How can being a Role Model backfire?

Kia Ora,

Now this is not an attack on Islam, Sonny Bill Williams(SBW), Anthony Mundine or their agent Mr Knosser.

What it is, is the pointing out how good role models can end up leading people down another path.

Now Anthony Mundine & SBW have become good role models over the last few years from their earlier wild ways. In the last few days SBW has come out & officialy acknowleged he has converted to Islam which since both Mr Knosser & Mundine were or had converted it was always likely he had also.

Most moderate Muslims I have met around the world have been very open & accepting. That is how these role models appear too.

The issue becomes when others decide to follow with maybe not the guidance of more moderate minds.

I have a relation who is climbing nicely up the ranks in Rugby League in Australia. Always have given him a hard time that he should play for the Warriors(New Zealands team in the NRL competition)or a real game in rugby(been a rugby person myself). He has always idolized SBW to such an extent that he showed up to a meeting with a feeder club to another NRL club wearing a Canterbury Bulldogs jersey.

What SBW does he wants to do or did last time I spoke to him. Since then SBW has been on a journey of his own discovery. Changing to Rugby first in France then back here in New Zealand to make the All Blacks(National Rugby team).
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Islam, 2nd Edition
So if he still idolizes SBW what are his next moves?

Well if he converts to Islam it will be an interesting flat as his cousin comes from a conservative born again Christian background.

Without the guidance to look at Islam from a moderate view there is a chance like many youngsters this person could find themselves looking at the Koran in a radical fashion or radical elements taking them into their circle.

With both Anthony Mundine & SBW having such a huge following amongst young people there is always that chance. The same way that a good conservative Christian with a similar following could result in youngsters following a radical Christian path.
The Koran For Dummies
Since converting to Islam you have seen both Anthony Mundine & SBW presenting a different more accepting side. Even to the extent that SBW when he made a mistake went to a school to apologise then talk to the kids about lifes lessons of living up to your word & fixing your mistakes.

Here though is another connection to the financial crisis where good deeds like those from SBW may result in a few young ones converting to Islam. As the financial crisis worsens history shows that people tend to retreat into their religions or the like. The worse the situation the more likely people in particular young ones will follow the more radical paths.

The more I see & hear of the work of Mr Knosser, Mundine & Williams the more impressed I am. It would be a shame to see that undermined by poor guidance of those following them into the path of radicalism. Of course if Christian radicalism grows then so does Islamic radicalism or vice versa.

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

How would you like to commit crime & get away with it legally?

Kia Ora,

How would you like to commit crime & get away with it legally?

Be great wouldn't it? Well there are certain groups doing it all the time.

Currently I am reading this book below "The Corruption of Capitalism" by Richard Duncan(no known relation) who has just put alot of what study has already shown me is going on but this goes further.

The problem is most people are fooled into thinking "trust the government" or "trust the big banks".

First crime that you or I would be locked up for doing is counterfeiting. Basically the central banks(not the government) print currency when they have essentially no assets backing it. The government is then loaned this currency(notice not money as the cash you have is a fiat currency backed by nothing, the only real money is gold or silver) & taxes people to pay for the interest on that loan. Any outstanding tax take(if any) is then used to pay down the loan. So when you hear the argument over 'tax payers money' being misused it is not actually true.

Most of the major central banks in the world are privately owned. The most important of these private banks is the US Federal reserve because the world is now tied to the US dollar since Bretton Woods in 1944. Since 1971 when the US took itself off the gold standard as Robert Kiyosaki says "cash is trash".
The Dollar Crisis: Causes, Consequences, Cures , Revised and Updated
It gets even worse as these days derivatives have become as Warren Buffett says "the weapons of mass destruction" & it is the collapse or potential collapse of these that sparked the huge bailouts that began in 2008.

What is a derivative? Best description I have heard is orange juice is a derivative of an orange. The problem with financial derivatives is, unlike orange juice which is created from the orange & real, they are created out of nothing. These days you do not have to print money you just hit a key on a computer.

