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March 1, 2026 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 01 March 2026

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sungsamning

Nearly a year after a nine-person jury found Greenpeace liable for $667 million in damages in a case related to the Dakota Access Pipeline, a North Dakota judge has said the environmental organization will soon be ordered to make good on the damages.

In court papers filed Tuesday, Judge James Gion granted a motion filed by Energy Transfer, the company that owns the pipeline, and said he intends to issue the final judgment on the case soon. The final judgment will detail what the three Greenpeace entities named in the lawsuit are expected to pay, but the amounts were not included in Tuesday’s filings. Gion did, however, reduce Greenpeace’s total liability after the jury’s verdict to $345 million.
[Greenpeace should be renamed Greenlies. They haven’t been an environmental advocy outfit since the mid 1980s. Now, they’re just another Marxist pressure group. Will the Epstein [donor]class pick up the tab? ]
https://www.thecentersquare.com/north_dakota/article_5eb08ea9-7bbe-4095-a535-c7ae871c6142.html
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March 1, 2026 8:17am
Rawhide

Today is St David’s Day, the patron saint of Wales.
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March 1, 2026 8:20am
- mike
  
  Best known for the miraculous hill which appeared on the ground where he was preaching. One commentator noted there could be no “miracle more superfluous” in Wales than the appearance of a new hill.
  
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  March 1, 2026 9:53am
- kowtow
  
  That’s Dafydd nowadays, boyo.
  
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  March 1, 2026 10:00am
- Jack5
  
  Today’s Dydd Gŵyl Dewi in Wales-speak, according to Google Translate.
  
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  March 1, 2026 11:24am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Happy saint’s day, to all the Davids out there.
  
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  March 1, 2026 11:52am
Cassandra

The UK’s Telegraph has an interesting analysis. The news largely concentrates on Iran and Ukraine but, despite today’s conflagration in the Middle East, the biggest hippo in the ocean is to the north of NZ.

“After the US defended Taiwan both China and the US would be seriously damaged as global military powers, and Taiwan would still be free but shattered as a nation and an economy – and that would mean knock-on damage to all world economies, given how vital the Taiwanese semiconductor industry is to us all.

The lesson of history for us all to take away – not only the US, but Australia, Britain and everyone else in the West – is that ancient and well-tried truism: if you would have peace, prepare yourself for war.

The way to persuade Xi Jinping not to invade Taiwan is to make the chance of failure higher.”

ACT is renewing its call for NZ to increase the defence budget from 1% to 2% of GDP. That, of course, will have no effect whatsoever in any war but is still a meaningful contribution. We’ll be playing our part and that would bring with it considerable benefits, in that we’d survive as a nation.
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March 1, 2026 8:24am
- Philview
  
  New Zealand has signed international agreements supporting One China and doesn’t recognise Taiwan as a country. In theory we support China’s right to take Taiwan by force and would surely suffer economic repercussions if we contradict our previous support for One China. I don’t like it but I don’t see us siding with Taiwan.
  
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  March 1, 2026 8:48am
  - Cassandra
    
    If the US supports Taiwan then Australia will and so will NZ. Let’s hope none of it happens.
    
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    March 1, 2026 9:56am
  - Jack5
    
    New Zealand’s position on China v. Taiwan is strategically irrelevant.
    
    A position like Sweden and Switzerland in World War 2 might benefit us: trade on with both sides.
    
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    March 1, 2026 11:16am
- kowtow
  
  Another even simpler solution is to encourage democracy .
  
  Democracies don’t tend to go to war with each other.
  
  Dictatorships , of all types ,must be put beyond the Pale . World bodies and govts of the west should do all in their power for true people’s rights and not reward these places with trade and recognition. That’s hypocrisy.
  
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  March 1, 2026 9:40am
- fightingtemeraire
  
  Si Vis Pacem, Parabellum.
  
  Motto of HMS Excellent, RN Gunnery School, Whale Island, Portsmouth
  
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  March 1, 2026 10:10am
- Wayne1749
  
  Taiwan is 1oo km away from China, about the distance of Auckland to Taupo. And yet it is the West that should feel ‘threatened’?
  
  The US recognised the government on Taiwan as representing all of China up until 1978, and indeed Taiwan occupied the China seat on the UN security Council up until 1972.
  
  Now suddenly the West for geopolitical advantage says Taiwan is not part of China?
  
  We should not get involved in what would be a civil war between Chinese.
  
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  March 1, 2026 10:31am
- RichardF
  
  China is a paper tiger. Their military are not battle tested. The have no chance of taking Taiwan. All that’s required is a blockade of China and they’ll starve to death. China and Russia are watching the USA and Israel and seeing how the pros do it.
  
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  March 1, 2026 10:50am
  - Jack5
    
    RichardF’s …All that’s required is a blockade of China and they’ll starve to death.
    
    Presumably Richard means a blockade of Taiwan, and not of China.
    
    America might fight in and around Taiwan, but it won’t risk a land war with China.
    
