I sit firmly in the middle. I am cynical towards the ridiculous reasoning displayed by Panda and all the other dimwits out there… but I am also critical of Shapelle being found guilty.

I know they don’t have reasonable doubt in Indonesia and to impose that would be unfair, but I have major concerns around 1) the quality of the evidence and 2) the method of evidence collection.

As much as I am loathe to impose Australian legal standards on Indonesia, the penalty is VERY harsh considering that most of the evidence would have been ruked inadmissable here.

I find the whole media circus thing to be absolutely depressing and a poor reflection on our society – it gave bogans a “cause” without knowing the facts, and without the intelligence to work things out for themselves.

Paul, I’m not interested in an “I’m more working class than she” pissing contest. Ms Fits’s post was funny. I’m sorry that some of us enjoy crass humour now and then.

Xenophobia and stupidity is xenophobia and stupidity, and we shouldn’t turn a blind eye because it’s “what they’re saying over the back fences of Thornlie” — racism is most effective when it divides the working classes, and in this case it appears to have destroyed solidarity between the working poor in Thornlie and the dirt poor in Bali. I’m not happy about that, and sure, the system has a lot to do with that, but it doesn’t excuse the “boycott Bali” crowd.

But feel free to email me with ideas for a guest post next time something worthwhile grabs your attention.

In the end, Ms Fits had the last laugh where the debate in this thread was concerned, but I guess its a pretty dubious honour to have your point of view confirmed this way. Jeez I hope they catch those guys.

As for the Indonesians, all their most fearful stereotypes about Australians just about confirmed right now. Why can’t we all just get along?

Paul: People! We must end the manipulation of the upper classes and reclaim autochthonous racism as our own!

[engage fans: revealing the upper class conspiracy of Ms Fits]

Grateful masses: Huzzah! No longer are we blinded by chains!

Ms Fits: Officer where are you taking me?

Unfortunately for her the inversion of Devine’s inexplicable summary will also have applied in Indonesia, where wide-eyed aggression and shouting create a magnified impression given their dissonance with local cultural approaches. It’s a shame she wasn’t given a PR advisor by the government- ideally one of those reviled-and-hated-elite academics who actually take an interest in Indonesia and its customs.

Calling her graceful is like calling her sister Mercedes…

She was pleading her case in front of an Indonesian court, remember? Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but if you’re being tried in a country with the largest Muslim population in the world (whose state apparatus is nominally secular but is in practice wary of denominations that don’t conform to the norm of Islam), then making not-so-subtle appeals to the judges about one’s Christian wholesomeness isn’t necessarily going to be a surefire cure for what ails you. Regardless of how much the Aussie press approves of your neckwear.

C’mon people, aren’t we a little too willing to pay out on someone just cause we think their image is being manipulated into a figurehead for bogan Australia? I’ve said this before, but isn’t this distracting us from bigger fish?

As far as the AFP thing goes, I don’t think that there is much more that needs to be, or indeed can be, said by me. Hopefully, truth will out, and soon.

And if it doesn’t, then I hope Ms Fits gets accidentally framed by some crooked cops one day, and so gets to rot in jail. Now *that* would be funny.

Corby began wearing a crucifix visibly in her pictures some time before the time, with the result that there were several letters to the ‘West’ and other papers pleading for the release of the ‘nice Christian girl’ Corby to be released. (Yes, ‘nice Christian girl’ were the words used).

If anyone’s into their legal history, it was reminding me somewhat of the Madame Fahmy case- ‘let this white Western woman go back into the light’ and all that.

What made this so funny was that she only became a Christian very recently, and toward the end of her trial!