Strip searches approved in massive police powers boost for G20 forum in Brisbane CBD

[drug_mentor]

Once again you fail to address a good few points in here that don't gel with your opinion. For the record I don't particularly appreciate being referred to as a tin foil hat wearer and I don't see how me not liking citizens rights being taken away justifies me being lumped in with paranoid conspiracy theorists?

What I meant by a well thought out plan was more like, identifying the times and areas where G20 participants are most vulnerable, bolstering police presence more at these locations during these times and also sweep for explosives regularly, perhaps also limiting public access to these spaces would be an idea. What about those explosive swab tests? They do them at airports, is there any reason that couldn't be done, it seems MUCH less invasive than searching people without permission and I could understand the justification for swabbing some people.

Have these measures been applied at other G20's? I am honestly curious because I don't know, might look it up myself later when I am less busy. So far as I know though, I have never heard of this shit being implemented and I have also never heard of a world leader being killed at a G20, again I am not super informed so perhaps I am misinformed on that. Assuming I am right in thinking that police didn't need these powers in the past and no world leader was ever killed then any justification for these laws here is pretty flimsy. Even if I am wrong on that, I don't really care because I still stand by the fact that the freedoms of many should trump the potential safety of a few.

I do see how these laws MIGHT limit a populations ability to riot as effectively as they otherwise might, but I don't really see them preventing a major attack like a sniper or a bombing any more effectively than the security measures they would otherwise take would. It begs the question, is it about safety or is it about image, if in the past people have rioted and there has never been a world leader hurt or killed then is there any real reason to think that would happen in riots this time around? It seems to me more than anything, they are probably concerned with image more than safety. As I said in a previous post, I don't agree with rioting and I hope it doesn't happen, it certainly sucks for any business or home owners who's property gets damaged, however, I don't believe that thousands of peoples rights should be violated just so K Mart doesn't get looted.

I don't think if Putin got killed in Australia by some rogue idiot, terrorist/terrorist cell, individual Australian citizen rioting, etc. that we would be in any real immediate danger of Russia going to war with us. I don't think on a world stage they could justify that at all, and with some of our allies they would really be getting into something quite major. I imagine that the idea of self preservation would prevail and prevent Russia from unleashing any real military threat on Australia, and that is in the INCREDIBLY unlikely event that Putin ever got killed at the G20 from here. I could obviously be wrong on that but I don't see how focusing on this one very unlikely scenario is particularly intelligent or helpful when it comes to determining the best way to handle the Brisbane G20. Also, you could make the argument this could happen regardless of how extreme the security measures are, so wouldn't the best argument be not to host the event in Australia at all? If your argument is that these laws protect all Australians by preventing any chance of war resulting from a world leader being assassinated then surely you agree that not hosting the G20 alltogether is the most foolproof way to achieve that?

Who here said that the protesters spoke for the majority of Australian's? Nobody is saying that, some of the shit you throw in is just a distraction from the real issue and the flaws in your argument. Wouldn't you say that the fact they DON'T speak for the rest of us is a very good reason the rest of our rights should not be taken away due to their actions? (and let me add they are predicted actions, not even ones that have been taken yet for fucks sake)

Again, I find it incredibly rich and a bit smug for you to sit and talk about you being happy for your rights to be infringed upon, when you know as well as the rest of us that it is never going to be you in your business suit or designer clothing that is stopped and harrassed under this legislation. Your anecdote about sharing a spliff with several coppers amuses me, not because I doubt the truth in that story, but because you seem to think we all live in a world where that is possible. Yes, I am positive that plenty of cops realise that processing a well off professional for a small bit of weed probably isn't going to go anywhere, and depending who said professional golfs with they might be able
to make said coppers life a little bit more difficult than the ticket for weed made the professionals. I am sure that in this circumstance where they either have no desire or see no benefit in booking you, that they may say fuck it and take a toke or two, but in circumstances where they can arrest or otherwise charge somebody and make themselves look better on paper they will probably go this route rather than the puff puff pass.

Again, I don't think these laws are likely to be abused on any noticeable scale, especially not this time around, it does not mean that we aren't setting a very dangerous precedent of the Government taking away citizens rights at a moments notice with justification that isn't particularly logical and that the people have zero say in. That is the type of shit that happens under totalitarian Governments. I agree with you that we live in one of the safest democratic nations in the world, but if we allow this type of thing to happen once too often then it might not be a democratic nation forever. I also fail to see how living in a safe democratic nation is an argument for taking away citizens rights without the democratic process of the people voting for either the legislation or even the hosting of the event the legislation is made to protect?

 

[One Thousand Words]

What I meant by a well thought out plan was more like, identifying the times and areas where G20 participants are most vulnerable, bolstering police presence more at these locations during these times and also sweep for explosives regularly, perhaps also limiting public access to these spaces would be an idea

You mean like this map?