At the time the book was written(2009) this derivatives market was worth an estimated US$700 Trillion & is already estimated to be now at US$2Quadrillion. But for all that currency it is not producing real benefits.

If it or even part of it collapses then the US government in particular has to bailout certain organizations to stop the complete collapse of the worlds financial system.
Crony Capitalism: Corruption and Development in South Korea and the Philippines (Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics)
Now those numbers are just words but these examples might put it in perspective.

The first set of figures I am a bit rusty on as haven't seen it for a while but it gives an idea. If you were to count a million dollars at one a second it would take 12 days, a billion 12 years & a trillion if memory serves 32,000 years.

But a relation who is religious but understands this, put it this way. If Christ had had deposited in his name $1 million the day he was born & a $1 million everyday since the allegded date of his birth, today that figure in the account would be $750 billion after 2000 years. In its entire existance the US had printed approximately US$800 billion until just a few years ago. In the last two officially anyway about US$3 Trillion has been added.

Off book additions though(like ENRON had)have been estimated as high as US$120 Trillion. Things like the medicare & social security which should be able to pay for themselves but have been 'borrowed' by the government in the past to finance other areas. So they are further debts the US have to print currency for each year & are growing as more retire.

Here in New Zealand ACC also collects enough to cover costs but bad investments, inefficiency which amounts to the dictionary definition of corruption means the costs are going up.
Corruption, Capitalism and Democracy (Routledge Studies in Social and Political Thought)
To keep the modern financial system going they have to keep coming up with ways to create currency out of nothing. The latest idea is the ETS(emission trading scheme) which is supposed to be there to make business more aware of the environment. It has nothing to do with it.

So if all this collapses then how does that affect people? Well if the US has to bail entities out then it causes inflation & probably hyperinflation which means cost of living go up highly & fast. Anyone who has been shopping for groceries lately will notice how much more expensive it is to buy food.

People need to feed their families so crime increases & with that as people who have never had troubles before turn to crime emotions are higher & that equates to more violence.

Or as is happening in Europe in particular, governments try to lessen the effect by introducing austerity measures which is resulting in protests & riots. In both cases it is resulting in xenophobia were those who are immigrants are targeted.

The real winners in this are those who at the start are basically counterfeiting.
Corruption, Capitalism and Democracy
But it doesn't stop there. There is a lot more quantitive easing(new name for printing currency that just means it is created on a computer) going on than people realize in the guise of bailouts or what in my opinion amounts to money laundering.

For example in the US with interest rates basically at zero the Federal reserve has been loaning large amounts to the large banks(the ones in it up to their neck in the derivatives market) who then loan that to the US government at say 4%, who then will have to go to the Federal reserve to pay the interest to the banks.

So in that mix all that new currency becomes part of the stimulus which is only helping the banks & the Federal reserve.
Capitalism's Achilles Heel: Dirty Money and How to Renew the Free-Market System
Of course everytime there is a bailout it is essentially the government taking over what was private debt which in turn with the debt the governments owe to the central banks will result in the transfer of businesses & property to ownership of those behind the central banks.

The systems set up by governments in use of bureaucrats though is there to upset people so they are fighting endless battles & never see the real crimes.

At present governments around the world (apart from Asian countries which are telling their citizens to buy gold & silver based on history) are telling people to save. But if as expected high inflation then hyperinflation kick in then they will have stolen your currency/savings by stealth. Inflation is the invisible tax. As they tell you inflation is low it is real inflation that is stealing your currency as you buy food & essentials. They manipulate the CPI to reflect what they want it too.
Manifesto on War. Decay and Corruption of International Capitalism
As they say "He who has the gold makes the rules" also known as the golden rule.

What would you do if you could commit crime with no repercussions?

Would you use it for good in the long term?

That could be very likely the long term aim of those behind all this. But is it right to have one group acting in a criminal way that would get the rest of us time in jail?

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

From Fairyland to lack of reality!

Kia Ora,

The news can be an interesting watch, listen or read.

