yak: bali 9 - what a bloody joke!/sue12
"Spend our good money defending an aussie charged with pedophilia overseas, would ya, loopie??? What about serial murder??? And what about cultivation of crops?? And terrorism??? What a prat. Like I said - if they qualify...give them Legal aid.."
Yak, in case you didn't know the difference, here it is: "being charged" does not mean, "being condemned."
I would defend to the hilt anyone who claims he or she is innocent. Even you yak, and I know you'd be guilty! That's what nationhood means. I would help them to the hilt to defend their case. After that, they are either deservedly guilty or deservedly innocent. I would make sure that they get as good a defence team as a country could afford and make sure also that the appropriate approaches were made for a fair hearing. That is the responsibility of a government, something which these pragmatists and opportunists and egocentrics in Canberra and elsewhere in the world, need to learn! Again, you turn yourself into a judge and jury before a judge and jury had been brought into the court and before the defendant has managed to utter a word in his defence. My god, I hope I or anyone else doesn't get you into their jury panel, Yak! I can see you yelling from your seat, "let's go home, your Honour, the man is guilty. He's cross-eyed!"
