Does Miranda Devine remember what she writes from week to week?
The Australian public has seen what Corby’s defence team saw long ago: a transcendent grace that makes her guilt implausible. Her strength of character, not to mention the careful styling and stunning good looks, improved in recent months by jail-time weight loss, have bolstered her claim she is innocent and that corrupt baggage handlers planted the drugs in her boogie board bag.
There is no point people asserting Schapelle Corby’s innocence because they “feel it in my heart” or “looked into her eyes”. Such silliness just adds to the near-mystical hysteria which plagues the case of the 27-year-old Gold Coast student beautician convicted last week of smuggling 4.1 kilograms of marijuana into Bali. It is also unnecessary. There are plenty of rational facts which point to Corby’s likely innocence.
Who was pushing “near-mystical hysteria”? “Transcendent grace” would surely qualify.
Perhaps she’s reacting to Janet Albrechtsen’s none too subtle bitchiness:
You know too many Australians are overdosing on compassion, with scant regard for reason, when mainstream talk starts suggesting that Corby’s courtroom demeanour and good looks somehow demonstrate her innocence.
Update: Ken Parish succumbs to reader entreaties and posts on Corby’s case.
More to the point – does Miranda Devine expect anyone else to remember what she writes from week to week?
More to the point – does Miranda Devine expect anyone else to remember what she writes from week to week?
Gosh I wish I hadn’t read the transcendant grace article because I ended up reading this one (and knew you would be onto it *grin*).
I wish Miranda took her own advice:”In any case, none of the recriminations do Corby any good, as she faces spending the rest of her child-bearing years in jail.”
I loved the “child-bearing” bit – leave aside the possibility that Corby could halve that sentence with remissions for good behaviour.
But look at the ‘rational’ arguments Miranda presents and if don’t you love it when everyone’s a lawyer.
*negative blood/urine tests: since when do mules or dealers or importers necessarily have to be users. Many are not.
*drug smuggling. Gone on for years in international airports. Wouldn’t a check of court records show up convictions? Want to put a call out to current and former airport employees to come forward (they’ve been on talk back radio). Proves nothing for Corby’s defense.
*stunning coincidence. Would she like to tell us how the two are connected? Could she provide a map and point out where one flight arrived, the other left and the passage of baggage to each flight even? Proves nothing for Corby’s defense unless you can show a connection and even then….show evidence it involved a bag of dope
*in fact we don’t know for sure its hydroponic dope – we are only going by visual reports from journos who reckon it’s good head
As to Bakir’s grievances (who would listen to him he’s not a lawyer)
* ‘failing to secure’ either points to failures in Qantas internal systems (if we accept their stories of how long Qantas is supposed to keep data and if we assume they requested information in a timely manner – there was some doubt at one stage). Even so, Qantas did not fail Corby as Miranda’s headline suggests unless there is some government regulation governing that data. If not, Qantas internal systems are their own. If their systems failed it’s tough. No worse or better than if Qantas had a policy of destroying data after the end of each flight.
*sniffer dogs and scanning. Do you think anyone placing stuff inside wouldn’t know the routine and the least risky time to tamper with luggage (like after stuff is scanned?) And I doubt that any international airport in Australia does 100% scanning and sniffer dog assessment anyway. We don’t down here. Most security is done based on risk assessments and profiling – it is too expesnive, slow and ineffective to do a 100% check. The only time you can reasonably expect a scan is if you tell your check in attendant that you didn’t pack your bags. And in that instance your bags will be marked/sealed with tape indicating it’s passed a security check (which can mean an xray or scan, inspection, whatever…depending on the airport). And if usual international departure procedures applied, Corby would have been asked if she packed her own bags. If she said yes, well it still leaves her in the poo. Our shiny white knights should know that given how often they bunny hop to Bali.
*as to subpoening the roster being “impossible from Indonesia” what the hec does that mean? And whose fault is that? The law’s? Didn’t hot shot Tampoe commercial lawyer know this? And perhaps if his camp was more interested in helping Corby instead of whipping up people power he might have been able to work out something quietly with Qantas/unions. And what did they hope to achieve by getting the roster? Get a confession from baggage handlers? Are they so sure it was them? Or are they clutching at straws? What if it was an engineer? They must be egging on for a mini series.
