View from the cop: Crime & punishment
View from the Cop is moving to a new site on Wordpress. Blogger Steve Rose of the Sandy Springs Police Department gives his take on crime, offers safety tips and give his weekly picks from the police blotter. Follow Steve Rose to the new blog site.
AJC.com > Metro > View from the cop > Archives > 2008 > May > 13 > Entry
Dumb thieves and other random musings
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Today I thought I would just throw out some random thoughts.
I’ve noticed two commercials that are continuously playing on radio. Collection agencies are advertising more than ever before: “We only charge you for the money we collect.”
What a deal. Sign of the times I guess. Are we in a recession or a semi-recession, sort of recession? Gas prices are hitting close to four-bucks and yet the oil companies are having record profits?
We used to have tons of gas drive-offs until the stations all required people to pay up front unless they used a card. More and more of our credit card thefts have gas purchases put on them just after the theft. Priorities are changing. Crooks now want to gas up before they use the stolen card anywhere else.
Some gas stations have gas-pump cameras, something I think is great. We can now capture the painful look on people as they read the pump’s dollar amount go up and up.
Something else hot on the list of thieves is copper.
AC units and copper wire, already buried in some cases, are dug up and stolen. In some thefts, it appears that the thieves were well prepared and willing to spend a lot of time pulling up buried copper lines. OK, copper prices were at $8,430 a ton. OK, a ton is 2,000 pounds.
So that means a little over four-bucks a pound? To show you how far people attempt to go, a 21-year old man from West Virginia was electrocuted as he tried to steal copper wires from a power line. I saw the pictures of this dude. Let me tell you, he was cooked! He was however, still wearing his rubber gloves. Thinning of the herd I guess. He’ll probably make the final cut of this year’s Darwin Awards.
Well folks, your Garmin GPS units are going for a grand total of forty-bucks on the stolen GPS market.
Forty bucks is a lot to a crack head. Right now they’re still picking them off in public parking lots. Again, a scientific study reveals the following: If you take them out of the car, the bad people will not steal it. Wait, there’s more: if you take the GPS out of the car, don’t forget to take the little suction cup thingie too.
No sense tempting some crack-commando to smash and take a look-see. Now, take that, and add this: keep some Kleenex in the car and wipe the little round suction-cup mark the cup leaves on the windshield. Now there is absolutely NO evidence and remember, the bad people SEE what they want first, and then they break your windows and go in. Now, that is three things that you can do to put you in the upper five-percentile of people who are not too lazy to—uh, do what I just said—yep, that.
If you don’t have time for that and you do get something stolen—well, what did you learn? It’s never a priority until it gets stolen. Then you are one upset dude right? But out of all that anger, the one thing you won’t say, at least publicly, is: “Well I wish I had taken the time to take those things out of the car.”
We’re all victims of laziness aren’t we? Let’s face it. With large HD televisions and recliners and video games and…well, all you need is a catheter and you can park it there for days. Just take an extra minute or so and don’t give the crack heads the opportunity to steal your stuff.
Oh yes, here is the other radio commercial I’ve been hearing.
The train people are doing commercials now urging people not to cross the railroad tracks while the trains are moving at a high rate of speed towards them. They went as far to describe the train as six-hundred tons that can hit you and obviously hurt you. It takes the distance of six football fields to stop. That sounds more dramatic than saying six-hundred yards.
Why did they have to put together a commercial to explain to us that trains can kill us if they run over us? I thought that was understood. If you or anyone in your family have any doubts as to the overwhelming advantage a train has to your car, rent the 1974 movie called “Dirty Mary-Crazy Larry” starring Peter Fonda and Susan George.
Aside from the entertainment value of all that bad acting, the final scene should serve as a good visual that trains will mess you up. Crazy Larry and Dirty Mary bite the dust. Again though, why do they have to reminded us of something so obvious? If this is a problem then lets do what we did with explaining the birds and the bees. Let the schools do it for us.
