WHAT THE HELL IS THIS! Gerald stared at the words on the screen as if, somehow, he could make them blink first.
“What’s up?” Gerald’s co-worker, Elise, swivelled towards him, eyebrows raised interrogatively. Gerald was usually such a quiet and studious worker that she found his angry outburst just a little bit shocking.
“See for yourself”, Gerald replied, turning his screen towards Elise.
“Hmmmm.” Elise settled back in her chair with a thoughtful expression. “That is certainly an unusual brief. Not the Boss’s style at all. What do you suppose has led her to issue such an odd assignment?
“I don’t have to suppose anything, Elise, I know what inspired this. It’s the second of those national anti-terrorism seminars. The first one was a complete waste of time, and the second has been a complete waste of time multiplied by ten. Why doesn’t the Boss just tell the Prime Minister to leave national security to the professionals?”
“Because Directors don’t get to tell Prime Ministers what to do, Gerald – as you well know. The PM has immersed herself in this misinformation, disinformation, bad actors stuff, to the point where she can no longer think rationally about national security matters.”
“No, she can’t. What Prime Minister in her right mind would ask her security chief to prepare a ‘How To Tell If Your Neighbour’s A Violent Extremist’ handbook? Dear God! Putting to one side the utterly appalling anti-democratic ramifications of the idea, why would a national security agency provide an actual or potential violent extremist with a helpful list of all the behavioural tells to avoid? How wise is it, do you think, to warn these characters what to keep hidden from their friends and family? Surely the PM can be made to see that putting out something like this only makes the bad guys’ work easier?”
“The problem, Gerald, is that she’s been persuaded that we, and all the other national security agencies, are either incompetent, or racist, or both. She probably thinks that, with the right sort of surveillance, violent extremism can be stopped in its tracks.”
“Nuts.”
“Yep. And the animosities stirred up by the Pandemic have only made things worse.”
“True, but whose fault is that? Who went from being the Good Fairy, trusted protector of the people; to full-on Maleficent, imposing vaccination mandates with a cackle? Who allowed the Speaker to go on whacking that Hornets’ Nest in Parliament Grounds until its occupants erupted in fury and started stinging all-and-sundry? Who made it clear how pleased she was with the sort of journalism that portrayed the country as brimming over with white supremacists and fascists?”
“I know, I know, Gerald. Nor does she appear to understand that the moment a political leader indicates an explanatory preference, that is the only sort of explanation she will receive.”
“Hence, the Boss’s instruction to write this bloody handbook. I’m supposed to go through all our own files, along with the relevant files of our allies, and identify all the tell-tale signs that someone’s undergone radicalisation, and is on the verge of organising and/or engaging in an act of deadly violence. But, that’s not all. I’m also supposed to set up a special number for people to call if they suspect their next-door-neighbours are preparing to ram-raid their Petunias. I’m going to suggest 0-800-STASI.”
“If you’re thinking Stasi, you should talk to Dieter – he used to be a Colonel in the Ministerium für Staatssicherheit, the Ministry of State Security, back in the days of the German Democratic Republic.”
“East Germany?”
“Yep. He moved here to be with his children and grandchildren after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He works for us from time to time. On contract, presumably. Come to think of it, Dieter’s been around the building quite a bit lately.”
“Do you think the Boss would contract him to give me a hand with this assignment? I mean, who is better qualified to write a handbook on identifying real and/or potential enemies of the state than a former Stasi colonel?”
“I don’t see why not. Gosh, Gerald, this is actually getting quite exciting. Have you been watching Kleo – that Netflix series about a GDR assassin?”
“I keep meaning to, but I haven’t yet, no.”
“Oh, but you must, it’s a hoot. Kleo worked for the HVA, the Main Directorate for Reconnaissance – the external arm of the Stasi responsible for espionage, propaganda, sabotage, and assassination. Believe me, Gerald, that girl is dangerous!”
“Hey, do you think, Dieter might have been in the HVA? I mean, espionage, propaganda, sabotage, and assassination – he’d know all about that stuff!”
“Jeez, Gerald, we’re not at that point – surely? All we’re being asked to do is alert people to the tell-tale signs of violent extremism. That hardly makes us the Stasi.”
“Actually, Elise, that’s exactly what it makes us. In the early years of the GDR there really were thousands of actual Nazis to identify and punish for the crimes of 1933-45. By the 1980s, though, the Stasi were keeping tabs on just about everybody. Neighbours were asked to spy upon neighbours – and they dared not refuse. A word in the right ear, and your worst enemy could be thrown out of her job, or you could be sent to prison. When thoughts become crimes, Elise, everybody is a potential criminal.”
