NEW ZEALANDERS are angry. News that the country’s youngest and most vulnerable citizens are being treated as pawns in a dangerous game of political blackmail has been received with a mixture of fear, fury and frank disbelief. Many people simply refuse to believe that the threat to mix the deadly 1080 poison with infant formula is genuine. They have dismissed the whole shameful business as nothing more than a criminal hoax.
But it is not a hoax. A hoax is defined as a humorous or malicious deception. To perpetrate a hoax is to trick and/or deceive. But, at no point in this crisis has anyone been tricked or deceived. Someone sent a letter to Federated Farmers and Fonterra. Inside each letter was a small package containing what the sender claimed to be a mixture of 1080 poison and infant formula. Tests confirmed the sender’s claim. This was, indeed, a mixture of 1080 poison and infant formula. No trick. No deception. And no one at Federated Farmers or Fonterra was laughing.
What New Zealand is being subjected to is eco-terrorism – and it’s working. Already the person, or persons, behind this attempt to force the Government to stop using 1080 pesticide has cost “NZ Inc” as much as $20 million. A vast and ruinously expensive testing regime has been established. The importers of New Zealand infant formula have been contacted – with incalculable effect upon the nation’s reputation. Even more ominously, the moment the four-month-old crisis was officially acknowledged, the value of the NZ Dollar dipped sharply. The asymmetry of the situation is striking. The dispatch of two letters and a few milligrams of 1080 has produced hugely disproportionate consequences.
And it is far from over. The Eco-Terrorist sent his letters in November 2014. (The masculine pronoun is being used here, but the perpetrator could just as easily be female.) But the threat to set in motion the fatal contamination of New Zealand’s infant formula was post-dated to the end of March 2015. That deadline is still 19 days away. The assumption, therefore, must be that the Eco-Terrorist has spent the last four months devising a way of demonstrating to both the New Zealand Government and the importers of our infant formula, that he can introduce 1080 into the product at will. Indeed, the Prime Minister’s refusal to abandon 1080, coupled with his point-blank refusal to negotiate, more-or-less requires the Eco-Terrorist to make such a demonstration. If some proof of capability is not forthcoming, then the threat evaporates and the crisis is over.
The temptation is strong to dismiss the Eco-Terrorist as a “nutter”. This would be a mistake. What has been revealed over the past 48 hours is a carefully planned and executed terrorist attack on the New Zealand State. Indeed, the blackmail threat which the Eco-Terrorist has made falls squarely under the heading of “New Zealand’s worst nightmare”. As an exporter of high-quality food products this country has always been acutely vulnerable to any event – natural or human – which renders its exports unsaleable. The most terrifying “doomsday event” would be an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease. But Poison-In-The-Baby-Formula comes a pretty close second. The potential for massive economic damage is frightening.
What sort of person could do this? Who should the authorities be looking for?
The key to identifying the Eco-Terrorist lies in tracking down the source of the pure 1080 that was mixed-in with the infant formula. Was the poison smuggled into the country from the United States? Was it stolen from the Whanganui factory that manufactures the 1080 pellets used by the Department of Conservation? Or, did it come from one of the small number of research facilities which, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hold small quantities of the chemical in their laboratories?
A consensus is forming that the most likely source of the poison is one of these research facilities. If so, then the profile of the Eco-Terrorist/s more-or-less writes itself. He would have a background in scientific research – quite possibly into 1080 itself – and that research, or the research of someone with whom they have worked closely, may have led him to the conclusion that the Government’s use of 1080 is environmentally and morally indefensible. That the Government has refused to be swayed by the international and domestic evidence of 1080’s toxicity, and simply over-ruled the objections of thousands of New Zealand citizens, may have driven him to the conclusion that only by imposing a crippling economic cost on its continued use can 1080 be banished from our shores.
The Eco-Terrorist’s concerns may have been further exacerbated by the pro-1080 stance of individuals and groups he had trusted to come out in opposition. The Commissioner for the Environment, Forest and Bird and the Greens have all, to the surprise and frustration of the anti-1080 lobby, publicly declared their support for the pesticide. This unexpected “betrayal” of the cause may have been the final straw. In the Eco-Terrorist’s mind, the Government’s stance will only be changed by “other means”.