Here’s a paragraph from “A Parent Talks to Children Ages 12-13.” Little Laura is curious about Harvey after she saw him skinny-dipping in old man Wheeler’s pond. “Gee,” she said to herself, “Harvey is different than me.” Later, she asked her mom why Harvey was different—you know, down there, that her. “Well,” said her mother, “You see, boys are made different than girls. It’s all part of the plan to, well, you know, make babies and keep the population going. Also, stay away from trains.” Piece of cake.
Comments
By James
May 13, 2008 12:28 PM | Link to this
I think thieves are getting dumber as economic conditions are getting harder
By robo
May 13, 2008 12:44 PM | Link to this
Steve,
You forgot something regarding GPS.
It’s not too hard to learn to read a map. I know that is a stretch for many people now…you know, they would have to actually read something on paper instead of a little screen. However, maps are pretty cheap, easier on your eyes, and the thieves haven’t been known to steal them when they see them.
By Jimbo
May 13, 2008 12:57 PM | Link to this
I buy a map whenever I enter a new area. If I’m driving I buy a state map. If I’m flying I buy a city map. If I’m flying, renting a car and then driving, I might buy both.
MAPS people… MAPS..
By JD Keiss
May 13, 2008 1:01 PM | Link to this
I am fascinated by commercials that seem to encourage theft - specifically the company off Dixie Highway in Woodstock that wants to buy all of your “surplus metal”. Is it just me, or is that not almost a license to steal.
Keep up the common sense lessons, Lt. Steve, since it appears some of us still need to stop and think before we do something stupid.
By JD Keiss
May 13, 2008 1:03 PM | Link to this
I am fascinated by commercials that seem to encourage theft - specifically the company off Dixie Highway in Woodstock that wants to buy all of your “surplus metal”. Is it just me, or is that not almost a license to steal.
Keep up the common sense lessons, Lt. Steve, since it appears some of us still need to stop and think before we do something stupid.
By Goddess
May 13, 2008 2:00 PM | Link to this
The reason we have those train commercials is because of people like Laura is 12 and just now figuring out boys are different than girls.
By Chiefs fan
May 13, 2008 2:51 PM | Link to this
Damn, you gave away the movie ending. I don’t wanna rent it now!
By Cassie
May 13, 2008 3:25 PM | Link to this
I’m a map person myself. Getting directions off a computer screen sucks. And I don’t want anything that effing talks to me either - that’s why I don’t listen to the radio anymore. Grrrr.
By Cubby
May 13, 2008 5:07 PM | Link to this
Why use a map when a hot female voice can tell me to turn left in 100 yards, 75 yards, 50 yards, 25 yards, 10 yards, 5 yards, 4 yards, 3 yards, 2 yards, 1 yard. You didn’t turn. Now do a U-turn and repeat……………..
As for copper thieves, I think it’s a great opportunity to catch the thieves. Copper gets hot. Thief touches hot copper. Thief loses fingers at the scene of the crime. Somehow I think this might make it easier to convict the thieves.
Lawyer: Mr. Copper, I notice that you only have three fingers on the right hand and only two fingers on the left hand. What happened to the other five fingers?
Mr. Copper: Well, it was a terrible train accident that was caused when my GPS unit didn’t stick to the window, because I looked to the left at some guy selling a t-shirt I didn’t like…..
Lawyer: Then why were five fingers found inside the Georgia Power plant next to copper wiring.
Mr. Copper: Coincidence?
By Copper Victim
May 13, 2008 6:09 PM | Link to this
As someone who has had the copper plumbing and AC lines stolen from my rental houses, selling scrap metal should be just like pawning items. You should have to show a govt issued id, have your picture taken and have a finger print taken. It won’t stop the thieves but it would slow them down a great deal. Just think they probably got $75 to $100 for the $3,500 worth of dammage they did.
