What is Democracy?

Kia Ora,

Over the last week or so you have heard the governments of the west, in particular the US & Britain speaking out over the protests & riots in the Middle East saying let them have democratically elected governments.

But what is democracy?

It seems to be different things to different people.

I have raised this before about how an Iraqi team member when asked why he hadn't been to vote said he did. His Father did it for him & his mother did it for all the females in the family.

When we pointed out that is not democracy, that it is one person one vote & a government elected by the people, his answer was "you do not understand democracy.

When other Iraqis who worked at our villa were asked about their vote as they had been very pro one candidate did they vote for him. "oh no our Iman or our elders told us to vote for this or that person.

That is their idea of democracy. Though I see their preferred candidate technically won the last Iraqi election as he is a 'good strong man'.

In the dictionary it refers to as a government elected by the people, but the more I deleve into the world of financial education(real education not the education systems idea but self education looking to see what is really happening)that is all a myth where it is designed to divide & conquor then manipulate the masses.

It is also funny on how what is a democratic version of election in one country can be ruled undemocratic in another.

For example the US electoral system gives very little power to the voter(as seen in the election in 2000 of George W. Bush) but all power to the electoral college, but most people would regard the US as a very demoractic government.

Well my Iwi(tribe) uses the similar system to elect our representatives on TRONT(for want of a better definition ruling council) of which I was for a short time one(alternate representative). Everyone votes as too who is going to be on the electoral committee(in the US each state is different but it determines who sits on their electoral college)who then determine who of the candidates is to be elected(not the people). In my case it was pretty easy as I was the only one with my name in for that position.
Struggle for Democracy, The (8th Edition)
But then came the fisheries settlement between the New Zealand government & the Iwi of New Zealand. Our Iwi was initially left out as it required an Iwi to be represented by those democratically elected. Our system was said to be undemocratic even though it was quite obviously based on the US system.

You can see their point though as no one actually votes for the candidate. In the US votes determine how many votes go towards that candidate in the electoral college then we learn of the Super candidates in the electoral college who are not elected by any voters but have a huge say in who becomes the President of the USA.

So technically the people of the US can indicate they want one candidate but the electoral college can vote in another candidate.
Democracy in What State? (New Directions in Critical Theory)
Then the real manipulations begin once someone is in power. Governments always claim by been in power they have the mandate of the people to do certain things in their interest.

Actually they often don't. Here in New Zealand the governments can not have claimed that since about 1975 as under the first past the post system most governments often had less votes than the opposition just mroe electorates.

So we changed to MMP(a very dangerous system but if you tried to tell people at the time you were told you were wrong, I mean it is how Hitler got to power)& since then no government has been able to govern alone. Often the small parties have been able to exercise power well beyond their support base.

Just in this last week both major political parties here in New Zealand have shown how they are prepared to manipulate information to get those that do vote(which is getting less & less as people get disillusioned) to vote in their direction at the coming election.

The government claimed that New Zealand is in great debt, but only one financial commentator I have seen in the media has picked up on the figures used. They are right New Zealand is in a lot of debt but very little of it is government debt, it is the banks or personal debt so selling the governments assets to would be only to pay for the banks debt.

Meanwhile the opposition are jumping on the we will not tax the first $5000 & drop GST on food bandwagon. As has been pointed out this was similar to that tried by President of Tunisia & once the inflation caused by the US Federal reserve 'printing' currency hit is just made no difference.
Democracy, Inc.: The Press and Law in the Corporate Rationalization of the Public Sphere (History of Communication)
What is going to replace democracy as change sweeps the world & even these 'liberal' western forms of government are expected to fall?

The Singapore system of the benevolent dictatorship(lived there for two years & we came to the conclusion that is exactly what it is) or the Chinese capitalism in a controlled environment? At least the Chinese are more up front & honest about how their system works. This is the way it is! Much less manipulation through layers of bureaucracy. Less Crime too.

As one commentator said "do you go for the US or Chinese when you ask for a quote & whilst waiting for the first reply from the US supplier the Chinese have given not only their quote but have built a prototype."
Death of the Liberal Class
So what really is democracy & is it going to survive the upheaval the world is about to go through?

Can it survive in any form?

At the end of the day people only really care about looking after their families when it comes to the crunch.

The Chinese appear to be trying to learn from their history to stop it affecting them whilst the West seem to either forgotten or don't care.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Hate site or the Truth they are trying to Suppress?

Kia Ora,

One of the Sunday papers(Sunday Star-Times) here in New Zealand screamed the headlines Hate website calls NZ 'a tourist death trap'.

Yes when you look at the website some of the claims seem pretty out there. But I have been around the military, security & now in doing financial research to know that the truth really is often much stranger than fiction.

In fact when you dig into the financial area it is no wonder the US is a land of conspiracy theories. Many of them are actually based on firm facts.

But what of this sites claims?

One is that New Zealand is the most dangerous country in the world after Iraq. Well I have always said that it is actually more dangerous than Iraq which has New Zealanders perplexed. But they have to put it in context.

New Zealand is a country bigger in land size than Britain but with a population the size of Singapore. So the incidents of crime are spread out. The real reason though that I & others including my dentist originally from Jo'burg see New Zealand so dangerous is that it is so random & there is no reason for the crime. A lot of the violent crime here is just for kicks. That is what makes it so dangerous.

But New Zealand toursim makes a good point. Because New Zealand looks so safe & inviting people do not take the precautions they would normally. That random nature of the crime is the thing that really gets them.
Press Control Around the World
This is not the first website I have been aware off atacking New Zealand.

Some would say my blog here does the same. I would beg to differ, I am just interested in us been the best we can be. We were once but now we aim low & fail to achieve that mark & are in for a big shock.

Many of those like me who have worked security in places like Iraq or Afghanistan can see that it is not if but when New Zealand will be hit by a modern style terrorist attack.

Again New Zealanders can not see it as very few have ever been involved in this type of event. As a former Police officer who worked with us in Iraq said "you guys were right. Could only see it when I came back & started to talk to my old police colleagues. They couldn't see it as they have never experienced it" or words to that effect.
The Google on Orwell.(//bites: BRIEF NOTES ON NEWS AND VIEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD): An article from: Arena Magazine
The end of the article though brought up another issue. Internal Affairs were talked to about why the site wasn't banned effectively if not in so many words.

This starts to smack of the movement in the US, identified by financial commentators, by US media to have Wikileaks blocked & prosecuted. You would think they would be supporting Wikileaks.

Travelling the world I have found two countries in particular heavily control their media & what is put out into the public.

Singapore & the US.

In Singapore all comment criticizing the country is banned.

US citizens that have never travelled though will find the comment about how controlled their media is strange considering they see themselves as the bastion of free speech.
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Unfortunately that is a myth & like anyone you don't see your country in the same light until you have travelled overseas.

It is common when talking to Americans when they visit New Zealand for them to express surprise at the content of our news & items they would never see about the US, in the US.

In the same vein I was surprised when visiting the US as to how controlled & inaccurate the information was.

Recently it has appeared to not only myself but many others that New Zealand media are going the same way.

Even more recently a filter was put on the internet which from memory was supposed to limit certain spam & scams in particular to government sites. Well none of that seems to have slowed. In fact it has increased but it is noticeable that certain sites have become harder to access.
Animal Farm and 1984
So seeing the comment from main stream media about effectively banning the site is worrying.

The internet & social media have opened up the information world, after all we are in the information age, & so people are able to look & decide for themselves what is right & what isn't.

Western countries make a big deal when the likes of China or Iran do it, or right now Eygpt but it is increasingly looking like the West itself is allowing the same restrictions they condem to creep in.

Why?

What have they got to hide?

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Information Security a major Issue!

Kia Ora,

There has been a lot of concern about information security in particular on the likes of Facebook then the concerns everytime Facebook renews its format.

But it again is the information security of a local business that is the issue. In fact it is the same business as last post on the subject NZ Post.

I received a letter from a manager at NZ Post, I was going to insert their name here but decided not too, who from the tone of the letter is the person I spoke too when the issue first came to light.

They claim the evidence they provide shows that they have all my information & have never lost anything. In fact it does the opposite it shows I am 100% correct & they have lost all the information I have given NZ post over the previous four years.

It appears they have not thought it through which brings to mind this quote;
"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably why so few engage in it." Henry Ford.

Seems this person has selective memory saying I from the start made false accusations. Actually no it was the other way around. Spoke very nicely to a nice girl that I had concerns about information held on me had gone missing. She put me through to this manager.

He answered saying there was a problem with my phone & obviously didn't like it when I pointed out that the issue was obviously his end. He then says he will pull over. Case closed on that issue.

I then very calmly expressed I had extreme concerns over information held about me which appeared to have gone missing. His reply "We don't lose information" I replied "you do & you have" from there it deteriorated until I swore at him then had to hang up as he continued to rant.
Information Security : Principles and Practice
Now two other issues came up here & the first I dealt with in the last post & will deal more in depth at the end of this post, that of swearing as a good stress relief. Seems it is Ok to these days abuse a police officer but not some incompetent, lazy, corrupt bureaucrat.

The other issue which this individual shows they are very poor at is customer service.

For an investigation for one they never even involved me & then it appears the person I disagreed with, investigated themselves. So they only ever had half the story & were sadly missing some facts. That is corruption!

The attitude is something that has come up several times in business group discussions & how bad customer service is in New Zealand. It results in either arguments or more often than not in New Zealand people walking away, but telling everyone or whinging about how bad the service is.

They don't do like foreigners or myself that actually tell people how bad the service is. It actually lessens the stress by getting it out there.
Management of Information Security
People like this person I am dealing with think they can get away with it by coming on all arrogant & ignorant like it is the person raising the issues fault. I didn't lose the information. They did. Their 'investigation' proves I am 100% right.

Now another discussion has started in a business group on how the Rugby World Cup will affect New Zealand business long term.

Potential is huge, but attitudes like this one I am coming up against with poor customer service will potentially, in this day of social media, destroy New Zealands reputation very quickly. It is something New Zealand has not as yet got to grips with, but overseas social media can destroy a business or a country(It is why Egypt has closed down social media then the internet). It is that powerful.
Principles of Information Security
The customer is not always right but they do have the right to put their case, not have a white wash of an investigation. In fact that is the normal way of doing an investigation in government entities now. Only investigate their side then proclaim there is not an issue.

People complain about the police investigating themselves. At least knowing police they will generally take all details they can into account. Others only look at themselves & present the information they think is right not the facts.

So what has happened to this information I have given NZ Post. Seems it has just gone into the system to be lost forever. Despite the fact I have now sent a letter higher up the chain with the corruption now in the system I don't expect a result or even an apology.
Information Security: Principles and Practices
It is that sort of thing that the riots starting across the world & overthrow of governments are aimed to sort out.

Instead of giving poor service I would suggest the bureaucrats start looking at what is happening offshore & get their attitude sorted.

At the same time New Zealand needs to get its house in order both in security information & customer service.

What do they want people venting steam by swearing or rioters with iron bars or firearms? Because that is where it will go if people keep not performing, the financial crisis gets worse & people are forced to surpress their feelings.

The Chinese know that you can be pretty hard on your people & they will take it but when you start adding in the rising costs of living in particular food it is a recipe for disaster.
Financial Armageddon: Protect Your Future from Economic Collapse, Revised and Updated Edition
It was the same in the military & British companies also practiced in Iraq. You can push people hard, get them to carryout dangerous tasks but make a mistake on their pay or leave & it creates huge issues that bring all the other niggling issues to the surface.

History shows this. It is the small things that count. Constant denial of mistakes by bureaucrats just wind people up.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

The Walls are starting to Tumble!

Kia Ora,

The world seems to be falling to pieces with protests & riots then the overthrow of the Tunisian President who has fled with 1.5 tonnes of the countries gold.

Riots in Eygpt & airport security has intercepted 59 shipments of gold destined for the Netherlands. The question was raised about how the Eygptian Presidents son is an international banker in regards to this gold.

Protests in Yemen.

Through out it all the US & Britain warn that the governments must respect the rights of the protesters. Will they be saying that when it is in their streets? Britain has already had protests & riots but it is about to get much worse.

This is why China has been going on its own course because it knows from its long history that when people start doing the likes of what the US & central banks have been doing it will not end well. They have been resisting raising the Yuan too quickly against the US dollar as this would put millions out of work, would mean millions starving or turning to crime to feed their families. Much like what is happening in the US.

But the worlds politicians just march on saying they are getting the best economic advice. Yeah right.

As has been noted when the US prints currency(or Quantitive ease) it causes inflation throughout the rest of the world, it causes inflation in the US when it monetizes that by buying debt as in bailouts or buying government bonds since no one else will.

When the meeting to take place at Davos proposes to create another US$100 Trillion in SDR's(the IMF-International Monetary Fund-equivalent to a currency) it will cause inflation world wide. Probably Hyperinflation. They say this US$100 Trillion will be over 10years with probably another US$100 Trillion needed, but the world is in so much debt it will need it quick.
Culture and Inflation in Weimar Germany (Weimar and Now: German Cultural Criticism)
The problem is the more currency that is created just making the coming problems worse. The only solution is to follow Iceland & let it fail but no country is likely to do that so there will be more riots, more governments overthrown & more people taking off with the only true Money gold or silver.

