On 8/17/06, James <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Hannah, you always make a convincing argument, and not only that,
> you're funny when you want to be, too, which is why I'm glad you
> contribute to this group. But let Capt. Analogy take another stab
> at this.
>
> Say you're shopping and leave your credit card somewhere, and an
> unscrupulous fellow shopper picks it up and runs it up with a bunch
> of crap purchases. Say he fills up his 2005 Aspen green Camry and
> buys tickets to Bob Dylan on Saturday, for instance. Yes, this
> person is as guilty as if he had picked it directly from your
> pocket. But to some degree, you did fuck up. We live in a world in
> which you need to protect yourself, your loved ones who can't
> protect themselves, and your valuables. These are unfortunate and
> undeniable truths. If you don't do this, or worse, do the exact
> opposite, you have to bear a certain degree of responsibility.
> Whether it is naivete' or carelessness, society is unlikely to make
> concessions for you. The person who picked up your card saw an
> opportunity, and may not have had the intent to steal a card that
> day. But still, you're screwed.
>
> Now to Gene's remark about drunk driving vs. tax evasion. Okay, now
> I'm drunk at a bar. I have my car and I have my keys. I have the
> opportunity to sleep in my own bed, to be comforted by my own cats,
> to apply my own icepacks, steaks, cucumber slices, and do whatever I
> need to do in my own bathroom. There is no intent to harm anyone.
> The crime lies between the poor judgement, and the opportunity to
> drive to where I want to be. Tax evasion is a crime of intent. The
> repercussions about sucking up resources and depriving money that
> might have gone into social programs, blah blah won't get into that,
> particularly under this administration.
>
> Say you're walking by a parked convertible with the top down, and
> there's a $100 bill on the front seat. Most of us will think, this
> is a set up, ain't touching that thing. But we're special. What
> percentage of society do you think will grab that thing, compared to
> breaking into a locked car with a bill on the seat? A far greater
> percentage. You're basically an idiot for leaving a $100 in an open
> car. Only a real douchebag will break someone's window for a lousy
> $100. I think Gene thinks a crime of intent is worse than a crime
> of opportunity.
>
> So what I'm getting at is yes, your kids should not be walking home
> alone, especially if you have dressed them up as little freakin'
> whores.
>
> This ain't the garden of eden, there ain't no angels above. Things
> ain't what they used to be, and this ain't the summer of love. -
> Blue Oyster Cult
Don't be hangin' out with vicious cows, either.
Stephanie (who once left her wallet in full view on the front seat of
her unlocked car in Adams Morgan)
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