*material fact of systematic criminality has not prevented thousands and thousands of people passing through that airport every day without a problem. And that would be such a great defense for every drug smuggler. If it was so critical to their case, did they try to glean information from court records, FOI requests, senate estimates, former employees or? How would that have helped Corby?
*I was waiting for someone to suggest an amnesty.
Didn’t Bakir offer a rather meagre reward (of his own money) for information? That didn’t achieve anything. Now, given that Ford’s testimony (which was hearsay anyway) got discounted because he had lied about a deal, how much weight would a name much less a confession procurred under an amnesty have unless it too was also accompanied with some corrobarating evidence? Back to square one.
*as to lawyers not tracking the other down to offer help – well it would have been awkward for the QCs to barge their way in as one has already explained (and Rasiah is still going on about them not giving orders now anyway. Rasiah’s not a laywer either but he he’s still Corby’s “case coordinator” and man after a casino in Bali). Put that down to egos on both sides and someone with sloppy office managment for not picking up messages for days. Hey I can ring into my voicemail from anywhere in the world.
Corby is in an invidious position, guilty or not. Made worse by the clowns on the Australian so-called “legal” team and their egos. She should be grateful that Miranda is not her lawyer. And Miranda may be interested in reading Corby’s lawyers’ own grounds for appeal.
Gosh I wish I hadn’t read the transcendant grace article because I ended up reading this one (and knew you would be onto it *grin*).
I wish Miranda took her own advice:”In any case, none of the recriminations do Corby any good, as she faces spending the rest of her child-bearing years in jail.”
I loved the “child-bearing” bit – leave aside the possibility that Corby could halve that sentence with remissions for good behaviour.
But look at the ‘rational’ arguments Miranda presents and if don’t you love it when everyone’s a lawyer.
*negative blood/urine tests: since when do mules or dealers or importers necessarily have to be users. Many are not.
*drug smuggling. Gone on for years in international airports. Wouldn’t a check of court records show up convictions? Want to put a call out to current and former airport employees to come forward (they’ve been on talk back radio). Proves nothing for Corby’s defense.
*stunning coincidence. Would she like to tell us how the two are connected? Could she provide a map and point out where one flight arrived, the other left and the passage of baggage to each flight even? Proves nothing for Corby’s defense unless you can show a connection and even then….show evidence it involved a bag of dope
*in fact we don’t know for sure its hydroponic dope – we are only going by visual reports from journos who reckon it’s good head
As to Bakir’s grievances (who would listen to him he’s not a lawyer)
* ‘failing to secure’ either points to failures in Qantas internal systems (if we accept their stories of how long Qantas is supposed to keep data and if we assume they requested information in a timely manner – there was some doubt at one stage). Even so, Qantas did not fail Corby as Miranda’s headline suggests unless there is some government regulation governing that data. If not, Qantas internal systems are their own. If their systems failed it’s tough. No worse or better than if Qantas had a policy of destroying data after the end of each flight.
*sniffer dogs and scanning. Do you think anyone placing stuff inside wouldn’t know the routine and the least risky time to tamper with luggage (like after stuff is scanned?) And I doubt that any international airport in Australia does 100% scanning and sniffer dog assessment anyway. We don’t down here. Most security is done based on risk assessments and profiling – it is too expesnive, slow and ineffective to do a 100% check. The only time you can reasonably expect a scan is if you tell your check in attendant that you didn’t pack your bags. And in that instance your bags will be marked/sealed with tape indicating it’s passed a security check (which can mean an xray or scan, inspection, whatever…depending on the airport). And if usual international departure procedures applied, Corby would have been asked if she packed her own bags. If she said yes, well it still leaves her in the poo. Our shiny white knights should know that given how often they bunny hop to Bali.
*as to subpoening the roster being “impossible from Indonesia” what the hec does that mean? And whose fault is that? The law’s? Didn’t hot shot Tampoe commercial lawyer know this? And perhaps if his camp was more interested in helping Corby instead of whipping up people power he might have been able to work out something quietly with Qantas/unions. And what did they hope to achieve by getting the roster? Get a confession from baggage handlers? Are they so sure it was them? Or are they clutching at straws? What if it was an engineer? They must be egging on for a mini series.
*material fact of systematic criminality has not prevented thousands and thousands of people passing through that airport every day without a problem. And that would be such a great defense for every drug smuggler. If it was so critical to their case, did they try to glean information from court records, FOI requests, senate estimates, former employees or? How would that have helped Corby?
