead, we are left wondering why they targeted these groups, as they haven't shown anything concrete to indicate there was a solid Terrorist threat. Instead, in the interim, there have been large protests against the actions taken. It seems to me that if the police had brought forth the evidence in a timely manner after the arrests, and explained to the public why they thought there was a threat from these groups, people would have been a lot more understanding.
Instead, we're left scratching our heads, wondering what the hell just happened, and why they won't tell us if this is a credible threat. If there's someone out there training in a paramilitary manner to attack the people of NZ, I can agree that that's a reason to send in the police. However, without any such evidence, no conclusions can be reached. What the hell actually happened?
So, I plea to Governments: be transparent! Show us your evidence! Explain what's occurring! Don't leave your people in the dark.
-TB
Firstly, the whole situation in Chad. The Government of Chad is saying that these French (and Spanish) nationals are kidnapping these children, who still have parents, and are not from the Sudan, and possibly selling them on for organ harvesting and to pedophiles. What? The hell is that about? That sounds mighty suspicious, but if they were trafficking these children for such means, you think they'd be doing it a bit more surreptitiously than that. So, what's the real story? Was this aid organisation intentionally taking these kids, knowing full well that it was illegal, and they weren't orphans? Or were they trying to help, and just a bit useless? Is there anything behind these accusations of the organ harvesting and pedophilia? Or is it when a Government lays pointless charges against western workers in order to get them out of the country, like calling aid workers spies? The French government hasn't been particularly helpful in combating these charges. What the hell actually happened?
Likewise, the Anti-Terror raids of about two weeks ago. The police are saying these were training grounds for separatists, who were learning military tactics and firearms use. The locals say they were just learning how to hunt and track. Who do you believe? The NZ police are notorious dicks, especially with regards to the manner in which they treat Maori. But they claim they have substantial evidence, backed by over a year of surveillance. Yet in the time since the raids, they haven't presented any of it. Instead, we are left wondering why they targeted these groups, as they haven't shown anything concrete to indicate there was a solid Terrorist threat. Instead, in the interim, there have been large protests against the actions taken. It seems to me that if the police had brought forth the evidence in a timely manner after the arrests, and explained to the public why they thought there was a threat from these groups, people would have been a lot more understanding.
Instead, we're left scratching our heads, wondering what the hell just happened, and why they won't tell us if this is a credible threat. If there's someone out there training in a paramilitary manner to attack the people of NZ, I can agree that that's a reason to send in the police. However, without any such evidence, no conclusions can be reached. What the hell actually happened?
So, I plea to Governments: be transparent! Show us your evidence! Explain what's occurring! Don't leave your people in the dark.
-TB
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