All posts by reed

Censorship, Justice

Justice must be seen to be done

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… it’s corruption that needs to be hidden.

I went to Court today to support a friend. He has a long complicated story – today’s proceedings relate to a defamation case he has against the Police and the Ministry of Social Development. The Police and MSD are trying to stop the defamation case from going ahead and they are trying to ensure that some videotaped evidential interviews are never seen.

I was a couple of minutes late but when I arrived my friend’s parents and his other supporters were all outside the courtroom. They explained to me that the proceedings started with the public there but the judge noticed that someone was taking notes and when the judge found out that it was a reporter the judge declared that the court room needed to be cleared.

This indicates to me that the judge is going to protect the Police and MSD and he doesn’t want to be seen doing wrong.

I hope I am wrong.

Justice, Local Government

Rotorua District Council is Stealing Land

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I got a couple of letters from the Rotorua District Council last week regarding a couple of my properties.

The letters said that their plan’s rural road designation overlaps with a property owned by me – that doesn’t sound good. The letters were wrongly addressed so I phoned to clarify that the letters were for me and what they meant. It was explained that the council has decided that they would like to own 10 metres either side of the roads’ centre line in rural areas and so… the Rotorua District Council is claiming all rural land that is within 10 metres of a roads centre line.

This is simply theft.

Not sure what I’ll do about it. Probably nothing. Tell me what you think I should do about it.

I might talk to the Council’s legal department about this. Tell me any questions you think I should ask.

Here is the letter…

Dear Sir/Madam

RE: NEW DESIGNATION:
REFERENCE NR: RDC511
DESIGNATION ADDRESS: RURAL ROADS AS PER PROPOSED PLANNING MAPS

The proposed District Plan was notified on 31st October 2012. As part of this, the existing (formed) rural public roads are proposed to be designated.

Please note that the location of the rural road designation overlaps with a property owned or occupied by you. The planning maps provide an indication to the extent of the overlap, but a more detailed map can be provided upon request.

The details of the designation can be viewed on the Council webpage, www.rdc.govt.nz under the link ‘Proposed District Plan’. The designation description is in Appendix 6 of the Proposed Rotorua District Plan and the extent of the designation boundaries can be viewed on the proposed planning maps.

The notice of requirement details the reason for the designation. This and the Proposed District Pian can be inspected at the Customer Service Centre of the Rotorua District Council (1061 Haupapa Street). The Proposed District pian is also avaiiabie for viewingat the Library (1127 Haupapa Street).

Any person may make a submission on the notice of requirement. Please address any submissions regarding the new designation to the undersigned at the above address, quoting the designation reference number. Submissions must be in Form 21. Copies of this form are available at the Customer Service Centre of Rotorua District Council

Public submissions to the Rotorua Proposed District Plan close on 18
January 2013. Submissions can be made online from 14 November 2012.

If you have any queries, please feel free to Contact me on (07) 351-8045.

Kind Regards

Ella Jonker
Policy Planner

Justice, Kim Dotcom

Greens call in the cops over illegal GCSB spying

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The Green Party has lodged a complaint with the Police over the Government Communications Security Bureau’s illegal interception of Kim Dotcom’s communications, Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman said today.

Well done Green Party and Russel Norman.

… one more thing… everyone is labeling this Government action as “illegal” or “unlawful” – which is true but minimises the action. We need to change to calling it “criminal” because the government’s actions were criminal.

Justice, National Party, Privacy

Government’s Criminal Surveillance Blunder

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The Crimes Act 1961
Section 408 Act to bind the Crown
This Act shall bind the Crown.

In theory the Crown is subject to the Crimes Act – being a Crown representative acting for the Crown can not excuse anyone from being prosecuted under the Crimes Act.

The Crimes Act 1961
Section 216B Prohibition on use of interception devices
(1) Subject to subsections (2) to (5), every one is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years who intentionally intercepts any private communication by means of an interception device.

According to the law – whoever intercepted Kim Dotcom’s communications committed a crime. Whoever that was they should be prosecuted under the Crimes Act. It’s hard to imagine a greater breach of this section.

It’s already been admitted publicly that the interceptions were illegal (Although I see the preparation work being done to argue that no devices were involved so therefore it was not a breach of section 216B of the Crimes Act… From the Herald:- Spying on the group began on December 16 last year and ended on January 20 but did not involve installing devices).

The Police have all the information they need to start a criminal investigation and should start investigating shortly… I feel another Tui Billboard coming on. The Police are probably asking themselves “How long can we avoid this and how long is the statute of limitations for illegal interception?”

Uncategorized

The Blind Men And The Elephant

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC2XzTKqsQk

It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.

The First approach’d the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
“God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!”

The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, -“Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me ’tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!”

The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a snake!”

The Fourth reached out his eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
“What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain,” quoth he,
“‘Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!”

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: “E’en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!”

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Then, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a rope!”

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!
(John Godfrey Saxe)

Genesis

The Arab Spring

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Genesis 16:7-12

The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”

“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.

Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.”

The angel of the Lord also said to her:

“You are now with child
and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
for the Lord has heard of your misery.
He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers.”

Christian Libertarianism, Democracy, Freedom, Justice, Local Government, Property

Public Property

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The relationship between public property, government and the public is the same as the relationships of a trust.

The public are the beneficiaries and the government officials should act as trustees by managing the public assets according to the interests of the public.

The rights and wrongs of government property management are similar to the rights and wrongs of personal property management. In the case of property management the mandate of the majority is as legitimate as the will of an individual property owner.

This means that it is not wrong for government officials to manage fishing quotas, forests, Boobs on Bikes, littering and much more.

Freedom is not an overriding principle.