    General Douglas MacArthur ran and reshaped Japan as America’s shogun over the country after World War 2. During this time he talked with many of Japan’s strategic commanders of World War 2, and added this to his own experience of the war and beyond.
    
    In April 1961, President Kennedy sought MacArthur’s advice on Indochina.
    
    Kennedy recorded that “MacArthur believes it would be a mistake to fight in Laos,” and that “Anyone wanting to commit ground troops to Asia should have his head examined.”
    
    MacArthur believed, Kennedy noted, that America’s defensive perimeter in Asia lies along a line from Japan to Formosa (Taiwan) to the Philippines.
    
    This is worthwhile reading:
    
    https://thediplomat.com/2018/10/a-new-take-on-general-macarthurs-warning-to-jfk-to-avoid-a-land-war-in-asia/
    
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    March 1, 2026 12:19pm
  - cmm (semi-retired edition)
    
    ” Their military are not battle tested.”
    
    One might say the same about almost any military that has not had significant engagement in the last 5 years.
    
    Winning a few medals in WW2 or even 20 years ago means nothing. Military cultures change. Soldiers change.
    
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    March 1, 2026 3:16pm
NeverMindTheBollocks

Cue streams of refugees leaving Iran. Being Shi’ite, they’re unlikely to be welcomed by Sunny neighbours.

Islam, eh. All Mohamed’s family squabbles coming back to bite them.
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March 1, 2026 8:29am
- David George
  
  The people fleeing Iran will be the Islamic regime’s henchmen; the last people anyone would want.
  
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  March 1, 2026 9:50am
  - NeverMindTheBollocks
    
    Not necessarily. Plenty of civilians are going to leave a war zone.
    
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    March 1, 2026 11:53am
    - rouppe
      
      It won’t be a war zone for long.
      
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      March 1, 2026 1:03pm
      - NeverMindTheBollocks
        
        Yeah, that’s what they said about Iraq. And Syria. And Afghanistan.
        
        You get the picture.
        
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        March 1, 2026 6:25pm
Frank the tank

Very interesting war to watch via the MSM. Gone are the military-type analysts, replaced by 20-something female academics with no idea regarding Iran’s military capabilities spitballing on what they think will happen.
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March 1, 2026 8:33am
- Charlotte Wells
  
  Iran has no military capability.
  
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  March 1, 2026 11:06am
  - kowtow
    
    Well they’re indiscriminately hitting Tel Aviv and other sites in Israel and the Gulf States .
    
    They have also armed Russia to the teeth with drones etc
    
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    March 1, 2026 11:46am
  - kowtow
    
    Dubai would beg to differ.
    
    https://gulfnews.com/uae/uae-intercepts-new-wave-of-iranian-missiles-all-you-need-to-know-1.500458669#google_vignette
    
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    March 1, 2026 1:01pm
  - Charlotte Wells
    
    The total tonnage of explosives that all of Iran’s missile stock can deliver is equivelent to the tonnage of bombs dropped on Germany, in 1 night.
    
    Yes there will be some destruction and possibly a few deaths.
    
    Germany survived how many nights of that tonnage of bombs being dropped.
    
    Iran has no expeditionary capability.
    
    That is why it has been at war with the rest of the world via its proxy forces. A war it has been waging for the past 20 years or so.
    
    Can anyone care to sugget that the world would be worse off when the Iran regime is exterminated?
    
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    March 1, 2026 1:46pm
- Wandering Star
  
  That’s mostly what happens here though too, Frank: it’s all superficial thinking, “Mad Mullahs” and “Israeli self-defence” and other slogans, all without any real appreciation of the history or the political reasons for the latest attack on Iran.
  
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  March 1, 2026 11:10am
Yvette

The Treaty’s supposed recognition of different rights …

Law academic Carwyn Jones published on Māori current affairs site E-Tangata criticism of PM Christopher Luxon’s speech at Waitangi and in part –
The critique objects to reducing tino rangatiratanga (Article 2) to only property rights and claims that interpreting Article 3 as “we are all equal” masks the Treaty’s recognition of different rights.

Various sources insist New Zealand citizens are all equal in rights and responsibilities.
So when others talk of “the Treaty’s recognition of different rights” they seldom pause to say what those rights are.

• Can anyone name any rights which Maori have over and above the equal rights and responsibilities we all have?
• And by what measure and to whom is qualification of being Maori determined to establish your right to extra rights?
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March 1, 2026 8:41am
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  In my view, “taonga” as used in the Treaty can only refer to physical things owned by Maori at the time. This would include mere, greenstone, kiwi cloaks, waka, pou, etc. It would exclude fishing grounds, rivers, food gathering locations as these are explicitly covered elsewhere. It would certainly exclude things like oil & gas, phone spectrum etc – how can you treasure something that was unknown or unvalued?
  
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  March 1, 2026 9:51am
- rouppe
  
  Can anyone name any rights which Maori have over and above the equal rights and responsibilities we all have?
  