So since governments are going down the track of what advice they get the other option is with the created currency to put it into start up businesses to create jobs & create real wealth. If it goes into bailouts & government hand outs it creates no wealth what so ever(Ok apart from the central bankers & banking industry paying themselves for a job well done, but that is not real wealth).

Sir Robet Muldoon tried it here in New Zealand in the late 70's early 80's. Didn't quite take off but the idea was there. If you are going to have to do it then use it to create not keep the status quo or destroy.
Germany 1922 10,000 Mark, Pick 70. Large size "Vampire" note.
What is presently happening in the world has been referred too as the "Greatest transfer of wealth & power ever". Transfer of wealth because as central banks bail people & governments out they then can then claim those bailed out as their assets. Just like someone believes that China by buying European debt will be able to ask for the repayments in gold.

But then there are now issues over that gold. It is believed that the US no longer has any gold of its own although the US treasury claims to have 8000 tonnes. But then the IMF & Federal reserve claim to have that same 8000.

As shown in the movie Diehard 3 the worlds gold is held in the New York Federal reserve with an estimated 60% of Germany's gold held there. Already there is talk of the US seizing that & moving it to a military protected facility. If I was Germany I would be moving my physical gold home now.
Expectations, exchange rates, and monetary theory: The case of the German hyperinflation (Research paper)
Then we get to New Zealand where the government is proposing to sell assets. Since those assets give them a dividend they will actually lose out in the long run. They are better off trying to create jobs that create wealth. The New Zealand government is not seen as been that badly in debt actually so the reasoning behind it is flawed. Where New Zealand is in debt probably worse than anybody else is privately & in business. So when bailouts occur it is transferring that debt to the government.

But the opposition are no better. First whilst in government they had a finance minister with a degree in history who never studied financial history so made every mistake you could. Now they are trying to win favour by proposing tax changes that will give $10 a week extra! My grocery bill has doubled in the last year at least, $10 will not make one bit of difference.

Then they are saying they will take the GST off food. As the president of Tunisia found when the inflation is caused by the likes of the US creating currency out of thin air removing taxes will not make one bit of difference.
1918-1923 German hyperinflation,
So you either have to let it all fail with short term pain like Iceland or use any currency you create to try to create real wealth.

Otherwise crime will rise, there will be riots & possibly even the otherthrow of governments.

When people are struggling to feed their families then is when the situation leds to either extreme politics or coups. That was actually a strategy proposed in Iraq by a Colonel of the US Army Corp of Engineers when talking to him. He had seen how the British had succeeded initially in the South. If you create jobs, people are able to feed their families & have less time to get upset & join the insurgency. Same here if you create jobs people can feed their family, the government takes in more tax. Just giving the currency to the banks though is a recipe for failure.

Britain, the US & even New Zealand need to worry less about the rights of protesters in the Middle east & more about how they are going to stop it happening here. Seems that governments have not learnt from the French lesson that led to the revolution. To 'fix' the problem they just kept creating more currency.

Though it might give them more power to control the population. Interestingly overnight the Egyptians have suspened social media & even the internet with some people reporting the affects on twitter further a field.
Further evidence on expectations and the demand for money during the German hyperinflation (NBER working paper series)
We are already seeing the affects here in New Zealand of the inflation with a rise in armed robberies but many are not been reported by the authorities until days later. Sounds like been back in Iraq at times. Everyone sees the police flying past. Word goes out something has happened but it is not in the news. It never happened.

I know of one in the last couple of days but there has been no reports so far about it. It was just by word of mouth through the security industry that I came to know about it. When you get to that stage it is a very dangerous situation.

New Zealand is becoming like the US. On the face of it open & freedom of speech with good information flow but in reality much of the information is surpressed. Denial leds to people taking action at some stage.

Social Media & the internet are getting around this for now but already filters are been put in place like here in New Zealand that will limit what is said.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Land Rich; Poor in Wealth!

Kia Ora,

In investing there is a situation known as asset rich but cash flow poor.

Well the same could be said of Maori in answer to a question I received on Linkedin.

Many New Zealanders can not understand how there are large payouts for Treaty Settlements & yet most Maori struggle at the poor end of society & that tends to led to a greater proportion been involved in crime.

There are many reasons in particular with regards to what happens with the Treaty Payouts but one reason Maori have tended to inhabit the poor part of our society is Land.

Early on many were deprived of access to land to participate in the new society. Later though many were given land. This land tended to be the worst of any land available.

Now the land was also tied to the early democratic process in New Zealand. Each person who owned land was able to vote until someone realized that meant all Maori could vote(including ghast the females) as everyone had part of the communal ownership. So they did some gerrymandering & created the four Maori seats as otherwise there would of been more Maori voters than settlers. So it is quite funny to hear people today claim the seats are racist & that they should be abolished. They always were but now they hold the balance of power its different.

But that communal ownership has caused more issues. It means that until recently you could not get a loan against the land to develop it & create jobs in the community. Any cash flow from it has to be split amongst all owners some getting a greater share than others since they had a greater percentage of ownership.

Then another issue arose which is becoming more relevant now. Once your percentage has declined to a certain level as it is split over generations, those with a greater percentage of ownership can vote to have those below the thresh hold lose their shares. I am aware of this happening at least once but there was a backlash so they had to re issue shares.

This has led to whanau trusts been formed where it is not diluted, but all payouts go to those of one line of descent that formed that trust which can still be a very meagre amount. Even there some people can be denied access is their is a question over their whakapapa. It is a bit like the education/slavery system set up so only a small percentage of the people to really benefit.
1864 War New Zealand Tauranga Natives Papa Station
This land is placed in a trust usually & a trustee appointed. Many of the trustees are government bureaucrats who use any excuse to not do something & use the language of the poor as they see the wording in the Act as opposed to how an investor might see it. So poor decisions are made. You also have advisory trustees of which I was one & any advice you try to give is ignored as are the locals sometimes with amusing outcomes.

One springs to mind immediately which caused much mirth within our runanga as the issue had been raised & ignored for years.
The New Zealand Wars and the Victorian Interpretation of Racial Conflict
In the late 1800's there was still a group who wanted all the land & this led to the situation I alluded too in my previous blog.

A new form of Maori ownership title was created called Maori Freehold. The idea been that if one person or one Whanau could get control of a block of land then it could be converted to Maori Freehold then on sold to an outsider.

But there is another part to this title. If land is converted to Maori Freehold(I believe it still applies) then if beach front title you also gained the foreshore & seabed or beach. If a river is your boundary you gain to the middle of the river.

But this only applies to Maori Freehold land no other land title. Great way to gain a private beach.
Maori And Settler: A Story Of The New Zealand War (1891)
That might seem like excuses but each time Maori have looked to profit the government of the day has changed the rules just like they have with the Foreshore Seabed Act.

