Mood:
not sureTopic: peace
Today The Australian carries a worrying story about up to 9 missing rocket launchers on page 1 of The Australian here: John Lyons: Just who has missing weapons?
Only SAM's editor wrote abou this very real worry for all Australians of whatever pursuasion back in May 07 here:
lead up to APEC in Sydney?
Mood:
don't askTopic:
legal
This is a press release we noticed today from the legal authorities posted on
Melbourne Indy Media a few days ago relating to a high profile mainstream media
report in early April 2007:
Further
charges over stolen rocket launchers This is a
joint Media Release between the AFP and NSW Police.
As a result this report from the Murdoch press around the same story
refused bail after being charged with the theft of 10 army rocket launchers.
recovered by police. He said extensive searches had been carried out in
bushland for the missing seven weapons, but their whereabouts were unknown.
into account in security preparations for the APEC summit in Sydney in
September."
the police website and speculates that this means the "seven" rocket launchers
are still at large.
protesters who might be at risk.
We also wrote about a real worry for public safety which again has nothing to do with usual public protest, and that is the petrol tanker scenario, with an accident like this one in Rockdale some 5 years back literally melting the tanker in half
Picture: Truck accident in Rockdale about 5 years ago.
Images taken by this writer as a local resident/witness. If one looks closely at
the top image you can see a truck has flipped onto its side and is being lifted
about a metre aloft with wheels at right angle to the ground. It looks strange
because the heat of the fuel fire has literallly vaporised half the metal tank
on the trailer. No one was killed in this accident which in itself must have
been a minor miracle. There were some people sleeping in the burnt buildings
nearby at the time of the one vehicle accident at a sharp corner just before the
rail bridge.
Note this pre publicity by the police and their captured political
representatives in State Government in the press today:
APEC
gets tough on protesters | The Daily Telegraph
This writer spent 2 years on Bondi Safety Committee 1996-97 as an elected
local councillor and we learned to never let the police set the tone of pre
event publicity. The principle looks the same today even as big as the APEC
conference will be in Sydney in September 2007.
Police inevitably predict aggressive clashes with the public and suggest
criminal behaviour by protesters which is the police paradigm and in fact what
they plan for. This has the effect of promoting their own importance and budget
in a highly convenient fashion for the bureaucracy. It is also self
fulfilling prophesy because the minute number actually looking for sport at the
police expense take it as an invitation to come on down and box on.
In a sense they all get what they want at the expense of the broader public.
But there is a much more serious aspect of distraction from real risk profile
for such an event.
What worries this writer most is not loud ferals, even pushy ones,
or mindless street violence. And certainly not organised recognised non govt
groups who never want the reputation for violence. What worries me, and should
worry everyone not least Big Media and Govt:
1. is those 7 or so missing rocket launchers reported in the Murdoch
press and media release of the federal/NSW police. Still missing?
2. Canberra is set up for gatherings away from the largest centre of
population, not just for one offs like APEC, but to avoid opportunistic coups
via a big rally taking over the parliament house (theoretically possible in
Sydney of 4M but not Canberra).
3. Is Howard secretly hoping there will be an attack to get votes in a
patriotic fervour?
4. The petrol tanker scenario. See these pics above of a truck accident
in Rockdale 5 years back we locals of the time witnessed - large volumes of
fuel and a spark can destroy anything, including melt the tanker in half, like
a hot knife through butter. That's scary.
None of these are protester related, marbles or stuff like that. Those
are so marginal and in truth this writer has never ever witnessed that
in 15 years of ngo activity as God is my witness, 6 or so arrests for peaceful
protest without conviction, and solicitor now. That said, we don't like seeing
anyone get hurt, democracy activists police or anyone. For moral reasons but
also quite practical - draconian blow back by the system. Gandhi is my way even
if we can't be a saint like him.
We were quite surprised indeed to read the quite calm and brutal article in
the Herald recently on the history of lethal attacks on political
leaders. This was suggestive of activity way beyond the aims or objectives of
the local ngo movement I've known this last 15 years in Sydney. Here is the
reference, and we had to wonder how responsible the article was but here it is
anyway relying on the Herald as precedent:
Gunning
for democracy works, just don't miss - Opinion - smh.com.au