What about those explosive swab tests?

Won't pick up molotovs, ball bearings or other weapons that are more commonly used at previous G20 protests/riots

Have these measures been applied at other G20's?

I doubt it. Do you think they were used in London or Toronto judging by these pictures?

NSFW:

I care less about the world leaders to be honest and more about my fellow residents. The summit should bring a boost to the local economy (hundreds of cashed up foreign visitors eating and drinking away their nights) provided the damages are kept in check.


From memory the last copper bought his own spin.

 

[drug_mentor]

I actually meant something a lot more specific than that map, that seems to be just a rough area surrounding the summit, not identifying where would be good strategic points to attack and the like or where world leaders have to pass through specifically.

Who is going to kill Putin with a fucking molotov or ball bearing? Get fucking real mate, I doubt the cars they are driven in would even take damage off shit like that. Pick an argument and stick with it, either we need these laws to protect the world leaders or we need them so a few shop owners don't get their windows smashed in, there is a fucking big difference between the two and if we are talking the latter (not that I would agree with the former either!) then that is simply no justification for taking away thousands of citizens rights.

If you really cared about your fellow residents then I don't think you would support the removal of their freedoms.

You are so bad for cherrypicking what you respond to, if you were half as intelligent as you clearly think you are you would have a rebuttal for even half the points people put to you, but instead you just regurgitate the same old nonsense. Out of a whole large post all you have to respond to is my point about there being a map and that swabs wont pick up molotov cocktails. I don't know that I can be bothered to continue a discussion with someone so closed minded they can pretty much only talk about their own points and so obtuse that they don't seem to know how to rebutt an argument.

 

[One Thousand Words]

I was just going to post TL;DR to be honest so be happy with what you got

 

[drug_mentor]

Fair enough, I suppose trolling isn't that fun when you are are incapable of responding to most points the other is making.

 

[opi8]

The point isn't what the police will do with these powers or why they want them, the point is what it allows them to do if they choose.

Without even reading the rest of this thread, I'm so fucking glad that bluelight has some moderators which weren't brought up with silver spoon in their gobs and have a real understanding of the issues most of the visitors to this site have to deal with every day. We get trolls all the time, mod trolls are the worst. You think you can handle them, but then they go and troll you so hard you can't help but hit reply.

Thanks d_m for sticking up for the "little guy" (that goes for my Johnson too).

 

[rm2x]

Myself and my partner are heading up north while this is on. She works in the CBD, which is bad enough, and I am paranoid by nature and don't like the idea of being in Brisbane when this is on.
Another thing is that if anyone is into research chemicals then my advice is to not get anything via the mail for a few weeks leading up to this, possibly longer. They'll be checking the mail much more thoroughly.

 

[One Thousand Words]

Without even reading the rest of this thread, I'm so fucking glad that bluelight has some moderators which weren't brought up with silver spoon in their gobs and have a real understanding of the issues most of the visitors to this site have to deal with every day. We get trolls all the time, mod trolls are the worst. You think you can handle them, but then they go and troll you so hard you can't help but hit reply.

Thanks d_m for sticking up for the "little guy" (that goes for my Johnson too).

That's fucking hilarious considering I grew up in a piss ant country town in the middle of the north island. I literally played rugby barefoot in winter. I just was instilled with a good work ethic (although i did bust out that previous post in between patients ) and worked my arse off, so now I can support my parents as thanks for all the sacrifices they made. If I can live the dream after years of only eating rice and soy sauce for three meals a day then there is no fucking excuse for any of you lazy cunts.

I can't help my dick is bigger either

 

[opi8]

Yes, sure mate. You lived on rice and soy sauce. Well I grew up on witchity grubs and sand.

You have a superiority complex and I'm sick of your attitude when you obviously have some intelligence.

 

[One Thousand Words]

Yet you assume that every person who has a well paying job and a nice car was some how gifted it through hereditary deed. Where are we living, 16th century feudal Britain? For a few years I was putting myself through uni the only square meal I got was when my rugby coach shouted me a counter meal after training on Tuesday and Thursday night. I am not a citizen so I wasn't able to get any government assistance like Aus study or the dole. My course was Mon-Fri, 8-5 (if I was lucky I wouldn't be in the lab late at night finishing jobs).I'm not telling you that as some sort of sob story, at the time I had an ambition and fortunately viable way to achieve it. I was skint but smart enough to know that complaining about it wasn't going to change my predicament. I managed thanks to the work ethic given to me by my parents and my wit and charm.

I make no apologies for never eating a packet of 2 minute noodles since and I certainly don't owe any one else for my success.

