December 20, 2003

CRUISE OPERATOR OUT OF BUSINESS

Unlike the people he smuggled, this guy is going to remain behind bars:

Palestinian national Keis Abd Rahim Asfoor, 32, was yesterday found guilty in the Western Australia District Court of smuggling up to 1700 people to Australia aboard fishing boats from Indonesia.

See you in a couple of decades, parasite. A few may be unhappy at Asfoor’s jailing -- he was only helping people find a better life, etc -- but Mark Latham won’t be among them. Here’s a letter from Latham rejecting the arguments of Labor for Refugees:

Groups like Labor for Refugees look at atrocities such as the Woomera riots or the payment of money to people smugglers and declare, "the people who did this need help." The first priority for a just society is to help needy people within the collective boundaries of the law. The first priority of your organisation is to find excuses for people who break the law.

The best example of this abstract process is Phillip Adams. In his public life he opposes border protection, safe in the knowledge that asylum seekers are unlikely to settle near his Paddington terrace. In his private life, however, he is a strong supporter of laneway protection, even to the point of preventing a 90-year-old woman in a wheelchair from accessing his property so that she might have Christmas lunch with her son.

As the Bunyip writes: "Whatever else is wrong with Latham, if he detests Phillip Adams, he has at least one good point."

(Via Meryl Yourish)

Posted by Tim Blair at December 20, 2003 01:56 PM
Comments

I think we may very well have under estimated Mr Latham.

Posted by: gaz at December 20, 2003 at 02:10 PM

I detest myself -- does that mean I have a good point?

Posted by: Phillip Adamas at December 20, 2003 at 02:48 PM

I detest myself -- does that mean I have a good point?

Posted by: Phillip Adams at December 20, 2003 at 02:48 PM

What the hell is a 'Palestinian national'? If they have a nation, then why are they still blowing up Jewish schoolchildren?

Posted by: David Gillies at December 21, 2003 at 01:27 AM

This bloke IS Labor is he?

He must be reading blogs.

Posted by: Dave F at December 21, 2003 at 05:29 AM

A great letter and spot on--but what about now? This letter was written in 2002. Does ML have the courage of his convictions?

Posted by: Sophie at December 21, 2003 at 09:37 AM

How's that one man crusade against the illegal trafficking of sex slaves from Asia going? Good to see someone taking a stand at last against corruption and hipocrisy. Quick... remove this post before someone reads it. You sham. You schmoe. That blind eye of yours still could use a stick in it.

Posted by: Miranda Divide at December 21, 2003 at 01:33 PM

I guess Miranda is still stinging over that rejection when answered that ad. Honey, they want attractive call girls. The profession, it's just not for you.

Posted by: Andrea Harris at December 21, 2003 at 02:09 PM