You’d think that with all the WW1 commemorations going on at the moment it would make us more vigilant about our freedom and security, not sleep-walking towards another Holy Crusade (in the name of the God of Money and Father of Fossil Fuels), seduced by slick liars and the gods of commercialism and greed.
The price of crude oil has nearly halved in the past six months and is causing massive repercussions throughout the world with both the Russian economy and the American Shale Oil industry under threat. The geopolitical implications are complex.
The Sydney siege has now finished. Three people including the gunman are dead. And it is clear that the siege was caused by a lone person rather than a terrorist group.
Up to 20 civilian hostages are being held in a Sydney chocolate shop in a developing hostage situation.
Update: The siege is over, reports suggest two dead and three injured.
New author Mandy Hager joins us with some reflections on having become a grandmother: “So that’s why I’m speaking out now, every opportunity I get. Not because I like the exposure (shudder), but because I love this tiny little person and I will fight for his future, come what may. It’s the right thing to do. …”
What could possibly have Gerry behaving so erratically?
Back in September, John Key said that sending the SAS to Iraq was his “least preferred option”, “at the very outer edge of what we’d be wanting to do”. Today, he’s changed his tune in his predictable way. Such a poodle wanting to have his belly scratched by his masters.
An excellent piece by Andrea Vance in the weekend, on Key’s terrorism dog and pony show.
Governments have always used external threats (real or not) to expand their powers. Supposedly “small government” types seem the most keen to grab more powers, for some strange reason.
Metiria Turei delivered a very strong speech in response to Key’s ministerial statement on national security. I give her a standing ovation! Update #1: link to video of Turei’s speech. #2 -YT video Turei’s speech. Link to Kennedy Garham’s speech
Key’s much heralded speech on terrorism / ISIS is a mixed bag. As expected it will be used to justify unnecessarily increased surveillance powers. But at least we aren’t sending combat troops.
Back when I was a teenager, a mate of mine decided that he was going to give up on school and would get in some combat. So he worked his way into the Rhodesian Light Infantry. A few years later I heard that he’d been killed in action. Other young men going overseas with similar excitement issues have came back a lot less interested in excitement. Sounds safer to me than letting them have a car.
We are about go to war partnered with multiple armies, none of whom is a champion of any of our democratic values of fairness, equality, human rights, or impartial justice. Meanwhile one in ten of us is about to be evicted from our state house home and put into the streets. Labour’s leadership candidates are silent in the media..
Broken promise. Lies. War. The Herald willing to believe anything to defend Brand Key. Just another day in NZ politics.
Key is considering bringing in thoughtcrime. Guilt by association. Detaining people because they may commit a crime.
Key’s public position on sending troops to Iraq has (surprise!) changed since the election. His private position on the topic probably hasn’t changed since 2003.
The indiscriminate and criminal slaughter of children and civilians of Gaza perpetrated by the fearlessly over-armed IDF must make every Israeli or fellow traveller armchair warrior grasp their groin in total excitement.
A guest post by Puddleglum on Gaza featuring a calm dismantling of Israel’s illogical defence of genocide.
This is just too awful to let go without saying something. Update: Protest tomorrow (Sat 19 July) Aotea Square, Auckland, 2pm.
Palestine in in the news again for all the wrong reasons. A one sided relentless series of Palestinian civilian deaths suggests that Israel is not acting in legitimate self defence.
How to make your very own New Zealand Prime Minister. Even better looking than this vessel.
No Right Turn points to potential unacceptable changes in the basis of our foreign policy and the deployment of our armed forces. A secret review of peacekeeping keeping roles revealed by an OIA request recommends that rather than going on UN missions to support peace and keep combatants apart, we’ll be taking an active and direct role in America’s wars, against the wishes of the international community and even against the wishes of our own citizens.
The situation in Syria and Iraq is becoming dire as two separate civil wars rage on. This raises as an issue National’s and John Key’s attitude to the war in Iraq which has clearly destabilised any hope of civilised rule. He is now claiming to be an internationalist and to only be interested in multilateral action. But has this always been the case?
John Key has not received any advice about the legality of drone killing and is totally comfortable with the extra judicial killing of civilians by remote drone.
There are a range of issues, which are part of a GCSB-intelligence-surveillance-military-complex. Some significant elements seem to be posing as diversions from other parts of the complex, and the way all parts hang together. What will he offer Obama to advance NZ’s position in the TPPA?
The Government is completely indifferent to the killing of innocent children and New Zealand citizens because it is part of the war against terrorism. But the extra judicial killing of innocent adults and children is by definition a terrorist act.
Tony Abbott’s Liberal Government has acted to undermine New Zealand’s push for a United Nations declaration that it is in the interest of humanity that nuclear weapons never be used again under any circumstances. Having the option of killing millions of human beings and devastating major urban centres either by way of a first strike or a retaliatory strike is obviously something he thinks should be preserved.
Two uncritical articles in Auckland’s local press, raise questions about the role of the NZ military, and the educational and cultural impact of a military charter school. Unstated and unquestioned, is the nature of NZ’s relationship with that of militaristic US imperialism.
This post isn’t a ‘contrast and compare’ piece on the policy announcements of National, the Greens and Labour. Enough to say that National are pursuing privatisation while both Labour and Green are at least trying to do good things.
Shame about the reality of the bigger picture then.
So the US military/diplomats has decided that we should be friends again after nearly 30 years. Whooptee do! Who really gives a pigs arse? Well I do. The republic in the USA gives all republics a bad name because of their habit of using military force for poorly thought-out ideological and even odd personal reasons. Someone to be wary of following blindly into one of their silly wars.
Latest revelations about the NSA’s international surveillance show it is about “full spectrum dominance” of military, economic, business and political activities. The TICS Bill is the latest part of Key’s changes to NZ’s surveillance agencies, further enabling the US government dominance via NSA, especially in business & politics.
Good on Kennedy Graham for posting a good critique of Key’s UN speech, while the MSM largely report the speech in uncritical and glowing terms., Graham focuses on Errors of Omission. [Update: Key’s Omission of Kampala non-aggression Agreement, implicitly supports Obama’s UN speech for US military aggression.]
On the one hand, there is the building propaganda blitz to justify military action in Syria, and on the other…
So Barack Obama is going to adhere to the US constitution this time around ( unlike as was the case with Libya) and await the potential green light of Congress before commencing with any military action in Syria.
Sometimes the most complicated and complex situation becomes clear when viewed from a simple and obvious perspective.
Schadenfreude.
First they came for……………….
