But full of fruity yumminess, I’ll wager
I hope the people who slashed his tires are caught. But I have a bit of a problem with this part of the OP:
Jail isn’t for people who sell things you think are cheap. If they commit fraud, that’s one thing. But nobody should be sent to jail simply because you don’t like the business they are in.
It wasn’t karma! It was just a bad case of tartar sauce.
Good job, pilot.
Woosh.
They’re scam artists. Friends have run into these people, and if I have time, I’ll point you towards a This American Life episode that documents a run-in with those very same scam artists.
As I said before, if they’re scam artists that are doing something illegal, then they should go to jail for fraud. But they should not go to jail for something they didn’t do.
I don’t see how that’s a woosh.
Apricot,
The hell? I agree with Bibliovore, by your weird philosophy, criminals should remain on the streets, since law enforcement isn’t meant for corrections (they may think about changing the correctional facility name then, huh?). If law enforcement doesn’t catch the criminal, then they remain on the streets. So if a murderer or rapist isn’t deterred enough by law enforcement, they shouldn’t be punished? They can just keep on doing it?
I agree that our justice system leaves much to be desired, but to say criminals shouldn’t be apprehended is just plain silliness.
Did I miss something? Is Justhink back on the boards? :dubious:
Somehow I get the impression apricot syrup thinks pilot 141 took it upon himself to do some vigilante work, then reported it to the cops. If there had been a problem, I would think the cop he’d been on the phone with at the time would’ve said something, don’t you think?
Or apricot syrup’s just loony. Who knows.
In any case, good job perpetuating the cycle of hate, pilot141.
I know. He’s loony!
Search for posts by apricot. He’s gumming up the works of other threads, too, an annoying little prat if I’ve ever seen one.
Daniel
It’s interesting that Apricot is bitching at someone about continuing the cycle of hate. Here he’s all for it, but then it’s a woman who’s the object of the hate: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3889028#post3889028
Congrats! I hate those White Van Fuckers (band name!) on general principal, cause they bother me. And then won’t go away! “Do you need a stereo system?” “No” “Yes you do!” “No, I don’t”
“But nobody should be sent to jail simply because you don’t like the business they are in.”
True and I agree. In this case, and I may be wrong, I have a feeling that none of the guys in that van is an angel and were in some way involved with the tire slashing. Did it, watched it, or know who did it - in other words, an accomplice.
Having been at one time in my life, well, let’s just say not a very nice guy, sitting around with the police while things were sorted out, (for something that I didn’t do), was just another bottle of Karma Juice I got to guzzle.
If they weren’t involved with the tire slashing, maybe it was time for a wake up call to find new friends or a new line of work. It could be just their turn to belly up to the Karma bar and hoist one.
Daniel’s right about Apricot. I rolled my eyes at a couple of his/her comments yesterday but gave him/her the benefit of the doubt for the time being.
That just changed.
I’d rather not involve the legal system in karma. For all we know, it was the guy’s first day on the job and he new nothing of the incident.
I don’t really have a beef with the fact that the cops stopped him while they sorted things out. That’s routine procedure and while it might suck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and have to talk to the cops, that’s life. But people shouldn’t go to jail for stuff they didn’t do. That’s what I have a problem with – the idea that somebody should go to jail for something he didn’t do simply because we don’t like the fact that he’s trying to sell over-priced speakers.
Jesus H. Chirst in a Fucking Handbasket, apricot syrup, what are you on? And where can i get some?
I have plenty of beefs with the American justice system and its often-screwy set of priorities and punishments. But we need to separate such issues from the question of whether or not illegal, harmful activities should be reported to the authorities.
At a certain level, i tend to think that people who get scammed in con-games like this deserve their fate. I mean, if you think buying speakers out of the back of a truck is the smart thing to do, then i can’t muster a great deal of sympathy. Caveat emptor and all that.
Also, as long as the speakers are not stolen, i really think that working out a price mutually acceptable to both buyer and seller is something that should be left to the buyer and seller. The buyer just needs to be aware that there is no warranty or return policy available on items purchased in store parking lots. These scams generally play on people’s greed.
But pilot wasn’t the gullible victim of a scam, s/he was a victim of vandalism. Even if we accept that the free-market type situation is the way to go, the actions of the people in the white van are still fully deserving of being reported. Firstly, their method of selling raises a reasonable suspicion that the goods might be stolen, or otherwise illegally procured. Second, if the goods don’t work or are not of the quality and provenance that the sellers claim, then they can probably be charged with fraud or misrepresentation. Thirdly, in many states selling goods in this way, in public places and without the appropriate permits, is illegal. Fourthly, and most importantly, when pilot attempted to play a part in the free market by adding to the information available to a potential consumer, the sellers did not accept this as an inevitable part of marketplace relations, but instead chose to vandalize private property in retaliation.
How all this adds up to pilot being a “vengeful asshole” i’m not quite sure.
And, by the way, i doubt that these guys will do very much time, if any at all. A fine and probation will probably be the extent of their punishment, if pilot’s story turns out to be the extent of their malfeasance.
Although, with that Texas justice system, you can never be too sure. 
Oh shut the fuck up already.
Good job, pilot141! I remember the original thread, and hopefully the guys who slashed your tires will be punished.
apricot syrup, you’re a twit. Every single time I see you post, I think you’re more of an idiot. I look forward to your inevitable banning.