STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE

Pesky Accountants, rescheduled their mass attack for later in the month although their attack plan is not as secret as they would think. The buggers have managed to derail a well earned (subjective) field break in the meantime.

The Stump continues to remain in awe of the Indonesian Health Minister as she so focused on busy railing against the evil (?) and neo con World Health Organisation as Indonesia strikes the world record in recorded Bird Flu Deaths. The Stump absolutely agrees. Its all about priorities isn’t it Minister?

Still talking PUBLIC SERVANTS, Indonesian Law Makers (?) have certainly touched a nerve with the new anti-internet Porn bill, which any number of supportive comments in the newspapers suggesting “Porn is Bad”. The Stump absolutely agrees again!

It would be cynical to suggest that the above is symptomatic of the whole system of Style over Substance system of government the people are subjected to. It would be just plain poor taste, to suggest that if you were serious about protecting women and children from sexual exploitation you might actually take on some of the shadow men operating the various and very well known places of ill-repute. Are our erstwhile protectors seriously suggesting they don’t know where these places are? Ask Johnny Hop where he goes for the weekly shakedown.

Lets be clear here, we are not talking the more traditional (?) places of purchased fun and frivolity. Sex for sale is part of the human condition always has existed and despite the wailings of the pious (who seems overly obsessed with it all) always will,
The Stump makes no claim (contrary to some opinions) to moral superiority and has been known to pop down to the odd Blok or area of fun for a quenching ale himself. Personally the Stump finds the line between Predator and Prey at these places distinctly blurred. In fact it is source of amusement as the “NEWBIE” is so smoothly relieved of his extra and not so extra cash resources.

Such places are needed and exist in every society and a certain tolerance tends to keep things on a somewhat even keel. To pretend such places do not exist then by default you deny the existence of far worse stains on our collective society.

Stump has had the misfortune to visit the sickening and revolting “D” streets (and other no so secret areas) that consist of dark, dingy dank establishments where young women are kept like pieces of meat behind glass to picked, chosen and discarded.
Ask yourself which is worse, the lonely old guy playing with his prostate in the comfort of his own home or people trafficker bringing young girls out to sit in a bloody aquarium for the pleasure of serial bastards.

Of course, substance requires a fair degree of moral fortitude and it would be interesting then to see if the plods could look beyond their hip pocket and harassing the women involved and instead chase the shadow men (any bets).

More importantly it would require lawmakers with just a tad of substance above style.

It was once said that “In a democracy people get the government they deserve”
Stump ponders and wonders………..?/

Disclosure: Why was the Stump at that particular D street? We had heard it was famous for its pleasures, a tradition going back hundreds of years…What we found was enough to send us back to the hotel in less than one beer and the Stump is no prude.