 

[footscrazy]

^ Your success in life is not just due to your hard work and work ethic, but also to something as abritrary as luck. Luck that you never got caught with drugs, and didn't get a conviction that would've had a big impact on you working as a dentist and 'living the dream' now. While your ambition, motivation, hard work, and days spent struggling may be commendable, it doesn't change the reality that when it comes to the illegality of using drugs, these qualities count for fuck all. Yes, there are ways to reduce your likelihood of getting caught, but ultimately, the difference between someone like you living the dream, and someone else having a dramatically altered path in life, can come down to something as simple as whether or not you get caught.

 

[One Thousand Words]

Funny how the harder I work the luckier I get.

But then I get accused of being able to afford better lawyers or preferential treatment. It is easier to blame someone else around here rather than looking at yourself.

 

[lovepsychadelics]

One thousand words I don't think anyone in Australia gives two shits about the G20. As far as I'm aware there are 0 anarchist organizations in Australia. Just the odd pissed off individual with a grudge against a former employer and a home made pipe bomb sent via the post. I remember the fire bombings in WA against Asian Businesses by Neo-Nazi's back in the day, way more chance of that then any real threat to the G20. Fuck that jumped up little shit Newman he's the reason thousands of nurses, firefighters and other public servants were booted. He has increased the states police force and lowered the admission standards however and that is the only public service not to lose jobs. Next will we they change from blue to brown uniforms?

 

[footscrazy]

Funny how the harder I work the luckier I get.

But then I get accused of being able to afford better lawyers or preferential treatment. It is easier to blame someone else around here rather than looking at yourself.

There was no blame or accusations directed at you in my post. I was simply demonstrating that with the laws surrounding drugs the way they are, getting caught with them can have a huge impact on someone's life. It is understandable that people are concerned about laws which set what could be a dangerous precedent in terms of reducing one's rights and privacy. My point is, some people will be prevented from your success, not because they didn't work hard or didn't make sacrifices, but because they had the bad luck to get caught.

 

[One Thousand Words]

One thousand words I don't think anyone in Australia gives two shits about the G20. As far as I'm aware there are 0 anarchist organizations in Australia. Just the odd pissed off individual with a grudge against a former employer and a home made pipe bomb sent via the post. I remember the fire bombings in WA against Asian Businesses by Neo-Nazi's back in the day, way more chance of that then any real threat to the G20. Fuck that jumped up little shit Newman he's the reason thousands of nurses, firefighters and other public servants were booted. He has increased the states police force and lowered the admission standards however and that is the only public service not to lose jobs. Next will we they change from blue to brown uniforms?

Have you forgotten about the Occupy riots in Melbourne in 2011? Serious groups or not there are plenty of unwashed rent a mob who are dying to start shit with "The Man". I'm less worried about an actual terrorist attack than general mayhem that these sort of protesters usually bring. I'm predicting at least one or two police vehicles set alight and countless windows smashed with no real message being spread.

I actually have some sympathy to the message but do not agree with the methods they use.

 

[opi8]

If you want to size up our penises then I reckon I could beat your sob story, but I won't go into detail. I had a $400,000 house and a $30,000 car when I was 19, I made my own path and earned everything by myself.

I simply don't like the fact that you are always looking down on and either patronizing or simply making derogatory remarks to everyone because you have a nice life that wasn't affected by the war on drugs. You often say that you are too smart to get caught. Well mate, bad luck happens and like Footsy said, just because you haven't had any, that doesn't make you smarter than anyone else here.

I can't believe that I've been sucked in again. Fucking trolls.

 

[lovepsychadelics]

Have you forgotten about the Occupy riots in Melbourne in 2011? Serious groups or not there are plenty of unwashed rent a mob who are dying to start shit with "The Man". I'm less worried about an actual terrorist attack than general mayhem that these sort of protesters usually bring. I'm predicting at least one or two police vehicles set alight and countless windows smashed with no real message being spread.

I actually have some sympathy to the message but do not agree with the methods they use.

They were riots??? Not even close to a real riot mate. Sounds more like schoolies 1993-4 lol, a few cop cars got rolled etc. As for the whole "occupy" movement it was quite tame, not even close to true anarchists. We are all entitled to our own opinions however and if you believe that was a riot that is your belief and more power to you for believing. An example: Pussy Riot are 100 times more hard core than that and they have to deal with the Russian law enforcement... that is what standing up for your beliefs really is all about. We don't have it that bad in Australia. You made me piss myself laughing that was worth the post.

 

[One Thousand Words]

If you want to size up our penises then I reckon I could beat your sob story, but I won't go into detail. I had a $400,000 house and a $30,000 car when I was 19, I made my own path and earned everything by myself.

