Wednesday, April 30, 2008

A wee giggle ...

Dominican friar Peter Murnane joined organic gardener Adrian Leason and Hokianga farmer Sam Land in yesterday's early-morning raid on the Waihopai satellite communications interception station, near Blenheim.
Extracted from a story in The New Zealand Herald.

The Waihopi spy station used to annoy me and many other locals when I was a local back in Marlborough, New Zealand.

Kiwi's don't view spy stations as things to be taken seriously and I remember a national television crew breaking in just to dance in this place where no one but for a chosen few with special passes were allowed.

A dim view was taken that time too.
It was a serious place and only serious business was go one behind those security fences.

I couldn't help but laugh when I read of the spy station 'deflation' at the hands of 3 earnest blokes.

I remember the outrage when New Zealand refused to allow nuclear vessels in its water ... we were immediately barred from the war games played out on the oceans with America.

Australia was welcomed into the free-trade with America arena too while the kiwis were told that we weren't even in the building.

But anyway, I love my American friends to pieces and they know it, it's only some policy that's annoyed me over the years and yes, this deflation is a serious thing, and I shouldn't be laughing but I can imagine that there's more than a few kiwis laughing around my wee country today.

8 comments:

furiousBall said...

I have my Kiwi passports hanging on my walls, these Di prints work as passports too right?

Di Mackey said...

Well ... they might. I'd best come with you and explain ;)

Anonymous said...

Luckily you guys get along great with the new kids on the block (China). You can free trade with them I've heard. So go kiwis. Lead your sheep to a new era of prosperity.

Di Mackey said...

Yep, free trade with China, the first big factory has already closed its greedy little doors in New Zealand, made 100s redundant as they head for greener pastures in countries where the workers have very few rights.

Congratulations Fisher and Pykel, it makes so 'proud' to be kiwi ... nasty greedy little manufacturers.

http://www.fp.co.nz/

Kay Cooke said...

It's all a little bit over my head - I mean WHAT??? 's that all about? SPY STATIONS? Come on. Oh well, back to my Weetbix.

Di Mackey said...

Weetbix ... :)

The spy stations were a huge irritant to locals who didn't agree with the whole idea of spying on the world.

They looked like a pair of huge golfballs, rising up out of the beautiful landscape in the valley there.

Didn't you know about them, chiefbiscuit?

Anonymous said...

I think the kiwis need to get some lessons from the French on how to stage a proper protest that becomes a week long riot.

Lesson number one: three people is not enough for a proper protest

Lesson number two: real protesters don't use stealth, they use noise, numbers, and the roar of the crowd to get attention.

Lesson number three: ideally one wrecks other people's cars/trucks during a protest, not one's own!

Lesson number four: popping large balloons is not as visually exciting as starting fires in the street...

Lesson number five: never pray during a protest. Invoking God as being on your side is SO American--and so Muslim!

Di Mackey said...

Well actually V, the French government did try to teach us about protests back in the 80s. They sent in saboteurs to blow-up a Greenpeace boat - one of the guys was brother of presidential hopeful, Ségolène Royal.

Unfortunately they killed a photographer on the Greenpeace ship at the time so ... yeah, we go for the more comic protest now ;)

Those kiwi blokes are on a hunger now.