“And what better incentive could there be for committing an act of violent extremism than being punished for thinking about it?”
“Exactly.”
If your greatest political accomplishment was as the nation’s Protector of the People, you’d always be wanting to repeat that success.
Unfortunately, you can’t protect people and keep them safe without first controlling them and the wider society, to some degree.
Ada. But the primary duty of government is Defence of the Realm. In a democracy this cannot mean elevating the interests of an 11% over the others, which is what He Puapua is trying to engineer.
Thank you.
While I can appreciate the article & its valid warning regarding governments wanting to punish people for the wrong thoughts that should not be used by people as an excuse to hold onto every thought they have as some thoughts can damage the person if they are not moderated.
“I know the voices in my head aren’t real, but sometimes their ideas are absolutely awesome.”.
Loss of 10 points for not using punctuation, off to the gulags
Very good Chris!
One small change is required I think: When you wrote “Yep. And the animosities stirred up by the Pandemic have only made things worse.”
It should read “Yep. And the animosities stirred up by the government during the pandemic have only made things worse.”
True that. The government had unprecedented support and squandered it all.
or andrew the ignorance of the graduates of the ‘chan’ school of virology stirred up animosity and made things worse…
Andrew. View Arden’s UNO anti-freedom of speech address and ponder whether the Pandemic was a fortuitous vehicle for the WEF and whether we should cede more of our sovereignty offshore.
Unfortunately Chris this is the new world that we are becoming. This story was on MSN this morning:
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/unacceptable-and-ignorant-us-tv-reporter-loses-job-after-racist-tweets-resurface/ar-AA13GFuF?ocid=entnewsntp&cvid=f31a6e4714a04ce5a7c63c547037765b
A United States television reporter has lost her job after internet sleuths found racist tweets from when she was in high school. She made comments taking a stand against racism and then someone trawls through and finds racist comments she made 8-9 years ago as a teenager. You show me someone who says they never made an offensive comment in your life and I’ll show you a liar.
The article calls her a hypocrite but we use that word far too lightly. Surely what we want is for people to grow and develop and learn to change as they gain greater life experience. If we try and condemn them for things from 10-20 years or more ago aren’t we effectively saying we don’t want people to change. Is it hypocrisy to change your view and behaviour when you learn better?
Unfortunately the modern trend is to shame and condemn. We don’t want people to change – we want human sacrifices on the altar of our wokeness. Just so some can feel smug and righteous about themselves.
I should just make you aware that racism in the anglosphere countries is endemic and problematic for all that inhabitants. However I wouldn’t sack someone if I had that capacity because of a tweet or facebook post they’ve written 10 years ago it’s just ridiculous.
If its ‘endemic’ in anglosphere countries what term would you use for racism in asian, indian, african and arab countries?
Stephen The racism endemic in other countries may be part of a divide and rule agenda, but yes,resurrecting old history for contemporary purposes may be very unjust, if nothing else.
@Joseph
Racism does exist in NZ (and everywhere else) Stephen thinks it is ‘endemic’ because as he has indicated in previous comments, high priestess of CRT, Robin DiAngelo tells him it is.
DiAngelo says:
“All white people are invested in and collude with racism,” and “The white collective fundamentally hates blackness for what it reminds us of: that we are capable and guilty of perpetrating immeasurable harm and that our gains come through the subjugation of others.”
Racism here is ‘structural racism’ where white people use ‘whiteness’ to hoard resources and opportunities. Further, civil rights and equality politics of earlier generations is at best misguided and at worst ‘covert white supremacy’. Inconvenient statistics such as the people of black-nigerian origin and asian origin reliably outperforming their white counterparts, or in the UK that white working class boys being the worst performing demographic, shouldn’t get in the way of a good narrative. Indeed if all you whiteys deny that you are racist then DiAngelo has the answer:
“The mere suggestion that being white has meaning often triggers a range of defensive responses. These include emotions such as anger, fear, guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and withdrawal from the stress-inducing situation. These responses work to reinstate white equilibrium as they repel the challenge, return our racial comfort, and maintain our dominance within the racial hierarchy. I conceptualize this process as white fragility. Though white fragility is triggered by discomfort and anxiety, it is born of superiority and entitlement.”
This is grade A confirmation bias, that DiAngelo is paid handsomely to propagate as a corporate consultant.
To mirror this kafkaesq narrative process one could say that Stephen as an educated man is far more privileged that atleast 50% (probably far higher) of the multiracial population (whites included) and that he has fallen into a bourgeoisie revolutionary
cult that hoards resources and opportunities to affluent people who believe as he does. Convinced they are with the angels and on the ‘right side of history’, believers assume moral superiority and certitude in all things. They will actively pursue discrimination such as racism, resegregation, homophobia, sexism, (actual) transphobia in making their ‘better world’, because utopian thinking never ends badly.