  1. Reserved places into medical and dental Schools.
  2. University scholarships reserved for maori that no other race can apply for.
  3. Avoidance of catch limits for fish and other species
  4. Preferential access to the health system.
  5. Preferential treatment in sentencing via cultural reports.
  6. Preferential tax liability via iwi family trusts that have charity status for no reason I can discern.
  7. Separate access to parliament.
  
  That’s just what I can think of two beers in on a Sunday afternoon.
  
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  March 1, 2026 1:12pm
Southern Raider

Left wing media are loosing any common sense they may of had. One ABC senior journalist went on a several minute anti Israel rant including a whole lot of antisemitic stereotypes. Another ABC journalist claimed protests happen every couple of years in Iran and then calm down so we should just ignore them – he just dismissed 100,000 people being murdered so far this year.
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March 1, 2026 8:42am
- Wayne1749
  
  Many, many on the American right are saying this is a war for Israel.
  
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  March 1, 2026 10:33am
  - Charlotte Wells
    
    And from the left it will be a war for oil.
    
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    March 1, 2026 11:36am
    - AitchW
      
      Unlikely given that the lion’s share of Iranian oil is sent to China.
      
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      March 1, 2026 5:53pm
  - David George
    
    Maybe Crazy Tucker Carlson said that but “Right” comments that I’ve seen are firmly on the side of the long suffering Iranian people. Not the Islamist terrorists.
    
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    March 1, 2026 11:36am
    - kowtow
      
      Another aspect of this thing is knocking out a very pro China , pro Russia, oil rich regime ( like Venezuela).Trump gets to ‘control’ even more of the energy market .( if this goes to plan)
      
      This is a pro MAGA war.
      
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      March 1, 2026 11:49am
    - sungsamning
      
      Yeah, as far as the MAGA team are concerned he is Tucker Qutarlson. His credibility is zilch. Ditto for MTG, and Candace.
      
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      March 1, 2026 1:36pm
      - mike
        
        Dissidents from the crazy cult are still crazy.
        
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        March 1, 2026 5:52pm
- Wandering Star
  
  “…100,000 people being murdered so far this year.”
  
  We keep hearing this figure as if it’s a fact. It was previously 30,000 without any evidence (plucked out of thin air by Bari Weiss), and now it’s morphed to more than triple that number at 100K – any actual evidence for this wild claim?
  
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  March 1, 2026 11:06am
  - Albie
    
    WS, my hair dresser is Iranian. I had a haircut on Thursday. She said the 30,000 number was accurate when it came out. Her family that are still there are having a terrible time under that awful regime. Good on Trump for finally doing something.
    
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    March 1, 2026 2:01pm
    - Wandering Star
      
      Well, if your Iranian hair dresser confirms the number, then it must be true.
      
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      March 1, 2026 2:57pm
Southern Raider

A line has been drawn across the planet.

Those who support the effort to get rid of the evil Mullahs and free the people of Iran, which includes the majority of Middle Eastern countries.

And the radical left including Madami, Corbyn, Green MPs, Islamic clerics and the commentators on the RNZ posts.
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March 1, 2026 8:44am
- grumpy
  
  RNZ serves a useful purpose of gathering all the hard left zealots to their posts like moths to a flame. Their hypocrisy knows no bounds.
  They all wish the mullahs Godspeed to their flock of willing virgins, completely ignoring the misogyny inherent in the religion of peace.
  
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  March 1, 2026 10:45am
  - NothingLeft
    
    The far left are for the most part nothing more than tribalistic NPC’s who support Current Thing™, they are colossally ignorant of history, psychology, economics and science, are incapable of original thought or critical thinking and learn their verbal scripts from tik tok.
    
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    March 1, 2026 12:58pm
Nikola Donatello

I suport higher defence spending. However only if it is fiscally neutral.

ACT will need a policy prescription to reduce government spending by one percent of GDP to finance the higher defence spending. I am sure that they could do it but National would not.

One percent of GDP is $4.4 billion. Cutting other expenditure by that amount is not difficult.
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March 1, 2026 8:59am
- kowtow
  
  Yep , there’s no point having all the “luxuries” if they can’t be defended.
  
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  March 1, 2026 9:44am
  - Paulus
    
    Surely you mean protection of Taonga !
    
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    March 1, 2026 1:57pm
- Colville
  
  I would suggest cutting $4.4Bil out of social services to fund the Armed Forces is electoral suicide and one thing ACT dosent do is support vote losing policies. ie : nuclear energy no matter that they privately agree with it.
  
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  March 1, 2026 11:13am
- rouppe
  
  You could do a lot of it within MoD itself.
  
  Notwithstanding I don’t have in depth military experience… I’ll focus on the Navy.
  
  What are the goals for a NZ military?
  1. In peacetime, monitoring and defence of our EEC, most importantly fishing grounds.
  2. In wartime, integration with much bigger militaries.
  
  How could one achieve that?
  1. Forget the frigates. They’re slow, and can’t cover our EEC. If peacetime naval surface presence is required, use Coast guard style boats that China and the USA use. In wartime they are little better than a sacrificial pawn to protect destroyers and aircraft carriers.
  
  By not buying new frigates, we would save $1B US dollars each (constellation class).
  
  2. Arm up the Poseidon. I read recently that has happened a bit, with some small air to surface missiles having been ordered. If we don’t have sonar buoy and depth charge capability, get it.
  
  In wartime those Poseidon will integrate well with other military forces.
  
  3. Buy Sea Guardian drones. Arm them. They can fly for 30 hours at a time. They can cover vast areas of our EEC during peacetime at a fraction of the cost of Frigates or Poseidon. They can be deployed over the horizon, and if any illegal fishing boat refused to comply with instructions, it can be sunk. FAFO.
  
  Those drones will integrate well with other military in wartime.
  
  4. Our Hercules already work well in peacetime and wartime.
  
  5. Our army already work reasonably well, but better tech would make them more lethal.
  
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  March 1, 2026 1:34pm
- Ian Boag
  
  One percent of GDP is $4.4 billion. Cutting other expenditure by that amount is not difficult.
  
  Sure – reinstate the landlord tax thing which I understand to be $3bn over 4 years? Most of $1bn/year. Leaving aside the “right-or-wrong” bits of the argument – it’s for the benefit of a relatively small number of people who would vote NACT anyway. The question is can we afford it?
  
  Income test the pension – about $1-2 bn/year. Could make it happen tomorrow and there would not be widespread sympathy for the oldies affected … Just one of those things.
  
  Or maybe you know some other areas where things could be cut. Given that the big 4 are health, education, pension and other welfare at about $20+bn each one must be able to cut $1bn out of each …. ? Not sure how much would be saved by running a knife through the public service but you could no doubt let us know 🙂
  
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  March 1, 2026 6:18pm
  - mike
    
    Means testing national superannuation, to bring it into line with other welfare benefits, would easily pay to resurrect our largely toothless defence force.
    
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    March 1, 2026 6:25pm
    - Ian Boag
      
      Currently 1% of GDP give or take a bit. Another 1% is $4bn give or take. Saving that out of the pension would take both income and asset testing – which the Australians manage. Their rule is that basically if you own your house and have another mill or so the pension goes. Sure you can do legal fiddles to get round it, but with the cost of legal/accounting stuff the $15k/year you might save might not be worth it.
      
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      March 1, 2026 6:52pm
CJames

With the current war, it will be interesting to see who breaks with the team positions – left condemning Israel/ US, right supporting it. Looks like Albo has already switched sides. Who will in NZ? And just what reasons are given for the change in opinion – that will indicate where election lines will be drawn on foreign policy.
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March 1, 2026 9:08am
- MCōs
  
  Trump is threatening to take over the whole of Iran apparently
  That should sort out the hawks from the isolationists on the right
  
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  March 1, 2026 9:13am
  - CJames
    
    Did he – can you quote the words? All I can see is“The hour of your freedom is at hand,” the president said in his statement. “This will be, probably, your only chance for generations. . . . This is the moment for action. Do not let it pass.”
    That doesn’t look like a takeover to me, but it will be in the febrile minds of the left
    
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    March 1, 2026 9:23am
  - CJames
    
    So I can’t be accused as taking it out of context, this is the full section of what he spoke/ wrote on the takeover “Finally, to the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered. Don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be, probably, your only chance for generations. For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. Now you have a president who is giving you what you want. So let’s see how you respond.”
    
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    March 1, 2026 9:26am
    - Jethrod
      
      Beware what you wish and hope for!
      
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      March 1, 2026 9:32am
    - Dudley Quaffquaff
      
      Who’s he talking to, exactly? Is there a capable, well-organised group of Iranians that has the competence, and the popular support, to step up and see through Iran’s reconstruction? Precedent isn’t exactly encouraging in that part of the world.
      
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      March 1, 2026 9:34am
      - David George
        
        What would you expect given the nigh on half a century of violent repression and the consequent fracturing of any organised alternative. Prince Pahlavi has offered himself as a unifying figure. I hope it all works out OK for them; God knows the Iranian people have been through hell since 1979.
        
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        March 1, 2026 10:06am
      - kowtow
        
        yeah well that excludes the incumbents.( soon to be ex)
        
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        March 1, 2026 10:23am
      - Don Beckett
        
        Yes there is – the Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi has been waiting in the wings – the people of Iran – 70% – would like the the Shah back with a limited monarchy or democratic government, and the crown prince supports that. He has been speaking to leaders in Iran, including heads of military dissatisfied with the mullahs.
        
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        March 1, 2026 11:13am
      - Taieri
        
        the people of Iran – 70% – would like the the Shah back
        ————
        
        And how do we know that?
        
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        March 1, 2026 11:40am
      - AitchW
        
        I wonder if the Coalition of the Willing might be encouraged to send a delegation of practically minded constitutional experts and governance experts to advise the Persian people on how to rebuild their democracy?
        We have to help them having created a vaccum. Anything else would be irresponsible.
        
