> > It appears that Australia has been the victim of organized smuggling of people, which is organized from the Indonesian capital Jakarta. The australian police have even identified one Abdul Punjabi as the main organizer. During the last two years, thousands of people from Western Asia have entered Australia in search for higher standards of living.
>
> Ah, but what are those "higher standards" being compared to, and how high ARE those standards? It's all relative.


I don't think it matters. You see, what I refer to as "standards of living" is purely materialistic. Therefore, these people don't fall under the "refugees from an oppressive regime" category, and therefore it is Australias right as a state to refuse them entry. While I think that this right is debatable, it is (1) founded on the historical succes of the Australians compared to e.g. the Pakistani, and (2) generally accepted.


>
> > I also sympathize with the view that people smugglers should be shot at dawn. No, really: They are toying with human life.
>
> This was a sarcastic joke, right? After all, shooting someone at dawn for smuggling a person is also toying with human life.


Uh-oh, I see the "Capital Punishment" thread rearing its head again. Do we want to go into this again?

julian