One article yesterday spoke of a person here in Christchurch been given a slap on the hand for carrying out a Bomb Hoax. So New Zealand remains in Fairyland in regards to these issues. To get the seriousness of this issue across there needs to be prison sentences issued & quite severe prison sentences.

All going well next year New Zealand hosts the Rugby World Cup 2011 & with hopefully the NZ police & NZ Security Industry on a higher alert. What we don't need is people calling in bomb hoax's tying up resources when a real threat might be eventuating.
Hostage Rescue Manual: Tactics of the Counter-Terrorist Professionals-Revised Edition
There has been an increase in bomb hoax's in recent times in New Zealand. The message needs to be sent that this is an unacceptable action. It is that serious that I would suggest a starting point of ten years jail. Resources sent to one of these just might save hundreds of lifes if able to be used elsewhere.

In the meantime in India those associated with some of the games are loosing touch with reality.

After all the concerns over security then the state of the venues people are now calling for security to be relaxed so people can attend events.

It shows that these people are out of touch with reality.

The Commonwealth Games in Delhi are India's chance to showcase to the world what it can do. Though I do have concerns with some of the security preparations I see & has been reported to me, I can't see India relaxing this early in the games.
Negotiating with Terrorists: Strategy, Tactics, and Politics
But it also tells me that those making the comments have not thought it through.

First the cost to the venues from what is been said was always going to favour tourists, not the locals. Those locals who could afford to go were seen giving interviews saying they were going away on holiday during the games period(note to NZ same will happen for Rugby World Cup as it will be mainly tourists who will be able to afford the tickets).

Now comment was hardly anyone showed up to watch Hockey(field hockey) matches India's national game. National game? Well I suppose it could be because what most Indians will be watching or listening to the national religion. Cricket! In particular the test series(with the first concluding last night in a very close match) between India & Australia. No problems with crowds at cricket matches.
Hidden Agenda, Vol. 6 - No Place to Hide, The Strategy and Tactics of Terrorism
If the test series had not been on it is odds on India would of been taking note of the current one day series between NZ & Bangladesh.

Someone didn' think about their planning as nothing compares to cricket in the sub continent.

In fact being a cricket player it is one thing I have found as an icebreaker anywhere in the world when talking to someone with a legacy from the sub continent.
Foreign Terrorist Organizations: History Tactics and Connections
So people are calling for a relaxing in the security in place without actually thinking about the other factors or the reality of the situation. This is what any terrorist maybe just waiting for.

You under estimate your enemy(terrorist) at your own peril!

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

What the Lost Youth & Poor turn too!

Kia Ora,

I found yesterdays blog or the information contained in it very concerning when I came across it.

But as the self confessed ex Jihadist says "what if?"

World wide he is the sort of person the extremists recruit, young & lost or the poor.



There are reports today of suspected Islamic terror groups in Britain talking of different targets.

What is to stop that being a group in New Zealand? The fact New Zealand refers to itself as safe is the biggest attraction to these guys.

Initially anyway terrorist groups tend to be made up of lost young males who are filled with the 'spirit' of what ever religion or 'mission' (ie eco greens)& this makes them risk takers. The same thing happens early in a conventional War when nationalism results in usually the greatest casualty rates.



But what if someone follows the path this guy says he followed & actually does complete his training, then really does believe. As they found in Britain, the biggest threat now is from those who are home grown.

It will start a vicious cycle where ignorance takes hold. Every Muslim will get the blame for the actions of a few & the actions generally by the same sort of person who carried out any attack in the name of another religion usually.

But like in the US after 9/11 it will hurt those that are not even connected.

Like the Sikh who was shot dead in Texas in the mistaken belief he was a Muslim.



Yes, I did forecast there was likely to be people like this in NZ, but it is still not great to find you were right.

That is why I believe the NZ Security Industry needs to raise its standards because of all countries in the world, NZ is the one that could stop this cycle continuing here, by been effective along side the police & other agencies.

http://www/foxhoundsecurity.co.nz