Even I can remember a Prime Minister proposing to take all Maori land that wasn't been productively used. Until it was pointed out the reason it wasn't been used was it was unproductive.

For example two of the sections I was advisory trustee for are about four feet deep in swamp at the edge of a rain forest & no amount of draining over the years has made any difference. Then there is the beach we own. It is trust land but the sea has come in, as it does from time to time, & wiped out paddocks of cleared productive land. So technically we own out several hundred metres of seabed which the government wanted to claim as unproductive land. I don't see any cows going out there! Evidence was found where this has happened before so wait a few years we should have our land back as the sea retreats.
Maori and Settler A Story of The New Zealand War
Many Maori in the modern world have shifted to cities, have lost touch or do not even know what Iwi(tribe) they whakapapa too. So they can not access any of the treaty payout benefits or payments from the land they might be entitled too.

They tend to end up in the low paying jobs & some turn to crime.

There are of course other reasons that can be involved such as the education/slavery system & each Iwi has its own set of issues.

Some even say it is not a Maori thing to go after money, but in todays world everyone needs it if they want to be part of that world. As one financial commentator says "Ask anybody who says they are not worried about money to go without it for a week & see them cry & come out with all the excuses why they need some."
The colonial New Zealand wars
Hopefully that little bit will help people understand why they see poor Maori & so many Maori involved in crime, when there are millions going into Treaty Settlements.

We can only hope those settlements can be used properly by the Iwi to build assets to a point where they can make a difference in young Maori lives & to New Zealand in general.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Understanding the Others point of view!

Kia Ora,

After my last post I thought, after discussion we have been having on Linkedin, I would carry on in same vein but a bit closer to home. This is because most on either side are not ready to look at it from the others perspective or even realize they are been manipulated & this could very well led to conflict of some type.

The first issue is the Foreshore & seabed. Most of this will come from a Maori point of view because I was involved at the time when the issue came to a head in governance of a Maori organization. Some of what came up surprised even us. Also because there is little talk & people are confused by the arguments they do hear or just switch off when the issue is raised.

Now we have the Coastal Coalition who have been manipulated into thinking that New Zealanders are going to loose access to many areas of coast line around New Zealand.

This was never the reason behind the initial claim to the Maori land court or the Appeal courts decision. It shouldn't change now. Though some are advocating no access but they seem to have forgotten what their Tupuna(ancestors) wanted. To live together & as the proverb used alot in Ngai Tahu says "For us & our children after us."

New Zealanders have this belief that everyone has access to the beach. They also believe they have the right to walk beside any river due to the Queens Chain.

It just isn't true.

The 'Queens' chain was never official but it was taken up in part in some areas such as Canterbury & Marlborough in the early planning. It is those roads or dirt tracks either side of a watercourse usually these days with a gate on it(around here to stop boy racers amongst others). You are allowed to access those areas. Other areas it was never acted on at all & you only have access at the grace of the owners.

Meanwhile the beach or foreshore & seabed area is a whole different kettle of fish.

Now the early settlers liked the idea of everyone having access to the beach. Maori view was they were only the Kaitiaki or guardians so everyone could access the land, they just had to respect it & local customs. The idea was to preserve food for all even in times of famine. So everyone just left things as they were.
**REPRINT** Gunther, R. T. (Robert Theodore), 1869-1940. Pausilypon, the imperial villa near Naples, with a description of the submerged foreshore and with observations on the tomb of Virgil and on other Roman antiquities on Posilipo, by R. T. G{uml}unther ... wi**REPRINT**
The Maori view of all land was they were held accountable by their ancestors to look after the land & never realized that they were giving full custody of the land to the settlers in most cases.

A comment was passed during the debate that on some of the early land sales that the British wrote up(not Maori) they bought the foreshore & seabed of areas to be used as harbours. Therefore signifying that in the early settlers & British eyes Maori did own the foreshore & seabed. Which if in Maori ownership could not be bought & sold privately therefore everyone would have access to that area.

Then shortly after some realized this, resulted in the bringing in of a new form of Maori land ownership that today results in some beaches been privately owned usually not by Maori. But I will deal with that in the next blog.
Contesting the Foreshore: Tourism, Society and Politics on the Coast (Amsterdam University Press - MARE Publication Series)
When the issue blew up back in 2003 the government of the day was doing two things.

One by not taking it fully through the court system but changing the rules mid tack the government was denying Maori the rights given to them under the Treaty of Waitangi to the use of the court system. The same rights any other New Zealander is entitled too.

The second point that was raised was the government was sticking to its GATT commitments that all New Zealand land including the foreshore & seabed be open to foreign ownership or leasing. Of course if that happens it is likely that within a few years no New Zealander will be able to access the beach.

In fact as soon as the Foreshore & Seabed Act was passed there were a whole lot of licences granted for drilling, dredging etc covering areas considered foreshore & seabed to foreign companies. It was noticeable that many of these were covering Maori reserve land or foreshore & seabed near Maori settlements.
Maori Property in the Foreshore and Seabed: The Last Frontier
The other issue was words used & what they mean.

Recently on Close Up on TV one there was a clip about some Public reserve land been taken for use by private owners. The local council were considering their options including selling.

Now our legal advice at the time of the foreshore & seabed debate was that they couldn't if it was public reserve(as most domains that many of us grew up with are now called) but if it was in Public Domain then the government & only the government(in this case local government) could sell or lease it to someone.

The governments have said of course Public Domain means for all. Don't believe them. Most of New Zealand are aware of the leadership disputes within Ngai Tahu. One of the points of argument is the words used in one section of the Act passed to confirm the settlement with Ngai Tahu.
Maori Party: Maori Party Activists, New Zealand Foreshore and Seabed Controversy, Tariana Turia, Pita Sharples, Hone Harawira
Now one of those involved in the negotiations told me it was meant in one way during the negotiation. A legal authority I spoke to on a governance course told me that in law the words mean quite a different thing. No matter in what spirit it was negotiated, although in recent times judges have allowed some leeway as long as certain people are not making a private gain out of it.

So when using Public Domain the Coastal Coalition think they are getting one thing & Maori know from experience they are getting quite something else where all will loose. It is the classic divde & conquer.

Whilst everyone is at each others throats & some are provoked to extremism, the governments & those behind them use it to get what they want.

Others will see it more in a personal light where the likes of Ngati Porou in particular & even my own runanga actually do own stretches of foreshore & seabed. In our case we have to my knowledge never stopped anyone going on it. We do ask for respect of the Urupa(burial grounds) dotted around the bay.

The Coastal coalition if it can sit down with Maori might realize that probably the only way to preserve the beaches in New Zealand ownership is through as Manaia Mahuta said(& was slapped down by her own Prmie Minister for suggesting it) confirm Maori Ownership with a caveat for all New Zealand citizens to have the right to access it. Native rights have primacy in international courts so greater protection against the likes of foreign companies. Use the advantage one has to the advantage of all.

