The bali 9 - is a death sentence appropriate?

[boban]

On 60 minutes tonight I saw the children who are soon to meet their maker if convicted and could not help stop thinking about it when I saw the son (about 20) crying on his mum's shoulder.

I've got little doubt that they did it for the money and I see the results of drugs more often than most, especially early on in my career, but do these children deserve to die for what is no doubt a stupid decision. But lets be real, at that age who wasn't stupid in some way....some might say that they still are.

What a horrible, horrible business. And I dont think for a moment that this was about their upbringing etc. They met the wrong person, they got greedy, they made the wrong decision.........

What do you think, am I getting soft?

Oh and BTW, I dont think they kill rapists or child molesters. How could drug running be any worse than that?

[Gingermick]

That drug can kill people. And people on it aren't really capable of doing much, however as governemts have decided that they should be able to tell us what we can and cant do to our own bodies, its illegal and therfore really expensive. This is the main cause of the misery associated with tthat drug (money to buy more). And the main cause of the attraction for people to do really stupid things, viz; Carry drugs through countries where they have the death penalty.
Does the punishment fit the crime? After all they are only trying to fill a demand. I think drug laws are most illogical and irrational
I hate drugs, (even from alcohol when I have a hangover) but think they should be all legal or all illegal. (that includes tobacco the biggest killer by 1000 times)
They dont deserve to die.

And I have close family experience

[bitingmidge]

How could drug running be any worse than that?

How could anyone think it's not?

Maybe you ought to get out and work with some of the organisations that provide assistance to the victims, and I'm not just talking about users, many of whom end up dead one way or another.

As far as the question goes, what I think, or what some idiot journo tells us doesn't matter a jot, if the laws of a country have been broken, it's the job of the judiciary in that country to decide.

Of course any conspirators caught in this country should be rounded up and sent there for trial as well.

How arrogent are we becoming as a nation when we think OUR LAWS are better than THEIRS??? Isn't that the sort of behaviour that we gently chide our Seppo friends for......if 160 million people in Indonesia can live with the consequences of dealing in drugs, then that's all the idiots who do have to know.

Cheers,

P (getting the week off to a flying start!)

[Gingermick]

[QUOTE=bitingmidge]How could anyone think it's not?

/QUOTE]

A dichhead on the street using drugs as opposed to someone raping my children or even yours?

[Zed]

on the face of it they are guilty - I saw the richard carlton thing last night - I dont like him - he aint a bastion of integrity... more of an ambulance chaser (if he can do with without his suitcase full of pate fio de gras and quail eggs spilling open)

they knew the risks, its all over the AUSTRALIAN passports they were issued ; "In some countries drug related offences can result in the death penalty." In some of thier cases passports meant multiple fake ones (Or so the press says)

$10 million big ones is a $hit pot of corruption - let 'em swing.

now corby.... thats ANOTHER matter.

[Iain]

Having had first hand experience with druggies I know that most are a lost cause, sent several for rehab, all seems to be going well then, bang, don't turn up for a treatment so we head off to home and find them dead on the floor with a syringe hanging out of their arm.
They are also expert liars and will steal from their own family to support their habit.
The dealers generally do not use the drugs and are well aware of the supply and demand in the market place that they have created and as a consequence should be made accountable for their misguided deeds in whatever country they choose to get caught in.
As for innocent fools who claimed not tyo know the consequences, it's plastered everywhere, warning of what the result of the crime will be, and apparantly it's not the first time they went accross for some heroin.
2kg apiece is just a bit too much for recreational use, or one hell of a party.
At the bottom of the pile, I assess the risk when I put money in a parking meter knowing I'm going to be back about 5 minutes too late, it's a gamble and if I'm wrong I get a ticket, this is really not much different but the 'ticket' is a bit stiffer.

[TassieKiwi]

Your son/daughter a loser druggie = "evil wrongdoers - hang'em"

Your normal bulletproof 20-something son/daughter caught trying to make a buck = "Don't hurt my baby/innocent/didn't know etc etc"

Ne'er the twain shall meet.

Bloody awful business, all 'round. There but for the grace of (insert your god)....

[Zed]

someone has an auto signature that is accredited to billy connelly - he says something about the first bloke that milked a cow - did he know what he was doing ? or some such thing... funny in itself, BUT what about the first bloke who tried smack or coke or dope etc... did they know what they were doing and the anticipated results thererof ? has getting out of it been a known thing in early societies ? or just by products of well intentioned actions ? evil things drugs.

[echnidna]

Do the crime - do the time.
Break laws and pay the penalties, which are imposed by the country where the laws broken. If this lot go to the firing squad then all trafficers get the big message.
How many lives and how much misery have been saved by stopping this ring of druggies?

But I think Corby is a different matter and should be released.

[Rusty]

A death sentence is never aproppriate. Morally I don't think revenge and justice are the same thing, and politically I don't trust any government to do anything right; as for giving them the power to kill :eek:.

Ignorance abounds; we take it for granted that people know that drug crimes carry the death penalty in Indonesia, but we've aready established that they were stupid enough to get involved in the first place. I wouldn't be surprised if the dumba$$es thought Bali was part of Australia.

I have to disagree with Midge. I don't think it's arrogant to suggest our laws are better. They are our laws after all, for all their faults, and we don't live under military rule, for which I'm grateful.

The "Bali nine" themselves are proof that the death penalty is not a deterrent. Let them do time in Australia. I don't have first-hand experience, but I don't think it would be any picnic for them.

I have little doubt that there are people involved with this who are evil, and probably should die. But it's not the mules.

Rusty.

[silentC]

Don't think for a minute that the AFP didn't know exactly what they were doing when they tipped off the Indonesians, either. Yes, it should send a message - but the message wont go to the dealers because they have heard it before. It might make it harder to get mules. But then this lot must've been on another planet if they hadn't heard about Chappelle Corby.

Maybe there was some intimidation going on. Death threats against their familes and so on. I expect that will be part of the defence. The Indonesians will want to make an example of them though, so I expect it will be a bullet in the head for each of them. It's just a shame they can't extradite the ones who sent these kids over there and try them under Indonesian law too.

[echnidna]

So the 9 should now be well motivated to finger the Lords.

[DanP]

tonight I saw the children

They are all adults, not children. They are young, yes, but lets not get confused here. They are adults who were fully aware of the penalties of what they were doing. I think they should execute them for being so stupid. How could they think this wouldn't happen if they got caught, considering Corby's case.

What do you think, am I getting soft?

Yep.

Oh and BTW, I dont think they kill rapists or child molesters. How could drug running be any worse than that?

A lot of these countries do not have the same taboo's as we do. They do not think rape and child molestation are the heinous crimes that we think they are. That is just a difference in belief.


NOW, what I think about the whole thing. Have some consideraton for the end result of drug smuggling. Death, sickness, increased crime rates, just to name a couple. Most property related crime these days is related to drugs and the procurement of drugs. They are a blight to any society and all efforts should be made to stamp them out completely. If a few stupid, foolish people who get caught smuggling get the death penalty because they don't respect the local laws, then so be it.

but think they should be all legal or all illegal. (that includes tobacco the biggest killer by 1000 times)

You're kidding aren't you? If you banned all drugs you would have to ban alcohol (a depressant, the biggest killer of 18 - 25 year olds.) and coffee (caffiene (stimulant)) too.

[Daddles]

If you banned all drugs you would have to ban ---snip--- and coffee (caffiene (stimulant)) too.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Richard

[echnidna]

Right on Dan.