Dear David F.,

Thank You for your opinions.

I've just come across an interesting article from
"New Matilda" which gives another perspective to
this issue:

http://newmatilda.com/2015/04/29/blood-their-hands-secret-government-treaties-helped-kill-chan-and-sukumaran

Is Mise, a bit of double dutch there, the state makes the laws, and then the state defines their state sanctioned murder as something else, therefore legitimising the whole thing.

Did you get the names of The Shooters Party, were any named Bob? What is your Shooters and Hooters Party policy on capital punishment, particularly firing squads? I would think they would be a 100% behind it, is there a recommended weapon for the job? What is the weapon of choice? The Greens totally oppose capital punishment as a matter of policy.

Bye the way, is the taking of a human life justified when it is done in self defence? Most likely yes, but that does not mean you should have the right to carry around an AK47 just in case, that most unlikely eventuality should arise. The Dodge City syndrome.

I answered your question, how about answering mine.

Dear Foxy,

The article reveals that Australia has signed treaties with Indonesia which had the potential of subjecting Australians to the death penalty which counters Australia's official opposition to the death penalty.

Australia has a long history of cooperating with Indonesia in doing the dirty. The Indonesian killings of 1965–1966 were an anti-communist purge following a failed coup of the 30 September Movement in Indonesia. The most widely accepted estimates are that more than 500,000 people were killed. The CIA described the massacre as "one of the worst mass murders of the 20th century, along with the Soviet purges of the 1930s, the Nazi mass murders during the Second World War, and the Maoist bloodbath of the early 1950s." Australia made no protest.

Gough Whitlam's government was the first to recognise the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. He knew that the Indonesian military had slaughtered in Balibo four Australian journalists who had committed no crime. Australia kept a blind eye to the many East Timorese who have been slaughtered because they objected to the occupation. Australia has recognised Indonesian occupation of West Papua or Irian Jaya and kept a blind eye to the many people who have been slaughtered because they objected to that occupation.

Bob Hawke authorised the sale of Steyr rifles to the Indonesian military against the advice of his own military.

Paul Keating came back from Indonesia proudly waving a treaty he signed with the Indonesian butcher Suharto.

At Canungra Australia has trained the Indonesian Kopassus Division which has been guilty of many atrocities.

Howard extended the dirty deals that various Labor governments had made with Indonesia.

Several hundred thousand people have been murdered in Indonesia in protest of Indonesian occupation.

Now Australia gets its knickers in a twist because a couple of drug smugglers have been executed. Why has it kept silent until now about the great atrocities Indonesia has committed?

Australia has swallowed a camel and strained at a gnat.

Paul1405, "These blokes organised the drug shipment for unnamed Mr Big's of the drug world, who are free and very much alive today"

You are determined not to mention that it is an Asian gang, imported scoundrels.

You also don't mention that the two convicted and now duly executed drug traffickers NEVER gave up their co-conspirators, the 'Mr Bigs' as you would have them.

They maintained their silence. Criminals do that, it is their usual form. However, had the two co-operated with police as any remorseful persons would have done, they would have impressed the Court and government.

There were the determined architects of their own fate to the last. Criminals are stupid, arrogant and irresponsible like that. The lawyers did well though. Has anyone totted up the $$ that were poured into these convicts and traced the sources? The 'fact-checking' ABC wouldn't be doing that.

Dear David F.,

Thank you for the added information.

This entire issue is very distressing.

Is it very distressing that in ten years of legal challenges and casting aspersions at authorities on both sides of the Timor Sea they never gave up their co-conspirators?

Australia owes a debt of thanks to all who were involved in preventing that near million doses of 'smack' landing in Australia to corrupt, harm and kill.

Standing in the Line of Duty
by Mike Birkes

You try to do what you know is right,
Protect and serve; fight the good fight.
Duty calls when you get the call.
For what you do, we thank you all.
We thank you all for the risks you take,
Becoming targets daily, for our sake.
We thank you all for watching as we sleep,
For waking every day, your watch to keep.

Standing proud in the line of duty,
Courage calls the brave to arms.
You wear the badge that marks your heart.
Standing in the line of fire for the call of duty.

You have our thanks, though silent we may be.
It takes some time for the secure to see.
Your presence makes us feel safe to walk the street,
Without fearing the people that we may meet.
For that we are forever in your debt;
You, our protectors, though we may never have met.
We thank you all for what you do,
And know that we have pride and respect for you.
We thank you all for watching as we sleep,
For waking every day, your watch to keep.

Standing proud in the line of duty,
Courage calls the brave to arms.
You wear the badge that marks your heart.
Standing in the line of fire for the call of duty.

January 30, 1998
(Written in the memory of Officer Colleen Waibel, Portland Police Department, killed in the line of duty, 1-27-1998)
http://criminaljustice911.tripod.com/poem2.html