The Great SIS fishing expedition begins

7
2

3217552975_1_2_4x8kw3n4

And so the great SIS fishing expedition begins.

The scare tactics for ISIS was to allow for even more surveillance laws.

Our forces will go to Iraq to blah blah blah and they won’t blah blah blah. The loophole to all of Key’s weasel words is that if innocent  civilians are threatened are forces can engage, so that loophole can be played out any way the NZDF thinks it can get away with.

America gets its pretence of international support for their war on ISIS, our Army get to adventure around and justify their existence and the Government get a new toy for the SIS to spy on a suspect for 48 hours without a warrant.

Seeing the contempt Key admittedly treats OIAs, the speed with which these 48 hour warrantless spying becomes the norm should surprise no one. The extreme will become the minimum and what the SIS will embark upon are vast fishing expeditions to spy on people over 48 hours to just see what they can catch.

How the hell warrantless spying of you in your bedroom makes any of us safer hasn’t been explained. No amount of ‘if-you-have-nothing-to-hide-you-have-nothing-to-fear’ justifies a weekend of filming you in your lounge when you think you are alone.  This is a gross intrusion of the State right into our homes based on a manufactured threat.

Seeing as the new team Key has put together to advise him on emerging terror threats have such a loud business voice on it, environmentalists will quickly become the target of these new spying powers.

TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com

This is the politics of fear and it is an erosion of our civil liberties for corporate rights.

Key pushed the terrorist button and he’s gotten the frightened agreement.

7 COMMENTS

  1. Martyn.

    “This is the politics of fear and it is an erosion of our civil liberties for corporate rights.

    Key pushed the terrorist button and he’s gotten the frightened agreement.”

    Yes and how about the “No surprises” agreement? this has caused a disturbance in parliament today where the following is discussed.

    The PM made a statement this morning about sending Kiwis to Iraq

    Even in the house debate on Key’s statement this Morning sending kiwis to Iraq has ruffled even some of his allies The Maori Party and Untied First were visibility upset in response to Key providing a in-depth report to the press (Herald) that was more complete to that which was contained in Key’s speech to Parliament.

    So Key seems intent on first doing what he wishes and then advising all Parliament afterwards.

    Pure arrogance that shows his feeling of growing power & control over us all including Parliamentary protocols.

    Becoming of a dictator would you say?

  2. This 48 hour warrantless spying legislative change for the SIS is definitely the most disturbing element of today’s announcement. I thought they must have been joking when it was stated that if the warrant wasn’t granted they would destroy any information gained. How are they going to destroy the memories of the agents involved who gathered the information?

    In many cases the 48 hour period would be sufficient to confirm whether or not they wish to apply for a further warrant. Fishing expeditions as you’ve put it.

    Now that the “national interest” has been extended to include the corporate interest of major companies within the State, this group of “free thinkers” (that title is Orwellian doublespeak at its best by the way) appointed by the government will certainly be looking to turn these new powers on those who threaten their profits. Activists (a now loaded term) who oppose the rampant domination of the people by Corporations will no doubt become subject to them. As you’ve explained, environmentalists will also be scrutinised with no evidence, solely because they *might* be planning something.

    Glenn Greenwald’s book “Nothing to Hide” outlines how these self-same ‘sneak-and-peek’ provisions given to US authorities have been extended to local police and used predominantly for drug and criminal enforcement which have nothing at all to do with the terrorism they were purportedly empowered with to monitor.

    This is just another example of the creeping changes being made by the government under the fear-mongering threat of ISIS. Slowly, but with an increasing pace we are being stripped of our legal and in some cases human rights.

  3. The real target of these hyped up anti-terror laws are those fight for and who want to support the struggles for freedom against the Western powers that impose dictatorships to rule over the masses.

    West couldn’t give a flying f about the millions of civilian casualties at home and abroad, nor the casualties in the armed forces. Suicides in the US military far exceed those killed in on active service.

    What they are shit scared of is mass independent armed struggles such as in Syria against Assad, and the Kurds against ISIS, becoming the basis for wider movements that spread to the whole region leading to the West and the pro-Western regimes of Israel, Saudi and Turkey being being thrown out.

    While NZ is being recruited to the war against ISIS, in reality this war is directed not at defeating ISIS, but at stopping the revolutionary forces on the ground from arming themselves and becoming strong enough to not only defeat ISIS, but also the Western backed regimes in the Middle East.

    We have to demand the right as citizens to be free to join in the mass struggles in the Middle East and reject the cynical lies that sectarian rivalry is the cause of the problems in the Middle East rather than a century of Western meddling, invasion and occupation.

  4. Almost all Western governments are using Orwell’s 1984 as a “how to” guide at this stage. By the time we wake the fuck up it will, naturally, be far too late (given that “The Government” will be able to monitor and intercept any plans the population might hatch to stop it). The irony that we effectively sanctioned this outcome should not be lost on anyone.
    “If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever.”

  5. Interesting today driving home from work this morning….on Radio Live with Duncan Garner…he had on a Security Intelligence spokesman .

    This SI officer said that ‘What is going to happen is MISSION CREEP’….and that we will see first off Planners who will move on to the role of Trainers , then onto Mentors…..and finally Leaders…it is at that point that they will not only be ‘leading’ Iraqi forces….but then also regular military personnel be deployed in increasing numbers ‘.

    The guy was brutally honest in that it will become a long , drawn out protracted affair….and that Key will be selling it to the public in increments…well aware of avoiding any significant public backlash.

    So there you go. As I heard one caller to Radio Live last night who served time in the military , we are now at war. Unofficially.

    And she was dead right and didn’t mince words. And funnily enough , … she was very scathing and cynical about Keys weasel words.

    Even the Intelligence and Military community are saying the truth.

    Pity our so-called Prime Minister doesn’t.

    Especially his ‘ office ‘.

  6. Well said. It is also very concerning that the SIS warrants can be used on anybody so considerable political and economic gain can be had by this law. It is clear that surveillance is not being used as intended already (KDC and spying on rival politicians) so this means even more considerable power is now able to be exploited. No doubt in the future this intelligence is to be used against individuals or passed on Whale oil type blogs. Not much protest (again) by the other political parties.

  7. Obviously the Maori party have short memories of the events of 2007 when the police unlawfully searched and detained people in the Rūatoki Valley, including children and elders under the idea they were ‘terrorists’. Yep great we are increasing the laws to turn NZ into a police/surveillance state with a 48 hr not questions asked surveillance. Of course this law could NEVER be abused, NOT! Most NZer’s are more frightened of police abuse than ISIS, so plenty of scope to stop/make some sort of protest to stop this being passed – but I guess the opposition/minor partners are on their tea break… oh that’s right we don’t have one any more.. The apathy is scary.

Comments are closed.