Common thieves, and rationalization

[Hal O'Peridol]

One of the lowest forms of life ever has to be the thief (there are some levels of hell lower than this for other miscreants).

Whenever I hear of someone who got stuff stolen, or even when a person came upon a thief in commission of the act, I often hear folks say, "At least no one got hurt. After all what was stolen was only things, and they can be replaced."

It is this mindset that bugs me the most. What was stolen was MY stuff, and yes it matters. And I'll tell you why.......

All those "material" things that got stolen represent a portion of my finite life here on earth that I spent working to get the money for these "only material things".

I work hard, and I resent the HELL out of having that portion of my life stolen from me. I will never get that back, it is gone, never to be seen again. And often to replace those "material things", I will NOW have to spend more of my finite time here on earth to replace said items. So in effect, the thief has stolen from me TWICE, once time I will never get back, and the second is time that I could have spent doing other things.

Sorry for the rant, but heard that "it's only stuff" thing once too often and had to translate it into something other than material items. Every thing I own is a direct consequence of time I have spent to get it, and that time is non-recoverable.

ahhhhhh, crap. Rant off guys...

[John Sukey]

Then there are the contractors who have their tools stolen. So how do you earn any money without your equipment?
Guns? most of my collection CANNOT be replaced! AND even if I found replacements they would cost a hell of a lot more today!
My car? Do you actualy think your insurance company will give you enough money to replace it with one of equal value?
Add to that , thieves will often trash your possessions looking for money and things they can sell.
The IDIOTS who pontificate that "at least no one got hurt, would NOT be so glib if it was THEIR possissions that were stolen!
I wish we had the old "hue and cry" of olde England where you were expected to help your neighbor to chase down and KILL thieves

[Nick Riviezzo]

Hal, John, you're both right. I hope if I ever am robbed/burgled I can catch the perp in the act 'cause what I'm going to take from him/her cannot be replaced either. Nick

[Major Tom]

I emphatically agree. I once caught a thief in the act of breaking into my home. Fortunately for him (because of State law), I only called the cops to arrest him. Had he been inside my home (also according to State law), I could have administered my own form of justice. Sumbitch was a neighbor.

[joem]

I've been hit a couple of times myself. First time they tried to steal my car, cut loose with a 12 gauge with slugs. One perp slipped on wet lawn and went down just as I fired, thought I got him, blew a brick put of neighbors porch. Hit my business and took a truck, welder and test cables. Hit my business again, lost $250,000.00 worth of electrical equipment, Ins paid $65000.00 Caught one and turned him over to police. Detectives cut him loose. No I woun't call police again. I'll take care of business and dispose of body.

[SMOKEY]

I've been hit a couple of times myself. First time they tried to steal my car, cut loose with a 12 gauge with slugs. One perp slipped on wet lawn and went down just as I fired, thought I got him, blew a brick put of neighbors porch. Hit my business and took a truck, welder and test cables. Hit my business again, lost $250,000.00 worth of electrical equipment, Ins paid $65000.00 Caught one and turned him over to police. Detectives cut him loose. No I woun't call police again. I'll take care of business and dispose of body.

As one of our members has said in the past: shoot, shovel and shut up.

[Rick]

My electronic business was broken into the first time just before Christmas. The next year it was broken into just after Christmas. The first time the insurance company paid about $20,000 short of what the inventory cost me and the second time they refused to pay. That was a $80,000 loss I paid by selling a new house which I paid cash to have built. Fought the Insurance Company for a few years until I just went broke and had to give up. During this period when I was down my banker embezzled $25,000 from the sale of my inventory. Talk about getting kicked when you are down.

Compared to the Insurance Company and my Banker the thieves were honest men. They were on drugs and needed money. They did feel bad about the whole deal but I think it was more that they had to go to prison than what they did to me. However the Insurance Company just didn't care. Believe me they are bigger thieves than the thieves. The banker was sweating blood that he was going down but his boss the owner of several banks came to his rescue. If you are the richest man in the state and the largest contributor to both political parties in the state you really can pull some strings.