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        March 1, 2026 5:59pm
    - Ghost
      
      I would guess it is this comment that mcos is talking about
      
      I can go long and take over the whole thing, or end it in two or three days and tell the Iranians, ‘See you again in a few years if you start rebuilding [your nuclear and missile programs],” Trump said in a five-minute phone interview from Mar-a-Lago.
      
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      March 1, 2026 9:35am
      - CJames
        
        That seems to say that there will be repeat military action if the regime survives and starts to go back to making nuclear bombs and ballistic missiles. That is a long way from “threatening to take over the whole of Iran”
        The videos coming out of Iran and the Middle East of the people indicate that there was little popular support there for the mullahs. Maybe more in Western academia than there
        
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        March 1, 2026 9:49am
      - David Garrett
        
        Ghost : don’t know why you get downticked for that simple statement of fact…but then who knows what goes on in their minds?
        
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        March 1, 2026 9:51am
      - grumpy
        
        David, any “doubt about what goes on in their minds” can be easily assuaged by looking at the comments on the RNZ posts.
        
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        March 1, 2026 10:49am
  - kowtow
    
    ‘That should sort out the hawks from the isolationists on the right’
    
    or it’ll reveal all the enablers and supporters of the evil mullah regime on the left .
    
    Ridiculously Starmer , late to the party and isolated from his “closest” ally has proclaimed UK took no part in the attacks , but condemns the mullah regime which “backed some 20 potentially lethal attacks on Uk soil” in the last year .
    
    So what’s ‘e done about that.
    
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    March 1, 2026 9:51am
    - mogg
      
      Much of Labour’s massive majority in UK parliament is Pro Palestine, they will also support Iran. Starmer may be in office but he is not in power,
      Corbyn may have been excluded but Momentum are still a powerful force within Labour and they are now pulling the strings. Starmer is a puppet leader.
      
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      March 1, 2026 11:01am
      - MCōs
        
        What does pro Iran mean?
        
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        March 1, 2026 9:14pm
    - Scooter
      
      Starmer is hedging his bets by saying he wasn’t involved in the attacks yet supports them. No doubt it was in part to appease the immigrants at home. That he would even say that he had no part just shows how deluded he is that he thinks the UK would even be involved in the first place.
      
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      March 1, 2026 11:14am
      - kowtow
        
        The Americans will have wanted to use RAF bases in Cyprus , UK and Diego Garcia. Appears they weren’t allowed. Open to correction.
        
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        March 1, 2026 1:40pm
- David George
  
  I heard a safety warning from Winston but nothing since. Anyone?
  Albanese didn’t mince his words of support for the attack – no doubt the regime’s terrorist attacks in Australia have something to do with that.
  
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  March 1, 2026 9:46am
  - leoj
    
    Albo is speaking through gritted teeth.
    Meanwhile, does New Zealand even have a PM?
    Luxon might not be here. [Mod – give the racism a break]
    Dump him before it’s too late.
    
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    March 1, 2026 9:53am
    - Flossie
      
      The PM has put out a statement.
      
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      March 1, 2026 10:42am
  - David Garrett
    
    DG: Apologies… downticked by mistake
    
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    March 1, 2026 9:56am
  - Ghost
    
    https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/nz-government-statement-iran
    
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    March 1, 2026 10:14am
    - Chuck Bird
      
      “We call for a resumption of negotiations and adherence to international law – and we urge the Iranian leadership to seek a negotiated solution that returns Iran to the community of nations. ”
      
      What a stupid comment. What is needed is Shaw’s son’s temporary return and then elections. There is presently no government ot negotiate with.
      
      9 5
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      March 1, 2026 10:42am
  - kowtow
    
    ‘Albanese didn’t mince his words ‘
    
    Just another pollie.
    
    He used to go along to the anti semetic marches when he was a back bencher.
    
    10 2
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    March 1, 2026 10:26am
NeverMindTheBollocks

The Pakistan Association of NZ president Dr Asif Saeed Khan has expressed concern that the outbreak of war between Afghanistan and Pakistan could result in conflict between eponymous locals now residing in NZ.

Every and any migrant needs to be told on arrival here that they have to check their tribal and ancient enmities at the door; and that any action to the contrary is grounds for revocation of visas, residency and citizenship – because the grant of these is conditional on the individual being a good person; and any anti-ancient-enemy action is proof of the contrary.

http://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/588285/worries-war-could-affect-relationship-between-pakistani-afghan-new-zealanders
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March 1, 2026 9:21am
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Exactly….and we shouldn’t be reticent about sending immigrants (including refugees) back to their country of origin if they continue to indulge in its partisan politics.
  
  27 1
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  March 1, 2026 10:53am
- MCōs
  
  It’s a bit of a problem in Palestine
  https://x.com/raggedtp/status/2027501668108034129?s=46&t=XZLqGbhN-xeYzprhTaktsg
  
  2 2
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  March 1, 2026 12:06pm
  - MCōs
    
    And in Catholic Spain with these Orange Order loud mouths
    https://youtube.com/shorts/h2NV4NJVvc0?si=F28unKDOqH4pUkG3
    
    1 0
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    March 1, 2026 2:25pm
- sungsamning
  
  Is there any way they can both lose?
  