It’s a truism of terrorism that a person who, under normal circumstances, could be relied upon to live a quiet, productive and thoroughly law-abiding life, may, given the right sequence of provocations, be transformed into a radically different being. The moment such a person is convinced that the ends he is now pursuing are both noble and necessary, then any means, no matter how heinous, which serve to bring those ends closer, are permissible. Once that particular mental Rubicon has been crossed, a human-being is capable of doing just about anything – with a clear conscience.
Even poisoning babies? Possibly. Although infant formula may have been targeted by the Eco-Terrorist on account of its already proven capacity to inflict massive damage to the New Zealand economy. Even so, there is a strong possibility that by drawing babies into the threat environment the Eco-Terrorist has inadvertently given the Police’s criminal profilers access to long-buried hurts, unacknowledged conflicts and deep psychological wounds.
Experts are already speculating that the “unsub” [unknown subject] may have lost a beloved pet to 1080 poisoning. Others insist that, because no parent could use babies as bargaining chips, the Eco-Terrorist must be childless. The image arises of an isolated, highly intelligent, but very lonely person, who masks his furious desire to strike back at the world (which he experiences as cruel and unresponsive) behind a passionate public commitment to protecting the natural environment.
So, how does this crisis end? Well, that depends on how successful the Eco-Terrorist is at evading apprehension, and whether or not he is able to keep on ramping-up the pressure.
We must all hope that, in the 19 days that remain before his post-dated cheque is due to be cashed, the authorities are able to identify and apprehend this criminally misguided individual. By bringing the public into the process, the senior political, bureaucratic, military, police and security personnel on ODESC – The Officials Committee for Domestic and External Security Co-ordination – now have 4.5 million pairs of eyes at their disposal.
Let us pray that 4.5 million is enough.
is it an eco terror dude
or is it a mad economist trying to fuck with the value of the nzd
Ahh, THAT kind of eco
Well…..don’t want to sound harsh here , but , this will be a test for the validity of John XKEYscores beloved GSCB and mass surveillance wont it?
So while we all get to be spied on ,….here is this individual being active for four months – AND the public were not informed all that time. Even if albeit it was kept under wraps to prevent a crash to the NZ dollar.
Pity help us all if they had to deal with an ISIS like cell group – let alone the threat to babies and the economy.
Something tells me this is a great big fat embarrassing white elephant regarding the need for full take data uptake and for all the scummy lies John XKEYscore’s told about needing to spy on our own citizenry.
It is not often that I disagree with Chris, but I am uncomfortable with this “eco-terrorist” label given that NZ environmentalists – notably Forest and Bird – are amongst 1080’s staunchest supporters.
These people behind the threats are rednecks not environmentalists and it seems a little dangerous to adopt terminology that draws a false link between redneck-ism and environmentalism.
Ahh … ?
What have I been saying all along ? You admit then that NZ farming is our economic earner . Lets be clear on that .
So what the FUCK is National doing cupping farmer balls and getting all coochie coo with their money then ? Why has Labour not given that a go also ? Is that not a really , really good question ? Attempts at answers please ?
I can tell you why , never mind your answers . The Great New Zealand Institutionalised fuckin’ Lie man . Every single woe that betides us relates to an ancient swindle . A swindle that just keeps on giving .
1080 ? Infant formula ? The least of our woes .
A royal commission of inquiry please ?
If there were to be such an inquiry , done proper . There’d be so much shit hitting fans , the fans would become whirling balls of shit . It would make Nicky Hagers book look like a bed time story . Every thieving , rich fucking skunk would be outed . Every hungry kid would suddenly understand why they were hungry . Every old person would see where the wealth they created went to and into who’s pocket . Honestly , when this shit blows , the sound of it will travel around the globe . Dearl old, little old NZ . The scene of the largest scale swindle in modern economic history . Mark my words . ( Courtesy Aunt Violent . )
Somebody else said it better than I could ever state it, and I fancy myself a dab hand at angry rants…
___________
“I woke up at 4.30am this morning incensed by John Key calling the infant formula blackmailer an eco-terrorist. Whatever the rationale of the reckless idiot who threatened to put 1080 in infant formula, Key’s use of it as a chance to take a swipe at the environment movement by implying that person is driven by environmental motives was scurrilous and it reminded me of who the real eco-terrorist is in this country.
