Protesters with boltcutters and pointy sticks deflate one of the Waihopai domes

[Ixion]

A..According to Air Marshal Ferguson in the NZ Herald article linked in this thread:

"Obviously it's just imposing a cost on the taxpayer having to rebuild. That's why I describe it as a senseless act of criminal vandalism".

..

Rebuild ? Wotcha on about Marshie? It's a bit of rubberized canvas, just basically a big inner tube. Send an apprentice spy down with a good supply of Woolworths bicycle patches, and a tyre pump , to pump it up again.

EDIT: Hey, how come we can afford a ruddy Air Marshal , when we son't have any planes? Sort of like having an Admiral of the Fleet when the Fleet consists of a leaky lilo. Wots 'e do, run around his office with his arms stuck out making vroom vroom noises ?

[Nade]

LOL..as much as we all found this little 'deflation' funny...in the end it will cost the tax payer millions of dollars.
Base Woodbourne in Blemheim was placed on a heightend security alert today because of this incident...the paper work and people involved costs money...all paid for by the tax payer...not to mention the cost of fixing and re-inflating the protective dome over the dish, and any damage done to the equipment on the dish...the fences...etc..and you can bet that security at Waihopi will be investigated (costing money) and probably upgraded...again...more money. Then there will be the cost involved in prosecuting the offenders etc.
We had contractors supposed to come onto Base Woodbourne today to do work and they were turned away because they didn't have NZDF security clearance.....again costing the tax payer money....which wouldn't normally happen if the security level hadn't been raised. Something like this dosen't just effect the spy base...it effects the entire NZDF like ripples...and will continue to do so for weeks to come.

[Ixion]

he paper work and people involved costs money...all paid for by the tax payer.

Nay, because we are paying them anyway. Just means they've got something to do other than run around their officces with their arms stuck out making aeroplane noises.

[JimO]

lock the cunts up until them or their mates pay for the damages

[lb99]

LOL..as much as we all found this little 'deflation' funny...in the end it will cost the tax payer millions of dollars.
Base Woodbourne in Blemheim was placed on a heightend security alert today because of this incident...the paper work and people involved costs money...all paid for by the tax payer...not to mention the cost of fixing and re-inflating the protective dome over the dish, and any damage done to the equipment on the dish...the fences...etc..and you can bet that security at Waihopi will be investigated (costing money) and probably upgraded...again...more money. Then there will be the cost involved in prosecuting the offenders etc.
We had contractors supposed to come onto Base Woodbourne today to do work and they were turned away because they didn't have NZDF security clearance.....again costing the tax payer money....which wouldn't normally happen if the security level hadn't been raised. Something like this dosen't just effect the spy base...it effects the entire NZDF like ripples...and will continue to do so for weeks to come.

IS this why that plane came in full noise on a mental angle this morning, followed by another at a far more sedate pace a few minutes later? was that the air marshall arriving?

[sAsLEX]

I don't think the radomes actually have a technical purpose.

You sir would be wrong.

But again what would I know

the value of any "SIGINT" derived from Waihopai or any similar monitoring facility is questionable

Bomb allah Iraq Iran terrorist strategic target diesel fertiliser GPS accuracy Gorge Bush ........

Make Ethnic Minority Babies, Not War! (tm)

So little white kids?

[Motu]

It's going to cost $1,000,000 to fix all the damage.Say.....$200,000 for a fence repair,and maybe $800,000 for the balloon.I think I'll put in a tender for the balloon repair - does anyone know where to get tender application forms?

[Nade]

The Orion was doing a fly past this morning.....then hooked around and came in and landed a few minutes later.....think your talking about the same plane..not 2 of them.

[lb99]

The Orion was doing a fly past this morning.....then hooked around and came in and landed a few minutes later.....think your talking about the same plane..not 2 of them.

yep that'll be it

I was bored shitless, guarding the traffic cones on nelson st at the time, hope nobody nicked any

anybody want to buy a traffic controllers certificate?

[Steam]

We had contractors supposed to come onto Base Woodbourne today to do work and they were turned away because they didn't have NZDF security clearance.....again costing the tax payer money....which wouldn't normally happen if the security level hadn't been raised.

So, you're saying normally I can come and poke around the base if I am driving a contractor's van and wearing overalls? Good security there. Sounds like you dozy military types needed a wakeup call anyway.

[tnarg]

Shoot them, there terrorists.
Taken from tvnz web site.

"One of the three, Peter Murnane, a Dominican friar has previously known to clash with authorities.

Nine years ago he helped a group of asylum seekers, who were on a hunger strike, stay in New Zealand. He was also a supporter of Algerian asylum seeker Ahmed Zaoui."

[scumdog]

Shoot them, there terrorists.
Taken from tvnz web site.

"One of the three, Peter Murnane, a Dominican friar has previously known to clash with authorities.

Nine years ago he helped a group of asylum seekers, who were on a hunger strike, stay in New Zealand. He was also a supporter of Algerian asylum seeker Ahmed Zaoui."

And there's a good chance YOUR taxes are paying for his capers..

[peasea]

And there's a good chance YOUR taxes are paying for his capers..

He eats capers?

[Nade]

So, you're saying normally I can come and poke around the base if I am driving a contractor's van and wearing overalls? Good security there. Sounds like you dozy military types needed a wakeup call anyway.

No.....usually contractors and civilian personal without an NZDF clearance have to alert the main gate to their presence and are met at the gate and escorted....due to the protesters NO-ONE was allowed on the base unless they could produce a security pass.(ie: NZDF personnel and those civilians who work on the base and have already undergone a NZ police check and an SIS security check. NO ONE can be employed on a military installation unless these have been passed) The gates are manned 24hrs 7 days a week....and several camera's are mounted around the gate to record vehicals and foot traffic.....anyone entering is recorded on camera. Not saying this is fool proof as you can walk around the vehical gates and climb over fences if you really wanted to get on the base....but having said this...any and all 'sensitive' area's require key access or keypad locks etc.

Even Air Force personnel in uniform were not granted access onto the base if they didn't have their ID...they were sent home to go get it..and reported to their Commanding officer as its against reg's to not carry it at all times.

[Clockwork]

Terrorists?? I doubt any one was terrified. Personally I find the idea of a group of fruitcakes sneeking into a top secret intelligance installation and bursting an oversized baloon funny.

Wouldn't that make them Humourists?