It seems that the chief "witch-hunter", Hetty Johnston, has had a slight change of heart.

From the C-M this morning: "Child protection campaigner Hetty Johnston said yesterday the angry response to Ferguson's presence had probably ended any chance of Queensland adopting a public register of serious sexual offenders, similar to the United States' Megan's Law.

Ms Johnston said that after alleged sightings of Ferguson in public she was fearful people who vaguely resembled Ferguson could be "beaten up"."

While I have little sympathy for Ferguson, I am appalled by the ways in which our laws and public policy are being debased today. Once, a person "did the crime, did the time" and was adjudged fit for return to society, albeit with certain strictures pending exemplary conduct.

far too much of our law today is designed to pander to the perceptions of those with the loudest voice, leading to oppressive laws and poor long-term outcomes. Let's face it, if someone is pilloried regardless of guilt, what is to stop them committing the act?

To all those with a lynch-mob mentality out there, let me remind you of the words of Pastor Martin Niemoller:

"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;

And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;

And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;

And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up."

Having a loud voice and a sense of righteousness does not make one right.

Youre so right Runner.
I watched it all happen over the last four decades.
Each year the press got worse, more corrupt and more decadent.

Once fine womens magazines...now you wouldnt hang on a nail in the long drop.
In behind the scenes Im sure many newspapers have connections to the porn printing industries...creating and maintaining sex fiends all over the world.

No one has gone in deep to ferret it out though.

The Media truly are all about the fall of a civilisation.
Only a repetnece will change the destruction they are doing.
The death of world society is at their hands.

Antiseptic thanks for the quote. I'd heard it before but didn't recall it until I saw your posting. The message in it is one I value a lot, not always perfectly.

Runner, perhaps a read and a couple of days serious reflection (maybe some prayer) over the message in the superbly put post at http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=7598#118209 . It fits your earlier foul post on this thread quite well.

Graham, this is a difficult issue. Ferguson appears to be a repeat offender who has shown no remourse for past abuse nor been willing to take part in any programs designed to reduce the risk of further offences. If so then he is an ongoing risk which our legal system does not deal with adequately.

The mob mentaility is another ongoing risk that our legal system does not deal with adequately as well but then Ferguson is not in my neighbourhood.

There don't seem to be neat answers which fit the ideals of our justice system along with reasonable levels of child protection. It's a hard road.

R0bert

I have a solution - let's do the 'Pacific Solution' job on Dennis and his pals. We have all these nice facilities in Naru, so ship them all there where they can hang out with each other on the beach, enjoying the fun and sun at the taxpayers expense. We can feed them and guard them and nobody would have to live next to them.

Hey if it worked for refugees...

Given the role the media has played in all of this, maybe the best place for Ferguson is a nice, comfy News Ltd office.

StG, yes, nonsense. Ferguson has people in the house with him and police outside 24/7. He is effectively in a prison. All this nonsense is achieving is getting the heads of Carbrook residents on the telly every night and increasing the likelihood that some innocent person unlucky enough to vaguely resemble Ferguson gets hurt. Or worse.

I have no sympathy for Ferguson and am disgusted by what he's done. I wouldn't insult animals by calling him one and certainly wouldn't want him living near me. But people need to acknowledge that it's actions like those we're seeing in Carbrook that are the reason his trial was abandoned and he's in Carbrook in the first place.

Personally, I feel that most paedophiles who have molested children are not doing it to satisfy a sexual desire but are getting gratification from the hurt they cause to their victims and possibly families as well as society as a whole. I believe Dennis Ferguson to be one of these types.

Most people with a sexual desire towards children, will thankfully never act out their desires, and if they had the opportunity to do so (even if hypothetically they were not to be prosecuted), I doubt that they would find the experience satisfying.

I don't believe Dennis Ferguson is motivated by sexual attraction to children. I believe he is a very sick man who is motivated by hate. Hate towards children and hate towards a society that wants to protect children. My concern is that all this protest action could motivate him to offend and his next offence may be more serious than sexual abuse. Concentrate on protecting your own children, and leave Dennis Ferguson to the police to monitor.