Stop! Lets not discuss the underwear model anymore. She should also do herself a favour and dissapear back into her hedonistic world of modelling, and stay out of our newspapers,off our TV sets. You got lucky, leave it at that. Dont bore us with your pleas of innocence, we know you were not. Three months jail was tough but it was better than 15 years. Oh what a blessing money can be.

Rex and dicky…
I haven’t seen you here before but would like to say thanks for the insightful, tolerant views. There are far too few here at times. Outsiders reading this forum as an example of Australian thinking would, I fear, see us as small, Western-centric fools… but then, maybe most are.

The article suggests that everyone lies some of the time. Fair enough. To then propose that this is alright is a little too much. To me it is an example of the continued downward pressure on social standards.

Shouldn’t society be setting high ideals as the standard? Sure, they may be difficult to attain but by lowering the benchmark, we lower the effort required to reach it – and thereby lower the overall average standard.

Many a cry is heard that our world has lost its moral compass. Some claim this is a result of a loss of religion.

I do not believe religion has exclusive rights to values. Many atheists have high values – and many religions of differing beliefs have similar high values. With such diversity, it does not appear to that any religions ‘owns’ values.

I would argue that it is apathy – laziness – that is eating away at our values. Modern comfort and a bombardment, through the various medias, pushing us to consume, to want, to demand more from society, could be a large cause. The Western world is told that you don’t have to do without, while millions live in abject poverty elsewhere.

We have perhaps become a little selfcentred?

Further, while many claim a loss of religion – look at how our leaders turn to religion for the new vote – how many claim that Capitalism (with a capital ‘C’) contributes to these problems? As it ignores the by-products of its production needs: exploitation, disenfranchisement, inequity, I ask could it be the true cause of these issues for the third world – let alone those in the West – family breakdown, double standards, profit over social needs?

This is all for now. Just have a little think…

If everybody in a court of law ever told the truth, there would be no need for judges, lawyers, and, come to think of it, law professors to teach lawyers!

I cannot imagine a 24-year old who dropped out from school at age 15 because she "rowed" with her Filipina mother, and whose first job was as a "bouncer," can possibly be so sophisticated to tell such a web of lies (white, or otherwise) as being alleged. If there were any lies being hatched, her advisers and her lawyers who are paid to do the advising, and talking, have alot to explain about their role in advising the ever changing stories.

As for the Singaporean model "Mia" in this whole affair, of course she has had to be publicly "exonerated" by Michelle, because she is a Singaporean, and she will have no career whatsoever in any field if the Singapore authorities think she is doing drugs in Indonesia. So, the story has been put out to fudge things, and make life easier for her in Singapore. Michelle should be praised, not damned for putting up a smokescreen to help "Mia."

The real issue arising from Michelle Leslie's case in Bali is the apparent severity of sentencing (possible 15 years for 2 pills) which needs to be addressed. This is completely disproportionate to the crime, and the Michelle Leslie case would have been a good opportunity to address this basic issue to protect tourists, not just in Indonesia, but in all of Southeast Asia where there are similar laws.

Unfortuntately, The Australian media, Muslim "leaders", and Australian politicians completely messed things up by treating a victim of draconian laws (Michelle)as if she was some horrible criminal. The Prime Minister of Australia even forgot that he is supposed to be standing up for Australians, and managed to do what is surely the job of the Indonesian President, and warn that Indonesians should not be "humiliated."

Draconian laws humiliate the Indonesians. Australians, however, "humiliated" themselves by totally mishandling the Michelle Leslie case, especially after her release from her Bali prison.

I think this is an argument of who the lie affects and who it doesn't. It isn't really of too much consequence to anyone other than Leslie if she lies or not.

BUT...

If her freedom were to compromise somebody else then that's another story.

Here are two situations:

1) The school bully gets his toy truck stolen by one of his victims who then goes on to blame it on someone else. The accused gets bashed by the bully and the thief (former victim) walks free. The act of theft was bad, the lying that follows is also bad and, of course, the bashing is really bad.
2) The school bully gets his toy truck stolen by one of his victims and the theif (former victim) denies any involvement but does not blame anyone else. Noone gets bashed and the theif (former victim) walks free.

The bully has been lied to and lost something that belonged to him. This is bad. But he is still the school bully and his usual cruelty still remains a bad thing that people fear enough to resort to lying.

I see the Leslie situation more closely related to the second scenario I mentioned and I think that is justified. I just hope she doesn't do it again.

It's hard to believe anyone would fault leslie for lying to get out of that hell hole.
Anyone who claims they wouldn't do the same if in the same situation is either a liar or a fool.
Where do all these self righteous, "holier than thou" types come from anyway - and can we send them back please?

ts importent to remeber
Muslim or non muslim …. Michelle DOES NOT have to do or change anything as an Australian muslim women she is free by Australian law to wear bikins, drink beer (even even a hell of a lot of it), cuddle pigs or have sex with any man or woman or transsexual they want to. She may even want to criticize Allah who knows.

She IS FREE to do all this under Ozzy law.

There is no sharia and there will never be sharia. Never forget for a second we are actually free here