Equality in the eyes of the law

[imported_watchmanz]

Ok, this will probably stir up things in the discussion boards but I'm gonna have my say! Earlier this week two people faced a judge in the Otahuhu District Court in Auckland, NZ. Both were charged with possession and attempted importation of cannabis leaf and resin. One was a surfer from Hawaii and the other was a billionaire businessman from the US.
The surfer was deported after 7 days, fined heavily and publicly named.
The billionaire made a donation to a charity, was deported after 7 days and was granted permanent name suppression.
THAT SUCKS!!!
What the hell gives the judge the right to suppress this persons name just because he is a billionaire and can afford to donate money to a local charity. Are we now saying that if you make substantial charitable donations you can get away with almost anything? And if not, does it mean we'll hide your identity for a donation so you won't be embarrassed?
The businessman was Peter B Lewis (66), the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Progressive Corp, the insurance company based in Mayfield Village, Ohio.
There! I have now done what newspapers in New Zealand still cannot do as the New Zealand Courts have gagged them. Damn the petty New Zealand justic system. Let's see a littl bit of equality in justice here. If the billionaire can be fined thousands and then deported with name suppression, then so should every other person convicted of possession of cannabis in New Zealand. Most people convicted are given a small fine, slapped on the wrist, and name suppression is never granted - and this is what should have happened with this US businesman.
Personally, I do not have a problem with possession of cannabis for personal use. However, I do have a problem with being able to hide your crime because you have money. That strikes at the very heart of a democratic justice system.

------------------
Watchmanz

[TZT]

"Young man this is a court of law not a court of justice" Dr Ricard Crawford quoting a judge. If you were in the USA I would give you a sales pitch for Pre-Paid Legal. Most countires give prefrence to those with money. Money talks but who is listening? Are their pre-paid legal plans in New Zealand? My understanding is they have a 80% marketshare in Europe. PPL has less than 2% marketshare in the USA as most of us are overly optimistic and think we can avoid legal trouble.

I have mixed feeling about you posting that man's name as pot should not be a crime. We waist so much money on the suposid drug war. Non smokers are better workers so employers should pay non smokers more. Test for nicotine and no government aid shoud be given to any smoker. We should just heavely tax all recreational drugs and not make them a crime.

------------------
Shan "Free Ads Free Links" Ziel
<A HREF="http://www.freeyellow.com/members8/shanziel/FREELINKS.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.freeyellow.com/members8/s...html</A>



[This message has been edited by TheZTeam (edited 27 January 2000).]

[TZT]

Looks like our signiture gets messed up if we edit.

Anyway, this post is just a test.

------------------
Shan "Free Ads Free Links" Ziel
www.freeyellow.com/members8/shanziel/FREELINKS.html

[imported_watchmanz]

Pre-paid legal? What's that? I don't think we have it in New Zealand. Is this where you go out and get yourslef a lawyer in advance, knowing damned well that you're going to do something that will require the services of one? In New Zealand we don't really have a large use for lawyers. The right to sue is somewhat restricted in comparison with the US as you cannot sue for accidents, medical malpractice and the like.

------------------
Watchmanz
=========
"The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom is courage"
- Thucydides

[imported_cher]

ZTEAM!!! You have struck a cord with me. What ARE you talking about??? We have so few freedoms left and you want smokers to be tested for nicotine, where is you head. And what government aid are you talking about?? Yes lets spend more tax payers money on yet another test. Where in the world did you get the idea that non-smokers vs. smokers are BETTER workers????? What does one thing have to do with the other???? Your job productivity has nothing to do with smoking or not. I don't know where you are coming from. Don't get me wrong, I too think pot should be legalized, but it has been proven that it CAN not does but can lead to other drug use. Where is it proven that smoking cigarettes leads to any thing more harmful??? As you can tell I am a smoker and I have had many rights taken away already. I can no longer smoke in my favorite resteraunt. So I have found a new one. I can't smoke in most bars in Hawaii. They are always talking about the health risks with smoking, what about someone that started on pot and progressed to say crystal meth, and they go and kill someone. Will he not get his day in court with a piblic defender (our tax money) and most likly serve a short time because they will prove he wasn't in his right mind. I'm so tired of hearing he didn't know what he was doing, we all make choices, sometimes they are wrong it doesn't mean we shouldn't pay for them. You don't need to bash smokers we have rights to. Later cher

[imported_cher]

G'DAY WATCHMANZ!! A big whoray!!!!!!!!!!!! I agree with you compleatly, I'm sure you have heard the saying money talks while bull**** walks. There should be no difference a crime is a crime, but you are talking about equality. I don't believe that it exists. The all mighty dollar has always spoken louder then the truth. It is a damm shame that we have come to this. I am happy that you printed his name, why should he be protected, he did brake a law. later cher

[imported_cher]

Where are you guys, I'm waiting for your replys?? DEBATE ME!!!!!!
LATER CHER

[imported_watchmanz]

Thanks for the support Cher. Unfortunately, if the judge in New Zealand was to have read that message - and managed to track me down - I would have been placed in jail for contempt of court. I don't care though - I believe in equality, even though Governments are doing their darndest to take it all away from us. It lands me in hot water from time to time, but I call a spade a spade and say it as I see it. I'm glad honesty still has some support out there though. Cheers.

------------------
Watchmanz
=========
"The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom is courage"
- Thucydides

[imported_cher]

Hey Kev! Long time no hear. I have been around reading, just not posting. I guess zteam isn't going to relpy to me. I hope I don't intimidate him?? He has never posted me cher back. Go figure. Well what should we talk about?? We agree on so much, it's hard. Ok! In todays paper I read a story about a young girl in California that had been locked in a closet of her family home for 10 years. Rosa, was only let out to clean up after the rest of her family. When the police found her at age 12 she was the size of a normal 7 year old and weighed 41 pounds. That is what a normal 4 or 5 year old should be. I was horrified to read on, the parents (mom) got 9 years and was out in 7 for good behavior, and the father got 10 and was out in 8. Get this, they were charged with naglect of a minor child. No abuse no reckless indangerment simple neglect. Now where is the equality?? Kevin I would like to hear you thoughts, and what you think might have happen had this been in New Zealand. Rosa is now 21 and beautiful, she is making a big difference in many abused childrens lives. Peace Cher.

[imported_watchmanz]

Unfortunately Cher, in New Zealand the story would have been pretty much the same I think. Occasionally we have cases such as these and they make me as angry as hell. But the judges then become bleeding left-wing liberals and consider the "rights of the accused". As far as I'm concerned the accused only has rights until the time they are found guilty in a court of law. Once the judge or jury has made that determination they forfeit their rights. Damn the rights of the accused - what about the rights of the victims? Personally, I think it's time the Government stopped trying to be politically correct and the great moderator, and did what we all want it to do - punish these bastards, hit them hard and lock 'em up! If they are sentenced to 10 years they should serve 10 years minimum, with extra if they misbehave --- as opposed to getting time off for good behaviour, they should get a higher sentence for bad behaviour. I'm tired of trendy-lefties and do-gooders creating a society where sickos can go around beating people up, raping, pillaging and murdering - and they then get treated with kid gloves. That's why our societies are self-destructing and that's why people feel powerless. Let's stand up to these rejects - enough is enough - and slam 'em hard. Hard labour, no television and no computers in cells, no nice 3-course dinners, no time off for being a good boy, no conjugal and special need visits --- nothing but hard labour for the entire term they are sentenced! That's my views anyway - how 'bout yourself?

------------------
Watchmanz
=========
"The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom is courage"
- Thucydides

[imported_cher]

Hey Kev, you have made my day, I thought I was out here by myself. Only I would go a bit further. Make the punishment fit the crime. When it involves a child, they should never see the light of day again. And if you make the choice to take a life why should yours be spared?? In the US our prisons are so over crowded that murders are being let out in a quarter of the time sentenced. It is just so hard for me to understand. Child molesters are getting 7 to 10 years and are being let out in 18 months, but they now have to register to the local police department that they are a sex offender, ya right. Alot that is going to do, the police can't keep up with the everyday things I'm sure they arn't tracking the whereabouts of these sick bastards. Our way of punishment is a joke. I Hawaii our inmates live better than me. It's a crime, when I think of my tax dollars paying for personal trainers, diatitions, cable tv, weight rooms, and family visiting units with complete privacy. And let us not forget their rights to an education, I pay for that to. And the salad bar, and a chef not a cook a chef. I am struggling to finish my degree, but our prisoners can get a bachelors degree in about two years, because they are excused from all work programs if they are in school. So what do you think? Where do you think we have gone wrong? I have my thoughts but want to hear what you have to say. Oh well I'll go for it. I believe when we got rid of prayer in schools, the seperation of church and state that was our demise. The birth control pill too, women changed, they had control of their bodies for the first time, don't get me wrong I think we should have the control, but the way in which it was done was very distructive. The man of the house was no longer the man of the house, and economically, women have had to work to make ends meet. Which has been the down fall of our youth. Kids have the run, because parents have to make a living. So Kev, where do you stand. Later Cher

[imported_watchmanz]

Where do I stand? Actually, I take a very similar stand to you xcept I am not a Christian. It is not so much the loss of prayer in schools that I blieve led to the lowering of community standards, but the loss of the standards of behaviour that religion in schools used to foster. I may not believe in prayer but Christianity did succeed in promoting high morals in most people, and that is what is missing nowadays. The youth of today have life far too easy. Now, I realise that most parents say that of the younger generation - but nowadays we have a generation that has been raised to sit on their butts, look at screens, obtain morals from the cinema and TV, and have no personal sense of pride or personal responsibility. This is illustrated with the grafitti, the drive-by shootings, the gangs, the crack and cocaine, the glue sniffing, the unprotected sex ... we have gone too far!
Why did this situation come about? Years ago we were perhaps too harsh on our criminals etc and their rights were NEVER considered. Now we have redressed that to the stage where the VICTIM is the one whose rights are NEVER considered.
Criminals, and in particular, murderers and sex criminals do need psychiatric help - but they also need a swift dose of justice. Trendy lefties have had their way too long - it's time the average person fought back!

------------------
Watchmanz
=========
"The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom is courage"
- Thucydides

[imported_RedRose]

I totally disagree, I think cannabis should be made illegal. It is way to easy to get hold of in NZ, and if kids start out smoking a little weed then they are going to get into the harders stuff. Personally I think cannabis is a waste of time and is for losers. I sure can think of better ways to get a buzz!

------------------

[imported_watchmanz]

Can you show me your research that shows kids who start smoking weed end up on hard drugs? There is no definitive research to support your point. I can understand what you are saying about the dangers of drugs and, to a degree, I even agree with the point you are making. However, emotions cannot make political decisions. Tobacco is twice as harmful as marijuana, both medically and mentally - and alcohol is the most dangerous drug around - and yet they are legal. Maybe we should legalise marijuana and make alcohol illegal? When was the last time you read of someone driving under the influence of marijuana and killing innocent people? Or smoking marijuana and proceeding to beat up the wife and kids? Under the influence of marijuana, one feels a feeling of euphoria but with total awareness of the surroundings. Compare this with alcohol which numbs all awareness. Marijuana also has medicinal benefits that cannot be ignored, alcohol and tobacco have none.

------------------
Watchmanz
=========
"The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom is courage"
- Thucydides




[This message has been edited by watchmanz (edited 21 February 2000).]

[imported_cher]

Kev! I don't know if your last reply was directed at me, but I will respond anyway. You said that tobacco effects physicaly and MENTALY? I question that. Physicaly there is no question about it, but mentaly I think that is quite a stretch. HOW? I also question the fact that marijuana doesn't lead to more durg use. Any person that has an addicive personality will go on to stronger drugs, they will not be satisfied with just marijuana. I will tell you a story that cured me from smoking marijuana. I was around twenty-five or six and I smoked a joint that a friend gave me. I had always liked the feeling marijuana had givin me, and smoked on a pretty regular bases. This time it was very different, I was given marijuana laced with LSD. I started hallucinating, I was freaked, I was so paranoid I didn't know what to do. My car turned into Micky Mouse, the beach was filled with quick-sand, and the waves were about 100 feet tall. All of this was enough to cure me, the effects lasted about 45 minuits. I guess if I was growing my own then I would feel safe again, but not with the uncertinty I feel now. I don't have an addictive personality therefor it was no problem for me, but you have to admit, any drug can have an adverse effect on people. So to just claim that marijuana should be legeelized with-out further study I think is fool hardy. I do know of the benifits, with people in pain and in some cancer paitents, and if it helps I'm all for it. but to just let anyone have it I question? I can't imagine my 4 year old granddaughter having access to it. If you are talking about controls then yes. Later Cher