In article <fr2b0d$g3a$1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
"Keith F. Lynch" <kfl@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Joe Ellis <synthfilker@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> > "Keith F. Lynch" <kfl@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >> There's no law against trash picking.
>
> > There is against trespass, theft, and vandalism.
>
> It's not trespass if it's at the curb, which it was. It's not theft
> if it had been put out for trash pickup, which it had. It's not
> vandalism to pick trash up off the ground, which I did.
You miss the point. Copper pipe is a prime theft item these days. It's
commonly stolen from construction sites, plumber's trucks, and even
ripped out of new homes, and old houses. ENTIRE STREETS of new
construction have been stripped of copper plumbing and pipe in a SINGLE
NIGHT. And YOU have NO WAY to prove that you didn't get it in any one of
these ways. If, for example, an existing home in your neighborhood was
broken into and copper pipe stripped from it while the owners were on
vacation, then that "old copper pipe" you have on your bookshelf can be
rapidly transformed into something called "evidence"... and given your
existing record...
You keep claiming you have no faith in the legal system... yet you place
complete faith in them now, and seem to believe that "of course" they'll
take you at your word that you didn't steal it. You really HAVEN'T
learned anything, have you?
> I also got much of my furniture and electronics from the trash.
>
> > Got your receipt?
>
> > Keith, you of ALL people I would think would be wary of even the
> > possibility of the appearance of being in possession of stolen
> > property. Didn't you learn your lesson the first time?
>
> There's prudence and there's paranoia. I do keep grocery receipts
> until I've eaten the food, and receipts for books, CDs, DVDs, and
> durable goods at least a year. I keep bank account statements, pay
> stubs, and tax returns forever. Do you think it's reasonable to
> expect anyone to do more? How many people do even that much?
>
> Obviously, trash doesn't come with receipts. Nor does anyone expect
> it to.
Again, you miss the point. This has nothing to do with your taxes or
bank accounts, or even food or CDs.
Once more, in very simple words so you can understand.
Copper Pipe is a Thief Magnet.
Without regard to the truth of the matter, You Have A Record. Wasn't the
charge "Posession of Stolen Property" or something similar? How easy is
it to interpret your possession of this pipe as exactly that? You cannot
_prove_ that you picked this pipe out of the trash. Even if you can
convince the police or whoever that you came by it honestly... it's
probably still a matter of several days of some very uncomfortable
conversations.
The biggest factor against you is that YOU LIVE IN AN APARTMENT. You are
NOT responsible for any kind of repairs, and odds are you're not doing
any kind of art with it, so you don't really have any clear reason for
even HAVING the pipe. No, you don't need a permit to own copper pipe...
but it's another nail in your coffin, so to speak.
Trying to sell this pipe to someone you don't know and cannot trust
implicitly would be VERY STUPID.
Now, you've never impressed me as being stupid. Don't make me revise
that opinion.
> Maybe the copper pipe was implanted with a secret transmitter, falsely
> reported as stolen, and placed at the curb where someone knew I would
> be walking, in order to entrap me. The several-years delay since then
> is just so I'll let my guard down. Maybe it was reported stolen from
> a murder scene, and tonight at 3 am there will be a knock at the door.
> I'll get the electric chair, and the copper pipe will be used to
> complete the circuit. Sure, that could happen.
Ah, a poor attempt at reductio ad absurdum that completely ignores the
facts. Again.
>
> I'm about a thousand times more worried that someone I trust to let
> into my apartment will plant a gun and some drugs, then report them to
> the police. And that's not a major worry of mine. (Though it is a
> bigger worry than that they might simply steal something of mine.)
You need to re-evaluate those odds.
> I'm prudent, but not totally paranoid. I'll leave the latter to the
> 9/11 truthers and their ilk.
You know, even paranoids occasionally have real enemies.... and prudent
people still end up in jail sometimes.
Why don't you use your local SF contacts and give it to someone you
trust that's doing some plumbing repairs themselves? You're never going
to use it in a rental apartment.
--
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