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Former college professor accused of serial arson is denied bail in California

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Re: Former college professor accused of serial arson is denied bail in California

#51

Looks like the perpetrator made an entry on Google Maps attempting to make a PAC[0]: Dr. Gary Maynard For President 2020 Exectutive Committee and PAC "My First and NOT the last Run for the Presidency of the United States of America - this is my PAC and you can donate to my cause once you have seen who I am and why I am running! I am Dr. Gary Maynard - Social Scientist and Nearly Unmatched Understander of ALL Human be…

> They have names, addresses,

This is a phrase I have seen numerous times before on the internet, always in contexts which make clear this is a call to violence.

Re: Former college professor accused of serial arson is denied bail in California

#52

Two points here: - It's interesting how his academic background in criminology is in an area tangentially related to his own alleged social deviance -- maybe a "call of the void" type deal, in the sense that (anecdotally) some people who have a lifetime academic fixation on particular subject matter eventually reveal that it is somehow linked to their own deviant obsessions with it. - It's also interesting how many l…

> USPS has its own law enforcement agency

The United States Postal Inspection Service is actually the oldest of all federal law enforcement agencies. It's as old as this country is.

Re: Former college professor accused of serial arson is denied bail in California

#53

Two points here: - It's interesting how his academic background in criminology is in an area tangentially related to his own alleged social deviance -- maybe a "call of the void" type deal, in the sense that (anecdotally) some people who have a lifetime academic fixation on particular subject matter eventually reveal that it is somehow linked to their own deviant obsessions with it. - It's also interesting how many l…

> I recall surprise upon learning for the first time that the USPS has its own law enforcement agency

As someone put it to me a while ago, "the US military is so big that not only does its navy have its own army, but its navy's army's air force is the 8th largest in the world."[1]

[1] US Navy's army = US Marine corps; navy's army's air force = USMC Aviation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marine_Corps_Avi... .

Re: Former college professor accused of serial arson is denied bail in California

#54

Looks like the perpetrator made an entry on Google Maps attempting to make a PAC[0]: Dr. Gary Maynard For President 2020 Exectutive Committee and PAC "My First and NOT the last Run for the Presidency of the United States of America - this is my PAC and you can donate to my cause once you have seen who I am and why I am running! I am Dr. Gary Maynard - Social Scientist and Nearly Unmatched Understander of ALL Human be…

...which is not to say that Oblivion Arms of the Vampire Squid do not exist. But arson is no way to stop Them.

Education and voting are all that have been found ever to help much. Public libraries do their share.

Re: Former college professor accused of serial arson is denied bail in California

#55

Two points here: - It's interesting how his academic background in criminology is in an area tangentially related to his own alleged social deviance -- maybe a "call of the void" type deal, in the sense that (anecdotally) some people who have a lifetime academic fixation on particular subject matter eventually reveal that it is somehow linked to their own deviant obsessions with it. - It's also interesting how many l…

> I recall surprise upon learning for the first time that the USPS has its own law enforcement agency As someone put it to me a while ago, "the US military is so big that not only does its navy have its own army, but its navy's army's air force is the 8th largest in the world."[1] [1] US Navy's army = US Marine corps; navy's army's air force = USMC Aviation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marine_Corps_Av…

Related factoid; the US Navy is the world's second largest air force.. second only to the US Air Force itself. And if you split Alaska in two, Texas would be the third largest state.

Re: Former college professor accused of serial arson is denied bail in California

#56

Two points here: - It's interesting how his academic background in criminology is in an area tangentially related to his own alleged social deviance -- maybe a "call of the void" type deal, in the sense that (anecdotally) some people who have a lifetime academic fixation on particular subject matter eventually reveal that it is somehow linked to their own deviant obsessions with it. - It's also interesting how many l…

There's a whole list of LEAs here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_law_enforcement_in_the... . I guess laws that are specific to just one department of the executive branch have to be enforced by the corresponding LEA from that department?

They can all arrest for any federal violation. But their investigative responsibilities are divided. In many states they can also arrest for non-federal violations, but must deliver the arrested to local authority.

Re: Former college professor accused of serial arson is denied bail in California

#57

Two points here: - It's interesting how his academic background in criminology is in an area tangentially related to his own alleged social deviance -- maybe a "call of the void" type deal, in the sense that (anecdotally) some people who have a lifetime academic fixation on particular subject matter eventually reveal that it is somehow linked to their own deviant obsessions with it. - It's also interesting how many l…

"call of the void" => I believe another phrase you may be looking for is "imp of the perverse".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Imp_of_the_Perverse

Re: Former college professor accused of serial arson is denied bail in California

#58
post #18

Two points here: - It's interesting how his academic background in criminology is in an area tangentially related to his own alleged social deviance -- maybe a "call of the void" type deal, in the sense that (anecdotally) some people who have a lifetime academic fixation on particular subject matter eventually reveal that it is somehow linked to their own deviant obsessions with it. - It's also interesting how many l…

Only slightly related, but how many real "call of the void" situations are really that? Most seem to be retrospective observations. For example, a criminal studying criminology because they like crime. Then when they are caught people suggest they were tempted by their studies, switching the causation. The only situations I can really think of is more of like "stare long enough into the void and it stares back" where…

>The only situations I can really think of is more of like "stare long enough into the void and it stares back" where people fight an injustice long enough that they start to justify extreme measures to fight it. For example, like assuming all people accused of a crime are likely guilty so suspending privacy or searching people without cause is fine.

Seems there's a rash of that going on recently.

Re: Former college professor accused of serial arson is denied bail in California

#59
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>It’s going to have to be a part of our climate changed future to deter criminals. How's that strategy working out for deterring murderers and drug dealers?

It will probably work as well as it does for murderers. There's not really a demand for murder so there's not continually new people filling their shoes when they get arrested. Drug dealers on the other hand will never go away no matter how many you arrest. There will always be more people willing to buy drugs and a new dealer ready to step up and make a profit.

> Drug dealers on the other hand will never go away no matter how many you arrest. There will always be more people willing to buy drugs and a new dealer ready to step up and make a profit.

Singapore and Saudi Arabia might object. Punishments always have some marginal effect; the question is how severe they need to be to achieve the desired effect magnitude, and whether the direct and indirect costs are acceptable.

Re: Former college professor accused of serial arson is denied bail in California

#60
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>It’s going to have to be a part of our climate changed future to deter criminals. How's that strategy working out for deterring murderers and drug dealers?

To be fair, if you execute a murderer they're not going to do it anymore.

And, if you execute somebody who is, in fact, not one, you become one.
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