  0 2
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  March 1, 2026 1:43pm
David George

Breaking news.
Ali Khamenei,the head of the head of the snake, has been eliminated along with these vile butchers:
Ali Shamkhani – Secretary of the Iranian Security Council
Mohammad Pakpour – Commander of the IRGC
Mohammad Shirazi – Head of the Military Bureau
Aziz Nasirzadeh – Defence Minister
Hossein Jabal Amelian – Chairman of the SPND (military technology)
Reza Mozaffari-Nia – Former Chairman of the SPND
Saleh Asadi – a senior intelligence officer
29 4
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March 1, 2026 9:42am
- Notsofast
  
  Looks like regime change.
  Meanwhile Helen Clark is berating the mission on X by reposting Kamala Harris and so on.
  This is pure ideology and parasitic/suicidal empathy.
  
  32 2
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  March 1, 2026 9:47am
  - grumpy
    
    Is she volunteering to be one of the recently departed Ayatollah’s virgins?
    
    15 3
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    March 1, 2026 10:54am
    - Notsofast
      
      She is specifically saying that this is a breach of international law, and there is never a justification.
      
      “In absence of an imminent threat to security of US & Israel, the armed attacks on Iran are illegal under international law. The Iranian regime is a vicious theocracy which has caused huge trauma to its people. But that isn’t a reason for a breach of Iran’s sovereignty”
      
      https://x.com/i/status/2027853255943102731
      
      We know the United Nations default to supporting Hamas and the Islamic republican guard, and in many specifics actively do so, so that would have been good luck to the civilians, who are now dancing in the streets saying
      
      “We love Trump”.
      
      But what would they know?
      
      It is hard to have greater contempt for the depraved left than at this time in history.
      
      Winston and Chris Luxon are jointly positioned on the right side of history.
      Good.
      
      8 5
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      March 1, 2026 11:20am
      - grumpy
        
        Closer to home but unreported by our Hamas loving MSM, Iran caught organising terror attacks in Australia…
        https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9d085n75q3o
        
        5 3
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        March 1, 2026 1:31pm
      - Ghost
        
        No, that was well reported in nz.
        
        The post
        
        Nz herald
        
        2 1
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        March 1, 2026 1:36pm
      - Charlotte Wells
        
        For more than the last 20 years Iran has funded attacks and caused the deaths of innocents around the world.
        
        Iran supplies drones that attack infrastructure and civilians in Ukraine.
        
        Iran arms and trains Hamas who killed 1,200 civilians in one attack.
        
        Houthi and Hezbollah attacks are funded and armed by Iran.
        
        All those things and the many more are all a breach on international law.
        
        How is Iran going to be stopped?
        
        4 2
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        March 1, 2026 5:51pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  Significant if true.
  
  11 1
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  March 1, 2026 9:55am
- Taieri
  
  Ali Khamenei,the head of the head of the snake, has been eliminated
  —————
  
  And what’s the evidence…?
  
  6 5
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  March 1, 2026 10:09am
  - Ghost
    
    Apparently photos of his dead body shown to trump and Netanyahu, Iran says he is safe…
    
    11 3
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    March 1, 2026 10:11am
  - kowtow
    
    Irrespective of whether the evil prick ( and his top henchmen) is dead or alive freedom loving , oppressed people of Iran are out in the streets celebrating , again.
    
    Thanks to Netanyahu and Trump.
    
    20 2
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    March 1, 2026 10:33am
  - David George
    
    There is photo evidence of Khamenei’s body according to US and Israel.
    I saw footage of the actual attack on the IIRG building, there was a towering tight flame coming out of the hole. Looked to me like a bunker buster entered and exploded from deep underground. The weasels hiding there wouldn’t have had a chance. Anyone else seen that?
    
    15 1
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    March 1, 2026 10:44am
    - Taieri
      
      Looked to me like a bunker buster entered and exploded from deep underground
      ————-
      
      That’s not an evidence. Khamenei could be hiding anywhere.
      In any case, there’s no shortage of ayatollahs in Iran, much younger than Khamenei, so I’d hold my horses till the clearer picture emerges.
      
      BTW: we were told last year that their nuclear production capability has been destroyed for foreseeable future, now it seems that it had miraculously recovered and had to be destroyed again. Something smells not quite rights here…
      
      5 7
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      March 1, 2026 11:48am
      - NothingLeft
        
        more educated people knew that was just Trump propaganda. The highly enriched U235 was moved before last years US bombing.
        
        I am somewhat surprised that mad Mullahs did not have any nuclear bombs ready for use in reprisal for this attack.
        