If Stephen shows any ‘defensive responses’ to this comment he is exhibiting ‘woke-fragility’ and that proves he is a cultist. The only correct answer he can make to this assertion is to say ‘yes’ he is a cultist.
Of course I don’t believe that, but this is how DiAngelo-ism works, simplistic, totalising, reductive and kafkaesq.
Brilliant writing, thanks Chris.
Meanwhile, the Cat Woman of the University is furiously breeding mice in her mama’s garden shed.
“ The only way to flush out these symbols of colonialism is to bait the furry little monsters, “ she mutters, “ Bugger Gareth Morgan trapping them, I wanna wrap their necks in trails of tears, skin them, sell the furs at a handsome profit to make ice cream mittens for Nats endeavouring to look human holding cones on television or garage floor linings for the whinging poor who sleep on them.Nameless ferals are one thing, but any feline with a name from history is suspect when history has to be revised, rewritten, and approved by Christchurch crèche mothers so that truth can be arrived at”
LSD is a drug
On the money mate. But when the protests were happening, you were on the stasi side. You were warned about it and laughed.
100% Glen we tried to warn him, told him to get out of his house and to meet the protesters to hear their side of the story but no he stayed in his ivory tower
No, Glen, I was on the side of those who sought to preserve the rule of law in Parliament Grounds and surrounding streets.
Just as it is unacceptable for the state to persecute people for having the “wrong” thoughts, it is equally unacceptable for people to believe that their “right” thoughts entitle them to harm their fellow citizens in contravention of the law.
If you believe a law to be bad, then avail yourself of the democratic political machinery and change it.
Protesters flouting the law and threatening to kill elected politicians is the sort of behaviour any national security agency – including the Stasi – would feel obliged to keep under surveillance.
Agree Chris – and you were first to point out exactly why the protestors were there and how they were feeling and why.
Chris+ Trotter. The demonstrators also abused passersby, including school girls who had to get escorts, and they caused a number of police persons to attend hospital with nasty injuries. Trevor warned nearby permanent inhabitants to vacate their residences because of the music blasted out at the protestors, traffic was diverted, and workers were hindered from getting to their workplaces. Whole vaxxed police teams got virus infected, and carried that virus home to their families, while the politicians watched safely from the balcony. A costly mess not handled with much finesse.
In the old days one would say Glen and XmoronXmoronX just got owned.
Followed up by Snow Whites pearler.
No coming back from that reasoned thinking.
Great, though I would question Gerald’s assertion that mandates and Trevor’s actions turned pragmatic people ( and yes they were there too) into raving nut jobs that believe micro chips are in vaccines and Liz Gunn into well, Liz Gunn. I also know former Christchurch locals that might have been surprised by the scale of what happened in the mosques but not necessarily that something of that nature actually happened.
That said I don’t think we should be handing out DIY nut job identification kits. There’s no easy solution but checking under the bed, or behind the couch for evil is a non starter.
Wow. Wheel knows someone that lived in Christchurch once and they weren’t surprised an overseas radicalized Australian terrorist was incorrectly granted a gun license and committed an atrocity?
Convincing.
Oh right KCC. Are you saying there hasn’t been a decent enough showing from far right skin heads in Christchurch over the years?
The resident skinheads have always been brain dead and in plain sight – check out Marc Ellis’ TV episode with Chapman tinning beans and prepping for the apocalypse years ago.
Im sure if you me and your mate who once lived in Chch have heard of those idiots they aren’t exactly a secret society eh.
I think many government vested interests, and their spin doctors like yourself, keep trying to claim Tarrant as some kind of reflection on kiwi society to force these hate laws, gun laws and security powers on to kiwis.
He wasn’t, he was a foreigner radicalized overseas and mislicensed by the police.
Yes we have skin heads and other drop kicks in NZ, were they in the same league? Clearly no.
I am not a government spin doctor. It is just deluded to imply that Mallards stupid actions lead people to believe some of the ridiculous claims being thrown about, Liz Gunn being a classic example. She was a fruit cake long before Trevor turned up the music.
The government has got a lot wrong but adults have to take responsibility for the way they reason or think. You can’t blame the government for thinking you will be a walking transistor if you get vaccinated
I agree but no one is saying that are they?
How about those gangs though eh, the ones who’s numbers are skyrocketing, you know the ones actually shooting and killing people daily, the ones the government gave millions of dollars to, the ones who deal drugs to our kids.