“Eco-terrorism is watching fresh water quality decline and rivers turn toxic while pushing the expansion of destructive irrigation and dirty dairying.
“Eco-terrorism is giving away vast tracts of our territorial oceans to foreign oil companies to do risky deep sea drilling with zero process for public input.
“Eco-terrorism is underfunding biosecurity so that Queensland fruit fly can even get into NZ in the first place.
“Eco-terrorism is refusing to expand the sanctuary of the world’s rarest dolphin of which there are only 55 left.
“Eco-terrorism is gutting the Resource Management Act even more, so that cutting down 500 year old Kauri trees gets even easier.
“Eco-terrorism is allowing New Zealand’s last remaining limestone escarpment ecology on the West Coast (Denniston Plateau) to be destroyed by an Aussie coal mining company.
“Eco-terrorism is completely failing to institute a strategy for reducing New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions and expanding our clean innovation capability while climate change hammers the world with extreme storms droughts and wildfires.
“Eco-terrorism is spending multiple billions of dollars on new unnecessary motorways and a pittance on public transport and urban cycle-ways and pedestrians.
“Eco-terrorism is allowing oil and gas frackers to waste millions of litres of fresh water and spread toxic waste over farmland in Taranaki.
“Eco terrorism is not funding the Department of Conservation enough that they can stop using 1080 and put in place other pest management and eradication strategies to properly protect our invaluable native forests and species.
“John Key is New Zealand’s number one eco-terrorist .”
#JohnKeyEcoterrorist
John Key will probably find the “eco terrorist” just before the election on 28th march, that will make him look like the savior of babies .
Like it says in the bible “suffer the little children to come unto me”
Well Mr Key babies don’t vote,their parents are not impressed by your
evidence about the scare in November. 1080 is a vicious way to control unwanted pests,try some and see Mr Key.
worst daily blog article ever….
“The image arises of an isolated, highly intelligent, but very lonely person, who masks his furious desire to strike back at the world (which he experiences as cruel and unresponsive) behind a passionate public commitment to protecting the natural environment.”
Possibly, Chris. Possibly.
Collateral damage in a larger game? Just a job?
Those are also possibilities.
The banality of evil…
Was it stolen from the Whanganui factory that …..
Why could it not have been simply picked up from the ground after an aerial poison drop?
Apparently not, it seems, as this was 1080 in its raw, pre-pelleted-ized stage white powder, not green. But now we are being told it has possibly come from overseas, and that would either be that the threat has come from overseas, or that it is possible to obtain the raw 1080 on the black market (according to Key, who from time to time has a tendency to insert his foot into his open mouth).
So, if indeed this did come from overseas, both 1080 and the threat, then I suggest that this could be industrial terrorism and if it is, then probably all the perpetrator may have wanted was this to go public, and our exports to be undermined yet again.
I thought it might be a lone hunter getting pissed off with all his prey dying from eating 1080, but would have thought one of them would have done it in a fit of anger, and used pellets that he may have found in the bush. It would be better if that is what it turned out to be.
Very unlikely. The easiest way to do so would be via tampering with individual cans of formula, as in the famous Tylenol poisonings. However, that wouldn’t really work if you were going to make a threat, since it would just result in everyone checking their products for signs of tampering and the introduction of tamper proof packaging (which is what happened in the Tylenol case).
It’s possible that the threat has nothing to do with 1080 at all. Perhaps someone in the dairy industry was poorly treated by the bosses or has been threatened with redundancy. What better way to privately take revenge than to cost the industry millions? The 1080 angle would be an excellent means of deflecting attention from the real perpetrator.
As it stands, this is a weird crime. If you really wanted to blackmail the government into banning 1080, threatening to poison babies is about the worst way to do it. A more general threat would be more effective.
It doesn’t add up unless the perpetrator simply has no real idea how to blackmail people.