By Stone
May 13, 2008 7:38 PM | Link to this
Man, those Curious George-Obama t- shirts with a monkey eating a banana over the word “Obama ‘08” are way over the line and I’m not even voting for the dude. Usually I think some people look for ways to call everything they see “racist”, but this clearly is. Buddy deserves an as* kicking. Sorry to stray of point.
By You want Respect??
May 14, 2008 4:19 AM | Link to this
Im a fan of Obama…but blacks are now going to think their race is making GREAT strides…when in reality there going backwards!!
As (almost) a victim of violent crime 3 or 4 times while working the streets of Atlanta and New Orleans doing cable tv, i have little respect for American Black males.
African blacks however and most Mexicans i find to be VERY hard workers and have respect for family and others! Watchout American blacks, even mexicans are passing yall now on the food chain!
You have no one to blame but yourself for your decline, its a shame yall spread your filth thru music to the rest of society.
IF YOU DONT HAVE MONEY or SMARTS, STOP HAVING KIDS!!
This is coming from a white american male thats seen it all, from magnolia projects to bankhead courts to capital homes to hamilton homes…so u cant say i dont know black pple!
Whats scarry about all the projects closing down is NOW u dont know where these fools live! It could be any middle class apt complex. Thank God i dont work Clayton and Decatur anymore….what s** holes!
By Dirk
May 14, 2008 8:02 AM | Link to this
Great advice on keeping your car from being broken into. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work. Parked downtown a few years ago. Absolutely nothing visible from the outside. Had a notebook (spiral-bound, I think) with some personal info (friend and family names/addresses) and a cell phone - all in the trunk, and these things had been placed there before I even left the house. Might have been 37 cents in change in the cup holder.
Came back to the car an hour later, to find a broken window, the 37 cents still in the cup holder, but the notebook and cell phone gone, thanks to the thieves using the oh-so-convenient interior trunk latch to pop the trunk.
By tman
May 14, 2008 1:39 PM | Link to this
Dirk I also have an interior trunk latch which I have locked. This way when the car is broken into they cannot enter the trunk. Also good in preventing those Valet guys from entering the trunk.
By BossLady
May 14, 2008 2:11 PM | Link to this
You Want Respect. It is so sad that your employer had you stationed in an area that was not good for you.
I know those areas very well and I saw things too, but, I was knowledgeable that you can’t judge a total race of people by that.
It could help if you would talk to someone about this, because, you feel a need to still harbor this inside after so much time.
By ElBubba
May 14, 2008 6:55 PM | Link to this
Stone,
Unfortunately I think we will see a lot more rude behavior from the racist fringe in the next five months.
I like to think that when people do things like the t-shirt stunt it just makes them look stupid and it makes people turn away.
Do you reckon one of those old farts would wear one of those T’s in public?
ElBubba
By Stone
May 14, 2008 8:10 PM | Link to this
Not unless he wants his as* kicked. You’re right, it does make them look stupid, though. It’s one thing to have something negative to say about blacks, it’s another thing to hark-en back to equating them with monkeys. I’d hoped those days were long behind us.
By love my Brazilian wife
May 15, 2008 12:12 AM | Link to this
Sorry that I didn’t mention you Fred….you are definately tops on my list. The four of you post really well and I enjoy them.
Russ…a.k.a…..love my Brazilian wife.
By vincent vega
May 15, 2008 3:57 AM | Link to this
Until cops in this area shift their focus away from traffic tickets and double whoppers, and focus on the rapid infestation of illegal aliens, I have to admit I have lost a lot of respect. At least you guys are pumping a lot of money into the government! Maybe spend some of that money on some weight loss programs and I.C.E. training.
By african american male
May 15, 2008 9:10 AM | Link to this
You want respect
Man it is almost inconceivable that you would post those comments irt the african american male. The thing is I bet you are the type of white man who works in corporate america and interacts and smiles in the faces of your black co-workers….you sadden me…..