Where are they appearing on the list of people to keep an eye on?
You mean the gangs that the National govt had a good Ole talking to with Scomo and said please stop?
Then Scomo increased the numbers.
Thank you once again Chris. Thank you very very much.
It occurred to me this week, when Kate Hannah of the SDisonformation Project claimmed she has received harassment and a death threat (both of which I utterly condemn), that her project, which I understand is govt funded is complete amateur hour. That an a propaganda arm of the govt (we will tell you who to fear).
I say amateur hour, because if you are their to detect threat (spy), then your job must involve being undetected. Blowing your cover is highly risky.
The spies who work for the SIS go to great lengths to remain anonymous.
https://www.nzsis.govt.nz/assets/media/Know-the-signs.pdf
Extraordinary reading . Some of it appears straightforward.
Most of it is nuts!
I think our government has lost the plot.
Posturing and arse covering.
Meanwhile people are stressed out of their fucking minds by the little things like you know mortgage payments, rate payments, fuel prices , food prices , etc, etc, and th e politicians do not give a fuck.
They have got nothing to offer.
The reading into your link is targeting your ilk Shona! How convenient for you to point this out!
Shona, from your link
‘Our NZSIS investigators reviewed New Zealand counter-terrorism
investigations dating back to 2006 to identify the common behaviours
and activities detected in those cases. We then grouped those
indicators into seven themes.’
Due to the relatively low numbers of violent extremists and terrorist acts
in New Zealand, we’ve used events seen overseas to validate some of
these indicators. We’ve done this to ensure we’re sharing information
that is analytically robust.
We now use these indicators as a tool within NZSIS to help identify
genuine threats as they emerge.
They used this technique against a Maori community in 2007 when they were only looking for one person ‘Tame Iti’ its worrying that they’ll use the same failed technique today to target your group of thugs don’t yah think?
what group of thugs??? Stephen I’m a pensioner with osteoarthritis . You really don’t have ANYTHING but brainless abuse and verbal diarrhea . FFS. This pamphlet was the upshot of this week’s abandoned conference.
Point being this is the shot we pay squillions for ergo these people are fucking nuts. End of story.
You really need to fuck off .
should read …. the shit we pay squillions for
100% Shona.
It’s f..ing pathetic from people we pay squillions to.
” So basically there are two classes of people; those who think the correct thoughts and those that don’t? If you think the right sort of thoughts, the ones agreed upon by the Government you will have all these rights…”
“That is what it is so Yep yep….”
the 2 classes of people are the informed and the internet brainwashed straight.
and when they came for me they had removed all the internet brainwashed straight.
Quick way to destroy society! — tell tales on your loved ones, friends, colleagues — and for what?
the right to work. One way of punishment In Ostdeutschland n as the Germans would say was to lose your job, your partner would lose their job, your kids would lose their place in universities or access to higher education. Most would undergo ‘re-education’ as to their verboten thoughts.
a song from a long time ago.
Die Gedanken die sind Frei.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Gedanken_sind_frei
this entry is quite ok, other then the origin of that song is not the 1800 but the time of Walther von der Vogelweide – the first named musical superstar of what is now known as Germany. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walther_von_der_Vogelweide
Sophie Scholl sang it to her father while he was imprisoned by the Gestapo.
The song however became a song of resistance against the state and state forces in the 1800, and i learned this song in school in 1978 in school.
Die Gedanken sind frei,
wer kann sie erraten,2
sie fliehen vorbei,
wie nächtliche Schatten.
Kein Mensch kann sie wissen,
kein Jäger erschießen.
Es bleibet dabei:
Die Gedanken sind frei.
thoughts are free
none can guess them
they fly on by
like shadows at night
No Man can know them
No hunter can shoot them
It is as always
our thoughts are free
Und sperrt man mich ein
Im finsteren Kerker,
Dies alles sind nur
Vergebliche Werke.
Denn meine Gedanken
Zerreißen die Schranken
Und Mauern entzwei,
Die Gedanken sind frei.
And if you look me
in a dark cellar
these deeds are failing
Because my thoughts
shred barriers and break walls in two
Our thoughts are free.
Interesting times.
One of the violent “white supremacists” from the anti mandate protest
https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/130362166/taranaki-man-threw-concrete-pavers-at-police-as-officers-ended-parliament-protest
“ A Taranaki man threw concrete pavers at police as the 23-day occupation of Parliament came to an end in disorder and violence.
Teuira Bau Ritai was one of a group of people arrested in the wake of the chaos seen on Wednesday, March 2, as police struggled to restore law and order to the grounds.”