I’m a bit disappointed, to say the least, that this writer would buy into the propaganda that the govt is spreading, seeing a show it is so obviously a politically motivated misinterpretation of the reality of this issue….
When are we to be treated to a view of the said “letters” that were allegedly sent? And, to be honest… The methodology of the alleged “terrorist” is remarkably convenient from a propaganda, and distraction point of view… I can think of several much more effective ways to carry out any blackmail being claimed… and did so within a ten minute period of reflection…I won’t list them here, as I wouldn’t want to give anyone ideas, but the fact is, that if I could come up with better ideas so easily, then why did someone driven enough to actually do this not have thought up a much more compelling scenario?
To that end, I suspect that this is being used as a “false flag” tactic to stifle debate on the escalation of this govts surveillance of it’s constituents, among other, more immediate political expediencies….
Considering the amateurish nature of the alleged blackmail, and the immense forensic evidence gathering capacities of our security apparatus, then I sincerely doubt that there hasn’t been a short list of suspects, or a person in particular already identified… Are they waiting for the suspect to make his/her move so they can formally identify and apprehend them? Or are we being treated to a charade?
For the unimaginative politician there’s also a very old trick, works on lots of people most of the time. To tweak a well known book title:
Feed the Fears and Do it Any Way.
If we are to worry about terrorists, eco or otherwise, we don’t have to look any further than our own Jihadi John … the toxic, treasonous Key that is!
He is the greatest threat to NZ’s stability and security, than any foreign terrorist could ever be!
Sorry Chris, I disagree. Strongly.
Generally, don’t terrorists post their demands through the MSM, then back it up with an example to get their point across?
Seems to me that the should have been a wholesale announcement through the MSM, THEN those dodgy little packages sent to Fontera, etc. Standing back and doing one’s best to take an objective view of the matter, one draws the conclusion that something stinks.
To high heaven.
Excellent article, and the term ‘eco-terrorist’ is indeed apt in this situation, given this definition from the FBI:
“the use or threatened use of violence of a criminal nature against people or property by an environmentally oriented, subnational group for environmental-political reasons, or aimed at an audience beyond the target, often of a symbolic nature.”
Climbing trees on private property is bad enough; threatening the lives of young children is just plain sick.
Things aren’t always what they seem. The anti-German Czechs in the Sudetenland in 1939 turned out to be Germans stirring the pot. The ‘rebel nationalists’ in the Ukrainian ‘civil war’ turned out to be Russian stooges. Engineering a situation which requires a military or draconian response is as old as… well whatever is very old in human politics.
Call me paranoid but an organisation that spies on its own, threatens an electorate if its candidate is not returned, uses state powers to discredit an opposition leader before a general election and has a habit of setting up political diversions to suit itself, just has to be a suspect in this affair. That it affects kids is no detraction; look at the number of kids that go hungry as a direct result of National Party government. Morals? Don’t make me laugh.
I for one will wait and see what bubbles up out of the gutter before I go with the theory of the demented individual.
“It’s a truism of terrorism that a person who, under normal circumstances, could be relied upon to live a quiet, productive and thoroughly law-abiding life, may, given the right sequence of provocations, be transformed into a radically different being. The moment such a person is convinced that the ends he is now pursuing are both noble and necessary, then any means, no matter how heinous, which serve to bring those ends closer, are permissible. Once that particular mental Rubicon has been crossed, a human-being is capable of doing just about anything – with a clear conscience.”
A Ted Kaczynski type Chris?
He specified infant formula but he could inject 1080 into any amount of supermarket stuff. Cripes, I’ll be chewing my muesli with long teeth until all this blows over that’s for sure.
What I don’t understand is why 45,000 tests for 1080 have been done BEFORE the end of March deadline. It made sense to develop a test and to check it and test some infant formula, but 45 thousand tests?! Whats up with that?
The idea that the 1080 infant formula threat is some right wing plot is simply not credible. Dairy farmers and their markets are almost sacred to the Nats They wouldn’t risk it going wrong. But as for why this week was chosen for the issue of national significance? It distracted media attention away from Nicky Hagar’s revelations and the by-election, I expect that was designed to suit teamkey as much as possible.
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