        1 6
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        March 1, 2026 1:05pm
  - AitchW
    
    No sign of him since the attack.
    No video of him condemning the barrage and vowing to destroy the US and Israel.
    So he’s either dead or cowering in a hole so deep that no signal can get out.
    I’d pick the first.
    None of the mullahs will want the top job now!
    
    8 2
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    March 1, 2026 1:04pm
    - MCōs
      
      I wouldn’t count on it
      There’s always someone who thinks they have all the answers
      As it happens Iran has confirmed the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei so I suppose we’re going to find out
      
      4 2
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      March 1, 2026 2:43pm
      - MCōs
        
        One may or may not like the BBC, but to my mind Lyce Doucet is an exceptional analyst
        https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98g91wgdd8o
        
        3 1
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        March 1, 2026 4:10pm
- Tom Barker
  
  For some reason you haven’t listed the 100+ primary-school age girls killed in an air strike, whose names will now probably never be known outside their own country. Not that Trump or his cheer-leaders care.
  
  3 9
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  March 1, 2026 1:44pm
  - CJames
    
    Don’t need to list them. As I point out on other post, the school was decimated by an Iranian rocket misfiring. Or should those deaths be added to the toll of those the mad mullahs killed?
    
    7 3
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    March 1, 2026 2:32pm
- sungsamning
  
  Good news. They’ll be disappointed to find out all their 72 virgins look like purple, blue, or pink middle aged cat ladies with degrees in pretend academic fields.
  
  9 3
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  March 1, 2026 1:45pm
Gravelroad

Oh dear, both Auckland and Waikato got beaten in the rugby.
Will certain senior players now complain to the Rugby Union about the coaches? With a view to getting them sacked?
That appears to be what happened to Scott Robertson.
The NZ Rugby Union might want to reflect on what happens when influential players with a grievance get what they want.
29 4
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March 1, 2026 9:42am
- mike
  
  No coach can survive the loss of confidence by the most essential players. And the decision makers can’t ignore the factors that underly that loss of confidence: baffling and inconsistent selections, rubbish game plans, disputes with assistant coaches, etc.
  
  5 19
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  March 1, 2026 10:00am
  - grumpy
    
    You mean the hand picked “essential players” with a grouch – not selected, not made captain, asked to work too hard or told they were not up to standard- those players?
    
    19 2
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    March 1, 2026 10:56am
  - In Vino Veritas
    
    There are no “essential” players in an All Black team mike. And Robertson championed that through the teams he coached over the years.
    And inconsistent selections? Rubbish game plans? In whose view mike?
    
    9 2
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    March 1, 2026 11:19am
  - Charlotte Wells
    
    In years to come a 76% win rate will be warmly remembered as the glory days.
    
    The All Blacks are going to be severly hammered on the tour of South Africa and might be eliminated at the quarters stage of the next world cup.
    
    The world has caught up and is surpassing the All Blacks.
    
    4 1
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    March 1, 2026 5:59pm
- Burtland
  
  the NZ Rugby Union has been infected with the woke mind disease – its head needs to be chopped off
  
  23 3
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  March 1, 2026 10:08am
- Colville
  
  I hate this time of the season where players are going to hard and get broken.
  
  https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360945112/hurricanes-lose-no-10-brett-cameron-season-after-knee-injury
  
  4 0
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  March 1, 2026 11:19am
Master Mariner

Is the Strait of Hormuz now closed?
According to Iranian news it is.
How critical is the Oil that transits it too SE Asian refineries?
If this war continues longer than a month will put NZ Strategic Fuel reserves and economy into unknown territory ?
14 3
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March 1, 2026 10:28am
- Taieri
  
  Is the Strait of Hormuz now closed?
  —————
  
  Marinetraffic shows a large number of tankers at anchor off Fujairah at the entrance to Hormuz. Some shipping seems to be still going through though, but not much. Also, there’s a number of tankers at anchor off Sharjah and Dubai.
  
  11 1
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  March 1, 2026 11:59am
  - Quail
    
    Fill up the car,
    Fuel.prices going north??
    Inflation?
    War is hell.
    
    5 3
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    March 1, 2026 2:09pm
- kowtow
  
  Instead of huge spending on ‘renewables” like solar and wind and LNG termini our money would be better spent on coal to petrol technology/plants . Making us independent of vulnerable world supply lines and impoverishing through un necessary , unreliable imports .
  
  8 3
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  March 1, 2026 12:37pm
  - sungsamning
    
    I see what you’re getting at. During WW2, the German government made synthetic petrol. It cost three times as much though. However, they didn’t have a choice.
    
    5 2
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    March 1, 2026 1:47pm
    - MCōs
      
      That gas terminal still relies on imported product, which Germany was avoiding with it’s synthetic petrol
      I’m picking it won’t be an issue because the current fracas won’t last more than a few days. It’s in the interest of the various countries in the region for normal business to resume
      Few people will weep many genuine tears for Iran or Israel
      
      3 3
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      March 1, 2026 3:05pm
    - kowtow
      
      Better to have expensive fuel than none at all.
      
