To pack this down to a simple concept, "two wrongs don't make right".

The problem with institutionalised absolute punishments such as death by firing squad,
the removal of limbs for stealing etc, is that it sanctifies the notion that one human being
should have a right to dispense with another human being anyway.
It's OK or justified to do that.

What if the person executed turns out later to be innocent. This is the obvious flaw.

But the worst aspect of absolute penalties
"is the propensity of such excessive power to attract people who wish to exercise it".
Having such power encourages and advocates it's use. It perpetuates itself.
Death penalties are a great way to rid yourself of your competitors in a dictatorship.

I mentioned the"preservation of our way of life" earlier and I'm still glad that,
"it is not considered appropriate to execute people in our way of thinking".
This is one of the fundamental reasons why we enjoy the freedoms we do.
Such as expressing our views on forums like this without fear.

Regardless about how vociferous we feel, about Rush's own culpability,
I think there are still to many of us who feel that they should have a right to make the call on this.

I see rehctub wrote, "if he was aware of the fact that his actions could lead to the death penalty if caught, then he should die".

Using ECACTLY the same logic then rehctub would have to support the stoning to death of women who commit adultery in some of the more radical Muslim regions. After all, " if she was aware of the fact that her actions could lead to the death penalty if caught, then she should die".

Nice one rehctub.

Do not blame rechtub it is quite often true people like him do not understand they are harsh and judgmental.
Lets look at his post,, look too butcher, can you assure us his mum and dad only wanted to protect Australia from another drug import, you said that you know.
You spoke if bias? you meant yours or ours those who want no death sentences.
How old is he 22? 25? did you ever make a mistake at that age?
Australian federal police could have waited arrested them all in our country.
every one of them.
I propose total property confiscation for drug dealers and their crews, everything, to pay for prison terms much harsher.
Even never to be let out but death, for being a fool and a pawn?
As we, all of us comment do we think in real life terms about what we say?
On the evidenced our federal police he should not die, may not but would you want to be him now.
Or the two walking dead leaders, would you want the same if it was your son.

Should those who are attracted by windfall profits from drugs and are presently choosing to take the risks because they think that the customs, police and courts in Indonesia are unprofessional jokes, suffer the likely consequences of their actions when caught? At this moment there are gangs with overseas connections planning to import drugs (and new guns to defend their drug territories).

Like everyone else I reflect my upbringing and culture and try as I might I cannot see this criminal act as Indonesians do. It would be with unmitigated gall and entirely without credibility that I would try to push the Indonesian government around on this when it is so obvious to them that our limp punishments of drug running strongly encourage the trade we want the Indonesians to stop.

Senior police admit that Australia has lost its fight against drugs. Governments federal and State refuse to cooperate and fund the cross-jurisdictional teams that have been so successful in disrupting the drug trade. Ever wondered why senior decision-makers would limit and not support such proven strategies to reduce drugs and violence? Simple, there is so much money involved in drugs that it can corrupt at the highest levels.

Why isn't a ruckus being raised to curtail the disgusting trade that results in thousands of families being affected by loss of a loved one every year?

"Do I want the government to divert more of this countries resources to trying to stop them facing a clearly advertised penalty for their own choices - no."
Robert I agree completely;

Belly;
"crime did Scott rush commit?"
Transporting a banned substance in a country in which drug trafficking is a crime, into a country in which drug trafficking is also a crime.

"Do you think the Australian Federal Police lied?"
Lied about what? He clearly knew he was transporting an illegal substance, and would have likely been able to figure out it was a harmful substance, but was too greedy and callous to care.

"Do we kill fools, even if it was your child, truly?"
If that 'fool' wittingly commits a crime for personal gain, then yes, that person must face the law of the countries they committed it in. And the "if it was your son" argument is botched- if the person made an exception to their kid, they would be a hypocrite; if not, the accuser would use that as an opportunity to divert the thread to try to make some other strawman. And it just smacks if an alarming form of ignorance that some people (actually most) sincerely are capable of raising children with better morals.

"they are only the victims are they not?"
Hardly. They would be the victims if the drugs were slipped into their luggage without their knowing- but that wasn't the case.
I think some people need to get a grip that these aren't a bunch of innocent cherubs who were hoodwinked by some shadowy Indonesian conspiracy- they were clearly playing an active part.

"Have you never made a mistake when you were that age?"
No. It's really not that hard. And back then I and my peers also knew the full implications of an act such as theirs. So I treat the 'didn't know' excuse as nothing but a blatant lie by the defendant to get out of trouble.

T2 >>What if the person executed turns out later to be innocent. This is the obvious flaw.

How more guilty could this guy be?

Transki,Firstly, I don't give two hoots about muslim laws.

Secondly, if that is the law, and they knowingly broke that law, then so be it.

Ok belly, so what you are suggesting is the AFP should have waited and arrested him back here, only because he may face the death penilty over there. I say again, law inforcers can not be picky. The law is the law.

>>I propose total property confiscation for drug dealers and their crews, everything, to pay for prison terms much harsher.

Ok, so what you suggesting is that only those who have anything will pay under your scheme.

So, what about those with nothing?

So, let's assume they didn't get caught and all those drugs found their way on to our streets and in to the hands of wayward kids.

Now how would you feel if your kid was effected by these drugs and you found out the AFP knew about them but thought they would wait and catch them when they arrived so they would not face the DP, but something went wrong and the avaided the AFP.

Withholding evidence is a serious affence, I would suggest even more so for police.