I simply don't like the fact that you are always looking down on and either patronizing or simply making derogatory remarks to everyone because you have a nice life that wasn't affected by the war on drugs. You often say that you are too smart to get caught. Well mate, bad luck happens and like Footsy said, just because you haven't had any, that doesn't make you smarter than anyone else here.

I can't believe that I've been sucked in again. Fucking trolls.

Do you ever get tired of sitting in a corner and jerking each other off? I have a difference of opinion and suddenly I'm labeled a "troll". I'd rather stand up for what I believe in than run with the sheep around here. My opinion is hardly extreme or out of touch with the majority of our community.

"All police are cunts", "They are going to bash in the doors and innocent people are going to go down", "They are micro chipping our library cards". It gets boring and repetitive some of the shit that gets written around here. So far not one "the sky is falling" prediction in the past five years has come true. Te police have given you all the dates of the summit, they have even warned that they will exercise the power to strip search, how hard is it to avoid the area during the G20 or not carry any contraband in these zones?

The war on drugs is just that, a war. Fight smarter or lose. Any one who gets arrested as a direct result of the crackdown during G20 is not exactly a crack troop I want fighting on my side in battle.

 

[lovepsychadelics]

Police do a hard job as do paramedics, nurses, firefighters etc and they have to deal with a heap of shit in their line of work. The reason for the riots during the G20 is the economic hardship experienced by most of Europe/UK/USA. I have seen the homeless begging every few hundred meters in the middle of winter in London. Most are psychiatric patients or junkies who have no support services due to the massive cuts to the NHS. Most have every item of clothing they own on and the tattered remains of a sleeping bag or blanket wrapped around them. Also most have a dog as they receive a few quid more in their social payment, which is a joke at best (also the animal may get them a few extra quid begging on the street). Edinburg is worse as it's even colder. Many die over the winter months due to exposure.
Most of Europe is as bad or even worse. I was amazed at how bad Paris has become since my last visit, very sketchy indeed. The metro is full of homeless who sleep there at night to avoid the worst of the cold and it stank to high hell of urine and faeces. While in Waikiki almost every corner had a crack head begging for change. I could sit on the hotel balcony and watch the homeless crack addicts beg, till they got enough cash to buy a rock and there would be a dealer no more than about 50 meters or so. I could see them running to the block crack dealer from my balcony! You see them sleeping on park benches in the middle of the day in parts of LA while driving past in a tour bus.
We do not have it this bad in Australia so I doubt anyone would care enough to riot during the G20, especially in Brisbane. A few protests at the most. These temporary laws are just a knee jerk overreaction on behalf of the Newman government. As for living the dream and branding those who have posted here lazy cunts I have a degree, a diploma and a post-graduate qualification. Hence I can afford to go travelling overseas and see the hardships that have lead to the riots in the UK and other parts of the world. South America is another level of poverty and suffering that the average ozzie, even a "dole bludger" or someone living of 2 minute noodles can not begin to imagine and they have a huge problem with Paco, Pasta, Basuco (means bazooka in english) which is a base form of cocaine made from the dregs of the cocaine production. Chock full of sulphuric acid and stinking of gasoline. It is not oxidized to purify the base and is highly toxic shit. Asia is actually not too bad except Thailand which has a massive meth epidemic that makes what's happening here and in the USA look like a minor inconvenience at best.
2 minute noodles, rice and soy? One thousand words it sounds like you were to lazy (or stoned of your trumpet) to cook a real meal. Buying a few cheap sausages, lettuce, one onion and a tomato does not cost the ends of the earth almost as much as a couple of cups of instant noodles. I lived of Auz study while doing my diploma which enabled me to work while doing my degree. I won't put a rock through a window or cause police any issues.

 

[One Thousand Words]

Says he who has posted photos of himself as a private school boy in the picture thread, with the actual school he went to visible.

Rugby scholarship. We even had kids from poor highland tribes and remote communities. If you can tackle they will come.


lovepsychadelics I just got back from Colombia and I agree completely. The divide between rich and poor is immense and there is absolutely no social welfare for the poorest. Across the road from where I was working I saw guys cutting up strips of turf to sell to landscaping businesses. The thing is people don't starve to death, the locals even laugh that they are so industrious that they don't need government assistance.

I don't believe anyone in Australia has the right to complain in comparison and before they throw a brick through a Starbucks perhaps they should head to Bogota and try that shit. The local law enforcement response would make Qld police look like a bunch of pansies. The only good thing is corruption is a two way street and you can usually pay a quiet "fine" to get you out of trouble.


I have never complained about how I lived back then . At the time it was fun and I grifted to make do. I had a roof, had hot water and electricity and a steady flow of pretty girls to keep me warm. I have only responded to the insult that I somehow have been gifted every thing I now have. But I have come to expect that in this country, a lot of people like to blame some one else and are quick to take a hand out. The current election is less about issues and more "what are you going to give me?".