When he is charged, can someone who knows it post his name? Perhaps making these a little more public might deter future thefts?
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Yeah, no.
First, I have to believe there’s a lot more to the story, since clearly the worn out old jack wasn’t stolen for money - it might have been worth 25-50 bucks at a garage sale. Which makes me wonder why a guy would pay $50 to steal a $50 jack, and I can’t come up with any reason that makes sense.
I agree with the Board in reporting it to the police, and trust they will act appropriately, but there is no justice in destroying a young mans life for the next 50 years with a felony charge, over the theft of a crappy old jack. Those of you howling for his blood, really need to take a pill and get a good long look at yourself in the mirror - viciousness is not an admirable quality in anyone.
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The only way this would be a felony charge is if he has a series of theft convictions.
I don’t care what value the stolen property has. Theft is theft. Please don’t lecture anyone about viciousness, it has nothing to do with expecting the criminal justice system to do its job.
Justice requires that someone be punished for their criminal actions. Theft is a criminal action. The law, and the rules, apply to everyone or they have no meaning.
In this case, the low value makes it a small mismedeanor, and the one level elevation of the theft occurring from a non-profit will likely mean the charges will not rise to a felony. But this persons membership should be revoked and they should receive a permanent ban. As I said, the rules should apply to everyone evenly and the board has set that precedent with the last thief.
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Seriously now Walter, given the frequency by which you beat me to the stump, you’re in no position to throw stones with respect to lecturing. With respect to the subject, I know Mob mentality when I see it. I despise thieves, but I despise moral depravity even more.
So expecting a thief to be punished is moral depravity? Seriously?
There are plenty of calls in this thread, for punishment that exceeds an appropriate level by a fair margin. And note that I agreed with the action taken by the Board as appropriate. I’ll also point out, that the most recognized symbol for Justice, is a set of scales.
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Interesting that you bring up the scales as a symbol of justice. Are you aware the symbol was likely derived from the ancient Eqyptian myth that the dead were to have their heart measured (on a scale) against a feather? If their heart was heavier then a feather they were damned. It was called the feather of Maat. Maat was their word for truth and honor… Something a thief lacks.
Might want to read the myths of what happened to a dead soul whose heart was heavier then a feather…
BTW, I believe that the only moral punishment for severe crimes, of which I include felony thefts, is the death penalty. For lesser thefts, I believe indentured servitude is sufficient to reimburse those whom have had their property stolen. Theft is the moral equivalent of indentured servitude or slavery, depending upon the amount stolen.
Could we please get back on topic?
I feel like the “jack gained sentience, milled and attached legs, edited security footage, then walked away” possibility isn’t getting equal time/attention in this discussion. Has that possibility been investigated?
If that’s ends up being the case, should we grant it personhood status and ask it to hang around the shop? Waiving the $50 dues of course. Or is it smarter to track it, trap it, disable, and ultimately memory wipe it so we get our jack back?
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Every situation is different, but most of the time I feel better when I see mercy given rather than justice dealt. I don’t know the details about this, and it isn’t my call. I just want to put in a voice for mercy. At least for me, justice tends to foster anger while mercy tends to evoke feelings of love. I know in my case when I don’t act my best, I hope I will be treated with mercy. I always am filled with gratitude in response.
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Justice would be a conviction for theft.
Mercy would be not to serve time or deferred sentencing (stay clean and record expunged). Are you advocating no personal accountability? This isn’t a case of “Oops, I made a mistake I didn’t mean to steal it.”
Do you advocate we show mercy to every thief? If not, what’s your cut-off point? When it’s the tool you needed or dollar value?
Deterrence is important - if thieves know they will be prosecuted, they may not do it, no mercy needed. The Makerspace works more efficiently sans thieves.
People that needed the tool weren’t able to do their task. Members spent time reviewing film, go to police station, filing charges. Does their time and effort have value?
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I think intent is an important factor. I don’t know any of the details here, but given what is presented here, I would agree with @tapper that there is likely more to the story.
As to your question of where to draw the line, personally I try to be as merciful as I can in all my dealings. I’m not saying that’s the right response here. It’s not my call, and I don’t know the details. I’m just trying to offer an opposing view.
@lukeiamyourfather
You can find the thief by checking at most 19 frames using binary search.
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@Phillip_Hardwick you might want to read this thread.
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I know nothing of this jack or true availability but saw it on slickdeals. http://slickdeals.net/f/8956351-craftsman-low-profile-floor-jacks-2-5-ton-31-39-4-ton-103-29-free-store-pickup
I was thinking a 12 ton pneumatic bottle jack would be useful
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200641738_200641738
Alex,
Those types of jacks are “okay” to use for changing a tire but are not built for everyday car work and are never found in any type of garage that performs service or repair. They are not very safe for use by “most” people.
The small “floor jack” with the 14" of lift does not have a wide foot print and is very prone to toppling - much more so that the bigger better style floor jacks that the space had/has.
I made my nephew buy that exact jack for his Unimog - air powered when air is available or manual use via the hand pump without air.
And if you are on Northern Tools’ mailing list they will send you coupons making it a better deal.
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So what kind of jack would you recommend for this purpose?
Bottle jacks are a PITA for cars, in my experience (and usually too tall to jack one of mine up)
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I think he means more of a professional jack instead of a retail consumer type jack.
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