# Asshats who vandalized county powerplant **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 20, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771 "2009-09-20T00:42:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771/1 "2009-09-20T00:42:41Z")
They’ve just condemned us to not have power this winter! And they had to be locals, since the vandalized equipment was on the job, far out away from any roads. There’s no way anyone else would know where to look. You see, this past winter we had an ice storm which knocked out power for a month or two. Due to the lack of funds, all the repairs were done using temporary materials that will survive until after next winter. We just now got enough money to do proper repairs. Now they don’t even have the equipment to do the temporary fixes they did last time. So these asshats who thought they were so poor they needed to rob the trucks will not have electricity this winter. I’d be happy that they brought it on themselves, but the rest of us have to suffer, too. I’m so mad I can’t be bothered to add the pit appropriate vitriol. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771/2 "2009-09-20T00:48:58Z")
Where are you? ---
**Author:** ![ivn1188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@ivn1188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivn1188)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771/3 "2009-09-20T03:52:57Z")
How the heck could they do enough damage to knock out a powerplant? ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771/4 "2009-09-20T06:19:40Z")
Man that Sarah Palin doesn’t know when to quit. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771/5 "2009-09-20T07:05:24Z")
> [@ivn1188](#): > > How the heck could they do enough damage to knock out a powerplant? From careful reading of the OP, I think (s)he was missing the word “equipment” at the end. It looks like the TRUCKS that were needed to fix/maintain the plant were vandalized (and/or stuff stolen). ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771/6 "2009-09-20T14:41:19Z")
And/or the trucks themselves were stolen. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771/7 "2009-09-20T15:45:09Z")
As a person working in the utility industry for 2 decades, I’m wondering why this power plant is different than any other, which would: - Buy new equipment. - Raise rates (within reason, I mean, nothing which gets the PUC interested) to cover the cost. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771/8 "2009-09-20T15:58:58Z")
I, for one, would like more detail on this story. I don’t know whether to be recreationally outraged at the power company as well as at the vandals/thieves who hit the trucks/powerplant. ---
**Author:** ![troubledwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@troubledwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troubledwater)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771/9 "2009-09-20T16:43:48Z")
I work at a utility and recently had occasion to ask about how repairs to damaged facilities are funded (we have a lot of fires). The answer, which I should have realized, is that we carry insurance. I did not ask about vandalism - but I would expect there would be insurance for that, as well, just like you would carry theft insurance on your home. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771/10 "2009-09-20T16:49:09Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > I, for one, would like more detail on this story. I don’t know whether to be recreationally outraged at the power company as well as at the vandals/thieves who hit the trucks/powerplant. My impression from how it’s phrased is that “the county powerplant” does not belong to “the power company” but to “the county” – presumably a cooperative or municipal public utility, taxpayer/user-owned in nature. And they were trying to do a baling-twine-and-duct-tape temporary fix to damage caused by an ice storm while getting the money to put in permanent repairs/replacement equipment. The trucks, or more likely equipment carried in them, were necessary to effectuate those temporary repairs, which cannot now be repeated as/when needed (apparently likely to be needed this winter), pending funding/timing to do the permanent repairs. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771/11 "2009-09-20T16:57:21Z")
If he lives in Hawaii ,I will not share his outrage. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771/12 "2009-09-20T17:03:39Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > If he lives in Hawaii ,I will not share his outrage. If he lives in Hawaii and is plagued by winter ice storms, I think the National Park Service rangers should arrest his ass! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771/13 "2009-09-20T23:35:46Z")
If my Google-fu has not failed me, our OP is refering to [Newton County, Arkansas](http://harrisondailytimes.com/articles/2009/09/19/news/doc4ab410d19c482581535322.txt). > [@](#): > > Vandals had crawled underneath the seven utility trucks and slashed lines and wiring. They also drained the oil pans of five trucks, allowing gallons of motor oil to spill out onto the Ozarks landscape. They emptied fire extinguishers into radiators. They smashed the window of a brand-new (it hadn’t even gotten a speck of dirt on it yet, according to Alsup) track digger. And since this is a stones throw from my back yard, I can certainly spare some RO for **BigT**. Ozark Mountain justice ain’t for the squeamish. ---
**Author:** ![St.Anger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@St.Anger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Anger)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771/14 "2009-09-20T23:42:43Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > Arkansas There’s a shock. I kinda figured we weren’t talking about New Jersey here. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771/15 "2009-09-21T01:05:06Z")
> [@St.Anger](#): > > There’s a shock. I kinda figured we weren’t talking about New Jersey here. Question is this. Which of the two places do they have any idea on how to park? ---
**Author:** ![Torpor\_Beast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/71e660/32.png) [@Torpor\_Beast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torpor_Beast)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771/16 "2009-09-21T01:15:18Z")
Hmm. Let’s play Internet Sleuth! A couple of minutes of flashy shakycam google-fu came up with this: [http://www.carrollconews.com/story/1544158.html](http://www.carrollconews.com/story/1544158.html) Some beekeepers seem to be miffed at the power cooperative for spraying pesticides, which some people claim are the cause of the Colony Collapse Disorder. Also, there’s an interesting post in the comments section of the linked Harrison Daily Times article: > [@](#): > > " I think every one knows who to blame. CEC for spraying the chemicals. The LOW GAP SPRING isnot happy.I dont know why they are concerned about the oil spilt after spraying chemical into our lives.And I question the amount to clean up.Sounds a little high to me. I dont think this contracting co was targeted just caught in the middle.CEC has given the consumer no other option but to take up guerilla tactics.Someting tells me this is just the beginning. THANKS CEC ITS YOUR FAULT " Because stopping people from “OMG SPRAYING CHEMICALS INTO OUR LIVES!” is worth losing electicity for the winter… _facepalm_ ---
**Author:** ![St.Anger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@St.Anger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Anger)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771/17 "2009-09-21T02:01:40Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Question is this. > > Which of the two places do they have any idea on how to park? Wrong thread, Asshole. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771/18 "2009-09-21T02:10:27Z")
> [@St.Anger](#): > > Wrong thread, **Asshole**. Do those come from Arky or Jersey? Enquiring minds want to know…though I already have an idea. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771/19 "2009-09-21T02:10:31Z")
> [@St.Anger](#): > > Wrong thread, Asshole. Even in the Pit, not every offhand smart ass remark requires you to respond with full tilt hostility. Did someone slip a note about your sense of humor under your eyebrows? ---
**Author:** ![St.Anger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@St.Anger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Anger)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771/20 "2009-09-21T02:17:11Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Even in the Pit, not every offhand smart ass remark requires you to respond with full tilt hostility. Did someone slip a note about your sense of humor under your eyebrows? I’m just making sure he and any other jokers get the hint, going from thread to thread to harass me is a bad idea. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asshats-who-vandalized-county-powerplant/510771.md?page=2)