Schapelle Corby sentenced to 20yrs

[J@3]

I'm getting sick of seeing her family on TV. I'd happy let her free if it meant locking those tools up for life.

[Matt]

did you hear her brother talk...

he said "they could of did it better"...haha, he looks like a dopey shit too. His weed probably.

i dont get it.... first he says its suicide to smuggle weed to australia nd then he says u could grow marijuana....is australia a weired country or what?

It's suicide to smuggle weed to Indonesia...theres no point...you'd LOSE money + get death penalty for it. (which is what she would have gotten had there not been such interest in this case). In Australia you can grow weed, 3 plants max i think, but you can't smoke it. haha.

anyways, it's weird, in Holland you can what you want with weed and in Indonesia you get the same punishment for smuggling marijuana as for killing hundreds of people.

[Andrew]

I do see what your saying, about all she did was admit it was her board, but they did take evidence into account. The only thing is her "evidence" was so insignificant it didnt hold much weight at all.

If she was found guilty just by saying "its not mine", it sets the precident thatother drug smugglers can use that defense. It just seemed like a massive soap opera. Trust me, if she didnt have a pretty face, and wasnt white, and didnt turn on the water works, pretend to faint, and help turn it into a circus, no one would care.

That's true, and I agree to an extent. The problem is, IF she's innocent or IF the same punishment is given to someone who is innocent, it's unfair. But as X said...

trial was fair by Indonesia laws and precedence....over there, there is no onus to prove beyond reasonable doubt that she is guilty....in Indonesia, it's guilty until proven innocent, much like the rest of the South-east Asian countries....

if you don't like it, then don't go on a holiday there....don't give money to tsunami appeals....

And whether we like it or not, that's the way it works. If you're charged with a crime while in another country, you're at the mercy of their legal system.

I suppose this once again raises the question. Which is worse? Letting a guilty person walk free or sending an innocent person to prison or for that matter to their death?

[Nick]

You know what shits me about this whole issue?

The media. Why are they making such a big deal about it. It fucking sucks for her, whether she is guilty or not, but shit there have been about one hundred other executions of Australians in other countries that are drug related. But we see Corby all over the TV, in the newspapers, because the media decide what our agenda is.

If she didn't have breasts, or was uglier, or was half asian, we wouldn't even know about this chick at all today.

[The X]

I suppose this once again raises the question. Which is worse? Letting a guilty person walk free or sending an innocent person to prison or for that matter to their death?

that is why many Western countries have implemented the onus that the prosecution must prove "beyond reasonable doubt" that the defendant is guilty....they consider it a much worse crime to lock up an innocent person (say like "Hurricane" Carter) than letting a guilty person walk free....

this is a tough moral dilemma and I can understand Indonesia (and many other similar countries) stance on this issue....they figure that the majority (say 95%) of the people are guilty so it is for the betterment of society to lock the guilty people away, even if it is at the expense of innocent people....there have been many movies that touch on this issue where towns will "sacrifice" innocents to keep the majority safe....

I guess it all comes down to how we value a person's life and rights....

interesting nonetheless....

[Jackal]

If she didn't have breasts

See, now I'm going to google her. Damn you Nick.

Edit: Nothing fantastic or close to it.

[Matt]

did anyone see 60 minutes? they had a couple on the show who said that 8yrs ago when they went to Bali and opened up their bags they found marijuana had been placed in their bag. Lucky for them, they didn't get caught by customs.

Also, on the same day that Corby got 20yrs, in the same court....2 men convicted for MURDER got 10yrs.

[The X]

Also, on the same day that Corby got 20yrs, in the same court....2 men convicted for MURDER got 10yrs.

I guess they consider drug smuggling worse than Murder as they probably figure that drugs can have more effects on more people than a one-off murder....

only problem I have with it is that it is only weed....ah well, I guess they judge it the same as if it was heroin or crack cocaine....it is all in the act I guess, not what they are actually carrying....

[Matt]

What if they had Panadol or something and it was illegal over there.

[Andrew]

You know what shits me about this whole issue?

The media. Why are they making such a big deal about it. It fucking sucks for her, whether she is guilty or not, but shit there have been about one hundred other executions of Australians in other countries that are drug related. But we see Corby all over the TV, in the newspapers, because the media decide what our agenda is.

If she didn't have breasts, or was uglier, or was half asian, we wouldn't even know about this chick at all today.

Even though I don't totally disagree, that's a somewhat cynical way of looking at it. 10 years ago, one could have made the same assessment of the OJ Simpson trial. If he wasn't a former NFL player, would there have been the media circus that surrounded the trial? Unlikely, even with the issues of racism, DNA and whatnot, the trial was high profile because of his celebrity status.

There are enough intertwining stories and issues in the whole Corby situation to make one big story out of it. Simple as that.