Lesson learned is money corrupts government. Insurance Companies have no sole and a bankers heart is as cold as ice. Best lesson is if I loose everything just give me twenty years and I will be back to owning a new house and have just as much money as I did before. The biggest lesson I haven't learned is to forgive. Don't expect that to happen in this life time.

Bottom line I think thieves should be hung. That goes double for white collar thieves.

[JB White]

A few years back I opened my garage to find a bad guy facing me. half again as big and as heavy as me and half as old. My son called the police while I survived by beating him down with a #2 shovel. He ran off limping and bloody and we waited another 20 minutes for a police car to arrive.
Theivin' SOB made off with one of my nice jackets and tore up my Lincoln trying to steal it. He never was caught, but I hope when he looks in the mirror to admire the jacket he also admires the scarred face he got while getting it.


The biggest lesson I haven't learned is to forgive.

Haven't learned? No, what you learned is not to forgive, never forget, and don't ever be a victim again!

[Dave Waits]

Boy, this thread hits close to home. As you all remember, back in March I had one of my gunsafes stolen. My POS Stepson,BTW, is a prime suspect in it. Well, insurance finally cut me a check. My loss conservatively was $7800.00, insurance paid me $4557.00. You can't replace stolen guns you've had for 10-12 years, they have a value to you other than monetary.

Anyway, this sniveling little craphead comes home last night with some friends and his girlfriend. He's higher than a kite on pot. One of his friends uses the bathroom and when he's done he pulls the door shut, right through the frame. then, before I can do anything about it his girlfriend, who also needs to use the bathroom cries cause she can't get in. Tom grabs the door and shoves hard. Ripping the door off the hinges and destroying the frame! Then, stands there laughing about it! Well, I physically threw him and his friends out, this was at midnight. I got up this morning to fix the door. Went to grab my tape measure and it's broken(Guess who), Go to the hardware store and buy another, get the measurements and go to Home Depot and buy the wood. Come home and go to get my new Finish saw to trim the old frame parts. Guess what's missing?

Problem is, he's considered a resident of the house, I have to have him evicted. Takes thirty to sixty days in Ohio. He won't work, comes home late at night and starts eating everything he can find, doesn't pay for anything, doesn't lift a finger to help out, steals from both me and his mother, he's a total waste of flesh loser. Chip off the old block. his old man was the same way. Died of an overdose of Oxycontin at 40.

I'm afraid if something doesn't happen soon to rectify this, I'm gonna lose it and put a round in him!

[Rick]

The first time insurance companies just don't pay the full amount. Now if you turn in another claim for any amount of money they may not pay and may cancel your policy. The insurance on my store was about $135 a month. I was paid up a year in advance. So after they held up on paying my second claim they cancelled my insurance six months later. They just waited until it was due and were getting paid $135 a month knowing they were never going to pay for months.

The store was bad enough but stealing personal property out of your own home has to be worse. Besides the loss of property you also loose our piece of mind and I imagine until the person is caught you suspect everyone you meet.

One time I was selling a Remington Model 10 at a gun show. One of the dealers was interested in it and bought the shotgun. He then told me he thought the it was his dads and I think he thought I was the thief. I told him I hope it was his dads and gave the name of the pawn shop where I bought it. Turned out his father had passed away and he didn't have the serial number. Anyway every time I ran in to him at the gun shows I got the look and it gave me the creeps.

[mike24d20]

I have posted before what I keep in my truck at all times, A ,45 auto-,357 rev. SKS an a 20 ga. loaded tac style-buck an slug. There is only one road into my property an anyone who I find around my place gets shot at. Just ask my neighbors stupid brats. I have myself lost everything too fire an theives. Cops are 1 1/2 hr from where I live an then if you do not speek the local family lingo you will surely get a hoseing. As for relitives who are a theif, get a single shot gun- chop bbl an scoure out the inside of the bbl an crown. But first buy extra bbl from another dealer. The rest I leave up too youall. It works real good in the back hillcountry.

