Letter to Helen Clark

The Prime Minister
The Rt Hon Helen Clark

25 October 2007

RE: Terrorism bill being discussed in Parliament


Dear Rt Hon Helen Clark
The bill before parliament is alarming to say the least. The recent arrests of Maori and other activists should be allowed full public disclosure of the details of their crimes. If terrorism has started to exist in New Zealand then the best weapon a government has is public alertness and justice being seen to be done.

Shutting down the freedom to protest will reduce public alertness and wither interest in the safety of the community. Individual isolation follows from an inability to voice concern. I think people feel helpless in the face of a legislation largely perceived as draconian.

Incarceration should never be a political threat. I hear writers fearing imprisonment for saying the wrong thing as a genuine possibility arising from the terrorism legislation being discussed.

Civil disobedience and the right to protest are arguably part of the Kiwi character. Legislation to criminalise such would change the nature of this community.


Your sincerely,
Nicholas Alexander
NZ Citizen

Police Search Warrent seen as attack on veteran protester

Police Raids has affected Public Image

Recent police raids on gun law violations which for some reason saw fit to use terrorism laws to arrest 17 suspects. 72 veteran protester and trade unionist Jimmy O'Dea had his home searched in a case of alleged kidnapping. It would appear that the actual criminal used mr O'Dea's address - sort of phishing for the tech unaware crook, maybe? Mr O'Dea has recently protested at the "anti-terror" raids so naturally the execution of a search warrant seems a little far to go before the police realised the crook was conning them. Perhaps a little more investigation instead of reacting with "force" may prevent people being terrified the police will be breaking into their bedrooms anytime soon.

Helen Clark has been accused of being Muldoonist - and I do not want to be the one who says Blairish. It may work in America and it may work in the UK - but it won't work here.

New Zealand is a country of fierce pacifists, not lazy warmongers. Yes the terrorism bill being debated has no serious challenge from Labour or National. By softening the electorate with the idea of Napalm is alarmist and if it is true then the evidence must be there.

Polish embassy expresses concern over taser death

globeandmail.com: Polish embassy expresses concern over taser death

Raided group's plans

Raided group's plans 'will horrify middle NZ' - New Zealand, world, sport, business & entertainment news on Stuff.co.nz
Tame Iti - facing firearms charges.

New Zealand Police have conducted operations to shut down training camps and found weapons including "Molotov Cocktails" and "napalm bombs". Both are sure to send a shiver down the collective spine of "middle New Zealand" as it recoils in horror at the prospect of some kind of military action. There were reports of a threat against the Prime Minister.

The police have taken "prudent action in keeping with the interests of public safety" saying there was significant risk. It is now before the courts so comments can be only mere speculation. If the police claims are true, are we witnessing the start of a civil war or is this just a bunch of survivalist hunters learning how to survive in "the bush"?

Time will reveal what the police have on Tame Iti - the famous Maori activist who was tried for shooting the flag at Waitangi. Police allege they captured illegal weapons including military style assault weapons and automatic guns as well as having collected evidence on the case for an investigation of up to two years.

High voltage crims leave no room for civility

High voltage crims leave no room for civility - Opinion: views on the news on Stuff.co.nz

Rosemary McLeod finds herself lost when "civil libertarians" talk about Tasers. She reveals that the New Zealand Police would support the use of Tasers by citizens. She poses questions about a "droll incident" when a group of police took a large number of pot-shots at a dog near them and all missed the target.

How does this increase confidence in the general use of yet another weapon - when these same hands of these same police officers are just as likely to miss with a Taser as they would with a Lugar. Except Tasers are generally only very short range and guns are not, we hope. So, if the man with a hammer is out of range for the Taser does not automatically justify the use of a gun?

The public is already exposed to bad policing practices. Giving them guns they are insufficiently trained in is a clear and present danger. Adding in a non-lethal variety does not presuppose the replacement of these quietly armed random police wandering around missing dogs.

It is the right of every taxpayer to demand at least a decently trained police force. Until Karen Walker has a say in it, they may not be the most profoundly well dressed force in the world, but they can reflect good Kiwi values.

Arming police without training them to use deadly force correctly is both unsafe and illegal.

Giving them weapons that can be used to great effect without risking death in most cases, well I think we appear on the face of it to risk having many more dogs running around biting victims of sudden paralysis. Not sure they won't feel it, though.

The Civil Liberty I would like my Government to respect is the right to walk down the street without undue risk and a police force that is respected by the community. If the police are to be feared as the article suggests because of "who known how many are high on drugs and impossible to communicate with" (sic) then it paints a picture far worse than it really is. Tasers are useless against guns, and horrific when pepper spray is merely punishing. Yes there is a risk, the risk is escalation. The introduction of Tasers requires criminals to develop an effective defense. Tasers are easier to dodge than bullets. If the police are being turned into an army to fight the insane citizens, we have to be very sure that they are a) good at using those weapons, and b) ethical in their use.

The example of the police firing a gun at a dog is evidence that the New Zealand Police should not carry guns until they are expert in their use.

The fact that Ms McLeod can not trust a taxi driver for his earlier crimes is understandable, but the assumption is that nothing can change. That is simply untrue. The Police have changed a lot since the 90s. They take crime far more seriously. But let us not think them infallible, they make mistakes, too.

Handing out deadly weapons without training is simply insanity.

Police in firing line over Taser attacks

Dahleen Glanton: Police in firing line over Taser attacks - 03 Oct 2007 - Opinion, Editorial and reader comments from New Zealand and around the World - nzherald

"It was like touching an electric fence they use to keep cattle in, but instead of just where the initial shock goes in, the electricity goes through your entire body. It feels like every nerve cell is on fire," said Mark England, a 14 year military veteran Tasered at a Las Vagas airport by police on his return to Iraq as a soldier. Unfortunate for the war effort. He is suing the LV Police Dept.

It only gets better:
In other cases, authorities defended the Tasering of an autistic California teenager who had been seen running in traffic, while in Ohio, a woman was Tasered while struggling in a police car after she was handcuffed.

There is no better way to rescue a disabled person that to shock them into instant paralysis and then simply mop them up. Who is going to listen to an autistic person complain? This kind of thinking is ridiculous - how can the Police be expected to use this magic weapon that allows people to be hurded like cattle - "properly"? How can they not develop an ambivalent attitude to their use now that they are not having to shoot innocents when they make a mistake?