hotrod185

I went to the Guadalupe river over the weekend w/ some friends. On the last minute we decided to stop in Gruene for some lunch since a few had never been there. Well upon returning to out truck, some lowlife piece of human garbage decided they wanted our luggage & camping stuff more then we did. What has happened to the deciency (sp?) of peple these days? This just burns me up. All I really lost that was of reall value was my cell phone. It was dead & I had no charger, so I threw it in the bag the day before we left. Everything else was just stuff and can be replaced. The officer that took outr repor said there had been at least 10 other vehicles hit that morning in the same parking lot.

Please learn from my experiance. Use a little common sence when your traveling. Even if the people your traveling with say "it'll be fine in the bed."

I know I've learned my lesson.

lost_but_found

i know what you mean. some people just have no respect or regard for life. i know a guy who had a houston texans metal emblem that went over the trailor hitch and was locked on - cost like $10. but some punk decides he doesn't want to spend $10 and tries to pry it off and only bends it all to hell. these people think that they can take easy street forever and live off of other peoples savings. and to make the situation even worse, the police don't really do much to stop them. all they do is wait for them to screw up bad enough to get themselves caught. i know because my brother-in-law is an hpd officer. my sister's truck has been broke into twice and no one caught. some mutual friends had their car stolen and no one was ever caught. another friend recently lost his entire cd collection and new stereo, and i know many others with the same problem - and no one has ever been caught. i guess the police view it as a petty crime - they are too busy trying catch some of the worst criminals to ever plague society - those dreadful dopeheads. :rolleyes: sorry to rant. but i have been heated over this subject for quite some time. :mad:

i mean no disrespect to our men in uniform. my b-n-law is a good guy and wants to get out there and make a difference. but he can only do what his higher-ups tell him to do. i would just like to see these damned theives tracked down and get much more than some stupid slap on the hand probation. maybe a loss of hand would teach them not to steal!!! i can tell you this, there is no theft problem in countries with such a law. at the very least, these punks should spend a few years paired with bubba so he can teach them a little about respect and com-passion(which to me seems more inhumane than a loss of a hand). i don't really hate much, but i loathe a thieve!

i apologize if i have offended anyone, but i have been heated over this for quite some time. where does it stop?

Shannon

Hotrod,

Sorry to hear about your loss. Unfortunately, it takes losing some items to thieves to remind us all that thieves lurk everywhere. It's best to keep personal items out of view and locked, whether you're at a park or shopping for groceries. There are no guarantees, of course, but it helps remove the temptation -- there's usually another "target" nearby that a lazy thief will hit instead.

There was a popular birdwatching park along the coast we used to frequent until it got a reputation as a hotbed for thieves. They'd break into parked cars and steal camera equipment, binoculars and other expensive items. The problem was addressed with increased patrols by the local police department, but the park lost its original reputation as a great place to go birding. In fact, we found the park overgrown and unattractive for birding on a visit earlier this year. I can't blame it entirely on the thieves and the fear they put on everyone, but it certainly didn't help.

:confused: I personally doubt that removing limbs would stop thieves; it would probably just force them into other methods, just as it does in those societies alluded to. I don't think we really want to emulate that kind of "justice" system. We can be barbaric enough, as a society, ourselves... without emulating barbarism from other societies.

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hotrod185

Well said Lost But Found. My sentiments exactly. Personally I feel we as a society have been entirely to tolerant of garbage like these people. And don't worry about offending me. You didn't and most likely won't. I'm right there with you brother! I bet the problem would change if we cut off certain government programs to anyone with a conviction record. And although it isn't related to petty crime, the good ol' State of Texas need to put an express lane in death row for certain individuals.

I'm really glad that I don't have my CHL yet and that I didn't walk up on these low lifes in the act.

And Shannon: Yes I realize that we probably asked for it. We were forced to park in the back of a parking lot with low visibility due to lots of travelers. But with a lot of people around, we didn't give it a second thought. Usually, I am very aware of my suroundings. On a side note. My wife and I took a test one time that would give us a 1-10 rating on our likelyhood of ever being mugged or vandalized. We both got the same score. The test concluded that thieves were more scared of us than we are of them.

lost_but_found

i was exaggerating. i'm not saying that we should emmulate anything, and i am not saying that we should go around chopping off limbs. what i am saying is that we need to be a little more aggresive in apprehension and consequences. on that note though, locking someone away from society in a prison to fend for themselves against some nasty people is a very inhumane way to punish. not only do these people become more violent (by way of life) but are banished from soceity upon their return (if they even manage to make it out alive). these guys are the ones, more than not, that have to resort to stealing because they can't get jobs and can't be respected or trusted. that's why i say that i see it as more inhumane than lobbing a finger or hand off as a punishment. but i am not trying to say that we should do that. just trying to make the point that it should be dissuaded a little more aggresively. as hotrod said, we as a society have become more tolerant of these crimes. it has just become a way of life here in america. but i guess i would take a thief over a suicide bomber anyday!

personally i believe in public humilliation for the lesser offenses. although i can't stand a thief, i don't believe he should be sentenced to death for his crime.

Shannon

We all seem to feel the same way -- frustrated by thieves -- but we're all sort of falling over each other in our posts here. The problem with posts is there's no body language or tone of voice to help the reader determine if someone's joking, exaggerating or stone cold serious.

PS: Hotrod, I'm not sure anything in my message indicated I thought you'd "asked for it"... any more than I indicated my husband has "asked for" his tire to be stolen in that parking lot several years ago.

Anyway, thieves are no good, and I think we can all agree on that and move on.