[John Sukey]

Reminded me of the stepson of a good friend. the POS liked "nose candy" He stole some of my friends guns, bayonets, a large part of his coin collection, garden tools, and even his step-brothers playstation to finance his habit. His excuse? well, my friend had insurance! After he was KICKED out of the house, he got an apartment and rented some furniture, which he SOLD. Proving that God looks after even scumbags, his girlfriend paid for the furniture he stole!
My friend did get one gun back when the cops busted the perp the POS sold the gun to.
The sad part is that his mother was a wonderful person who unfortunately succumbed to cancer.
My friend does hope the scumbag will eventualy show up at his place of work, (he is a prison guard)

[PhillipM]

Boy, this thread hits close to home. As you all remember, back in March I had one of my gunsafes stolen. My POS Stepson,BTW, is a prime suspect in it. Well, insurance finally cut me a check. My loss conservatively was $7800.00, insurance paid me $4557.00. You can't replace stolen guns you've had for 10-12 years, they have a value to you other than monetary.

Anyway, this sniveling little craphead comes home last night with some friends and his girlfriend. He's higher than a kite on pot. One of his friends uses the bathroom and when he's done he pulls the door shut, right through the frame. then, before I can do anything about it his girlfriend, who also needs to use the bathroom cries cause she can't get in. Tom grabs the door and shoves hard. Ripping the door off the hinges and destroying the frame! Then, stands there laughing about it! Well, I physically threw him and his friends out, this was at midnight. I got up this morning to fix the door. Went to grab my tape measure and it's broken(Guess who), Go to the hardware store and buy another, get the measurements and go to Home Depot and buy the wood. Come home and go to get my new Finish saw to trim the old frame parts. Guess what's missing?

Problem is, he's considered a resident of the house, I have to have him evicted. Takes thirty to sixty days in Ohio. He won't work, comes home late at night and starts eating everything he can find, doesn't pay for anything, doesn't lift a finger to help out, steals from both me and his mother, he's a total waste of flesh loser. Chip off the old block. his old man was the same way. Died of an overdose of Oxycontin at 40.

I'm afraid if something doesn't happen soon to rectify this, I'm gonna lose it and put a round in him!

If it were here I'd at the very minimum take his butt to see the Justice of the Peace, it's only $50 to file. I'd go for restitution and a "peace bond" which is a restraining order for all practical intent. I don't know how that works when he lives in the house but live in boyfriend / girlfriend issues often go that way here.

I had a work truck, an 86 Chevy one ton that I removed the service body from and placed for sale. Shortly after putting it up for sale the commercial insurance came due and I thought well why have insurance on a truck I don't drive so I dropped it. The next week somebody stole it.

[stars-n-bars]

I use to work with theives and other toads in my earlier yrs. You haven't seen a panty-wasted crybaby or heard one until you hear the sob stories of one theif stealing from another.:bootyshake::bootyshake::bootyshake:

[mack]

Dave, don't worry about your stepson. If he's using, it will kill him sooner or later.

I taught for nearly forty years (I know some of you have heard me say that before, sorry about that) and when I was teaching, I always told my using students that the dope would kill them eventually. I could always find a celeb or local who was dead from an overdose and that kinds made some of them stop and think.

I would ask them, "Why put something in your body that isn't natural and normal that's going to kill you eventually and make you miserable before it does?"

The girls understood better than the boys because the boys ALL thought they could beat death. It doesn't work that way.

[Dienekes]

Hal: Your post just repeated in plain language what John Locke said about the theory of property rights back in the 1700s--and what the Founders had in mind.

Not to mention what a lot of people still think about politicians trying to "spread the wealth around"!

The old barracks treatment for a thief still seems like a good policy to me.

[John Sukey]

That barracks treatment of a thief reminded me of what happened to one when I was stationed in germany. They caught one breaking into foot lockers. He "Fell Down" four flights of stairs in the barracks.:rolleyes: