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Yaya
Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:19 pm Post subject: New book by American who spent 3.5 years in a Korean prison |
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I read excerpts of Cullen Thomas' new book Brother One Cell in the March issue of GQ. The dude got busted for trying to smuggle dark hashish into Korea from the Philippines back in 1994. He spent 3.5 years in prison though it could've been seven given Korean law at the time. He's back in Brooklyn trying to make it as a writer.
http://www.panmacmillan.com/Titles/displayPage.asp?PageTitle=Individual+Title&BookID=377579 |
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Gwangjuboy
Joined: 08 Jul 2003
Location: England
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| Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:26 pm Post subject: |
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I quite like the look of that book. It would sure make an interesting read.
In this evocative memoir he describes the extraordinary people he encountered: the Pakistani people-traffickers awaiting the death penalty for murder, the Columbian emerald smuggler, the carefree Peruvian luggage thief who travelled the world in a business suit, the American who killed his two sons, the Korean gang leader who inspired him to find dignity and purpose in his life inside prison. As he learned to adapt to both the prison regime and the unspoken rules of Korea's Confucian society, he found within himself a kind of freedom and gratitude to the men he'd come to know, the struggle he'd passed through, to Korea herself. |
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SuperFly
Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Location: In the doghouse
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| Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:32 pm Post subject: |
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| I heard that the proper way to smuggle hash into the country was to swallow 4-5 gram peices wrapped in celophane. Maybe that was the pain in his side he was talking about. |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:47 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm not keen on giving money to a guy just because he got busted for trafficking drugs. |
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Roch
Joined: 24 Apr 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
| I'm not keen on giving money to a guy just because he got busted for trafficking drugs. |
How about exchanging money with the publisher for an intriguing read? |
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billybrobby
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 8:17 pm Post subject: |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
| I'm not keen on giving money to a guy just because he got busted for trafficking drugs. |
What are you, Captain Anti-Drugs? They guy was smuggling hash, not something harmful. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:08 pm Post subject: |
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| I've got no problem with soft drugs like that, but in this country it's a much creepier problem. It's not like you can go down the block to the local hippie and see if he has a couple ounces for you. Here you are supporting pimps and mobsters. |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 10:56 pm Post subject: |
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| billybrobby wrote: |
| Captain Corea wrote: |
| I'm not keen on giving money to a guy just because he got busted for trafficking drugs. |
What are you, Captain Anti-Drugs? They guy was smuggling hash, not something harmful. |
Aye, maybe I am. I'm not keen on drugs and have no qualms about it. The guy was smuggling drugs into this country, he got caught - haha
I'm glad he served prison time, it's what he deserved. He broke the law here and got busted. I see no reason why my money should go towards him (no matter his %). |
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Hater Depot
Joined: 29 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:07 pm Post subject: |
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| He didn't do it so he could write the book. He's paid his debt to society, as they say. If you don't want to buy the book, that's one thing, but how far do you want to take that attitude? Not give him a job, etc.? |
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Juregen
Joined: 30 May 2006
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| Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Hater Depot wrote: |
| He didn't do it so he could write the book. He's paid his debt to society, as they say. If you don't want to buy the book, that's one thing, but how far do you want to take that attitude? Not give him a job, etc.? |
I agree that he paid his dues.
Any man can write a book imho, the question is, is it worth reading. |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Hater Depot wrote: |
| He didn't do it so he could write the book. He's paid his debt to society, as they say. If you don't want to buy the book, that's one thing, but how far do you want to take that attitude? Not give him a job, etc.? |
That's not what the Captain said though. He said he wouldn't buy the book. Now if he had gone on a long rant about how people who smuggle drugs are evil and should be punished severely...then I could see you asking that question.
As it is I fail to see how saying 'I don't want to buy a book' equates to ' I don't want to give him a job.'
I wouldn't buy his book either...not unless I read some glowing reviews. So he did time in a Korean jail...so what? Doesn't mean his book is any good. |
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Grimalkin
Joined: 22 May 2005
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| Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2007 3:50 am Post subject: |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
| I'm not keen on giving money to a guy just because he got busted for trafficking drugs. |
Yeah what a basstard! He deserved every minute of that three and a half years he got. I mean it's not like he was doing something trivial like slaughtering thousands of Koreans or embezzeling millions, the kind of thing you can just let go with a slap on the wrist. |
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ipsofacto
Joined: 26 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2007 4:04 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I've got no problem with soft drugs like that, but in this country it's a much creepier problem. It's not like you can go down the block to the local hippie and see if he has a couple ounces for you. Here you are supporting pimps and mobsters. |
At the top of the food chain, 'pimps and mobsters' supply someone, who in turn supplies someone lower down, who in turn supplies someone else, until eventually the 'local hippie' gets his/her hands on some. Either way, you're still supporting 'pimps and mobsters', as you so lovingly refer to them. Not everyone is a 'Howard Marks' type dealer.
Don't misconstrue this as an anti-drugs rant - which it's not, on the contrary - I am just pointing out your naivety. Now pass me some rizla. |
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Demonicat
Joined: 18 Nov 2004
Location: Suwon
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| Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2007 4:58 am Post subject: |
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| I'm gonna have to call BS on that last statement. Many local hippies in the US (and I'd assume Canada), do a lot of homegrown. That is born in the US and cultured by hardworking people...well, hardworking hippies, well...you get the idea. |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2007 5:00 am Post subject: |
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| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
| Hater Depot wrote: |
| He didn't do it so he could write the book. He's paid his debt to society, as they say. If you don't want to buy the book, that's one thing, but how far do you want to take that attitude? Not give him a job, etc.? |
That's not what the Captain said though. He said he wouldn't buy the book. Now if he had gone on a long rant about how people who smuggle drugs are evil and should be punished severely...then I could see you asking that question.
As it is I fail to see how saying 'I don't want to buy a book' equates to ' I don't want to give him a job.'
I wouldn't buy his book either...not unless I read some glowing reviews. So he did time in a Korean jail...so what? Doesn't mean his book is any good. |
Aye, he commited a crime, he paid his time. It's done in my opinion. I see no need to give him money supporting him after the fact. If I bought every criminals books, well... I just wouldn't. I see a lot of them trying to seize on their sleeze... I want no part of it.
It's really that simple.
If you want to buy it, go for it. By all means, tell us about it  |
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