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lost_but_found

giving up so easily? not up to a good debate?!?

i'm rarely ever serious. the reason i am hot about the thives topic is only because i lost thousands of dollars worth of equiptment, and all the loss my friends, family, and other instances (such as hotrod) that i hear about and no one ever gets caught. i rarely hear the good ending.

trust me when i say that i was in no way taking anything said personal. i just realized that i probably sounded a little insane in my first post - i was just venting! :ribbit: that's why i wanted to clear myself!!

i do feel better now!

Shannon

Something like that -- Playing the role of moderator, s'all.

Well, then, there you go! :laugh:

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OutdoorPhoto.com

Your frustration is COMPLETELY understandable. When the spare tire was stolen from my 94 Ranger several years ago I was frustrated, mad and shocked...

Theft is a crime that affects all of us. Chances are some low-life creep(s) are going to rip all of us off at some time or another in our lives. It ain't ever gonna be O.K.

That said, it's probably good that we don't run into these people when they're ripping us off. The gut reaction is to fight for what is yours...I've always said the first thief I catch is going to catch the wrath I've built up from all the thieves before him that I DIDN'T catch....

But in reality, if someone's bold enough to bust into your vehicle in broad public...who knows how bold they are about doing other things like carrying a weapon, etc.

When it comes to that... your health... your life ain't worth things you can replace....

hotrod185

"OutdoorPhoto.com - When it comes to that... your health... your life ain't worth things you can replace...."


A-men. Quite honestly I don't know what I would have done. Looking back at everything I am glad I didn't walk up on anyone. I have two beautiful little girls at home and a baby on the way that I have to think about. I'm not doing them much good if I loose my head & something unthinkable happens. I feel better knowing I'm not the only one who feels this way. I guess what my wife told me is true. It's all just stuff. It can all be replaced, but I can't be.

With that being said, what would you do about replacing it. Me and my stuff were not in my truck, but instead we rode w/ a friend. I've asked her (through e-mails) if she has spoken to her insurance agent yet about if contents in the bed of her truck are covered. She has never responded. I'm looking at about $500 worth of items. Total amount lost between all 4 of us was in the neighborhood of about $1800 - $2400. Our friendship is worth much more than that, but I don't know how hard I should push the issue. Any suggestions? I've also been told that I might want to try talking to my insurance agent & claiming it on my homeowners policy. Do we have any agents in the house? I am only wanting to replace minimal items that I lost. But I don't want anyones premiums to go up. Should I just cut my loses, keep my friends, and forget about it?

I feel like I'm writeing Dear Abbey.

Thanks for listening to me.
hotrod

kai

hey all- since i've been working, it seems like i just can't keep up anymore (I work outside all day... its hot out... seems like i work, sleep, and occasionally eat and bike)... at any rate, sorry to hear about the thefts. I've had my car broken into before, as well, and it is frustrating.

as far as the insurance claims are concerned, I would probably not claim it. I've heard down here in texas it is difficult to get home insurance policies written in the first place. there is something called a "C.L.U.E." report that the insurance companies use to evaluate whether they should insure you, or your property, and what your premiums (your percieved risk) should be. unfortunately, most of the stuff on that report has very little to do with yourself. and even calling your insurance company to inquire whether to pursue a claim can be added to the report, and hurt your future chances of getting another policy written (i suppose you could get your premiums increased, or your policy even cancelled, but it'd surprise me). Also, there is the question of your deductable. if you make a claim, and your deductable is higher than the value of your claim, then you've just injured your insurable rating for something you're going to have to pay for anyway.

i am NOT an insurance person. this is just what i've learned along the way. i have ordered my clue report from "Choice Trust" (about $20 i think)- i learned that my house had been broken into 9 months before i bought it, which was interesting- but that affected MY insurance premiums. just something to keep in mind... if someone can't get a policy written when they are trying to buy your house, the mortgage company wont allow them to buy it, and you get screwed, etc...

we have a saying in our family. "it's just stuff". i ruined a rim on my car on a pothole earlier this month- $600 worth of damage. but its just stuff. i could have swerved to avoid the pothole, and been in a horrible accident, and hurt myself, or someone else. when the jack fell as i was changing it (the tire was still on, thankfully), it could have squashed me (or my arm, or whatever)... stuff is replacable. its just stuff. its frustrating, but try to remember that its just stuff. you could have caught someone in the act, and they could have been armed and shot you. it's just stuff. (I'm trying to over come this problem by trying not to buy anymore stuff). its corny, but loosing a couple friends on the 9/11 planes taught me to value human life. stuff is replacable. people are not.

as for the theives, as a budding buddhist, i try to remain somewhat compassionate (which is hard at times)- its bad to have stuff stolen, but at least i'm not so bad off that I have to steal stuff. when i want something, i go buy it. i have food every day. i am fortunate. others- not so much. Granted, it might have just been a bunch of kids who made off with some gear- but the road they are headed down will not be relaxing, and peaceful, and full of love. things will never be easy for them with the path they have chosen, and eventually, karma will come back to bite them. While i don't approve or condone of stealing, i am thankful that i don't have to stoop so low. (but if i knew who did it, i would seek restitution, by all means... its an odd balance, and there must be a middle road somewhere).

speaking of which, the law enforcement down here leaves a lot of room for improvement. perhaps its lack of funding, but i am appalled at the amount of violent crime and home invasions and robberies. i'm not holding my breath on it improving, but i'll always vote for more police funding. i'm not sure thats wise, given the rampant political corruption down here, but i don't know what else to do...