Samuel’s Persiflage Update Sleepy Newsagent

Bali Nine

February 16th, 2006 at 01:35am

As many of you, especially those of you in Australia, would already know, the so called “Bali Nine” are receiving their penalties for their drug smuggling activities. So far these penalties have either been a life sentence or a death sentence. Considering the misery and suffering that the substances which these nine people were attempting to smuggle would have caused if they had been successful, and especially considering that they would have made a profit from this suffering, I feel that the sentences are fair and good.

With the apparent corruption and other problems with the Indonesian justice system taken out of the equation, I think there are many lessons which the Australia justice system could learn from the Indonesian justice system. Harsh but fair penalties for illegal activities is something which I believe the Indonesian justice system carries out very well. If judges here took a harder stand on things, perhaps we would have less criminal activity.

Of course many other factors need to be taken into account when considering what would lower our crime rates. More police visibly on patrol is one such factor, and I must congratulate the ACT branch of the Australian Federal Police as I saw yesterday, for the first time in a very long time, two police officers actively on foot patrol through my suburb of Reid.

Illegal activities often stem from an addiction to illegal drugs, and a need to steal in order to finance the acquisition of said drugs. It is my firm opinion that the way to counter this situation is to retain the hard stance on drug smuggling and dealing, but to also have a government funded drug addiction reduction program, where drug users are required by law, to receive their drugs from the government, and from the government alone, as part of a supervised program to wean them off the drugs. Whether this would require specialised institutions or not is something which I haven’t quite worked out, although I think this would work best on a merit system, where drugs addicts are free to remain in the outside world as long as they follow the rules, but are placed in a drug rehabilitation institution if they violate the rules.

Certainly this would require a lot of funding initially, however the long term reduction in drug use, crime, and the associated burdens they place on society as a whole, would be well worth the effort and funding. After all, if we didn’t need to spend all this money on court proceedings for drug related offences, we would have an awful lot more public money available for essential services such as health care and schools.

Samuel

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31 Comments

  • 1. John B1_B5  |  February 16th, 2006 at 9:04 am

    “I don’t care what happens to the Bali nine ” (30/10/2005) —- John Laws on Radio 2UE , in relation to nine Australians on charges of smuggling drugs into Bali.

  • 2. punky_brewster  |  February 16th, 2006 at 9:19 am

    I don’t want to get into a big debate, but I think it is very closed-minded to suggest that these pentalties are ‘fair’.
    I believe that people are born good & just & it is experience that can taint a person. Therefore I believe there must be something in these peoples lives that has drove them to smuggle drugs. It’s not something you just do. To me, these people need help, not life in jail or death.
    I do agree that drugs have a negative impact on our society, but I truly believe that as a society we need to work out methods that help these people recover from an obvious sickness rather than punish them further. I mean, being addicted to drugs & losing days / months / years of your life being completely out of it is a fairly heavy punishment in itself, is it not?
    I know there will be people that disagree, this is solely just my opinion.

  • 3. Creambun  |  February 16th, 2006 at 10:31 am

    John Laws is a bigoted, cruel, heartless individual that talks way too much about things he knows nothing about. The scary thing in this society is not that we have people using drugs, it’s that there are mindless sheep out there that fail to think for themselves and follow the opinions of a man that seriously, KNOWS NOTHING.

    I can’t believe that anyone could justify young, healthy, human beings being put to death, whatever the justification the country dictates.

    Samual, you need to relise that a ‘tough stance’ on criminal activity has shown not to be a deterent at all. If it was, then Indonesia wouldn’t have a drug problem would it.

    Considering your opinions on these human beings, I pray your never in the position were it is your son or daughter on these sought of charges and you had to listen to narrow minded, cruel remarks such as the ones displayed here.

    Society would be improved, not with a tough stance, but maybe some people having a bit of empathy and compassion for others.

  • 4. heatseeker  |  February 16th, 2006 at 11:15 am

    OMG! It sounds like Samuel’s been possessed by the evil spirit of Lawsie!

    I mean, kill, kill, kill!

    In the meantime, I think a lifetime in a Bali jail would be too good for people who impersonate Sam.

    I’ve just been sent this link from someone who freqents that pompous evil loonie woman’s site: http://www.rsvp.com.au/profile/profileDisplay.jsp?handle=Biglinuxfan&uid=1004479&gSt=2&vSt=0&aSt=0&hSt=0&k=5908894123931487096&s=91314047&l=en&t=GUEST

  • 5. Chuck Berry  |  February 16th, 2006 at 11:18 am

    Out of the 12 member firing squad only 2 have live rounds. The others have blanks and none of them know what type of ammunition they have.

    If I was a member of this elite handpicked squad, I would feel jibbed if I was not 100% sure I was the first person in my street to have a confirmed kill.

  • 6. heatseeker  |  February 16th, 2006 at 11:30 am

    Sam, I think your aggressive moderation is ruining this site and stifling free speech!

