Other Peoples Wars plus Police Political Coruption.

Wheeler's Corner 25 16th June 2018.

 This from NO Right Turn, Australia fly's Nazi flag in Afghanistan:  

"Shared values"

Whenever New Zealand leaps to join Australia in another foreign war, the politicians always talk about our countries' 'shared values". Well, this is an example of the Australian values we are supposed to "share":

That's an Australian SAS truck in Afghanistan, flying a Nazi flag:

Australian soldiers have been photographed flying a Nazi swastika flag from their vehicle while on operations in Afghanistan.
The photo, obtained exclusively by the ABC, was taken in August 2007.
The photograph shows the large swastika emblem hoisted over an Australian military vehicle.
Two separate Defence sources have identified a particular soldier as the individual who took the flag to Afghanistan.

Because that's who Australia lets into its military: Nazis. Not surprising when you remember that for the last decade they've been sticking refugees in concentration camps and torturing them until they kill themselves of "voluntarily" leave.

We should have nothing to do with a country with a military like this, with policies like this.

Posted by Idiot/Savant at 6/14/2018 04:10:00 PM

"The police raid on the home of author and journalist Nicky Hager almost derailed the Hit & Run book, which alleged an NZSAS coverup and has led to a Government inquiry.

Hager said the main source for the book went cold for months after the raid, which almost led to the book not being written.

Police today apologised and paid "substantial damages" to Hager after the unlawful search on his home in the wake of the Dirty Politics book, published in 2014.

The book detailed links between the office of former Prime Minister Sir John Key and right-wing bloggers, and detailed cash-for-blogging deals by blogger Cameron Slater.

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The settlement came with the admission from police the raid "threatened his ability (and that of the wider media) to access information from confidential informants".

The High Court case taken by Hager challenging the warrant used by police found detectives have failed to tell the district court judge who approved it that Hager was a journalist entitled through law to legal protection for sources.

Police had failed to take that into account when Hager's house was searched, potentially creating a "chilling effect" that could deter people from talking to media confidentially.

Author and journalist Nicky Hager at the 2014 launch of Dirty Politics.

Hager said the impact of the raid put off a key source who revealed the existence of "Operation Burnham", a 2010 NZSAS operation that later became the focus of Hit & Run.

"The raid and the police actions nearly had dire consequences for my work. I was already in communication with the person who would become the main source for Hit & Run.

"When the raid happened, that person was so scared I could keep our communications private, they went quiet for months.

"That's what the 'chilling effect' means - people are scared to talk."

Hager said the aftermath of the raid "threw a great big rock in the pond", in terms of having repercussions across a number of issues he was investigating.

"I knew my work was going to be hard or impossible for a time."

Hager said a number of months passed before he managed to engage the Hit & Run source again.

 said he didn't believe police intended to have such a damaging effect - but they were oblivious to the consequences of their actions.

"In their minds, they were just investigating a P lab, or their minister was very angry, or the Prime Minister was very angry."

He said he had been trying to get across to police that he respected their role in society but journalists also had a role and police needed to respect that.

Hager said he was "happy and relieved" the case was over.

He also said he believed the police complaint made by blogger Cameron Slater, which led to the raid, was "a valid complaint".

Nicky Hager at the High Court at Auckland where he won the right to have material seized from his house returned, sealed and not examined by police.

Hager said everyone was entitled to make a complaint when they believed they were victims of a crime.

The problem, he said, "was what the police did".

He said he had always been clear the book was based on hacked information around which there was such a high public interest it needed to be revealed.

Attorney General David Parker said he had no involvement with the settlement but, in his personal capacity, was pleased to see it had been made.

Parker made the comment with reference to his previous support for Hager, saying the pleasure was in line with "earlier stated views about the person who brought the skulduggery to the public's attention being targeted".

Anne Tolley, who was police minister at the time, said she had nothing to do with the raid and police had independence for operational decisions investigating criminal complaints.

"I certainly believe in free speech - both sides."

Police minister Stuart Nash said the settlement it was an operational decision between police, courts, and Hager and he wasn't involved.

