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November 2002
Posts: 1196
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana | I have been playing at the same church every weekend for years. Well today after church when I got to my vehicle I noticed something was different. My drivers side window was knocked out, and my Alpine CD player was pulled out of my dash and gone. They also stole my Boss AD-3 acoustic processor, and a bunch of CDs. I was inside church playing guitar, and someone was in the parking lot stealing my stuff. This had happened to someone last week also. I guess my question is why? How do people take other peoples things? This was done in broad daylight in a full parking lot. The police told me they have seen quite a bit of this thing at churches lately. He also said alot of these things end up in pawn shops. I am mad, and I just can't get over this feeling of being violated. The interior of my truck is all torn up, and everytime I get in it I just ask why? |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 266
Location: Tampa, Florida | Paul,
Wow, that sucks about your stuff. I would be really ticked, too. But remember, its just stuff. Maybe that guy will find your praise CD in it, listen to it and find Jesus. Who knows, the Lord works mysteriously. At least your Ovation was inside, strapped to you. Our worship leader at my last church was bringing in his stuff one morning, walked in with his bass and some other stuff, came back out to get his Adamas ans it was gone! Swiped. The jerk who stole it was dumb enough to call the only Ovation shop in town asking questions and they tracked the guy down. Again, I'm sorry for your stuff, but try to find God's hand in it. |
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March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | Why doesn't matter. What matters is do you have comprehensive insurance?
/\/\/ |
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December 2003
Posts: 13997
Location: Upper Left USA | Paul,
Sorry at your loss, most of which is the sense of privacy and security which was taken. Why - people are hurting and they choose to hurt as a means to compensate or get the attention they need. It's the same old story.
Since this was noted as an increasing problem amongst churches and your neighborhood maybe it is time to talk to each other about some solutions or ways to get involved.
God has a purpose in every heartbreak. |
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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 648
Location: Florida | Terribly sorry to hear of your misfortune.
The reasons people commit evil acts are probably endless.
Remember though, that He will not put before you what you cannot endure. |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | Being victimized like that is so frustrating both as to our loss and the reminder of what type of society we have out there.
This weekend we started juvenile: theft/shoplifting [2], juv assualt/anger [2]; adult: theft/shoplifting, assault/battery, anger mgt, and two repeat offender traffic programs
Trying to make a little change/impact in this county. Do programs like this help - yep. Are there more lined up to attack us? yep.
Are these attacks to provide food for their family - that's not what they tell us. We have a lot of work to do through our faith, example/role model, and society. When it isn't for a drugs addiction, this is narcissism.
As an aside, always interesting (minority or not), when the mother doesn't want to schedule her little "angel" for a Sunday program because he or she needs to go to church. Last example this week - juvenile beat up another juvenile (requiring hospitalization) to steal a $75 coat. Obviously, going to church was a formality/activity, not a commitment for this juvenile. |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | It is a real shock to discover that your sense of the right to own property has been violated, and at a church no less.
When I was younger because of wanting to be adventurous I encountered some of the people who lived by taking other peoples stuff, and they had an outlook on life that ordinary people will never understand.
1. They seldom have anything of their own, they steal to sell for some vice that is their main reason for living.
2. They don't have any allegience to or concern for anyone, if married with children, it is only so someone can cook for them and give them a place to crash between binges of whatever they binge on.
3. They are devoid of a feeling of right or wrong, stealing is opportunity not crime. They watch for unprotected property like we look for a parking place.
4. They have great personalities as they live by creating opportunities, usually in bars but I would't rule out churches as they might meet the "nicest people", suckers in their mind.
5. Juries feel sorry for them as they are just "misguided" for the 40th time as they can dress up (in stolen clothes) and pay a lawyer (with stolen money) when needed. Lawyers like the Chagras in El Paso got rich "helping" these "poor souls".
Don't expect the Lord to do much with them, He knows where they are going when they die.
