Keith Locke, Green Party Foreign Affairs spokesperson views on North Korea

2004-03-05T20:57:00.000+13:00

In 2003 I read an article regarding an international effort to smuggle North Korean scientists out of China, and of Keith Locke's condemnation of New Zealand's alleged involvement. Operation Weasel as it was called, invovled the United States approaching Naura to smuggle North Korean scientists who had defected out of China. With the help of Americans and New Zealanders these scientists and their families were smuggled to the West through the Nauran Embassy in Beijing with the use of consular protection. One such scientist, as outlined in this investigative article, was the father of North Korea's nuclear program, Kyong Won-ha. He has since given "unprecedented insight into North Korea's nuclear capabilities, particularly at the feared reactor number one in the southern city of Yongbyon".

I thought it was rather suspicious that Locke had got his knickers in a twist over this incident. Sure, any foreign intervention is against the principles of the Green Party (excluding millions of dollars of foreign aid), but why take such an alarmist approach. The "covert actions" in my view were successful, insight was gained into the North Korean nuclear program and the defectors and their families' lives were saved from a maniacal regime. Locke thinks that such operations undermine multilateral peace efforts and adds to the instability of the relationship between North Korea and the rest of the world, fine. But I wondered if Locke was one of those leftists who was sympathetic to the plight of socialist/communist dictatorships, because they shared his place on the political spectrum or were anti-American (I'm not equating the Green Party to the DPRK). So I investigated.

Documents on the Green Party website concern the peace negotiations and question US policy. No mention of North Korean human rights abuses - can this be considered taking a neutral stance or ignoring the damaging reality? Locke tells his readers to check out Tim Beal's website, and don't trust the Murdoch media machine! This website contains links that continually question US policy and turn a blind eye to
North Korean atrocities, using information from the Korean Central News Agency, a state-run agency of the DPRK. Beal and Locke would be hard pressed to denounce the DPRK from what I've read, I couldn't find one example of disgust or denunciation in the 30-40 articles from the 2 men. Locke was once a member of the Socialist Action League; perhaps he's toned down his extremist views or knows that he needs to keep his mouth shut as he's a politician.......i'll be watching him.

Police push party pill prohibition

2004-03-04T23:38:00.006+13:00

http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/tfmpp/tfmpp_article1.shtml
The psychoactive effect caused by a dose taken of TFMPP (Trifluromethyl-phenylpiperazine) is sometimes described as being somewhere between empathogens such as MDMA and entheogens such as psilocybin, mescaline, or LSD. With closed eyes, psychoptic effects are found in most cases that involve partly coloured visions and patterns similar to those caused by mescaline
Mike Turner sells them and maintains they are safe.

TFMPP is yet another new synthetic drug which gained prominence (amongst the clubbing and psychoactive communities) in the USA during 2001. As the website suggests taking 25 grams can result in a moderate experience, whereas 75 grams can result in a highly powerful and integrated trip (dosages vary). I'm not sure of the content of the NZ sold capsules, but be careful!. Exodus is sold in Hamilton, and is being offered by Monkey Feather as a promotional tool in O-week. The most pertinent side-effects young people should be wary of listed by Erowid include hypothermia (increased temperature of the body), tachycardia (increased number of heart beats), nausea, and vomiting.

"They're safe if they're taken according to the directions and the instructions. As long as you don't exceed the maximum dose, as long as you don't mix them with something else, alcohol especially," Turner said. .

Note that proprietor selling the 'herbal highs' is offering useable and informative information on the drugs, whilst in the article the police office and the health practitioner exalt the worse case scenario and call for a BAN. Don't bother trying to find informative information on government or police websites, because educating the populace on the effects and potential dangers of drugs will encourage their use. Y'know, how trying to engage in a public debate advocating marijuana decriminalisation is "sending the wrong message to our children" and "grossly irresponsible".

"Clearly there's a moral obligation on them to take those drugs off the shelves. They are potentially dangerous and they really shouldn't be selling them," Cliff said.

Potentially dangerous? So is panadol, alcohol, tobacco, pretzels....let's ban these too. In fact, I bet you could find 50 dangerously drunk women in Auckland's CBD on any given weekend night. Is there a moral obligation to take beer off the shelf Cliff? No, Cliff drinks alcohol and like the rest of us has engaged in drunk anti-social behaviour that is far more morally acceptable than appreciating dance music and minding your own business.

The New Zealand Libertarian

Keith Locke, Green Party Foreign Affairs spokesperson views on North Korea

Police push party pill prohibition