Where as if the government has control they will always act in your best interests. Yeah Right!

It actually requires each other to understand the others view, realize actually we want virtually the same thing, cut the government out to stop the manipulation otherwise we all loose. It might just get very very ugly then if we don't.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

What sort of actions result in Extremism?

Kia Ora,

That might seem like a silly question, but as has triggered memories even innocent jokes can set off extremism.

Of course the most widely held example is the Islamic worlds reaction to the cartoons featuring the prophet Mohammed & the death threats against the cartoonist.

Over the last few days there have been the reactions in the US to comedian Ricky Gervais quip about God.

Now people will tell me that the reaction is nothing the same. Isn't it?

Ricky will have people stalking him now like Jared Loughner ready to kill.

Just writing this blog might earn me my own hate squad. Christian Extremism is only different in how it is delivered.

If people think that is far from fact then consider this example.

Shortly after leaving the army I assisted in security for a US TV evangalist. They had a team of bodyguards & all us extra security. The reason was death threats. Seems a lesser known evangalist had returned home to find Christian extremists in the US had killed his whole family because they didn't like the manner in which he was delivering the word of God.

Many in Islam consider suicide bombers as the only way they can fight the weapons of the Christians who are trying to destroy them with overwhleming force.

It all comes back to understanding each other. Many Americans in their first real contact with the likes of the British, Australians & New Zealanders in Iraq were taken back by the poor taste jokes about our Prime Ministers, governments & even the Royal family. US citizens(at least those who have not travelled alot) might not like the President but they would never tell bad taste jokes about them or an American disaster the way we do. Another British comedian recently told jokes about the Nuclear bombings of Japan, in NZ we were telling jokes about the plane crash into MT Erubus shortly after even though most people knew of someone who died.

Ours is a decidely black humour as evidenced when one of our US clients came out to hear in Baghdad, one of our British team members saying "into the valley of death rode the four landcruisers. Are you ready to die? We are all doomed!" Suffice to say it took her back & she did not wish to travel with us that day.

But yesterday by way of the Times the news of the scorched earth policy now been used in Afghanistan. It appears to be a version of tactics used in Vietnam but also throughout history.

It again shows the US has not taken time to know the people. Like the Maori of New Zealand we are of those areas,connected through body & spirit. It is Maori custom to bury the placenta in your home area to keep you connected to the land. I am sure the Afghans have similar customs.

The US actions will create more extremists in the same way innocent jokes have provoked outrage both in Islam & the US. It is that not understanding the other.

During some study in the army I once said that it appeared to me that religion was behind 90% of wars, where a mate said "no if you dig deeper religion is behind all wars."

These days I would say religion is used as the tool to get people to fight wars & as an atheist who thinks all religions are con jobs it just doesn't make sense.

But I do understand that that is how each finds their peace. Just don't expect me to support the extremist views it can generate with even the slightest upset.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Allowing Retailers to fight back?

Kia Ora,

Retailers in particular in Auckland ar present are wanting law changes to be allowed to fight back when confronted by armed robbers.

They seem to think that by been allowed to arm themselves they will not be subject to the law.

In fact it won't change. Now having a weapon nearby can mean you have the intent to use it. That will not change if you are allowed a weapon. By having a weapon the law considers you have the intent to use it.

You are then governed by how & the amount of force to be applied.

The problem you have is in civilian life they talk of reasonable force but what is reasonable to the person in the armed situation might not be reasonable to the Judge sitting in court.

In the Military when using ROE's or rules of engagement we talk of minimum force required. That is the minimum force required to achieve the task.

This has worked well in Northern Ireland, peace keeping & contrary to popular opinion Iraq for both the military & private security.

Though we all technically had immunity from prosecution if you did not follow the rules of engagement then you could be prosecuted in an international court of law. In fact there are a number of US soldiers in particular who have international arrest warrants in their name last I heard(one tank crew in particular). So that if they step outside the US or US military protection they will be arrested for excessive use of force(a warning shot with the main armanent(120mm) of a M1 Abrahams is not minimum force required in the first instance).
Play It Out: How to Fight Fair Rules of Engagement
So any retailer thinking a law change to allow them to carry weapons(not to mention the training that would be required) will make it easier in law to fight back is wrong. They can fight back now & several have but how much force you can use will always be subject to the requirements of the law.

So are there other solutions?

Well yes.

First the government stop dumbing down the police & let them get out & do policing. That is stopping crime through a presence before not been just reactive. Also general arming of the police with much improved training since most criminals are armed now the police need to be.

Secondly requiring the security industry to actually do security. As it currently stands at least 95% of the industry does not do that. Not real security or they do not allow their staff to do it. There also needs to be a look at re arming some of the security industry. First there needs a real clean up of the industry & it has nothing to do with qualifications. Good training & a change in mindset is what is required.
Rules of Engagement: A Life in Conflict
Then there are the steps the retailers can take.

Group of retailers band together to hire private security with the requirement to keep a look out for suspicious behaviour(in other words do actual security).

As they are often told, keep windows clear so people can see in.

Then there is the action I saw offshore which apparently is very effective. I have suggested it to retailers here in Chrsitchurch in the past when there has been a series of armed robberies, but they are more concerned about using the space to sell.

That is set up a large TV that can be seen as soon as you walk in the door(virtually in the door). Now this doesn't have to be a new large plasma or flat screen. With Analogue TV on the way out there are going to be a lot of large screen TV's going cheap. Have a hidden camera & recording equipment, the camera focussed only on the entrance.
The Rules of Engagement: Understanding the Principles That Govern the Spiritual Battles in Our Lives
As people walk in the first thing they see if a large image of themselves. Anecdotal evidence overseas says that people in particular those with criminal intentions back out real quick. They have even apparently had people with full faced balaclava's backout on seeing themselves on the TV screen.

So allowing the retailers to arm themselves to fight back is not the answer. They will still be subject to the law & understand the law as it pertains to their situation.

But improving the general security in our society is!

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Media Hiding the Truth!

Kia Ora,

Over the last 24 hours I have read two articles showing how the mainstream media either are hiding the truth or just accepting what 'experts' or governments say without digging into the background.

First there was the article in the Washington Post commenting on how Dictators even those who have raised the countries standard of living as in Tunisia need to look after their people or they get overthrown.

It goes on to say how the Tunisian President took actions to put things right that looked like it was desperation.

What they don't say is his efforts were futile as I said in last post because the US is 'printing' currency which causes inflation. Now this inflation is caused outside the US not in the US until they monetize it by buying debt. Which is what the Bailouts are doing.