*I was waiting for someone to suggest an amnesty.
Didn’t Bakir offer a rather meagre reward (of his own money) for information? That didn’t achieve anything. Now, given that Ford’s testimony (which was hearsay anyway) got discounted because he had lied about a deal, how much weight would a name much less a confession procurred under an amnesty have unless it too was also accompanied with some corrobarating evidence? Back to square one.
*as to lawyers not tracking the other down to offer help – well it would have been awkward for the QCs to barge their way in as one has already explained (and Rasiah is still going on about them not giving orders now anyway. Rasiah’s not a laywer either but he he’s still Corby’s “case coordinator” and man after a casino in Bali). Put that down to egos on both sides and someone with sloppy office managment for not picking up messages for days. Hey I can ring into my voicemail from anywhere in the world.
Corby is in an invidious position, guilty or not. Made worse by the clowns on the Australian so-called “legal” team and their egos. She should be grateful that Miranda is not her lawyer. And Miranda may be interested in reading Corby’s lawyers’ own grounds for appeal.
This is very ignoble of me, I know, but the thought of a scragfight between these two skanky hos really appeals to my Neanderthal heart. Bring it on!
This is very ignoble of me, I know, but the thought of a scragfight between these two skanky hos really appeals to my Neanderthal heart. Bring it on!
I think she proably trying to work out which side is right and left in this issue so she knows who to attack.
Also does she ever misse an oportunity to link weightloss to good looks?
I think she proably trying to work out which side is right and left in this issue so she knows who to attack.
Also does she ever misse an oportunity to link weightloss to good looks?
Mark,
Why do you still bother with Devine? She is dead set 100% a waste of time. Sure, she might be window onto the unthinking pseudo-compassionate “doctor’s wives” type, but we already _know_ how they will react any way.
The sort of person who responds to op-ed pieces like hers and cockjocks like Lawsie say the same thing each and everytime “Well, thank god _someone_ has the guts/sense to say that!” when all this is is an admission on the part of the reader/listener of their inability to think critically themselves.
Might as well pay an animal psychic to tell you what the sheep are thinking each day. “Ooh, let me guess… it’s ‘hungry’ ‘too hot’ ‘sleepy’ ‘ooh, hungry again’.”
Mark,
Why do you still bother with Devine? She is dead set 100% a waste of time. Sure, she might be window onto the unthinking pseudo-compassionate “doctor’s wives” type, but we already _know_ how they will react any way.
The sort of person who responds to op-ed pieces like hers and cockjocks like Lawsie say the same thing each and everytime “Well, thank god _someone_ has the guts/sense to say that!” when all this is is an admission on the part of the reader/listener of their inability to think critically themselves.
Might as well pay an animal psychic to tell you what the sheep are thinking each day. “Ooh, let me guess… it’s ‘hungry’ ‘too hot’ ‘sleepy’ ‘ooh, hungry again’.”
From today’s daily Crikey email, under “Unsubstantiated rumours”:
From today’s daily Crikey email, under “Unsubstantiated rumours”:
Stephen Hawking eat your heart out!
There really is a Theory Of Everything.
Any scenario starring, John “Capo di Capo” Howard, Lexxy “Stockings” Downer, Phil “The Monk” Ruddock, Max “The Axe” Moore-wilton, Mick “Sniffer Dog” Keelty, Geoff “We Get All The Government’s Business” Dixon and Miranda “Head Up Her Arse” Devine has gotta pong to high heaven.
Not one of them knew anything about anything to do with drug smuggling through Sydney airport. Not one of them even suspected it. No-one read the Customs report. Howard didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve regarding Corby, didn’t hire two QCs to run her appeal, didn’t authorise a letter to the Bali Judge from Phil Ruddock’s office, didn’t go on every airwave in the country saying how sorry he felt for her, and then didn’t take it all back and say we have to “respect” the Indonesian judicial system, and certainly didn’t suggest that a few grammes of white “biological substance” might set those same independent, wise and level-headed Indonesian judges on a course of petty revenge for the embassy incident. It was his evil twin, Little Jimmy Howard.
It wasn’t Howard who tried to obfuscate on Lateline about a little side-trip to the Maldives to spring a convicted drug smuggler through personal intervention.
