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Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

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Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#761

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The question though is would that 5% react to increased punishment. The studies done on raising felony theft thresholds indicate that they don't.

Thus the reasoning behind the "three strikes and you're out" laws which call for mandatory prison sentencing for habitual criminals. Some will not be dissuaded from crime. The rest of us deserve to live apart from them.

That is indeed the reasoning, but there is no good evidence that 3 strike laws reduce crime.

In fact multiple studies suggest that 3 strike laws have unintended consequences like increased fatal attacks on police, and twice sentenced criminals committing more serious crimes (because they will recieve a life sentence regardless of the seriousness of the offense).

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#762
post #256

If you're concerned about package thieves, just buy an outdoor cabinet and put it next to your door with a note asking that packages be placed in it. I use an Ikea Josef: https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/storage-furniture/outdoo... You don't even need a lock for it. If you can get the deliverymen to consistently place packages in it, the thieves will have no idea if there's actually a package at your door to steal…

https://www.getboxlock.com

With all due respect, this sounds like the wrong solution.

(1) It's too much of a hassle. Delivery drivers probably won't bother (2) What's to stop a thief from scanning a fake barcode?

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#763

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you're saying what, that he should have hired mercenaries to kill the guy and get his stuff back?

That would be more reasonable than hiring a gigantic mercenary State that turns against you, takes you money and laughs at your requests for help.

And if your mercenaries incorrectly target the wrong (innocent) person?

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#764

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It comes down to proportionality. I don't think anyone would disagree that generally stealing is wrong and people who do it in general deserve to face consequences. But the consequences should be proportionate to the crime. I don't think anyone deserves to die for petty theft, regardless of circumstances. It seems like you are suggesting that if someone takes a $50 package off of my front porch, and then I come outsi…

Defense is not about punishment. Thieves don’t deserve to die, but it’s okay that it’s a risk they run. As an aside, I see this all the time, usually in conversations about self-defense—“a rapist doesn’t deserve to die”; maybe not but they sure deserve to run the risk and they certainly deserve worse than their victims. At least they have a _choice_.

> Thieves don’t deserve to die, but it’s okay that it’s a risk they run.

Why is that okay?

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#765

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>What happens next? Well let me tell you of another event that occurred to me in 08/17. I was kidnapped at gunpoint from a gas station, forced to drive my attacker with a gun on my for 30 minutes, eventually after getting off the highway I jumped out of my own car in gear, escaped and called the police. First words out of the sergeants mouth responding, “cut the shit what really happened.” Despite my insistence I’m a…

Jesus this reads like it's from some super corrupt 3rd country, not the US.

Get out of your bubble?

I used to think the USA was a "safe" place. Maybe it is compared to Somalia but it isn't compared to Japan or Singapore. Once I got used to the safety of these places I never feel safe in the USA anymore.

I used just take it for granted there were bad parts of town and that even in the good parts of town I should be leery of people, avoid dark alleys etc. Don't walk alone at night, etc. Then I lived in these other places where that concept mostly doesn't exist.

As a concrete example it's common sense in the USA if I get a 3rd party car stereo I should get a removable car stereo and always take it out or hide it. I had 5 of them stolen and my car once and just took it all as "sucks but that's that way life is, my fault for forgetting to take the stereo out or not buying a lojack". But it's not the way life is. It's the way we've let it become.

There's lots of other examples and AFAIK most of it is cultural. An example, find a dropped wallet. In USA/Europe a large percentage of people have the attitude "score for me! found free money!" Not sure if that percentage is 20% or 80% but in Japan (and I think Singapore) the more common response is "OMG, someone is really going to be in a tough spot. I'd better try to get this back to them if possible". In the USA even if people had that attitude they might rationalize that the police won't care and it might be true the police don't care which is just another symptom of the same problem.

I have no clues how to spread the nicer culture to the West. It seems the opposite "me me me" culture is impossible to fight.