Disinformation indeed.
what’s up claims of all the protesters being peaceful law abiding folk wearing a bit thin….well they never stood up in the first place did they.
That’s the worst case of Thrush I’ve ever seen.
“..someone’s undergone radicalisation..” That’s three of the most chilling words in your piece @ CT. It’s chilling, to me anyway, because I remember when the natzo’s came to power after roger douglas gutted old labour while reinfecting it with his parasitic neoliberalism control mechanism from the dark side. ( Then slithered off to create, out of his arse materials and Pig-Man brain farts the dreaded ACT party.) The National Party and then the bull-necked, cankle carrier shipely introduced that dob in your neighbour thing via WINZ. Neighbours were encouraged to peer over the fence for any man staying longer than three nights at a DPB dependent persons home. And while they were at it, it was suggested the Stasi snoops stay on the look out for dope plants too.
But here’s the kicker, as they say. Nothing, has changed. Labour’s still neoliberal and fascist-capitalist National are now ready to tag-team up the reigns. Two main factions of neo fascist capitalism sharing the duty of keeping us down trodden under a Stasi-esque blanket of threats and recrimination just to be harvested for our time in this particular reality for their personal wealth creation.
Royal Commission of Inquiry please.
Well Chris, it may not all be doom and gloom. Although, prima facie, from where I am standing it doesnt look too hot.
Brent Edwards from the Democracy Project interprets this as Jacinda:
*Wanting to deliver on her Christchurch call obligations to the Muslim community as she has been having her feet held to the fire lately by those concerned
*Will not continue through with the Hate Speech laws from last year other than to amend them to cover protections for religion and/or gender.
Edwards argues that to continue through with her earlier proposal based on offending people and including political speech would be the kiss of electoral death especially just before an election and therefore, she definitively wont do anything more perturbing.
So I guess it depends which side of the fence you are on. Do we believe Edwards comforting and entirely reasonable scenario or do we see something more sinister?
I want to agree with Edwards and usually do but I am seeing a doubling down on 3 Waters and other vote losers so activity along with our new Stasi policy, doesn’t bode well. But in the name of Free Speech, I am praying Edwards is right.
*Bryce Edwards.
“Just” adding religious/gender protection is still massively problematic.
Protecting religion specifically from criticism means no arguing against some pretty mysogynistic stuff in the religious texts, no speaking out on Iran/womens right to choose religious attire, no causing offense arguing against abortion bans, some extremist people fly planes in to buildings in the name of religion.
So far as speaking against gender ideology, there are plenty of people who change their mind trying to de transition overseas, some people having surgery are simply gender confused or have mental health issues, it is critical that these issues are considered and debated.
We must be free to speak against things we don’t agree with.
True – I hadnt thought that through
Keepcalmcarryon And great speakers of the past, like Martin Luther and Thomas Aquinas and the authors of the Old Testament will have to be cancelled just as they tried to do with alleged ‘imperialist’ Wm Shakespeare.
While the people slept, Gerald went into the hen house to lay an egg. Then Gerald, having left the egg he had laid, crossed the road. And he watched as the sleeping dogs awoke, to see what they would do with the egg.
Sidney Reilly knocked on the door on the door three times and was invited to come in three times. And so after three comings and goings, he again awaited outside the door. Because, if all government wanted from the people was compliant obedience, those who worked for the government had to set an example, unless they were first given authorisation that they were above the law that applied to others.
Then came the song of Jerusalem only known to the virgins M0M1M2M3M4M5M6M7M8M9M10M11. Enough for 3 games of cricket. M0-M11, M1-M10, M2-M9 M3-M8, M4-M7, M5-M6. They had many eyes and saw all on the earth.
Then from the others who were not virgins, and not one honest person was found amongst them, was selected a parliamentary rugby team. And they wrote the laws that all those who worked for government would live by, lest they lose their job.
And in reprise no one, not even those with 20/20 eyes, foresaw South Africa opening up their group to South Asian dominance.
And while those of parliament were obsessed with their own futures, it was left to the Black Ferns/Filipon to prevent another try from the end of the universe rainbow in the same corner as in 1994. One pass unmade and such is the fate of our defence of the world.
Treat a man like a dog and he starts to behave like one, its into the dark ages we go.
Forward Thinking. Yes, it’s a darkening medievalism, Galileo, Copernicus, the Spanish Inquisition.
c’mon, no one expects the Spanish Inquisition.
Great interview with Sean Plunket.
The link between the PM, TDP and Stasi chchcall agenda, is one word;
D A V O S.
‘How to spot a Communist’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkYl_AH-qyk
the communist is the one who can read without tracing the words with his finger