GUEST BLOG: Ross Meurant – Damnatio Memoriae
Herostratus was a 4th-century BC Greek arsonist, who sought notoriety by destroying the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Like the perpetrator of the Christchurch massacre, Herostratus was not high bred and his actions prompted the creation of damnatio memoriae: the law forbidding anyone to mention his name, orally or in writing.
To dissuade those of similar intentions, the authorities not only executed Herostratus, but attempted to condemn him to a legacy of obscurity by forbidding mention of his name under penalty of death.
The law was ultimately ineffective, as evidenced by mentions of his existence in modern works and parlance. Thus, Herostratus has become a metonym for someone who commits a criminal act in order to become famous.
In my previous Daily Blog, I question the competence of GCSB and police criminal intelligence gathering capabilities on both sides of the Tasman, for failing to have identified Tarrant prior to his murderous crusade.
I do not again bother to question the competence of the guardians of our physical security for their self-praise after the event, speaks louder than their actions before the event.
I do however raise the question of whether attempts to blot this perpetrator from the annuls of New Zealand history, as a valid response.
No stable minded person would seek to justify the actions of this heinous crime.
I also raise the question of 10 years imprisonment for persons who shares the video recorded by this deviant.
There is much easily accessible on the net which is as bad or worse.
Are we so vulnerable to world reality that we need to block unsavoury visions from ourselves?
As Plato once said:
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; The real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.
When does censorship become a tool of the guardians who failed to preserve the physical safety of the 50 victims and other wounded?
We must take care that we do not give free licence to they who cry, “internal security” for according to Voltaire, these are the words of the oppressor.
Ross Meurant:
After 21 years as a cop, Meurant resigned with the commissioned rank of inspector O/C Criminal Intelligence Section & V.I.P. Security; a nationwide profile role as a Red Squad riot group commander and an earlier reputation as a ruthless detective with a tendency to enforce the rule of police.
During 9 years as a Member of Parliament and the Executive as Under Secretary, he was accused of being an arms trader; was fired from the Executive by Jim Bolger for having a perceived conflict of interests (becoming a director of a Russian bank) and started the first political party to be registered under MMP.
After 4 years in the wilderness teaching kids to ride horse and property developing, he returned to Wellington as parliamentary adviser to Rt Hon Winston Peters where allegations of conflicted interests with roles he had with three major fishing companies and a race horse baron and later in false allegations of corruption culminating in the Scampi Enquiry.
From 2005 Ross lived abroad pursuing commercial options in Zimbabwe, the Balkans, Czech Rep, Syria, Russia, Morocco, UAE, Iran & North Korea.
Today in New Zealand he is trustee and managing director of NZ forestry and property assets owned by absentee Russians & Honorary Consul for Morocco.
Ross has a B.A. in politics; a Master’s in economics and law and COPs in law. He speaks Russian, rides horses and water-skis.
He is the author of:
Two biographies: The Red Squad Story & Beat to the Beehive.
Two novels: The Syrian Connection & Sex, Power and politics.
Thank you Ross. I must admit that back in 1972 to recently I never thought I would agree with you on anything. I was wrong and thank you for teaching me that. Your last two blogs have been spot on.
Even if we could get the perfect philosopher-king to rule, unless his successors are equally perfect philosopher-kings, the system will fail as soon as that person dies.
This is just trying to redefine understood boundaries.
Any increase in powers means there are more opportunities for corruption, as well as less people to reign you in.