By african american male
May 15, 2008 9:12 AM | Link to this
You want respect
Man it is almost inconceivable that you would post those comments irt the african american male. The thing is I bet you are the type of white man who works in corporate america and interacts and smiles in the faces of your black co-workers….you sadden me…..
By Cassie
May 15, 2008 10:02 AM | Link to this
You know, I just want to say….
The guy that stole the rings deserves a BIG SPANKING
By ElBubba
May 15, 2008 4:19 PM | Link to this
I think I might need a ggod spanking… lol
By You want respect
May 16, 2008 5:04 AM | Link to this
African American Male: WTF makes u think im corporate. I dont own any kaki pants, and i dont really have much in common with alot of mommas boys, so to compare me to some pink polo shirt frat b*** is a insult to my intelligence….and streetsmarts.
Its obvious you have a computer, you have internet, you have a place to live and dont jump from econo lodge to econo lodge like true thugs on the run like what ive encountered.
You even know how to spell and use words like “inconceivable” SO…. your not one of the cats im talking about! Congrats on your smarts, but as a whole your race is still screwed up.
Boss lady: ive dated african american women before, i feel sorry for yall because of your lack of quality options.
Your race will never get better as a whole as long as your kids grow up listening to songs like “shawty wanna thug”
The most respectable kids i met while working the projects were those raised by their grandparents. They had classical music or gospel playing in the background. And were made to stay inside the majority of the time and do schoolwork.
God bless everyone, i pray you never go thru what ive seen. But if you wear gold teeth…and wanna be a thug and have to take advantage of others to get by in life instead of being a MAN and working for what you got….you can catch a bullet in the head for all i care. One less scumbag!
So do i still fit in that idea of “white male” corporate for ya “african american male”??
Because to me, in the street world, a cat like you that can speak and write correct english, you sound like a “uncle tom” as your own race would call you.
Dont believe me? go to Fulton county detention center for a day and fight for your food.
I bet youd be going hungry.
By jet lag
May 16, 2008 8:46 AM | Link to this
Conservatism is dead. Sen Craig sounded taps with his flag at half mast.
I finally got my 15 minutes… while having sex….. it only lasted two minutes.
I was born so far out of the money that the Kurds gassed my ancestor scum.
I got my $600 tax relief check in the mail, but the Myanmar Junta Generals had stamped their name across it.
My wife is trying to get her groove back. She actually bought a stripper pole for our bedroom, only She’s not so much ‘Boots with the Fur’ as ‘son-she-got nappy haired toes toes toes’
By Stone
May 16, 2008 9:58 AM | Link to this
Jet rag your posts are a worthless, tired group of words full of sound and furry yet signifying nothing. Many of us find you as boring as your wife seems to.
By Cubby
May 16, 2008 10:15 AM | Link to this
Things I Think I Think: Stop the black, white, mexican, illegal issue. Here is what should be done in America today.
Anyone on welfare with two or more kids should be required by law to take the pill shot. These will be administered by the Department of Health at the welfare persons expense. Until you can support yourself and your family, you have lost the privilege to have additional children.
Blacks, get over slavery. Yes it sucked but it ended in the 1860’s thanks to one Abraham Lincoln. Quit using it as a crutch for why you can not get a decent job in today’s society. (My family did not come to the US until after 1900 well after slavery ended so don’t use that excuse with me).
Whites, slavery ended in the 1860’s. Quit crying because you lost your land because you had to finally pay for someone to work the land for free. Quit using the rebel flag as a crutch. That is the wrong Red, White, and Blue you are professing your love to.
To all illegals. You will now be required to join the United States Military. You will be properly trained then shipped off to war. Females, will provide mess duty as well as other non-combat jobs. Upon your completion of duties, you will be granted US citizenship and required to pay taxes.