Asked if the settlement ended matters, he said: "It's time for everyone to move on."

As for how police carried out investigations, Nash said: "It's not up to me how police conduct operations to keep New Zealand safe."

National leader Simon Bridges also said police act on complaints such as this with operational independence and ministers had no influence over how operations were conducted.

"If the police stuffed up and they got the law wrong then an apology is the right thing to do."

Police also apologised for getting Hager's personal information from banks and others without a warrant, and for saying he was under criminal investigation when he was not even a suspect.

One last perspective on the Hager police cock-up or cover-up: This from the Daily Blog:

DIRTY POLITICS
• Police pay Nicky Hager 'substantial damages' for unlawful search of his home
• Dirty Politics: Who are the key players?
• Dirty Politics: SIS director's three apologies
• Bryce Edwards: A year of (never ending) Dirty Politics

Related articles:

inquiry into NZ SAS role in Afghan deaths

11 Apr, 2018 3:00pm

5 minutes to read

NEW ZEALAND

Big Read: 'No way' civilians were killed, NZDF promised Key

24 Apr, 2018 6:32pm

8 minutes to read

NEW ZEALAND

A full guide to SAS raid claims, denials

1 Apr, 2017 5:00am

9 minutes to read

NEW ZEALAND

NZDF blunders AGAIN on details around NZSAS mission

19 May, 2018 5:00am

5 minutes to read
3. 

What we need to believe in illegal Police persecution against Hager make sure you click on the comments for an really interesting read:

By Martyn Bradbury  /   June 13, 2018  /   41 Comments

TDB recommends Voyager - Unlimited internet @home as fast as you can get Cameron Slater makes a complaint to the NZ Police that his emails were hacked and stolen on August 28th 2014.
By October 2nd 2014, the NZ Police illegally search Nicky Hager’s house for 10 hours.
That’s 36 days from when Slater makes his complaint to when the Cops break into Nicky’s house.
Compare the time it took the NZ Police to investigate the theft of Don Brash’s emails that made up Nicky Hager’s book, The Hollow Men.

  

The NZ Police tell us that their illegal persecution of Nicky Hager was not political.
Really?
John Key and Judith Collins didn’t lean on the Police after their Dirty Politics humiliation?
This raid interrupted Nicky’s work on a war crime cover up by the SAS, the NZDF didn’t lean on their Police mates to get that information?
Nicky was investigating Police corruption, the Police didn’t have a vested interest to go ahead with this illegal raid to see what he had found?
The amount of times the NZ Police held back that Nicky was a Journalist and would argue Journalistic privilege wasn’t an oversight, it was specific and tactical.
Cameron Slater makes a complaint to the NZ Police that his emails were hacked and stolen on August 28th 2014.
By October 2nd 2014, the NZ Police illegally search Nicky Hager’s house for 10 hours.
That’s 36 days from when Slater makes his complaint to when the Cops break into Nicky’s house.
Compare the time it took the NZ Police to investigate the theft of Don Brash’s emails that made up Nicky Hager’s book, The Hollow Men.
In June 2007, Brash was told 9 months after making his complaint over the stolen emails that there was no progress on his case, and in fact Police closed the case 3 months after that.
So the leader of the Opposition can’t get the Police to investigate his stolen e-mails after 9 months in 2007, but Slater can get his complaint green lighted in 36 days?
But this wasn’t political. This was decided and enacted with such indecent speed all by the Police, and it’s just a huge coincidence that Key was incandescent with rage, the NZDF were desperately trying to cover up a war crime and Hager had police corruption evidence.
It is beyond comprehension that the NZ Police can attempt to claim this wasn’t a grotesque abuse of power driven by the darkest desires. It is depressing like cancer that the NZ media and public will accept this.
Consider what happened here, Nicky exposed enormous abuses of power and highly unethical political behaviour, yet it was he who was attacked by the Police???
My case against the NZ Police for dragging me into this fiasco is still before the Human Rights Review Tribunal.

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Well that's it for this weekend read...have a good weekend and stay warm.

Peter Wheeler