  • 7. cunninglinguist  |  February 16th, 2006 at 12:23 pm

    Dontcha just love the way JohnB1_B5 just quoted Laws as if it is self-evident fact.

    Bloody hell, imagine having to listen to 2UE every day so you can get your instructions on how to think, what opinions the great Lawsie wishes you to have.

    Lawsie, Jonesy, Framey – is this some kind of latent homosexual expression of affection?

  • 8. cunninglinguist  |  February 16th, 2006 at 12:27 pm

    And Laws can sit up there in his ivory tower, with his golden phallic extension, away from the nitty-gritty of real people’s lives. Married to a conceited old woman nicknamed the Princess, Laws shelling out a fortune for her plastic surgery, expensive trinkets and designer clothing – the expensive properties he owns – the luxury vehicles – the investments – the kickbacks – if John Laws’ kid was in trouble in Indonesia, he’d just sell one of his Rolls-Royces and buy his kid out of there.

    But – his followers do not want to see this. They need to believe in their great Lawsie.

  • 9. Samuel  |  February 16th, 2006 at 3:11 pm

    Punky_Brewster, how would you like us to help these nine people?

    Creambun, that may be your opinion of Laws, but I would love to hear an explanation on why you think he is bigoted, cruel and heartless. Are you trying to tell me that is is OK for these young, healthy, human beings to bring in life ruining drugs which will ultimately bring misery and death on many drug addicts, but it is not OK to give them a similar punishment? Do you really think that they cared that they were going to harm and kill others? I don’t, I think they were much more interested in the financial profit. The Indonesian justice system is corrupt, that is why there is a drug problem. When they enforce the law properly they prevent people from acting illegally.

    Heatseeker, very funny, actually I held this opinion before Laws expressed his view…maybe Lawsie is possessed by me? I’ll deal with the link shortly, and the moderation was due to the link, I’ve set WordPress to be a bit more tolerant of links.

    Chuck, interesting fact, I didn’t know that.

    Cunninglinguist, your first sentence makes no sense, John B1_B5 mirrored the opinion of Laws, it may be fact that Laws said that, but it was hardly posted by John as some kind of law.

    I think you will find that most people who listen to talk radio (myself included) do disagree with the hosts from time to time. It’s not a matter of listening to copy opinions, it’s a matter of listening to hear a debate about current issues. Some of the best moments on talk radio come from debates. I often find myself partially agreeing with both sides of a debate, or becoming frustrated when either the host or a caller miss the point of the other person completely.

    For example, when Murray Olds was filling in for John Stanley, I found myself disagreeing with about 80% of everything Murray said. I sent him many emails expressing my views.

    Lawsie, Jonesy, Framey – is this some kind of latent homosexual expression of affection?

    No, and for the record I don’t listen to Alan Jones, although I gather he had a five minute segment on Channel 9’s “Today” show which was simulcast on 2GB where everyone seemed to be giving each other publicity. I didn’t see it or hear it so I can’t confirm it.

    I have no doubt that Laws isn’t even close to being your average battler, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a valid point of view though, nor does it mean he won’t listen to anyone else.

    I probably omitted the fact that I do feel sorry for the family of the Bali Nine, but if it was my child(ren) facing a life or death sentence for drug smuggling I would have two opinions.

    1. They deserve what they get.
    2. I would feel that I had failed as a parent, especially if the child(ren) were still relatively young.

    I don’t want to go through that situation, but a crime cannot be excused for family connection reasons.

  • 10. Samuel  |  February 16th, 2006 at 3:27 pm

    I should clarify that the link provided by heatseeker is not me. It uses a photo of me but gets a lot of info wrong. To start with I am 167cm, not 172cm. I was born on 2 June 1987 (evidenced by my phone call to 2UE’s John Kerr on the morning of the 2nd of June) which makes me a gemini, not a sagitarius. The list goes on, and I will reporting that profile as a fake to RSVP at once.

  • 11. heatseeker  |  February 16th, 2006 at 4:11 pm

    Ummm, Sam, do you think it’s wise to point out the errors in the profile? … it looks like the two you pointed out have just been updated. Why don’t you show a bit of subterfuge, and put forward some outrageous details that we know just couldn’t be true?

  • 12. Samuel  |  February 16th, 2006 at 4:18 pm

    Well, I’ve just received an email from Geoff at RSVP’s Customer Support informing me that the profile has just been removed.

  • 13. heatseeker  |  February 16th, 2006 at 4:26 pm

    Good thing! I would definitely investigate taking legal action! Are you going to put your own profile on RSVP?

  • 14. Samuel  |  February 16th, 2006 at 4:44 pm

    I just got an email from the person responsible for the prank with a copy of the now deleted profile. I won’t be taking any legal action over this matter, as long as circumstances don’t change.

    I do thank RSVP for being responsible and swift in dealing with the matter.

  • 15. Kooky_Pound_Puppy  |  February 16th, 2006 at 6:22 pm

    I agree Sam these people who either are involved in Processing, using, trafficking, selleng etc, of illegal substances need worthy punishment.
    I think the RSVP prank on Sam is cruel, nasty and stupid.
    Leave Sam alone and Heatseeker we are moderated as it is Sams site, I admit i may not always had posted what i should have, but i respect Sams choice to not publish/delete it.

    It is his blog

  • 16. Chuck Berry  |  February 16th, 2006 at 10:31 pm

    We should bring back public executions. It would give me something to do on the weekend plus I can get rid of my rotten fruit.

    The death penalty has been proven that it is a deterrent in such US states as Texas. Since Ronald Ryan was executed here, no one else has been hanged. So it does work as a deterrent as well as a punishment.

    I hear Alan Jones is quite partial to the type of hanging of youths as written in ‘The Naked Lunch’ by one of the worlds best known herion users William Burroughs.

  • 17. Chuck Berry  |  February 16th, 2006 at 10:34 pm

    Correction – ‘heroin’. Like the Lou Reed song not a female Commonwealth Games Volunteer.

  • 18. John B1_B5  |  February 17th, 2006 at 12:12 am

    “I don’t care what happens to the Bali nine ” (30/10/2005) —- John Laws on Radio 2UE , in relation to nine Australians on charges of smuggling drugs into Bali.

    Even before John Laws said that, I was thinking exactly the same thing !
    I don’t always agree with him….but I certainly do on this one.

    As for Alan Jones …. i rarely agree with anything HE has to say !

  • 19. Chuck Berry  |  February 17th, 2006 at 2:03 am

    Alan can go back to racing cars.

  • 20. Tom  |  February 17th, 2006 at 4:30 am

    I think Samuel’s looking at this too narrowly. I reckon if you change the context if the problem, the problem itself changes. In other words, stop seeing drugs as a criminal activity and start seeing it as an inevitable condition of society. If drugs were legalised and regulated by the government, you would cut off the head of many criminal operations and the government could start profiting from the endeavor instead of wasting huge amount of money spent on fruitlessly trying to stop drug smuggling etc

  • 21. heatseeker  |  February 17th, 2006 at 10:51 am

    Yes, I didn’t mind Alan when he was “King of the Mountain”, but he isn’t a patch of Lawsie, and he doesn’t have a Persiflage … does he?

  • 22. Chuck Berry  |  February 17th, 2006 at 11:01 am

    No he doesn’t have a Persiflage but he does have a podcast. A finger in every brown pie has Alan Jones.

    Yes heatseeker he is not a patch on Lawslie. Alan does not even have an album out about great truckin’ songs. He way behind the eight balls. However the balls keep hitting his chin.

    Alan is a member of the Film Actors Guild though.

  • 23. Kooky_Pound_Puppy  |  February 17th, 2006 at 12:47 pm

    I am watching PM at the other KP’s Memorial service at the Opera House, funny thing Alan Jones now on, the “other Alan Jones”.

  • 24. heatseeker  |  February 17th, 2006 at 1:47 pm

    That is very spooky KPP … as I said, I do believe Samuel’s musings do have mystical subliminal qualities, and he somehow prompted the mysterious Mr Jone to appear on the TV screen as were were discussing, or should I say, summoning, him.

    Was Lawsie invited to the Packer bash?

  • 25. Samuel  |  February 17th, 2006 at 4:00 pm

    Tom, I think we actually agree on that (for the most part anyway), re-read the last two paragraphs of the artice and you’ll see what I mean.

  • 26. seepi  |  February 17th, 2006 at 9:37 pm

    None of the 18 parents of the Bali nine have said their kids deserve what they get. It seems unlikely you would really think that of your own child.
    Surely 5 years would do?

  • 27. Samuel  |  February 17th, 2006 at 9:47 pm

    5 years?
    No, minimum of 20 years, although life or death is preferable in my mind.

  • 28. Kooky_Pound_Puppy  |  February 18th, 2006 at 1:33 am

    Yes Lawsie was at the bash, a few of them went on to where i work K packer donated money there saw Alan Jones in the flesh!!!!!!!!!!!.
    Saw him in 91 as tigers couch!

  • 29. Tom  |  February 18th, 2006 at 11:10 am

    Oh yeah. Sorry Sam- I didn’t read it properly

  • 30. Tom  |  February 18th, 2006 at 11:19 am

    But where we differ, is that I think drugs should be readily available in the same way that alcohol and cigarettes are, and provided and regulated by the government.

    I think this would heavily reduce the need to spend vast sums combating drug dealing, in the same way that the end of the prohibition era got rid of the need to spend vast sums on police enforcement, because people overwhelmingly choose the legal, accountable source to the illegal one.

  • 31. Kooky_Pound_Puppy  |  February 18th, 2006 at 12:39 pm

    Derivatives of them are available……morphine is one bond in its chemical formula to heroin.
    They are regulated via Goverment scheduling


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