It wasn’t Mick Keelty who knew all along that the airports were crook as Rookwood yet still went public trying to deny there was any connection with the Corby case.
It wasn’t Qantas who sacked “Cruisin’” Alan Cornwell as their Head Of Security for tipping off associates of Kevin Hurley about police investigations into drug trafficking.
I bet it wasn’t even Cornwell who decided to leave a few blank spots in the security camera net at Mascot to give the baggage handlers some privacy.
And it certainly wasn’t Max Moore-Wilton, the “can-do” Mr. Fixit Man charged with ripping as much out of landing fees, cab ranks, luggage trollies, tenants and anything else that a monetary value can be apportioned to out at Kingsford Smith that would have had any responsibility to actually do a little checking about security on his turf.
No. All of them had Evil Twins who occasionaly break through from the parallel universe, Howard Land, into our own reality.
And it wasn’t the Australian people who swallowed all this garbage and somehow or other started believing that a Prime Minister who says he’d happily invade “unspecified” neighbouring countries could be taken as anything but an international joke by Indonesia and a dupe of George w. Bush himself.
Deputy Sheriff, indeed…
John Howard (and cronies): l’Etat, c’est toi.
Stephen Hawking eat your heart out!
There really is a Theory Of Everything.
Any scenario starring, John “Capo di Capo” Howard, Lexxy “Stockings” Downer, Phil “The Monk” Ruddock, Max “The Axe” Moore-wilton, Mick “Sniffer Dog” Keelty, Geoff “We Get All The Government’s Business” Dixon and Miranda “Head Up Her Arse” Devine has gotta pong to high heaven.
Not one of them knew anything about anything to do with drug smuggling through Sydney airport. Not one of them even suspected it. No-one read the Customs report. Howard didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve regarding Corby, didn’t hire two QCs to run her appeal, didn’t authorise a letter to the Bali Judge from Phil Ruddock’s office, didn’t go on every airwave in the country saying how sorry he felt for her, and then didn’t take it all back and say we have to “respect” the Indonesian judicial system, and certainly didn’t suggest that a few grammes of white “biological substance” might set those same independent, wise and level-headed Indonesian judges on a course of petty revenge for the embassy incident. It was his evil twin, Little Jimmy Howard.
It wasn’t Howard who tried to obfuscate on Lateline about a little side-trip to the Maldives to spring a convicted drug smuggler through personal intervention.
It wasn’t Mick Keelty who knew all along that the airports were crook as Rookwood yet still went public trying to deny there was any connection with the Corby case.
It wasn’t Qantas who sacked “Cruisin’” Alan Cornwell as their Head Of Security for tipping off associates of Kevin Hurley about police investigations into drug trafficking.
I bet it wasn’t even Cornwell who decided to leave a few blank spots in the security camera net at Mascot to give the baggage handlers some privacy.
And it certainly wasn’t Max Moore-Wilton, the “can-do” Mr. Fixit Man charged with ripping as much out of landing fees, cab ranks, luggage trollies, tenants and anything else that a monetary value can be apportioned to out at Kingsford Smith that would have had any responsibility to actually do a little checking about security on his turf.
No. All of them had Evil Twins who occasionaly break through from the parallel universe, Howard Land, into our own reality.
And it wasn’t the Australian people who swallowed all this garbage and somehow or other started believing that a Prime Minister who says he’d happily invade “unspecified” neighbouring countries could be taken as anything but an international joke by Indonesia and a dupe of George w. Bush himself.
Deputy Sheriff, indeed…
John Howard (and cronies): l’Etat, c’est toi.
And to think $200k of bribes to various officials would’ve saved us all this crap.
And to think $200k of bribes to various officials would’ve saved us all this crap.
[...] be kept out in the sun too long and warp out of electable shape. Elsewhere: Mark looks at Devine confusion, Spinstartshere looks at the new two tiered health system, and [...]
Doesn’t Janet realise she’s breaking with her coven (Blair etc)? Perhaps the ABC is affecting her more than she is affecting the ABC.
Doesn’t Janet realise she’s breaking with her coven (Blair etc)? Perhaps the ABC is affecting her more than she is affecting the ABC.
I think it’s the command from on high to all News Ltd opinionators to conform their opinion to Murdoch’s, Flutey.
