tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post3410469536387927189..comments2024-03-28T21:25:08.138+13:00Comments on Bowalley Road: Operation Burnham Inquiry To Proceed Under Cover Of Darkness.Chris Trotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09081613281183460899noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-91189339143214448872018-10-01T09:19:05.479+13:002018-10-01T09:19:05.479+13:00Let's cut to the chase. There is a difference...Let's cut to the chase. There is a difference between war and crimes of war. There is a difference between a regime which seeks to conducts a just war, and a regime which condones murder.<br />The Realm of New Zealand is a criminal state. Its military forces and its security services behave in ways which are utterly repugnant to the decent minded peoples of this world. The entire state is tainted, and all who are in allegiance to that state bear a measure of moral responsibility for its criminal excesses.<br />Wayne Mapp may disagree but I think it fair to say that the Labour and Green parties constitute the elements of the regime which were most likely to insist that New Zealand should adhere to the Geneva conventions on war, yet all the evidence is that they lack the courage or the will to bring the military and the state security services to order.<br />Time for the left to acknowledge that the problem of the New Zealsnd state is not a matter of party politics, but is fundamental and systemic.Geoff Fischerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00509885628971898371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-61991304656239171712018-09-30T15:52:52.565+13:002018-09-30T15:52:52.565+13:00I see from some comments that the NZDF apologists ...I see from some comments that the NZDF apologists at it or is it different with Afghans? I wonder how they would feel were it their innocent families dealt such cruel blows. <br /><br />Having kbnown Geoffrey Palmer for many years I suspect he would with his High Court judge colleague, find this cover up "darkness development" most disturbing. <br />Chris Trotter says "if the NZDF were a decent and honest they wouln't have the public in doubt". Nor I would add such inexcusable delving into huge dollops of taxpayers money to hide their sins. But the answer is obvious,the NZDF don't do honesty or transparency.<br /><br />My concern now is this yet another example of the Labour Govt being blackmailed by NZ First and given the Minister Marks is a former NZDF man its clear whose calling the shots and it isn't him.Richard Maysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07378507456491019579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-5079935376690114642018-09-30T13:30:00.328+13:002018-09-30T13:30:00.328+13:00The military are expected, by the citizens, to be ...The military are expected, by the citizens, to be doing things that are necessary in an informed, trained and responsible way. They are not just internationally jerrymandering, or shangaied or press ganged bully boys who go form a rabble sent to menace, evict, steal, infure and kill in some other country. Are they? And we think they are supposed to be righting some wrong, not setting people to remember small or big atrocities and leave hate and revengeful thoughts and destroyed lives.<br /><br />We don't want to think that their beliefs and direction are not in accord with our own government's. I object to us being a handy reserve to a big power who says ally yourselves with me/us, or you may regret it. And I don't like the feeling that what they learn overseas, they will willingly repeat here. I want to know what is going on behind those carefully averted eyes, those impassive faces, or those which might turn angry. I have just been studying NZs in WW1 history, and we didn't always come off 100% okay, but the brief facts are there. Let's look fairly at the facts of today.<br /><br />It might do to read about what we think is important and why. Referring to 'Will' I thought of Arthur Schopenhauer.l<br /><i>He is best known for his 1818 work The World as Will and Representation (expanded in 1844), wherein he characterizes the phenomenal world as the product of a blind and insatiable metaphysical will.</i><br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Schopenhauer<br /><br />What makes us do what we do? Can at different times, war be necessary, rational, or irrational? And by what means can we establish which of the three, and deciding on that, how can we deal with the background factors to lessen the impetus to go to war to achieve some goal?greywarblernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-73363394559965096252018-09-29T15:43:12.021+12:002018-09-29T15:43:12.021+12:00Great post Chris. The military may think they can ...Great post Chris. The military may think they can hide in the dark, but they are after all just another government department - we pay for them and we want to know what happened. Open-ness and transparency is what we should expect and get!!peteswriteplacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04474922953916383101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-21491007837631341432018-09-29T14:34:26.225+12:002018-09-29T14:34:26.225+12:00'When elephants fight, it is the grass that su...'When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.' It has always been thus. And it is foolish to think otherwise.Jack Scrivanonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-89871987388927571432018-09-29T10:32:23.211+12:002018-09-29T10:32:23.211+12:00I think it was Roger Douglas that promised us open...I think it was Roger Douglas that promised us open and transparent government right? It's a little bit like the popular mechanics headline – "Where's My Flying Car?" Or "Fusion power is five years away." – And has been for the last 30 years or so. It's things like this that make people cynical about politics and politicians – at least those who think about politics and politicians.Guerilla Surgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03427876447124021423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3753486518085091399.post-24598479923623823662018-09-29T10:02:33.928+12:002018-09-29T10:02:33.928+12:00War has always involved killing people. Many or mo...War has always involved killing people. Many or most of whom are ordinary citizens wanting only to carry on their lives in peace.<br />I'm sure Burnam type incidents happen all the time and much worse in all conflicts. The only way for our military to avoid these incidents is to keep out of that horrible business. The bosses know this ,and they know that some of the population will always believe there are atrocities and others will believe that our forces never engage in them . The latter group will carry on believing what they want to regardless of an obvious cover up, the former they can't do anything about but ridicule. So secrecy will always be applied to what goes on in war. Otherwise it couldn't go on.<br />D J SDavid Stonenoreply@blogger.com