Stay tuned for more later. Lance Corporal United States Marine Corps 1991-1993
By jet lag
May 16, 2008 10:49 AM | Link to this
Hey, wait a minute. Aren’t you the guy who got a second chance from someone after you were down and out? Shame on you for squandering it on vengence and hate. So what if you cant write as well as Officer Steve, or if you just dont understand the jokes or the implications or even the power of words. Nobody expected you to be able to.
Stone, you’re only motivated when you’re hurting others. That’s squandering second chances. You’ve allowed yourself to hate. Big mistake. You’ll never be free. You need to apologize to Officer Rose for turning this blog into your own private hell. (And I think it’s a damn shame that your mother didn’t raise you to be a nicer girl).
But there’s another point for you to consider, Stone. There’s legal precedence being set in California about making death threats or death wishes or using the internet to spread hate the way you are so good at doing. You could face felony charges if you dont stfu, and I mean today. Now I would never turn you in, but not everyone is as gracious as moi.
Change your heart today, Stone. Renew your pledge to devote your life to Jesus Christ. Turn that frown upside down into a smile. Dont squander your second chance. Volunteer to help others, the way you claimed you did a couple weeks ago. You’ll thank yourself.
So to sum up, stop the hate, start the love.
By Stone
May 16, 2008 12:51 PM | Link to this
Like I said, full of sound and fury signifying nothing. Wet Rag (aka-Hans apology) you’re such a fall guy, you make it too easy. Felony charges if I don’t stop speaking the truth about you. OOOOOO! I’m so scared. Thanks for the laugh. What a tool!
By G. Mauricio
May 16, 2008 1:25 PM | Link to this
jet lag man you crack me up! I’m rollin man. you tellin people 2 change there heart 2 love not hate when every other scentence u rite is a put down of someone else. last week it was cindy, el bubba and fred, this week its stone. he’s right man you just throw whatever crp is in your head out there and compliment yourself over an over then throw some more crp out there and think its funny or interesting. now u tell stone 2 love not hate when all ur about is hate and insults. I read last time that you think he is anticop but u haven’t come up with one scentence he dared u2 come up with to show that he is. he has every rite to be p*ssed at u. ur a loser who just wants some attention and should b ignored. just ignore him stone.
By Cindy
May 16, 2008 2:21 PM | Link to this
Commenting is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. M-F
Now THAT’S the biggest bunch of crap I’ve seen in a long time. We should all refuse to comment if they’re going to govern us and prevent us from posting during non-work times. I don’t like this…I don’t like it one little bitty bit! Grrr!
By ElBubba
May 16, 2008 5:03 PM | Link to this
I’ve been waiting until after 5pm to try and post.
In the news, video of the drunk judge can be seen on WSB-TV. Pretty crazy that a guy like that, who judges others for the same crime…
ElBubba
By Cindy
May 16, 2008 5:18 PM | Link to this
testing testing hehehehe
By Stone
May 16, 2008 5:24 PM | Link to this
Cindy I saw that, too. Guess they fired the guy who looks at these things at night to make sure the word f*** isn’t used. G Muricio thanks for the advice about ignoring wet rag. I had totally forgotten about his claims that I’m anti-cop, anti-Lt. Rose. Funny he has nothing to say about that, nothing to back up his claims, only more baseless charges. What a tool.
By Cindy
May 16, 2008 5:26 PM | Link to this
they lied just to get me riled up?
By John Wilson
May 16, 2008 5:32 PM | Link to this
Jimbo lad,
Real men can read a map and use a compass. I get my maps for free at the AAA. Ok so I have to pay them membership fee. One tow pays that off real fast.
Gunny J
By Stone
May 16, 2008 5:34 PM | Link to this
Glad they ended that practice before it began. No posting on weekends and in the middle of the night when you can’t sleep, outrageous.