I think it’s the command from on high to all News Ltd opinionators to conform their opinion to Murdoch’s, Flutey.
Can’t be bothered fisking Janet. She makes some valid points (particularly raising the question of special government favour to Corby, not that I would begrudge anyone access to proper legal assistance and I’d probably intervene to get some of those clowns away from Corby) but ironically she makes the same mistake as those she criticises:
“They point to a mentality where compassion rules, and reason is shooed away as a trait of the mean-spirited.”
“And with the Prime Minister muttering platitudes, about mothers and fathers across Australia feeling vulnerable, John Howard is starting to look like one of those “I feel your pain” politicians who dole out compassion just for the heck of it. The unfortunate thing is that this only feeds a growing belief that compassion is a legitimate end in itself.”
“And how ironic that Corby may end up being the unfortunate victim of too much compassion.”
She seems to be equating emotion, real or false empathy, sentimentality and whatever else with compassion and suggests compassion and reason are mutually exclusive.
I’d say that Albrechtsen wouldn’t know what compassion is.
Can’t be bothered fisking Janet. She makes some valid points (particularly raising the question of special government favour to Corby, not that I would begrudge anyone access to proper legal assistance and I’d probably intervene to get some of those clowns away from Corby) but ironically she makes the same mistake as those she criticises:
“They point to a mentality where compassion rules, and reason is shooed away as a trait of the mean-spirited.”
“And with the Prime Minister muttering platitudes, about mothers and fathers across Australia feeling vulnerable, John Howard is starting to look like one of those “I feel your pain” politicians who dole out compassion just for the heck of it. The unfortunate thing is that this only feeds a growing belief that compassion is a legitimate end in itself.”
“And how ironic that Corby may end up being the unfortunate victim of too much compassion.”
She seems to be equating emotion, real or false empathy, sentimentality and whatever else with compassion and suggests compassion and reason are mutually exclusive.
I’d say that Albrechtsen wouldn’t know what compassion is.
“…Prime Minister muttering platitudes, about mothers and fathers across Australia feeling vulnerable, John Howard is starting…”
Can’t say what she knows about compassion, but, judging by the above quote, she, knows, fuck all, about, grammar, and Janet’s grasp of syntax.
“…Prime Minister muttering platitudes, about mothers and fathers across Australia feeling vulnerable, John Howard is starting…”
Can’t say what she knows about compassion, but, judging by the above quote, she, knows, fuck all, about, grammar, and Janet’s grasp of syntax.
That would be me Nabs.
That would be me Nabs.
No, that was her I was taking the piss out of. Unless of course you have a secret life as a News Limited columnist called Janet.
No, that was her I was taking the piss out of. Unless of course you have a secret life as a News Limited columnist called Janet.
stunning good looks, improved in recent months by jail-time weight loss IMO, is the most fatuous and disgusting offering by Ms Devine, anywhere, ever.
stunning good looks, improved in recent months by jail-time weight loss IMO, is the most fatuous and disgusting offering by Ms Devine, anywhere, ever.
“I think it?Äôs the command from on high to all News Ltd opinionators to conform their opinion to Murdoch?Äôs, Flutey.”
That would account for Adams presumably.
“I think it?Äôs the command from on high to all News Ltd opinionators to conform their opinion to Murdoch?Äôs, Flutey.”
That would account for Adams presumably.
No, Geoff, Adams is the pet Lefty Murdoch columnist because he can be relied upon to come out with utter crap that righties think lefties all believe. His latest column was an absolute disgrace. The guy needs to realise he’s being used, and retire gracefully. Now.
No, Geoff, Adams is the pet Lefty Murdoch columnist because he can be relied upon to come out with utter crap that righties think lefties all believe. His latest column was an absolute disgrace. The guy needs to realise he’s being used, and retire gracefully. Now.
Adams is an RWDB’s dream. Stuck in the 70s, bearded, wearing all black. Get rid of him. Mark’s right – the Murdoch papers can claim he provides “balance” to the equally ludicrous ravings of Akerman, Albrechtsen. Hire some bloody bloggers for good l/w op/ed!
Adams is an RWDB’s dream. Stuck in the 70s, bearded, wearing all black. Get rid of him. Mark’s right – the Murdoch papers can claim he provides “balance” to the equally ludicrous ravings of Akerman, Albrechtsen. Hire some bloody bloggers for good l/w op/ed!