      Whatever about the Krauts , SA and Brazil do a lot of synthetic fuel .Not sure about cost .
      
      1 2
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      March 1, 2026 3:26pm
  - Nikola Donatello
    
    That will never happen. Emissions would go through the roof and so would the price of units in the Emissions Trading Scheme.
    
    0 0
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    March 1, 2026 11:11pm
Chuck Bird

The Outsiders on Sky soon should be interesting.
4 8
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March 1, 2026 10:44am
Jack5

Worth noting: This month is the 250th anniversary of Adam Smith’s momentous work, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.

A beacon in economics and in Western civilisation.
5 1
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March 1, 2026 12:53pm
Chuck Bird

FYI

Unilateral attack on Iran must be condemned
Posted by Marama Davidson March 01, 2026 12:07 PM

“Trump and Netanyahu’s unilateral attack on Iran must be condemned as an illegal and unprovoked act against the people of the region and any genuine pathway to peace” Green Party Co-Leader Marama Davidson says.

https://www.greens.org.nz/unilateral_attack_on_iran_must_be_condemned

[Mod – just a paragraph and a link is all that is needed]
7 5
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March 1, 2026 1:20pm
- kowtow
  
  Did she condemn the Mullah’s massacre of their own citizens.
  
  12 4
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  March 1, 2026 1:38pm
  - Northshoredoc
    
    Apparently they did.
    
    1 0
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    March 1, 2026 5:01pm
- nathie
  
  But of course, the Hamas hugging Green Party is upset that the regime that funds the de-stabilising of the Middle-East has gone to meet their maker so-to-speak.
  
  Apart from the shear hypocrisy “standing-up” for a murderous totalitarian regime, do the Green Party have any comment on the regime leadership now partying with their 72 virgins and fulfilling prophecy?
  
  9 3
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  March 1, 2026 1:42pm
  - grumpy
    
    The misogyny of it all…….
    
    2 2
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    March 1, 2026 6:50pm
- Wandering Star
  
  For once, I agree with Marama Davidson.
  
  It’s difficult to condemn others for being the cause of Middle Eastern turmoil when they’re the ones going around attacking everyone else whenever they feel like it.
  
  4 16
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  March 1, 2026 1:47pm
  - Swifty
    
    Yes, the cause of terrorism is our resistance to it!
    
    FFS.
    
    4 4
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    March 1, 2026 4:46pm
- NeverMindTheBollocks
  
  By their friends shall you know them …
  
  4 3
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  March 1, 2026 1:47pm
- sungsamning
  
  Well, she would say that wouldn’t she. I guess her fans don’t have the new Persian flag in their closets. Just the Ukrainian, and Palestinian ones. they won’t ever hit the streets for the protesters in Iran.
  
  9 3
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  March 1, 2026 1:50pm
- mandk
  
  This was predictable from the Greens.
  
  Never mind the fact that the regime has killed tens of thousands of its own people.
  
  Never mind the fact that many female anti-regime protesters have been raped and blinded.
  
  Never mind the fact that the regime has brutally oppressed women for decades.
  
  If the Americans and Israels were responsible for attacking the regime, they must be the villains.
  
  Shalom Eretz Israel.
  
  God bless America.
  
  15 5
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  March 1, 2026 2:04pm
- Northshoredoc
  
  Always difficult to know if the NZ Greens are only pandering to their base or just plain daft.
  
  10 0
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  March 1, 2026 5:00pm
  - Charlotte Wells
    
    Could be both.
    
    Their base is daft.
    
    6 1
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    March 1, 2026 6:02pm
rouppe

I didn’t realize Bill Clinton’s proclivities were so numerous.
5 3
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March 1, 2026 3:21pm
cmm (semi-retired edition)

OK, maybe I lost a few brain cells recently, but how can
suppressors (aka silencers) be classified as “sensitive military equipment”?

Suppressors are common as muck. Yes, some military forces use them, but they also use boot polish. If some boot polish went missing would you consider that “sensitive military equipment”?

Until Cindy threw a paddy, suppressors didn’t even need a firearms license.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/high-level-of-concern-over-missing-nzsas-weapons-gear/premium/DFFZUVHF2ZHKVL4YJGIQKGIKQU/
5 1
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March 1, 2026 3:23pm
Chuck Bird

Would it be possible to arm and train the Iranian protesters?
2 3
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March 1, 2026 5:12pm
- rouppe
  
  Yes but America did that with the Mujahideen which turned into Al Queda and bit them in the arse.
  
  So I’m not sure I’d do that with any alacrity.
  
  4 1
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  March 1, 2026 5:50pm
  - Chuck Bird
    
    It would not be easy, but unarmed people cannot win against those who are armed. The Yanks or Israelis could maybe help with choppers and A10s.
    
    1 2
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    March 1, 2026 7:39pm
    - Charlotte Wells
      
      Check out the Iranian army. Not the IRG.
      
      Pretty much every Iranian male is trained and armed as a result of the conscription policy.
      
      1 0
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      March 1, 2026 8:57pm

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