Bailey |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Bailey, as usual, you hit the target dead center. Hope I can be as wise when I grow up!!! :D
Roger |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | if Phil Wong was looser with the meds, we can solve a ton of these problems.
it always stinks to get ripped off.
and there is no reason for it. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | A very wise person once said,
"It always stinks to get ripped off And there is no reason for it"
.
Sorry Bro.
Brad |
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Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 295
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | Bailey, what you are describing sounds like the typical psychopathic personality. These people have no empathy for others. They know the difference between right and wrong; they just don't care if what they do hurts someone. They are manipulative, and they can be very charming, fooling even expert prison psychologists into believing they have reformed. They can also seem to be very sympathetic or empathetic, to gain peoples' trust, but they are just imitating the empathy they see in others for their own purposes.
There is no cure for this personality disorder. Psychopaths wreak an inordinate amount of damage; they are often the ones with mile-long criminal records.
Dr. Robert Hare has written a book about them. He developed the psychopathy checklist, a diagnostic tool to help identify psychopaths.
It's hard to conceive of people who have absolutely no feeling for their fellow human beings, but they're out there; they're the monsters among us, and we should be on guard against them. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15686
Location: SoCal | In the last 35 years, we've created an entire generation (several generations, actually), who's attitude is summed up as "Me". If it feels good, do it, and the hell with everybody else.
At the lowest levels there is no parenting and it's kids creating kids. At the upper economic level it's characterized by parents who "just want junior to be happy and have self esteem". They never seemed to grasp that happiness and self esteem come from doing something productive in society and being a responsible adult.
Paul H, I feel for you. I had my favorite car stolen about 14 years ago. Never steal a car belonging to a p.i. Got it back and put one person in jail. Hurt like hell, and I cried when I saw the car with the stripped out interior. Only thing I could do was put it back together again. Don't let the bastards win. |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 1614
Location: Converse, Texas | Paul H: I feel for you. I've had stuff ripped off too. As you know, people are born with a sin nature. That is why.
Now, at our church, we have parking lot patrols. Two of the ushers go through the parking lot at random times. Of course, in Texas, we're allowed to be armed! |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Just having to do random parking lot patrols during church service is pretty sad.
illegitimi non-carbarundum
Don't let the bastards grind you down.
Brad |
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Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 2487
| Paul We are all bummed to here that when someone decent and living life as well as they can gets a wakeup call like this. And from the worthless vultures who live on the edges of our society. You have to look at it like it could have been worse! Let me bore you guy's for just a minute.
I was driving through my home town and saw about 6 Kids all of High School age beating up a younger kid? They were pommelling this kid and he was bloody! It was a shock to see it! Well I tried to be the good guy and I stopped my truck and got out and got right in the middle of it! WRONG! The kid who seemed to be the ring leader had a baseball bat he actually hit me hard with it I got lucky and blocked it with my arm (That hurt for a long time) I punched the kid so hard I knocked him out. I helped the other kid get up and asked some people nearby to call the police. Well to make this short It took 3 years to get the charges dropped The Kid with the bat turned out to be the scoocer coaches son and he had good political connections? The kid getting beaten wanted to be on the team and was reluctant to help with any of my defence. He had to in the end! It cost me a bundle of money but the Judge dropped the case in the end. By the time my case went through----The Great and well raised Coaches Kid ended up getting three DWI's, got kicked out of College, assulted an officer. and did some Jail time? He was a spoiled animal! Now just think if you went out to you truck and cought these guy's in the act! One of them may have had a gun and plugged you with some lead. It happens right. Let it go. Raise your own kids to do it right and help other kids when you can, Like I am sure you do already, and call it good. You can't save them all and you are lucky to have only the loss of a few items to look back on. Randy |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | Randy,
I commend your actions. You never know whether you can make a difference.
Will be discussing with a Probation Officer a juvenile who was bounced from our program Saturday...assigned to theft for beating the shit out of another juvenile to steal his jacket(justification was he is a blood, other guy isn't.) His real mistake is to "brackin it" against my facilitator, an employee of the California Department of Corrections. |
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Why?