As far as the media is concerned, they'll always have their own spin on issues and force stories down the public's throat. What we each choose to believe - this person's story, that person's story, the whole story, parts of the story or none of it at all - that's what matters.

that is why many Western countries have implemented the onus that the prosecution must prove "beyond reasonable doubt" that the defendant is guilty....they consider it a much worse crime to lock up an innocent person (say like "Hurricane" Carter) than letting a guilty person walk free....

this is a tough moral dilemma and I can understand Indonesia (and many other similar countries) stance on this issue....they figure that the majority (say 95%) of the people are guilty so it is for the betterment of society to lock the guilty people away, even if it is at the expense of innocent people....there have been many movies that touch on this issue where towns will "sacrifice" innocents to keep the majority safe....

It's effective, but it's also based on assumptions. If everyone is assumed guilty based on some general standards, then the guilty are definitely going to be punished, which is fine. That's great. But it also means the innocent are going to be punished.

The assumption may be correct in most cases. Your example figure of 95% may well be close to the mark, in what the Indonesian justice system considers to be the number of guilty offenders as well as the actual percentage of people who are indeed guilty. A person who is in possession of a large amount of an illegal substance is quite likely a dealer. But that still leaves 5% of suspected criminals who are in fact innocent.

The other issue is punishment fitting the crime. Is a 20 year sentence for possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute - a charge that isn't conclusively supported by physical evidence - appropriate? Especially when compared to lesser sentences for murder and terrorism attacks, two crimes we consider to be much more severe. Because if she really is guilty, then punishment is appropriate, but it's only fair to have some kind of standard.

did anyone see 60 minutes? they had a couple on the show who said that 8yrs ago when they went to Bali and opened up their bags they found marijuana had been placed in their bag. Lucky for them, they didn't get caught by customs.

That's the problem with a "guilty until proven innocent" stance. Innocent people are going to take the fall, those people were obviously very fortunate not to get caught.

What if they had Panadol or something and it was illegal over there.

There's been ads in recent years on TV and in magazines about checking which prescription drugs as well as over the counter drugs sold here in Australia are illegal in certain countries before travelling overseas. Surely in such instances more could be done in someone's defense, though I wouldn't be willing to take the risk.

[Jugs]

this guy at my skool got expelled from my skool for possession of marijuana, i was pissing myself.

it wasnt much weed so i dont know if he is getting in trouble oh well

anyways schappelle, go to jail, and please lock up her family as well with her

[The X]

yeah, I definitely don't agree with the Indonesian justice system and how harshly they rate some crimes....a justice system is suppose to protect the innocents, not persecute the supposed guilty....

there will never be a right justice system in everyone's eyes, but I'm hoping that Australia adopts a harder line against serious criminals who are proven "beyond reasonable doubt" to be guilty....

in the end of the day, I won't go to Bali and I won't donate money to Indonesia, it's as simple as that I guess....and I know a lot of other Aussies who feel the same way that I do....

[J@3]

Why though? The Indonesians have done nothing wrong, it's not as if they held a national vote to decide on how long she gets. I've heard that people are withdrawing their donations to the Tsunami relief, which I think is a complete disgrace and some dipshits have shown their ignorance by not donating to the Red Cross door knock appeal because they thought it might go to Bali

[The X]

I threw some change I had around the place to the Red Cross....didn't bother asking if money was going to Bali....didn't really care....I think my point was that there are other ways to support Corby....rather than not donating, a stronger message would be for Aussie tourists to stop going there....not that it will ever change Indonesia's stance, it is a stance that anyone who doesn't agree with Indonesia's laws can do....doesn't really bother me that much as I never had any intention of ever going to Bali or Indonesia....

as a girl I know who went to Bali and Thailand recently said "everyone who goes there knows and is told to put locks on their luggage, so she got what she deserved"

whilst she was a bit harsh on that call, she does have a good point....

[J@3]

At least if she had a lock on the bag she'd have some evidence that it was tampered with. I just heard on the news that flights booked to Bali have dropped dramatically.

[Matt]

^^^her case now ensures that people lock their bags, wrap their stuff in glad wrap, weigh it before departure and make notes where they left the zippers. If they see that the bag has been tampered with they won't claim it.

Im not gonna go to Bali (never planned to anyways) but i wont publicy condemn it. The people have done nothing wrong, if anything hatred should go towards the 3 judges and not the entire nation that lives on or below the poverty line. Withdrawing money is just piss poor, dont people have any decency?

I know 2 people that are going to Bali soon, i hope they are just as careful. I'm travelling overseas too, but fortunately i wont have to collect any of my bags in Asian countries. I got locks on my bags and i'll be very cautious.

[Andrew]

Pauline Hanson has apparently called for a national boycott of Indonesia. Can't say I'm totally shocked she'd have such a stance on the whole matter.

[Matt]

Pauline Hanson hates all ethnics, hahah,

[David]

[Drex]

That explains the case