Not only that but when the US, since its dollar is the international reserve currency in which most trade is conducted, prints more currency it forces other countries such as China whom are large exporters to do the same therefore exporting inflation as well as goods.

But the Chinese can see this & so are selling US Debt or using it to buy real assets. But at the same time they have used some of their own currency they have been forced to print to buy European debt which confused people. That was until someone looked at it & combined an earlier Chinese statement.
Mises and Austrian Economics: A Personal View
China has said it wants to buy 5000 tons of Gold. It appears despite claims to the contrary the US actually doesn't have any Gold any more(US Treasury claims to have 8000 tons but the Federal Reserve(that private bank) & the IMF claim that same 8000 tons as theirs)as Ronald Reagan allegedly found out when he tried to go back onto the gold standard.

European nations (except Britain because Gordon Brown allegedly sold all theirs) have an estimated 11,000 tons. So If China owns their debt they could ask for repayment in Gold.

So the US are causing inflation now both outside & inside the US. So no matter what measures the President of Tunisian took it was never going to work.

The Washington Post does not ask the question what will happen when the US sees the same issues hit?
Economics of a Pure Gold Standard
But then New Zealand is no different with media outlets parroting the line that food prices have gone up here due to international price rises. No its due to inflation caused by the US printing currency & most of our trade has to be in US dollars(the Chinese have recently taken to doing any trade direct with countries bypassing the use of the US dollar as reserve currency).

Now New Zealand has had a couple of small bailouts by international standard but it would appear at least on the surface(sometimes when you are close to soemthing you can't see what is actually happening) that New Zealand is not carrying out quantitive easing. In fact I have been told that by the Minister of Finance. I gree with him it is not a good idea to carryout quantitive easing but unless the government are prepared to follow the best option & just let everything fail then start again, they will have no choice.

Of course very few governments will follow the course Iceland took because the people asked for it. Painful but less painful in the long run than carrying on the way things are.

Now at some stage as an exporting country we are going to have no choice but to 'print' some currency. The reason is if the New Zealand dollar gets to US85 cents to one New Zealand dollar it is expected businesses will start falling over left right & centre. Result increased crime. protests, riots & maybe the overthrow of a government.
The Gold Standard: Building a World-Class Team (Business Plus)
Already here in Christchurch many businesses are on the edge after the earthquake with many not expected to survive after May 2011. The West Coast many businesses are in a similar situation after the Pike River Mine Disaster.

Then you have the Australian floods expected to impact of food prices not to mention weather related issues with food supplies such as wheat world wide.

Failure of the Soviet wheat crop was always seen as a scenario that could trigger a nuclear war during the days of the cold war & was why despite the rhetoric & trade bans the US always supplied Wheat to the USSR.
The New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
The Chinese understand this & know that should things get bad they won't have to worry about the US but their own people. It is why they have been on the course they have been including using US debt to buy access to commodities & stockpile other commodities.

Comments from Germans who suffered during the 1923 hyperinflation say that right until the last minute the government told them all was OK. That rising prices were just part of the world system, but when hyperinflation kicked in, it happened so fast that no one was prepared.

Right now opposition politicians are calling for the cutting of GST(Goods & Service Tax) on food(why didn't they do it when they were in government) but that didn't help the President of Tunisia when he allegedly tried a similar tax cut.
Gold: The Once and Future Money
But of course both in the US & here in New Zealand people will be saying "It will never happen here" just because it never has doesn't mean it never will.

Conversly it is the time of opportunity.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

How the Bailouts are making things worse!

Kia Ora,

The Bailouts are going to save the world from Financial Crisis! Yeah Right they are actually making things worse.

For those that don't know this is how it works.

The big banks(those too big to fail) trade in the shadow banking world with debt such as CDO's & the derivatives market. Things start to go wrong so the government goes to the central bank & gets them to create some currency from nothing to stimulate the economy. Governments no longer create or print the currency themselves. They let the private banks that are the central banks do that on their behalf then pay them interest(your taxes)for doing it.

Now this new currency goes to buy the debt of the major banks therefore monetizing that debt, so although it is called quantitive easing, by monetizing the debt is just like printing currency.

But since the major banks actually make up the cartel that runs the central banks they were always going to get bailouts.

So that extra currency causes the fiat currency(a currency backed by nothing but a promise & debt) people have in their wallets to loose value. But since the banks are not passing the 'stimulus' on to create businesses & jobs, therefore kick starting the economy, people are loosing out.

There is less work around, prices are rising & the only people benefitting are the banks with big fat bonus payments.

So where does security fit in with this?

Well we only have to look at what is happening in the world & in particular Tunisia as an indicator of what is going to happen.

Food riots, riots over austerity measures, rises in crime in particular violence, extreme politics & xenophobic(dislike of new comers or foreigners)behaviour are evident around the world at present.

But back to Tunisia & look at a statement out here in New Zealand in the last few days. In the last quarter of the year New Zealand had a jump in inflation which has been blamed on the rise in GST(Goods & Services Tax). That is more like smoke & mirrors.

Why?

Because the Federal Reserve in the US in particular is carrying out quantitive easing to buy debt to save the major banks. This is causing inflation in food prices(despite what the manipulated CPI's tell us) across the world.

The president of Tunisia is said to have tried to take measures to stem the rising prices including cutting taxes(take note all those that want to cut GST from food, fuel etc it doesn't make much difference in the end) but the prices just kept rising.
Rich Dad's Advisors: Guide to Investing In Gold and Silver: Protect Your Financial Future
It apparently forced people to have to live out on the street to survive, one of whom was doing business with an illegal black market food stall. The trigger event apparently was the slapping of his face by a female police officer. More of this has been made than the reason he was there in the first place.

So right now the military & the police are trying to get on top of things in Tunisia so a new government can be installed & changes made.

What those carrying out these policies of quantitive easing forget is though on their budget food maybe a very minute thing in many countries including the US it can make up to 70% or more of the weekly budget. If that keeps increasing then people start to take drastic action such as theft, robbery, maybe even a coup or two.
Rich Dad's Prophecy: Why The Biggest Stock Market Crash in History is Still Coming...and How You Can Prepare Yourself and Profit From It!
So whilst trying to make it look like they are saving the world, they are actually dooming it to collapse of the financial system. They could save the financial system if they took the action the people of Iceland forced their government too.

But they won't as it will mean admiting they failed & loss of power. The lessons of history tell us what is likely to happen but again people like to believe what their governments tell them!

Might be a requirement for good security though if you can afford it!

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Are we being led up the Garden path?

Kia Ora,

In recent days have been watching the Keiser Report. A half hour twice weekly financial report on the true state of the worlds financial crisis. It can be quite amusing & very informative.

A recent episode has raised an interesting question. Are US authorities in particular using false or unrecognized flag activities to introduce powers well beyond those required?

By that it is meant that they are using what seems to be a good reason to place more draconian measures in place?

The most contentious of these have been the questioning of the need for such stringent security precautions in particular at airports in the US. There have been several incidents or people refusing to comply with these precautions.

From a security point of view some of the precautions instituted do have an appearance more of control that anything to do with security.

The airport security issue though is a hard one. Yes people will be thinking well it has been a while so we need not be so over the top. But that is the issue with terrorism. You only need to let your guard slip once & it can be the last time.
Uninhibited, Robust, and Wide-Open : A Free Press for a New Century
So though the aid of the new generation scanner is intrusive, it is probably one that for now is needed as the lesser of two evils.

But another issue has arisen. Wikileaks has released cables showing that US politicians used trade with Boeing as a bargining chip to say meetings with the President. Corruption no more no less! Boeing has allgedly even said it wants to ditance itself from this type of corruption.

Then there is the one about putting pressure on the French Government to not proceed with the law banning Monsanto GM grains or similar. If the French introduce these measures they will spread to the whole of Europe.

For those that don't know the French were aware that GM grains had produced illnesses in lab rats.

GM anything is shown to stop reproducing after about three cycles therefore creating a currency where to feed their people countries would have to buy from the likes of Monsanto.
Uninhibited, Robust, and Wide-Open : A Free Press for a New Century
Even worse was the story told to us in a visit to Canada years ago. The Canadians that told us were adamant this occurred.

A farm was set up using GM wheat, the farmer next door was a natural farmer. The natural farmer found the GM crop had cross pollinated with his wheat so complained. The company owning the GM crop sued him & won his farm.

What is emerging is none of these stories have been aired on mainstream US media & the alternative media is supporting the call for Wikileaks to be prosecuted. The US government appears to be using Wikileaks as an excuse to put restrictions on reporting & is using the unwittng support of US media to breach their own first admendment rights.

It has even been reported that US Politicians are putting in place legislation to stop the use of the words 'bank run'. A bank run is when people think a bank or banks are about to collapse & everyone wants to get their cash out.
The Constitution : That Delicate Balance ; National Security and the Freedom of the Press
At least one major bank in the US has already put in place the requirements for people to give 7 days notice to withdraw their cash at some future period.

This would likely led to riots. As it is, it is not the large banks who have caused the financial crisis who will suffer, just the small ones. It is the small banks who are already going under. 2008 it was 40, 2009 from memory 125 & last I heard in 2010 it was on target for about 140 plus with 2990 banks on the verge of going under.

The large banks just receive bailouts to pay for their bad debts & then pay themselves large rewards. Or those who assist them such as the reputed US$42 million Tony Blair has been paid by a US bank for representing their interests in Kuwait. Sure beats the US$600,000 he was getting for been Middle East envoy.

It will give those in authority an excuse to impliment even greater powers to deal with any unrest.
Freedom lies in being bold
So are we been led up the garden path? It sure seems that way. The problem is much of it can be justified & what can't be the people do not have access to the true situation.

As someone said to me here the other day "but the government knows best" another one recently "but the government will know of that threat"(in that case I doubt it but if they do they are doing nothing about it) & the last one was "If you can't trust the government to protect your information who can you trust?"

Now that one is in real fantasyland.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Government dumbing down Police! More Crime results!

Kia Ora,

Well the new report is out slamming the New Zealand Police as been poorly run.

The Police Commissioner has come out in defence of the Police as suppose he can now he is not staying in the job. The Police Association has also made good points about how it isn't really focussed on what the police face on the street.

Now the police will admit like any organization that there is always areas they can improve on & that they need too.

But it appears the answers that have been proposed, as highlighted in the past even in these posts, are the very things that are stopping the police from doing their job.

Just try to ring in suspicious activity & see the run around you get by the requirements at police communications. It is often more like you are the criminal depending on who you get.

Then you can get the police who at times show up like at my attack, note it in their note book, but not as they put it 'hard copy' unless definite evidence comes up. Evidence did come up when two of them died in an accident, but how sure could they be of conviction of the other two involved?

Now you can't blame the Constable for that, as has been mentioned to me, the police virtually have to comply with that poor management tool of KPI's(Key Point Indicators) & are judged by their numbers of arrests or traffic tickets. So if they don't put one down that there is little likelyhood of a conviction, then their numbers will look better. It is just human nature but it is at the expense of a real impact on crime.
Policing and Crime Prevention
There is comment about the NCO's(Non-commissioned officers) not changing fast enough. The thing is most of the NCO's I have meet in the police, during the course of security work, are in support of the changes in regards to the poor parts of the previous culture. But not in regards to anything that affects actual policing on the streets. The real important parts of been in the police role I would think.

Then there is the comments about those in the senior roles. Those roles are political & so they have to tread a fine line.

As was shown in the drink driving debate the government wanted more study & figures even though everyone knew it should be implimented immediately. So the pressure goes on for more figures of arrests, tickets at the detriment of good policing.
Handbook of Loss Prevention and Crime Prevention, Fourth Edition
Gone are the days virtually where, as a retired police officer & I reflected, a police officer could hardly arrest anyone from year to year but still have a big impact. Just by having that presence for suspicious activity impacts directly on crime.

At each level people are seen as under performing if they are not making their numbers of arrests or tickets.

In whose eyes are they under performing?

If there is a serious crime I would expect a detective constable to be doing their best to solve that crime not, as I heard the other day, pulling someone over to give them a warning, if not ticket for a driving offence.
Crime Prevention (Criminal Justice Series)
Or a team police units prime role is not to arrest people but break up any disorder then worry about the arrests. Such a unit worrying about arrests might find itself short of staff when they need them most.

This dumbing down of the police by the government is the reason behind so much of the unreported crime. People have lost faith in the police as they have to work within the guidelines to make the numbers look good.

Business management techniques do not work in a true service organization. Police officers join to make a difference last I looked, not satisfy some numbers game.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Governments cause the problems!

Kia Ora,

If you have been reading my posts you will know I follow some financial commentators. Probably the most interesting is the Australian one Daily Reckoning(DR) because it has multiple contributors who often, even on the same email, contradict each other.

For example recently on gold some are saying it is in a pull back but will shortly go higher, others say the pull back will be big (gold under US$1,000, silver US$15 is what one commentator has said though not on DR) before going much higher. So you have to do your homework to make up your own mind as to what is going to happen & how to benefit.

In the last few days though there have been interesting commentary across all commentators I follow.

First many are starting to say what I have in that economic woes will lead & in fact have now led to the otherthrow of governments, increased violence & crime. The current conditions are those prior to the French revolution & Hitler coming to power. This time though it is a world wide issue.

As governments try to find ways of fixing things they actually make it worse.