By Fred
May 17, 2008 2:48 AM | Link to this
Stone and El Bubba, I didn’t see the moral socalled “outrage” when our current President was compared to Curious George. What’s the difference now? You have to admit that BOTH President George W. Bush AND Senator Barak Obama bear a striking resemblence to the cartoon character. Are they triplets seperated at birth/ WHy is it somehow OK to compare a white man to a monkey but not a black man? I don’t get it. Are we not ALL primates according to Darwin? If it’s good for the goose, it’s good for the gander and save that race baiting s** for someone other than me. Actually when my wife makes a monkey face she looks like curious George. Am I now an Asian hating race baiter by saying so? Just damn.
By Fred
May 17, 2008 2:51 AM | Link to this
Oh and “You want respect”? Bite me with your racist bull feces. White trailer trash will rip you off as quick as black ghetto trash. Trash is trash and sees no color of their intended victims. Save THAT crap for your klan meetings, I don’t want to hear it.
By Fred
May 17, 2008 3:04 AM | Link to this
Oh, and back to the topic Steve wrote on/ I’m dammed surprised that in this entire blog there wasn’t a single rat b******* that called Steve an SOB for NOT standing guard over their car when their stupidity got them ripped off. He writes about this crap often, maybe the lack of comments such as I described means that folks smart enough to read and respond to his blog are FINALLY paying some attention. Good job Stevo, you jackbooted, goose stepping gestapo wanna be pig lol. ( Last comment just for the satisfaction of the coward, whatever name he’ll be posting under tomorrow lol, who accuses us of hating Steve.)
By Stone
May 17, 2008 6:17 AM | Link to this
Fred no one said it was OK to compare a white man to Curious George or a monkey, but its just not the same as comparing a black man to a monkey. It brings back the old charge that blacks are inferior, no more than animals who deserve to be treated as such. Animals are beaten, sold and put on display for human amusement. Most of us have seen the harm this type of attitude has on people and want it stopped. Wrong is wrong. It’s racist, it’s insulting. It’s like calling our wives chinks or Asian w******* just because of their race. Any insult meant to demean someone for their racial make-up is just plain wrong. Dude, really, if you can’t see this then I feel badly for you.
By Cindy
May 17, 2008 8:34 AM | Link to this
Fred said If it’s good for the goose, it’s good for the gander…I said something similar on Badie’s blog but I don’t think anyone understood my altered version.
By Kruschev's Father
May 17, 2008 11:31 AM | Link to this
If the radio station you listen to most of the time has been forced in the name of humanity to constantly rebroadcast public service warnings against racing the train to the crossing, then you might be a redneck……..
If the most successful landscaping project you’ve ever embarked on is when you leaned your christmas tree against your mailbox on garbage day in late march, then you might be a redneck……
If the first thing you think of when you see an abandoned FEMA trailer is what a waste of good huffing that is, then you might be a redneck…….
If you plan to vote for McCain in November, then you might be a redneck……
By Kruschev's Father
May 17, 2008 2:03 PM | Link to this
Is a racial apology necessary or should the blue states wear a t-shirt that reads, “I’m with stupid” as we share this election with our patriotic Right honorable red state friends?I learned racism surprisingly late in my youth. I was in college before I encountered the undiluted stench of it when my fraternity brothers expressed themselves in no uncertain terms. My first serious girlfriend’s father ridiculed my liberal views on integration, and he actually ran for a city council seat with the slogan, “Happiness is walking to your neighborhood school”. Anti-bussing platforms in the 70’s were not pretty. He lost.
But our society progressed and now, six months before election day 08, this modern race is now about…. race. The conservative platform is a t-shirt with a monkey on it. Sophisticated. Elegant. Addresses all the issues.
This t-shirt represents the last throes of a sinking conservative ship of state which would launch this flare to pinpoint it’s exact unremorseful position. This t-shirt becomes the iconic, laconic manifesto of a party’s deathbed confession: we’re racists and we’re proud. See the monkey. Sound bite or diatribe? Campaign slogan or parting shot?So let this be conservatism’s epitaph: If racism was unpatriotic, then what good were patriots?
