{"id":79573,"date":"2024-10-10T09:00:55","date_gmt":"2024-10-10T09:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/?p=79573"},"modified":"2024-10-10T09:00:55","modified_gmt":"2024-10-10T09:00:55","slug":"kim-dotcom-fends-off-arrest-before-conspiracy-theories-reality-collide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/?p=79573","title":{"rendered":"Kim Dotcom Fends Off Arrest Before Conspiracy Theories & Reality Collide"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"dotcom-kim\"<\/a>Kim Dotcom\u2019s war of attrition, against the governments of New Zealand and the United States, seems to have entered a new phase.<\/p>\n

After 12 years of legal action, New Zealand Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith approved Dotcom\u2019s extradition to the United States back in August. <\/p>\n

New Zealand Herald recently obtained a copy of the order. As far as we know, the order still hasn\u2019t been published in full, but it did authorize Dotcom\u2019s immediate arrest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI authorize any constable to take Kim Dotcom, who is currently on bail, into custody,\u201d the order reads, as per NZ Herald\u2019s report. The rest of the text matches the standard extradition document format as shown below.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"extradition-dotcom\"<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n

With a reputation for challenging orders from the New Zealand and United States governments, Dotcom\u2019s response was true to form.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love New Zealand. I\u2019m not leaving,\u201d he told his 1.7 million followers on X.<\/p>\n

\u201cI completely forgot this dude existed\u201d<\/h2>\n

On Reddit, the decision to extradite was discussed by the Kiwi inhabitants of \/r\/newzealand<\/a>. The majority expressed awareness of Dotcom, but several were clearly surprised that after 12 years, somehow he\u2019s still in New Zealand. <\/p>\n

Public opinion on Kim Dotcom is sharply divided. He evokes strong reactions, which can broadly be summarized as follows; 1) The man, the myth, the legend. 2) I never really liked him much. 3) I absolutely loathe the guy.<\/em><\/p>\n

A recent survey in New Zealand revealed that 46% of respondents believe Dotcom should be extradited. Almost a quarter (23%) said he should not, leaving just under a third (31%) confessing that they\u2019re \u201cunsure.\u201d <\/p>\n

Whether that means they could be convinced to support the Megaupload founder is up for debate. However, whether people like Dotcom or not, in the Reddit thread many New Zealanders found interesting common ground.<\/p>\n

United in Criticism of the Government<\/h2>\n

Either in connection with Dotcom\u2019s case or for other reasons, the New Zealand government receives withering criticism, even beyond that leveled at the United States.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dude has never even been to America and he is being sent to their fucking prison. Doesn\u2019t matter what anyone thinks of Dotcom, the situation is really wack,\u201d one commenter wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe US can fuck off, even though Kim dot com is a massive pile of shit,\u201d wrote another. \u201cThis will set a dangerous precedence.(sic)<\/em>\u201d <\/p>\n

And then the apparent common denominator; perceived New Zealand weakness due to the influence of the United States.<\/p>\n

\u201cKowtowing to the powerful is going to be a theme of this government,\u201d one commenter predicted. Another highlighted a point that has had many observers scratching their heads for over a decade; the illegal use of New Zealand\u2019s external spy agency<\/a> to gather intelligence on a New Zealand citizen, requested by a country the target has never visited.<\/p>\n

\u201cA German man, living in NZ, never visited the USA, with a Hong Kong company is somehow convicted and extradited to the USA. Using evidence via GCSB monitoring,\u201d one comment notes.\u201dI feel uncomfy about this precedence.\u201d<\/p>\n

The perception that New Zealand remains vulnerable to power and influence wielded from beyond its borders is not uncommon, especially in connection with the Dotcom saga. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a matter of record that Dotcom was the subject of illegal government surveillance. What remains baffling is the sheer scale of the subsequent raid on his mansion: a military-style operation involving the same number of helicopters used to kill Osama bin Laden, and four times the manpower. <\/p>\n

For those with a more conspiratorial outlook, fuel doesn\u2019t get much more potent than that.<\/p>\n

A Man With a Plan<\/h2>\n

The details of Dotcom\u2019s \u201cplan\u201d to stay in New Zealand are yet to be revealed. Given Dotcom\u2019s history, exhausting the judiciary with every possible avenue of appeal is pretty much guaranteed, no matter how unlikely the prospects of success.<\/p>\n

At the same time, it\u2019s likely that Dotcom will use social media to preach to the existing choir. He will also try to appeal to those who loathe him, and those who merely hate him, by focusing on a common grievance.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople keep suggesting that I should leave this corrupt US colony like a fugitive on the run. Hell no,\u201d he told 1.7 million X followers recently.<\/p>\n

\u201cCorrupt US colony\u201d and the interchangeable \u201cobedient\u201d variant are clearly derogatory, catering to theories of joint complicity and snivelling weakness. This rhetoric has been visible on Dotcom\u2019s social media accounts for some time, but the main theme is Dotcom\u2019s belligerent, out-of-the-blue support for Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. <\/p>\n

Russia\u2019s Usefulness in the Extradition Jigsaw<\/h2>\n

Dotcom\u2019s \u2018support\u2019 for Russia requires nuance. Dotcom frames Russia\u2019s actions as the entirely predictable (and yet completely avoidable) response to the alleged failures of the United States. And, by extension, the untenable position of President Biden, the person Dotcom sees as the architect of his downfall through the destruction of Megaupload. <\/p>\n

The crux of the matter is straightforward. In the event the Democrats retain power, Dotcom has no prospect of improving his entrenched position, which in part is the product of his own digging.<\/p>\n

What Dotcom can do, however, is indirectly assist opponents of Biden and the Democrats. That destabilization can introduce new room for maneuver in New Zealand, where opportunity is all but exhausted. <\/p>\n

Since 2022, Dotcom supported narratives more closely aligned with those of the Kremlin, in particular the claim that United States policy is the root cause of the current conflict. The amplification of anti-Ukraine rumors in the United States, strategically links alleged U.S. policy failures to billions of dollars in military aid, all at taxpayers\u2019 expense.<\/p>\n

This toxic mix, Dotcom insists, heralds the collapse of the dollar, the dismantling of the \u201cUS Empire\u201d, and ultimately a global human catastrophe; World War 3, no holds barred.<\/p>\n

A Complicated Smokescreen to Change the Status Quo<\/h2>\n

Some people believe that Dotcom genuinely supports Russia and, with his quotes regularly appearing on state-run news channels, arguing otherwise is a pretty tough ask. <\/p>\n

A different assessment starts with the things Dotcom values most \u2013 his family, his wealth, and his freedom \u2013 and applies that to a reputation of doing whatever it takes to protect and maintain those three, non-negotiable aspects of his life. Right now, his best chance is to tilt the chess board via a change at the White House, and then carefully exploit a change in policy.<\/p>\n

Dotcom\u2019s colleagues took a plea deal<\/a> from the U.S. and New Zealand that Dotcom insists he would never accept; certainly not if Biden was in power. A Donald Trump win, on the other hand, would introduce an administration Dotcom could be seen to negotiate with, on previously unthinkable terms, without losing face. Previous reluctance to admit any wrongdoing could suddenly seem trivial after the prevention of World War 3.<\/p>\n

Dotcom Disappears After Being Accused of a Serious Crime<\/h2>\n

Dotcom has been rolling the dice in high stakes plays for some time, the narratives surrounding the murder of Democratic National Committee employee Seth Rich being one example among many<\/a>. More recently the controversy surrounding the alleged contents of Hunter Biden\u2019s laptop received considerable attention from Dotcom. <\/p>\n

Dotcom\u2019s recent decision to revive the controversy by publishing an image on X, reportedly part of the haul from the laptop in question, led to a long suspension from Elon Musk\u2019s platform. X wanted Dotcom to confirm that he had committed a serious crime before reinstating his account; Dotcom refused.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"x-dotcom-laptop\"<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n

After X reinstated Dotcom\u2019s account, Dotcom retweeted<\/a> the tweet that caused his suspension, the image in question intact. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy Hunter post is now available again. However Elon was informed about my suspension immediately and did nothing for 2 weeks. He did that deliberately. Only Elon knows why,\u201d Dotcom wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always looked up to Elon for his innovations. I supported his takeover of Twitter and appreciated his whistleblowing with the Twitter files. He certainly gave me a voice until it was taken away. I thought he was one of the good guys and his stance for free speech was real. I\u2019m not so sure anymore,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

On Substack, Dotcom explained his position in detail<\/a> but was soon warning of a looming threat to Elon Musk<\/a>, should the Democrats remain in the White House.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last year it has become obvious to most that dark times are ahead of us. Make good use of your time. All the best to you, sincerely.\u201d<\/p>\n

From: TF<\/a>, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.<\/p>\n

Powered by WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kim Dotcom\u2019s war of attrition, against the governments of New Zealand and the United States, seems to have entered a new phase. After 12 years of legal action, New Zealand Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith approved Dotcom\u2019s extradition to the United States back in August. New Zealand Herald recently obtained a copy of the order. As […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":79574,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[308],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-torrent"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=79573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79573\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/79574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=79573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=79573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=79573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}