Now the DR has commented on Austrian Economics which it describes as having the philosophy "Governments cause, rather than solve problems".

Take Tunisia as an example. By the US government listening to & letting the Federal reserve 'fix' things through quantitive easing it is causing inflation. The Federal Reserve says it isn't because it is not monetising debt. Well actually it is as it is using this to buy debt(government bonds, CDO's etc)it monetises the debt.

In other words debt that has been created out of nothing is purchased by currency created out of nothing meaning there is more currency around lowering the value of the US dollar in this case causing prices to rise(inflation).
An Introduction to Austrian Economics
Since the US dollar is the international reserve currency in which trade is conducted it meant despite the best efforts of the President of Tunisia the price of food kept rising resulting in it triggering his overthrow.

This accounts for what China has been up to lately. First it has been quietly getting rid of its US debt that it has bought. Next it has said it is looking to buy 5000 tonnes of gold(though how they are going to achieve that unless another country such as the US puts gold privately on the market as it does to keep the price down.

More recently China has started to enter into negoiations(successfully) with India then Russia & lately directly with some US businesses. This has the very real potential of collapsing the US Dollar much earlier than was expected.

Then to give it some breathing room I belive China is now buying European debt. This keeps the Yuan down in value meaning it can export more but also prolongs the slide to the collapse of the world financial system whilst China prepares & can buffer the worst effects from its people.

Already in the US things are much worse than are been generally acknowledged. There was talk of a clip on a news programme of a person with two masters degrees who had a good job but now can only get employment sweeping floors.

It is people like this that will struggle as it is predicted the middle class is about to be wiped out.

Those at the very bottom will get by as they always have & they know how to survive. It is those that have had these good jobs who are really going to struggle not just with balancing the budget but the mental side. It is here that you will not only see the increase in crime but violent crime as the stress gets to them.

This will give the governments the excuse to introduce a greater transfer of power which will make things worse. Tunisia is just the tip of the iceberg. There are likely to be many governments overthrown in the coming years, rise in crime, violence & even civil wars.
The Theory of Money and Credit
But any actions taken by a government will worsen the situation especially whilst the central banks, which are privately owned, are the ones 'printing' the currency not the government.

Now Austrian Economics is of the point of view the less government is better. Or as the DR quotes from Jefferson(whom I take to be US President Jefferson)"a little government is a necesary evil".

But there are issues with this.

First the world has implimented social benefits of which people are reluctant to let go as demonstrated by the riots across Europe at Austerity measures.
Austrian Theory of the Trade Cycle and Other Essays
Then you have a country like New Zealand where the government needs to play a greater role since we just don't have the population to maintain good economic competition.

In fact the privatization of some government departments or requirement for others to act in a commercial manner(SOE's) have been an abject failure as few if any have had the promised benefits.

Everything has become more inefficient & other issue is change in 'culture' has meant government departments are no better. Any real competition is quickly snuffed out.
Economic Science and the Austrian Method
What is worse is governments are advised by economists who are not even really aware of the Austrian Method. DR asked recently if anyone knew of a teritiary institution who taught or even mentioned the Austrian Method. The replies they got pointed to the fact that only one in Australia did so.

So how can these guys advise when there is another whole way of looking at economics that is never even brought into the equation. That is why they can't see the destruction of the financial system that is coming.

At present governments around the world are looking to cut billions from their budgets. Best way they can do that is make government more efficient. I twould cut billions overnight. Instead their answers tend to be increase government employees to deal with the larger numbers unemployed. So increase the most unproductive part of the economy.

Governments just increase the problems. Right now in New Zealand we have the poor response to the earthquake in particular in Christchurch, the poor response to Pike River mine disaster & rising food prices due to inflation(despite what the manipulated CPI says) whilst earnings drop, all possible triggers for actions such as crime, violence & riots.
An Austrian Perspective on the History of Economic Thought (2 Vol. Set)
What the government need to do is take the risk of supporting ideas that will increase employment even if they don't tick all the little boxes. Do that & it decreases crime. Not all will work but they only need a percentage too.

It was what Sir Robert Muldoon was looking to do in the late 70's early 80's with DFC(Development Finance Corporation) the last time the situation was similar to now.

This time it is much worse. Thing is Academics & bureaucrats didn't understand it last time & unless they are kept out of it they would not understand it again. Real progress is only achieved by those who do not stick to the little boxes.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Technology: An Aid nothing more!

Kia Ora,

In the last few days there has been an article in the 'Press' about the illegal dumping of rubbish in the Christchurch area.

The solution is hidden cameras. Great but any technology is only ever an aid. It will never replace good security & good security awareness by the public.

As a way of getting fit again since my injury suffered in the attack whilst filming crime I have being going for small 'route marches' with a light load. Not only have these helped with my fitness but have shown what is happening in the immediate vicinity.

Whilst the Christchurch city council is targeting obvious places for dumping rubbish it is quite clear no one is looking at not so obvious areas.

On my 10 km route I have seen several obvious gathering points for underage drinkers with all the bottles still in place, rubbish dumped in drains along several roads often like the bottles outside houses.

Two days in a row it was noted that someone had being going around the area on the first night ripping down street signs & pulling out road markers. On the second night another road sign (not sure where from) appeared snapped from its base & it was noted that signs for safety purposes had been torn down.
Street Smarts, Firearms, And Personal Security : Jim Grover's Guide To Staying Alive And Avoiding Crime In The Real World
Changing route has shown similar issues in particular outside one business that is seasonal & about to get underway. It also showed liquifaction that had flowed from under the road in that area which seemed to have been ignored. True it is not a great amount but might just be a warning to houses in that area in light of the predicted big shake in March 2011.

Technology is great & by all means we have to use it but with security in particular it is only ever an aid. It can not replace the person on the ground & gut feeling.

One thing that was noticeable in Iraq was the higher the threat the more people required on the ground. Of course the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was sacked for suggesting that prior to the invasion of Iraq. He has since been proven right.
Private Security and Public Safety: A Community-Based Approach
Despite all the technology it is boots on the ground noticing the little things that really made the big difference.

There is no difference in the basics between security in a war zone & around our communities. It is all about people on the ground, taking notice of the small things & reporting or acting on them.

Technology just gives the impression something is been done when in actual fact the situation is getting worse because it is only an aid not the total solution.
Counter-Terrorism Policing: Community, Cohesion and Security
In relation to my last post, we have now had the 'expert' rolled out proclaiming that NCEA is a world leading system. Boy is the world in trouble if that is true. It is nothing but a dumbing down system. Aiming for the lowest common denominator.

But then that is how the Slavery system is setup to make people think it is an improvement. No different in mainly relying on technology to combat crime. The more technology the easier it is to defeat & therefore crime goes up.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz