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Hang on! Hang on! Let's get a sense of perspective about all this. It's no good going off the handle just because some piccaninny necked himself when no one was looking. Jesus! That happens.
I'm not God. I don't know what was going on in his little black scone at the time. You never know with them. So you can't jump to conclusions and say it was mandatory sentencing that did it.
You've got to see the big picture, the broad perspective: people are jack sick and tired of grubs who break into their homes, steal their cars and anything else that's not nailed down. Here, steal and you go to jail, regardless of colour. That's how it should be. No ifs or buts. That's the law.
So I get pissed off with all these goody-goody, boong jockeys who beat their drum protesting about a very popular piece of legislation. They're just looking for an issue — any issue — to make a song and dance about. Well, I'm telling them to get stuffed! Keep to their own neck of the woods.
If they want to go native, let's not have them sticking their noses into other people's business. Tell them to go see Malcolm Fraser and he'll pick them out their very own cute little black bastard to adopt. Let them play at being social worker ... but do it elsewhere. They're just lucky that the darkies Mal handles are overseas and far enough away that they can't drop in unannounced and nick the family silver.
As for all this bullshit about the UN, what do they want? A rap over the knuckles? Another East Timor? Australia turned into an international bogeyman?
It's not as though we went alone on this. Both sides of politics backed mandatory sentencing legislation. Both sides. So Beazley can go all sanctimonious if he wants, but there's always been a consensus to come down hard and fast on crime.
Ask Bob Carr and Peter Beattie: "The business of good government is to look after the hard-working mums and dads who put us here". As for the crims? They can look after themselves.
Them's the facts. So get off our backs. Look to your own backyard. When it comes to mandatory sentencing, someone must pay the price ... and I'm darned certain that this time around it ain't going to be us.
By Dave Riley
<dhell@ozemail.com.au>