PS: these kinds of posts always illicit irrelevant responses of the problems in Japan and Singapore. I'm not saying Japan and Singapore are perfection. I'm only pointing out this one area where they do better.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#766

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>What happens next? Well let me tell you of another event that occurred to me in 08/17. I was kidnapped at gunpoint from a gas station, forced to drive my attacker with a gun on my for 30 minutes, eventually after getting off the highway I jumped out of my own car in gear, escaped and called the police. First words out of the sergeants mouth responding, “cut the shit what really happened.” Despite my insistence I’m a…

Jesus this reads like it's from some super corrupt 3rd country, not the US.

Well it’s like we even have a tinpot dictator whose primary goal is to line his own pockets.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#767

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Jesus this reads like it's from some super corrupt 3rd country, not the US.

Get out of your bubble? I used to think the USA was a "safe" place. Maybe it is compared to Somalia but it isn't compared to Japan or Singapore. Once I got used to the safety of these places I never feel safe in the USA anymore. I used just take it for granted there were bad parts of town and that even in the good parts of town I should be leery of people, avoid dark alleys etc. Don't walk alone at night, etc. Then I…

> Get out of your bubble?

Swipes like that break the HN guidelines. Can you please edit them out of what you post here? Your comment would be better without that sentence, and maybe also the patronizing bit at the end ("these kinds of posts always illicit irrelevant responses").

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#768

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not necessarily, there are instances where both perpetrator and victim are armed and the perpetrator walks away because of it.

Really? Because pretty much the only situation in which I'd be tempted to shoot another person is if they also had a gun (otherwise they're pretty likely to shoot me). If I'm unarmed, then I'm likely to be safe, even if I do get robbed.

If two people are running from a bear, you don’t need to outrun the bear.

Armed victim is more trouble for perpetrator so they will find easier prey. Most crimes aren’t specific but are opportunistic. If you’re a crackhead with a gun or whatnot do you stick up the crazy with a gun on their belt? Or wait 5 minutes for an unarmed victim?

This seems like such simple logic that it surprises me that I frequently hear arguments like yours.

I think that a ccw will not help against a hitman. But it sure helps against crackheads.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#769
post #256

If you're concerned about package thieves, just buy an outdoor cabinet and put it next to your door with a note asking that packages be placed in it. I use an Ikea Josef: https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/storage-furniture/outdoo... You don't even need a lock for it. If you can get the deliverymen to consistently place packages in it, the thieves will have no idea if there's actually a package at your door to steal…

Yeah, we had a package stolen off our porch, so we did that. It's a bench with a liftable top. The plan was to put a padlock on it. All of our packages are addressed to: Shaftway Place in Bench - Code 1234 24601 Where I Live St. My City, ST, ZipZipZip We order a lot of stuff, and probably average 3 deliveries per day. In the last 3 months we've had exactly one package placed in the bench. And we never even got around…

That is way too logical, that is where the problem is. The delivery driver didn't end up being a delivery driver by virtue of literacy and logic.

You have something tantamount to public/private key cryptography going on there!

Back to the video, I observed that a lot of the thieves talk to themselves out loud. They probably refer to themselves in the third person when talking to someone. Clearly they can't think before they open their mouths, something people should master being able to do as a ten year old. Maybe the only time they think is when they open their mouths, thinking and talking being the same thing to them.

If the secret shadowy people that rule the world in some conspiracy really had plans to depopulate the world then they should get the NSA to track everyone that talks to themselves, select these folk for the depopulation program and then this theft from doorsteps problem would be gone.

Re: Glitter bomb tricks parcel thieves

#770
post #653

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hopefully you don't keep your wallet and keys in your car anymore! If thieves broke into my car, they'd get some old CDs, leather gloves, and a skateboard I have no emotional attachment to. Seriously people: your car is not secure storage.

Other than the particular crime, please explain how your statement is different from "If you didn't dress so provocatively, you wouldn't have been raped."

Think of the car more like an nonsecure HTTP webmail.

It’s essentially free to anyone who can MITM your connection.

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