This post is political. Do not respond to it. FIRST WARNING --- James Newton: PICList webmaster/Admin mailto:jamesnewton@piclist.com 1-619-652-0593 phone http://www.piclist.com/member/JMN-EFP-786 PIC/PICList FAQ: http://www.piclist.com > -----Original Message----- > From: piclist-bounces@MIT.EDU > [mailto:piclist-bounces@MIT.EDU] On Behalf Of Russell McMahon > Sent: 2005 May 30, Mon 21:22 > To: PIC List > Subject: [OT][WOT] Boycott Bali ! (?) > > Politics? - I don't think so. > Rather, justice crying out to be seen to be done. > Hopefully acceptably within the OT gambit. > _________________________________ > > Boycott Bali? > Why wouldn't you? > Nobody with any sense whatsoever would ever again got to Bali > on holiday. But, alas, it's not that simple. > > I feel extremely sorry, and have done so for a long time, for > the Indonesian people trapped in a corrupt and dictatorial > state, lorded over by the military, where corruption is > utterly endemic, power is total influence and justice is, by > almost any standard, a joke. But it takes an extreme example > of them reaching into "our" world to really get my, and our, > attention. > > For the "Bali 9", dropped into the worst possible imaginable > situation by their own government, I can feel sympathy, but > they are manifestly the victims of their own evil-doing and > stupidity. Attempting to traverse Indonesian Customs with > significant amounts of heroin taped to your body leaves one > rightly open to anything the Indonesian 'authorities' may > choose to do to you. Sadly for them, death is not the worst > possible outcome for these people. > > But Schapelle Corby's case is different. Unquestionably, it > makes a difference to many that she is young, and pretty and > female, not to mention seemingly innocent. But it's not the > main point. The case against her has so many manifest holes > in it, the Indonesian Judiciary's performance at her trial, > which would be laughable in other circumstances, and the lack > of anything approaching reasonable process is completely > unacceptable to people accustomed to justice being > approximately just. The Australian Government's > statesmanlike "don't make waves" response is understandable > but verges on the Chamberlainesque. Their "gift" of nine > other (alleged) drug traffickers to the Indonesian > authorities seems to have gone unnoticed. > > That a leading Malaysian newspaper should decide to shill for > it's corrupt and irrational neighbour and accuse all > Australians of racism in their response is as unnacceptable > as it is unexpected. Their professed astonishment at the > depth of Australian response to the conviction suggests that > they will be utterly astounded at where things will go from > here. And while some of the responses are indeed racist, and > unacceptably so, the majority are not. Attempting to dismiss > the widespread and heartfelt public response in such manner > is in turn in large part racially motivated. If the Malaysian > press had been equally vocal on the several occasions in > recent years when foreigners were murdered in Indonesia and > the planners and perpetrators subsequently received trivial > sentences which were an affront to justice, one might less > feel that they 'doth protest too much'. > > Is Schapelle guilty? Just possibly. But almost certainly not. > And if she is guilty she is almost certainly mentally > deficient as well. To take around $50,000 of Marijuana and > import it into a country where it is freely available and > would be worth around $4,000. To place 4 kg of it in an > unidentifiable bag and then freely identify it as being yours > when asked, and to import it into, of all places, Indonesia, > where every Australian expects security should be much > tighter after the carnage that certain Indonesians wrought on > several hundred Australians a few years ago, would require a > degree of incompetence and irrationality only expected in the > upper echelons of "a certain country's" hierarchy. > > It would seem that her greatest mistake was being accused of > doing the wrong crime. In a country where you can plan the > subsequently successful murder of over 200 people, mostly > foreigners, including 88 Australians, and subsequently > receive a 3 year jail term for your efforts, and expect to be > out in far less than that, she was clearly accused of the > wrong crime. In a country where you can murder a NZ soldier > and cut off his ears as trophies and receive a similar > sentence to the mass murderer, she clearly got it all wrong. > Being accused of being a terrorist or 'simple' murderer would > seem far less onerous. > > Of course, the average visitor to Bali in future is unlikely > to face such problems. Chances are, if YOU visit you'll be > OK. The odds of you, or your partner, or your family being > framed for drug importation are quite small. Not really > anything to worry about at all. Do you anticipate going there > anytime soon? > > But all is not as clear-cut as it may seem. The sad thing is, > the anti-Bali backlash is liable to be huge, and deservedly > so. This incident has every prospect of doing to Indonesia > what the film "Midnight Express" did to the Turkish tourism > industry. BUT those who will suffer will be the Balinese > locals who depend on tourists for the vast majority of their > income. After struggling to win back the tourists after the > bombing, the judiciary and military of their own country have > now delivered them a body blow which will make the effects of > the bombing seem insignificant. And they have no part in the > injustices wrought by their masters. The response will harm > the innocent and fail to markedly affect those responsible. > And that's not justice either. > > > RM > > ________________________ > > Any doubts? > Read this > > > http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/cover_stories/transcript_1775.asp > > ________________________ > > Related: > > http://talkleft.com/new_archives/010870.html > > http://news.ninemsn.com.au/timeline.aspx > > > http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/cover_stories/article_1775.asp > > > http://www.google.co.nz/search?hl=en&q=%22boycott+bali%22&meta= > > -- > http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change > your membership options at > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist > > -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist