What is new nothing,as this is an ongoing dont care a damn by the very people that grounded these people into the way they live in todays Australia.left them to live and rot away from utter despair and no help in any form,now all of a sudden these people are a problem,no the problem is white society that wanted it to happen,die out or be absorbed into the world of the white colonists,see anyway that suits them,this is the truth

Long before Seneca, the Indians had panca sila – the five moral bases necessary to calm the mind and develop concentration, as a step towards developing wisdom. The sila involve abstention from activities which unbalance the mind – broadly, killing, stealing, lying, sexual misconduct and taking intoxicants. The latter was critical – break that precept, and you were more likely to break the others too. Unfortunately our society takes too little account of this fifth precept.

Congratulations Stephen on your award. More strength to your arm! I admire your work. More please.

Paying people in rum, in the Rum Corp era, is a well documented fact of the early history of the colonists/invaders.

It is surprising that in a society so heavily reliant on alcohol, there is intollerance of certain people who drink to excess.

What about little Johnny Howards grog bill.

5 Nov 03 news.com.au in an article about the cost of the BBQ for George Bush noted:

Officials also revealed that the alcohol bill for The Lodge and Kirribilli House had hit $133,837 since July 1999 – including $6500 in the past four months

The Qld. state government has recently imposed alcohol restrictions on Palm Island, overriding the grog restrictions that the democratically elected council had imposed.

Here is an issues paper prepared by the Palm Island council on the new grog laws.

http://www.kalkadoon.org/index.php/2006/07/02/palm-island-alcohol-management-plan-amp-an-issues-paper-prepared-by-the-palm-island-aboriginal-shire-council/

The states grog laws directly contradict the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody reccommendations that alcoholism be seen as a health issue, not a criminal one.

Here is a report on research into another way of dealing with Alcoholism
http://www.kalkadoon.org/index.php/2006/01/20/what-are-the-alternatives-to-to-qlds-grog-laws/

Mr. Hagan's opening quote "Drunkenness doesn’t create vices, but it brings them to the fore - so said Roman philosopher and poet, Seneca (c. 4 BC-AD 65)." is very relvent if that wisdom is similarly applied to social problems as well as vices.

Alcoholism is not the primary cause of trauma in Aboriginal, or any other, communities, though in secondary ways it inflames things, same as vices,. Alcoholism is primarily a symptom of trauma.

To focus on alcohol will not lead to healing. Focussing on healing trauma will, amongst many other consequences, reduce the rate of alcohol abuse.

To focus on the alcohol, as Beatties Palm Island prohibition regime does, increases trauma and the chronic anxiety of unresolved trauma. It criminalises people causing a range of other trauma instead of solving problems.

Stephen Hagan has a rather disrespectful attitude toward the female security person and the 'cops' who have to deal with drunk and violent people on a daily basis. It is typical that people who don't have regular close contact with dangerous, disgusting drunks have so much sympathy for the offenders and contempt for the people whose unenviable task is to deal with them. Would Mr Hagan's attitude have changed if he had been hit in the face with a bottle?