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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 17865
[Civil]
Date Posted:
5/14/2007
7:48:52 am EDT
Wvox Stats
Views: 6,966
RSS: 20,324
Comments: 9
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NZ Terrorism Amendment Bill A Threat To Civil Liberties
Author: John Minto Source: Stuff (NZ)
Title: TERRORISM AMENDMENT BILL A THREAT TO OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES
Here we go again. Our democratic freedoms, civil liberties and human rights are under threat once more under the guise of the war on terror.
The most recent assault comes under cover of the Suppression of Terrorism Amendment Bill 2007, which is before Parliament's foreign affairs, defence and trade select committee, with submissions due by the end of this week.
The Government says it is just doing its part supporting international moves to isolate and control terrorism. In reality, it is part of the United States leadership's drive to have its foreign-policy objectives adopted by governments around the world.
So what are the latest proposals and why are they dangerous? Under the proposed law, as Green Party MP Keith Locke has pointed out, even people with no intention to harm anyone or destroy property can qualify as terrorists.
A terrorist would be someone who, for political reasons, causes ``serious disruption to an infrastructure facility, if likely to endanger human life''.
Previously, New Zealand would adopt UN designations ``in the absence of evidence to the contrary''. However, the Government proposes that New Zealand should give up its right to make its own assessments. We are proposing to remove our own checks and balances.
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Community Thoughts: There are 9 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| Who Are The Real Terrorists? | May 15th. at 6:25:58 am EDT
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Hlifie (Dunedin, New Zealand) - Email Me
The American state, along with it's allies murders 650,000 + people in Iraq, most invoolved in no political activity whatsoever. The Afghani people are subjected to yet another barbaric invasion and occupation, and a puppet government composing mostly of warlords from the Taliban era installed, while the West proclaims 'freedom and democracy'. Occupying ANZAC troops in East Timor open fire on unarmed refugees in an IDP camp, killing several. Occuping forces from Australia and New Zealand restructure the state apparatus of the Solomon Islands so drastically that it can no longer be considered a truely independent nation. New Zealand and Australian troops and police are sent to back up the Monarchist reigeme in the island nation of Tonga when it is threatened with grass-roots democracy...
...And then our rulers have the gall to label those who resist at home and abroard 'terrorists'!
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| Illusion Of Terror | May 15th. at 12:45:42 am EDT
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Bluemax (Nelson, New Zealand) - Email Me
it would seem that many so called threats of terrorism have been averted but if you read between the lines some of this is spin and the people are wisked away to prisons with no liberties and not heard of again.
and speaking of freadom who is missing out on there rights, we are as democratic peoples and if we speak out we are tared with the same brush.
there seems to be a culture of fear that abounds now not a good way to be if you want the human race to progress on many levels.
does this mean that world goverment have the power at will to impliment what thay want on compliant people.
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| It Has Been Said | May 14th. at 5:12:25 pm EDT
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Shadowbear (Hillsboro, Oregon) - Email Me
That Americans will never lose their rights to a foreign power - we will fight to the death to keep them and this is probably true. It has also been said that no one needs to try to take them away from us, we will give them away one at a time to any politician who tells us it is for our own good. And here we are, facing "political correctness" in our speech, loss of habeus corpus in our fight against terrorism, loss of privacy in that same fight - all with our consent (most of us that is) . When we have no rights at all, it will not be because the terrorists won or a foreign power overwhelmed us, but because we allowed our government to strip them away.
A muckraker said, back in the 1800's, that the only way to make politicians do what you want is to remove their job security - if they did not do exactly what you wanted, vote for the other guy - then vote for the other guy if that one does not listen - until they finally figure out that, to have two terms in office they MUST listen to the voters. Poriot said it in his campaign as well - we pay their salary, we finance their government spending, WE are in charge here - don't pay as much attention to the party as to makinig them listen or take your vote elsewhere - there are too many elected officials who can count on reelection no matter what they do - so they don't have to listen to you, they have job security already.
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| You Know Whats Sad, | May 14th. at 3:38:39 pm EDT
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Arachne Priestess (Cookeville, Tennessee) - Email Me
that even speaking about revolution because of all of this stuff has the potential of getting you thrown into a prison and deemed a terrorist. The one thing I will say is that I will never raise my arm in salute and scream 'Hiel Bush!'
I agree with other posters that almost nothing can change what is in place now. The US is a powerful fighting force with so many secret government agencies in place, that even if one had the money and backing, it simply couldn't be done. Whether it is homegrown or external, all one can expect is random acts of terrorism like 9/11 and the bombings of embassies.
And to even think of associating with known or unknown 'freedom fighters' could place one in the clutches of unknown government hands in Goddess only knows where being treated without constitutional rights and privileges.
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| What Has Begun Has Begun | May 14th. at 11:33:17 am EDT
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Nacine Moonglow (Uehling, Nebraska) - Email Me
I went to an exhibit at a local museum this Mother's Day called 'The Signer's'. It is an exhibit of letters and documents all written by the men that signed the Declaration......all of the issues that we fought Britian over for our freedom are now practices our own govt. uses.
Yes, we are moving quickly to being a police state which was the 1st step in Germany that Hitler used. People dissapear and are held in this country without due process (see ref. to Nazi Germany's League of Night and Fog part of the SS) . No knock warrants giving officials to enter our homes without announcing themselves is in a hard line against our basic rights. Many of the taxations our govt. uses are unconstitutional and it continually passes new amendments to justify them to the people.
As a whole the people of this country have become nothing but sheep and are blind to what is........the most common comment in Germany following the war "we didn't know what was happening until it was too late"....we didn't know, we all know they did and chose to do nothing.
Unfortunately we are pretty much at a point where theere is not much we can do here at this time, even voting will not change most of what is already in place.
It is an historical fact based on study of the Roman Empire (only democracy that sustained itself for that length of time) that in order TO sustain a helthy democracy a revolution in the Govt. must occur approx. every 200 years, the govt. must be wiped clean and re-organized. Electing a new official from one of only 2 parties that basically do the same things every 4 years DOES NOT wipe the slate clean for new policies.
What is happening in this country and world-wide will continue to happen because people will allow it to happen..........it is part of a larger plan that I do not believe we can change even with free will, but then again I could be wrong. I hope.
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| This Is Scary Because | May 14th. at 10:41:09 am EDT
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Arachne Priestess (Cookeville, Tennessee) - Email Me
whether it is here in the United States, or in other countries such as New Zealand, we are seeing an international shift toward granting dictatorial powers to our leaders which do nothing to prevent terrorism and curtail the personal liberties and freedoms of civilians. Following suit, one must wonder if President Bush, at the end of his term, will pronounce himself America's ordained by God Emperor/Dictator. Was Putin really so wrong for comparing American tactics to those of the Nazis?
But the biggest problems arise after these new laws have been in effect longer than they are immediately needed. Will our children blindly accept that they do not have these rights, because they never had them to begin with? Generations are becoming more complacent in this world of technology, and freedoms won on the backs of forgotten others. Will they know to stand and fight for those rights if we don't say anything today?
We see it happening right before our eyes. Articles like this enrage our senses because of the biting truth hidden behind the curtain of 'domestic security and international security'. But if it does not enflame us enough to say anything more than in passing, how will our children know to do so?
Sadly, this is how ignorant people like President Bush rise to power, and how the very real threat of destruction of democracy begins. It errodes because no one cares enough to fight against what they know is wrong.
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