It was Kronic stupidity.

The reprehensible censorship employed by the Barnett government in response to The Bakery's planned Kronic Blowout show back in June will no doubt be remembered well by those reading this a few months later. For those who aren't familiar with the story, have a gander at my previous post on the topic here.

Vicious colonial scumbucket Rob Johnson: In charge of W.A. State violence
(source)

As I was cleaning out my inbox tonight I came across this press release... whether it ever made it to the actual press, I don't know, but here it is for posterity.

Kron Voyage

Is the government out of control in the West???

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kronic Blowout cancelled by WA State Government

Is the government out of control in the West???

The WA State Government banned Kronic (synthetic weed) in Western Australia on Monday but couldn’t introduce the ban officially/legally until Friday at which time it becomes an illegal substance in Western Australia. 

Headliners Perth based reggae/dub band SUNSHINE BROTHERS and nu-soul act COSMO GETS decided to have a laugh about it and accepted my offer to perform at a Kronic Blowout to welcome in the prohibition, have a laugh and make a point. 

The irony is that the bulk of the demand for Kronic was generated in the first place by sensationalist and ever more meaningless mainstream media reports and the pursuant bumbling press releases from the Government agencies. 

The media & government PROMOTED it to the people in a frenzy nearly matching the unbelievably tawdry planking episode. 

The result of this totally legal party being advertised was a MASSIVE over-reaction by media, numerous ministers & government agencies and finally this afternoon the police with support of the director of liquor licensing stepped in to ban the event under very, very shaky application of the law. 

Early this afternoon the police visited the venue and requested that they shut down for 24 hours under section 114 of the liquor act  

LIQUOR CONTROL ACT 1988 - SECT 114

114 . Closure of licensed premises by police

(1) Where a member of the Police Force for the time being on duty at any place has reasonable grounds for believing that at or in the vicinity of that place — 

(a) civil disorder, a breach of the peace or a threat to public safety is occurring or is likely to occur; and 

(b) in the interests of maintaining the peace or ensuring public safety it is or may be desirable that licensed premises be closed, 

that person may require the licensee, or an employee or agent of the licensee, to close the licensed premises or a part of those premises, or to cease the sale, supply or consumption of liquor (including the sale of packaged liquor) on or from the premises or a part of the premises, for a specified period or until further notice, and a person who, without reasonable cause, contravenes a requirement so made commits an offence.

This is a completely legal show making a valid social and political comment. 

If they are arguing that Kronic – a currently legal substance itself by their own bumbling laws – risks public safety does that mean that all liquor licenses selling alcohol or permitting smoking which is also legal should be shut immediately? 

There was no indication of any kind that any kind of trouble would eventuate from this show and no real grounds to stop it in this way.  

The decision implies that intelligent adults who got the joke and were keen for a night out are in some way violent or below the law or sub-standard is completely horrendous. 

Sometime [sic] you feel like you are free to comment in this country or to engage in mild satire but you clearly are not when it comes to the WA Government.

You think before saying or doing ANYTHING that our government would be smart enough to read very balanced and SCIENTIFIC Global Commission Report on Drugs prepared by global leaders, health experts etc so they are fully informed about the bigger picture and the shortfalls in policy rather than focussing on the minutia of Kronic and a single night concert making a point and having a laugh at a government with no real concept of what needs to be done. 

Do they actually think Kronic is a preferred drug or just something that people who like and want to smoke natural, real weed who don’t want to get busted use to get a little high every now and then. 

Read the major report on drugs – it pretty much comes up with the opposite conclusion to our government policy

Downloadable [here]

I never did find out who Kron Voyage was, but they disappeared off Facebook pretty quickly, as did later attempts to encourage people to Dress Homeless For CHOGM...

Western Australian Douche-Bag Of The Week Awards

^^ Opposite of douche-bag: An amazing pic from the Kimberley blockade.

(Pic thieved from Ben Collins at the ABC. Sorry about that, Ben.)

There are a number of complete douche-bags who deserve this award this week.

Third Place must surely go to the fine folks at Woodside and their enablers in WA Parliament.

These shit-heads have sent in contractors to clear land at James Price Point despite the fact that environmental approval is yet to be forthcoming, and simultaneous to recommendations that 20 million hectares of Kimberley Country be declared a national heritage site.

It's wonderful to see the people of the Kimberely sticking it up these greed-merchants. They have my full support!

Douche-Bag Number Two is the Idiot Who Decided To Outlaw Kronic.

Now, I haven't taken this synthetic marijuana substitute, nor do I necessarily condone illicit drugs, but everyone with a brain knows that prohibition fails to address any of the social or health issues surrounding those kind of shenanigans.

Yet WA, the same state who was, you'll remember, most reluctant to pass the legislation in 1967 granting Aboriginal people the same basic citizenship rights as other Australian human beings, has embarrassed itself publicly yet again. It's the same old shit from cowardly fascists.

Pretty sure the Premier is sitting back drinking some of his special Rio Tinto clean-skin faux-sauvignon blanc tonight......

Helen Lovejoy: Sort of like Margaret Court, except I'd bone her.

(source)

On that note, prize for the Biggest Douche-Bag Around goes to the Absolute Jerk-Off Who Revoked The Bakery's License For 24 Hours so that they couldn't send Kronic out in style.

Just to re-iterate for any gibbering, McDonald's munching Repressive State Apparati reading this, I'm not necessarily pro-drugs. What I am defending here is personal freedom and civic democracy.

But this decision was an absolute disgrace, and any tatters of credibility that this government has left have crumbled like shitty synthetic fibres in the rains of makuru.

How dare Cockroach Barnett turn around and feed The Bakery this one:

When you receive Government funding with it goes some mutual obligations and responsibilities. [source: The West]

Veiled threat? I wouldn't say it was veiled at all...

This scum-bag and his party full of CEOs and Old Money are a disgrace to the very word "liberal" and all that "liberalism" stands for.

They are Tories, plain and simple, and this is just another excuse to lock up young people and anybody else who dares to question whether the laws we're handed are actually beneficial in any way.

The kicker, and this is where the powers-that-be really start showing their colours, is that the organisers of the Kronic party turned around and decided to hold a Say 'No' To Legal And Illegal Drugs Party at the Civic Hotel (a private venue) instead.

Then, according to promoter Kron Voyage:

Liquor licensing came and threatened the venue and bar manager with a $60k fine so they had no other option but to dis-allow the show. The west australian government have canned an anti-drug event featuring local bands and artists, absoulute discrace!... [sic]

Nobody seems to be able to answer the question re: what legal grounds, exactly, the Civic was threatened, or what they're supposed to have done wrong.

Oh, and while I'm at it, the Encouragement Award for this week's Douche-Baggery goes to Commercial Media who beat up this entire thing in the first place. You know who you are. I bet you're so fucking proud of yourselves for making deadline. I hope your brother gets put in gaol.

OK, so, to round out this post: props to The Bakery / Artrage, a ballsy-as-hell promoter, and the Save The Kimberley mob for their pro-democracy stance this week. Positive vibes all 'round.