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Train burglaries in LA

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Re: Train burglaries in LA

#521

Post by fivea »

jiveturkey42 wrote: post #481
screye wrote: post #460

Kind of related : America Is Falling Apart at the Seams https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/13/opinion/america-falling-a... A loss of civic sense and cultural criminality are incredibly hard to weed out of a population, once it has taken root. I worry that the a mix of pessimism and a loss of civic sense is sending non-elite America into a death spiral. Opponents of return-to-normalcy claim that these are temporary and a…

I wonder how much of this correlates with the drop in religious participation. Religion, for better or worse, was a useful tool for stigmatizing bad behavior and incentivizing good behavior

> Religion, for better or worse, was a useful tool for stigmatizing bad behavior and incentivizing good behavior

Sweden is one of the least religious countries in Europe, and one of the safest.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#522

Post by mrguyorama »

ars wrote: post #486
koonsolo wrote: post #133

[flagged]

> But still a lot of Republicans seem to believe US is not able to organize fair elections. This is not as true as you are being led to believe. The media in general looks for extreme opinions to make news, so they'll find the rare person who believes this, and then write as if it's a majority belief. I experienced this first hand - I watched a journalist interview tons of people, most had centrist opinions, then the…

Over 170 Republican lawmakers voted to not certify the 2020 election. It's not an extreme position, it's approaching party gospel.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#523

Post by kayfox »

wmf wrote: post #453

I see a lot of people talking about "packages", but UPS/Fedex/USPS don't use trains because they're too slow, right? I assume we're talking about wholesale shipping here.

Ground shipping in the US often goes by train when it has to cross the country, its cheap and fuel efficient.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#524

Post by somethoughts »

ce4 wrote: post #4
rdtsc wrote: post #3

Wonder how organized that looting is. Is just individuals over many months or years, or a large gang over a few weeks time. On the one hand it’s shocking to see it in LA in US. On the other I am surprised it’s not happening more often. In large cities, some of my acquaintances had to get PO boxes as their packages kept getting stolen. But why bother wasting time going house to house, when you can hit a whole train ca…

The thread notes that the area had been cleaned up 30 days ago. So the litter is from very recent and regular activity.

It seems pretty organized on the backend distribution. [1]

"Video from a police stakeout shows Drago unloading trunkloads full of merchandise at one of his warehouses — mouthwash, cleaning supplies, shampoo, foot spray, over-the-counter medicine, and more than $1 million dollars worth of razors. Drago allegedly directs the boosters to steal small, compact items, with long expiration dates, and high resale value."

To add another dimension of irony if there's a similar pattern to the CVS/Walgreens shoplifting distribution mechanisms - the main distribution back into the system is Amazon and E-bay, etc.

"The stolen goods eventually find their way to Ebay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and Amazon, where they are sold at a steep discount. Dugan says there’s a big societal cost to saving a few bucks."

So in this case, Amazon stuff is getting pilfered only to back into Amazon to be sold as Amazon marketplace items - no questions asked.

[1] https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2020/10/06/major-san-franc...

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#525

Post by mrguyorama »

netizen-936824 wrote: post #439
coryfklein wrote: post #410

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What alternative strategy exactly are you suggesting that individual entities take which solves the problem? This reminds me of the rats from Meditations on Moloch [1]: > In fact, it’s not just art. Any sect at all that is leaner, meaner, and more survivalist than the mainstream will eventually take over. If one sect of rats altruistically decides to limit its offspring to two per couple in order to decrease overpopu…

For one we could stop electing idiots who only care about enriching themselves and maintaining the broken power structure

The problem is that literally every single voter in America nods furiously at this statement.... but only about their guy

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#526

Post by uejfiweun »

kepler1 wrote: post #210

Do you ever think to yourself that we're gradually headed to some dystopia like in the movie Elysium? Where a growing underclass is relegated to a garbage planet while the elites escape to a satellite world? Or at least parts of our planet? I'm not even faulting the elites for it really -- how are you, in a non-authoritarian society, supposed to handle when basic services are under attack and can't effectively discip…

Yes, I think this very often. In fact, I think it is an inevitable future evolution of society. It will likely start out with the oceans - private islands and super yachts are being rapidly built and purchased by elites around the world.

If you're a pleb, like me, I think the best bet is to just hunker down, keep your head down, stay away from mentally ill types, and focus on getting very good at a useful skill. The elite will still need software engineers to build out the dystopia.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#527

Post by Ccecil »

jxramos wrote: post #476
schnitzelstoat wrote: post #299

People robbing rapid testing kits for the global pandemic from cargo trains entering LA sounds like something from a dystopian cyberpunk novel.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_from_L.A .

Seems like we are closer to "Demolition Man" to me than "Escape from LA"...but the year is just starting :)

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#528

Post by xster »

rjbwork wrote: post #502
screye wrote: post #460

Kind of related : America Is Falling Apart at the Seams https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/13/opinion/america-falling-a... A loss of civic sense and cultural criminality are incredibly hard to weed out of a population, once it has taken root. I worry that the a mix of pessimism and a loss of civic sense is sending non-elite America into a death spiral. Opponents of return-to-normalcy claim that these are temporary and a…

In no particular order: The rich are getting richer faster than the rest of us. Real wages are stagnant. Social safety nets are constantly being removed. Labor protections have been being rolled back or enforcement lax since the ATC strike. Atomization and alienation have taken root. The mythos of the nuclear family being paramount is fully embedded in the culture, destroying the older concept of a broader family and…

Sounds like a description of neoliberalism :)

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#529

Post by uejfiweun »

2ion wrote: post #334

The West is on a way to 2nd world status at best, comprised of 1st world enclaves / gated communities where things are in order and a wild 2nd world west.

Neal Stephenson predicted this very accurately in Snow Crash with the concept of Burbclaves.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#530

Post by valdiorn »

wrycoder wrote: post #500
wongarsu wrote: post #462

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Padlocks are easy to cut, a bigger padlock just needs a bigger tool. Some companies apparently start welding their containers shut, which raises the bar for thieves significantly (now they need a grinder and more time).

Battery powered grinders being the hot new thing.

Been used in bike theft for 10+ years.
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