Archive for the 'Law' Category

NZ National’s plans to gut the Resource Management Act

Published
by
Christiaan
on 3 October, 2008
in Aotearoa New Zealand, Environment and Law
. 0 Comments

No Right Turn on the NZ National Party’s plans to gut the Resource Management Act, and take NZ back to the Muldoon years:

How would National change this? Firstly, they would amend the definition of “environment” to include only “natural and physical resources” - so existing rights to amenity values such as peace and quiet, clean air, clean water, or an unimpeded view would cease to exist, while local bodies could no longer seek to protect their social environment by considering e.g. the effects of traffic, or the effects of visual pollution from excessive advertising. Secondly, they would aim to prevent “vexatious and frivolous” objections by allowing the Environment Court to require security for costs before considering any appeal (so no appeals unless you are rich like them). Thirdly, they would replace the existing call in power with a more regularly used “priority consenting” regime, which would see decisions made by a government body rather than an independent board. There’s some other nastiness - removing the Ministerial veto over coastal permits (so effectively the crown won’t own the coast anymore in any practical sense), and establishing an “Environmental Protection Agency” as cover for purging MfE (who National doesn’t trust) - but the driving principle is to shut local communities out of decision making, and prevent anyone - unless they are rich, of course - from mounting any challenge. And the net result will be open slather for developers, and large projects foisted on local communities, just like they were under Muldoon.

Bush invokes UN Charter

Published
by
Christiaan
on 23 September, 2008
in International relations, Law, Propaganda, United States and War
. 0 Comments

Bush Junior at today’s UN meeting invoking, I kid you not, the UN Charter:

The United Nations charter sets forth the equal rights of nations large and small. Russia’s invasion of Georgia was a violation of those words.

Bwahhh… haha! He’s not seriously suggesting that UN bollocks about justice means anything these days is he?

America’s Police State coming along just nicely

Published
by
Christiaan
on 2 September, 2008
in Activism, Civil liberties, Human rights, Law, Repression and United States
. 0 Comments

Glenn Greenwald reports on the appalling events in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where the Republicans have been holding their National Convention over the weekend. It appears the Federal Government has been orchestrating fascist-like police raids across the city on opposition groups in attempt to shut them up.

Protesters here in Minneapolis have been targeted by a series of highly intimidating, sweeping police raids across the city, involving teams of 25-30 officers in riot gear, with semi-automatic weapons drawn, entering homes of those suspected of planning protests, handcuffing and forcing them to lay on the floor, while law enforcement officers searched the homes, seizing computers, journals, and political pamphlets. 

Massive police raids on suspected protesters in Minneapolis | Sat, 30 Aug 2008
Federal government involved in raids on protesters | Sun, 31 Aug 2008

The Land of the Free, where the Federal Government actively recruits local residents to infiltrate and inform on groups who oppose the government, where the police steal people’s vehicles and leave them stranded on the side of the road to shut them up, where major radio presenters are arrested by thugs in riot gear for having the audacity to ask a policeman a question, and where young women get pepper sprayed in the face for holding a flower up to the police as they walk by her.

Scenes from St. Paul: Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman arrested | Mon, 1 Sep 2008

But, frankly, none of this quasi-fascism compares to apparent lack of outrage from ordinary Americans.

There’s a poem made for these people:

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn’t a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

—Pastor Martin Niemöller.

External links:

Update, 7 Sep 2008: external link to ‘RNC: Media Intimidation Condemned’ added.

NZ Government arbitrarily ends Treaty claims

Published
by
Christiaan
on 1 September, 2008
in Aotearoa New Zealand, Indigenous rights and Law
. 0 Comments

No Right Turn on the arbitrary end of all historical Treaty of Waitangi claims.

How can you put an end to seeking redress for breaches of a treaty? It’s an absurd contradiction. Either breaches exist and they need to be investigated and redressed or they don’t exist. Arbitrarily ending the formal process for these investigations to take place is like saying we don’t need courts any more to investigate crimes. In fact it’s like saying you can’t even report crimes any more, let alone have them investigated.

New Zealand Police soft on serious crime?

Published
by
Christiaan
on 25 July, 2008
in Aotearoa New Zealand, Human rights and Law
. 3 Comments

It appears the New Zealand Police are soft on serious crime. The U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, travels to New Zealand this weekend and I’m ashamed to say she’s able to without a promise from the NZ Police that she will be arrested and charged with war crimes, including torture and the “supreme international crime,” initiating a war of aggression.

While a $5000 bounty for the citizen’s arrest of Rice might be viewed as a stunt, what other option do decent citizens have when a bunch of submissive softies run your police force; happy not only to show how weak they are by tolerating such a visit but by actually protecting her?

A formal complaint has now been lodged, so it will be interesting if the NZ Police can demonstrate any knowledge of justice. The least they could do is follow the UK’s lead and pretend they have the balls to enforce the law and then botch it up! Somehow, however, I don’t think even that will happen.

People like Condoleezza Rice may be safe in their own country, with such a compliant population, but they should not be allowed to travel to others without fear of being brought to justice.