![\"Medcraft](\"http:\/\/machinegunkeyboard.com\/blogimages\/jakas_horses_arse.jpg\" "\\"Medcraft")
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Jack-also-known-as Steve (JAKAS) Medcraft (who uses either given name interchangeably depending upon the day) is identified as the president of ‘People Against Lenient Sentencing<\/a>‘ (PALS). PALS lobbies government to levy harsher sentences and to compromise civil liberties in the pursuit of prosecuting more people. JAKAS frequently is sought for his hardline law ‘n’ order opinions<\/a> by Murdoch journos. Up until recently, JAKAS also served on the Sunbury, Victoria council.<\/p>\n The Patrotik Yoof Leauge<\/em><\/a>, a parody website by the illustrious Dr Cam Sexenheimer<\/a>, is a spoof of the actual ‘Patriotic Youth League<\/a>,’ an anti-immigration group which has white supremacist and neo-nazi connections, including to the Australia First Party.<\/p>\n Former Sunbury mayor, present Sunbury councillor and author of the blog ‘Guruann<\/a>‘, Ann Potter<\/a>, suffered a complaint by JAKAS to the Victorian Electoral Commission when she cracked wise on her blog that Medcraft’s views were ‘so right wing that he should join the Patriotic Yoof Leauge<\/em>.’<\/p>\n JAKAS alleged in his complaint that Potter’s blog commentary could have caused voters to believe that he in fact is a neo-nazi, in the course of his pursuit of re-election to the Sunbury council.<\/p>\n The VEC on Monday handed down their decision in Potter’s favour, with costs of $2600 awarded against Medcraft (PDF, 15 pages, 468Kb<\/a>).<\/p>\n The VEC decision is a major victory for bloggers who dabble in political satire, absent a Bill of Rights in Australia<\/a> which might protect rights to free expression.<\/p>\n