By Stone
May 17, 2008 4:05 PM | Link to this
I’m a moderate conservative, Kruschev and your attempt to paint the monkey t-shirt and racism as a whole as some right wing Republican manifestation is way off course. Remember a higher percentage of Republicans voted for the Civil Rights Act than Democrats. Don’t forget the Dixiecrats, George Wallace, Gov Talmadge, former KKK leader and current Democratic Senator Robert Byrd! The Democrats ruled Georgia for over one hundred years of Jim Crow abuses so nice try. To attempt to brand one party more guilty of racism than the other just misses the point, is factually incorrect and reduces this issue to a political p** contest. This isn’t a Republican/Democrat issue or a black/white issue, it’s a right/wrong issue. That t-shirt is racist, disgusting and wrong, period.
By Stone
May 17, 2008 4:26 PM | Link to this
Thats strange, according to the ajc, you can’t say p** or w******* in your post,but its OK to say chinks.
By Kruschev's Father
May 17, 2008 4:53 PM | Link to this
That horse they shot at churchill downs two weeks is a 3 to 1`favorite to win today’s Preakness. Where did they get those clydesdales they’ve got lined up for today’s race?
By ElBubba
May 17, 2008 7:03 PM | Link to this
That was a good race (today).
By Stone
May 17, 2008 7:40 PM | Link to this
Yea, no one died.
By Fred
May 18, 2008 2:06 AM | Link to this
Of course you can say chink, Stone. You can say, s**, wop, k**, or redneck, but god forbid you say n****. THAT by God is racist, just like comparing Barak to Curious Gearge is racist, but comparing George Bush to curious george ISN’T. Dude, if you can’t see THAT point, I fell badly for YOU. Besides, why does Obama HAVE to be considered Black? His mom is white so could he not just as easily be called white as black since he’s 50-50? Why is Tiger Woods called black and not Asian? Better yet, why can’t they both (and the rest of us) just be AMERICANS? Sadly, oyu STILL don’t get me point. I don’t understand why not as it is simplicity itself.
By Fred
May 18, 2008 2:10 AM | Link to this
Ah so you CAN’T say s** or k** lol, guess whitebreads and chinks are the only ones allowed to have racial epithets hurled at them………..
By Stone
May 18, 2008 9:37 AM | Link to this
Dude, the only thing lamer than a black person who sees racism, prejudice and discrimination in everything, is a white person who sees racism, prejudice and reverse discrimination in everything. If Obama wants to call himself black, why should you or I care. If Tiger doesn’t want to call himself black, and he doesn’t, why should you or I care. Shouldn’t people get to call and be called what they want? I hope my son won’t call himself white or Asian, however that’s up to him. If you really think that the monkey t-shirt isn’t bigoted and offensive and everybody is overreacting, fine. Like you, I also believe people wait around to be offended, to overreact, to cry racism even when it isn’t there, but this isn’t the case here, in my opinion. Just because 80% of the time cries of racism turn out not to be, doesn’t mean we should ignore the other 20%. The same bigot that is coming after the black guy today will be coming after my wife and kid tomorrow. “They came after Obama, but I said nothing, because I wasn’t black……”
By Kruschev's Father
May 18, 2008 10:33 AM | Link to this
The Curious George t-shirt, worn by all coward/conservatives is their admission that they are surrender monkeys. The tshirt you wear is you. Fashion science has proved that. You R what you wear, you conservativ surrender monkey scum!!!
COnservatives have used Al Queda like allies for their agenda. Al Queda was the greatest political ally the GOP ever had. And america fell for it hook line and sinker.
I demand the surrender of Osama Bin Laden, and if his band of terrorists lay down their weapons and come out of their sewers with their hands in the international sign of surrender, then I promise to be merciful: I will only use one bullet for each terrorist criminal scumbag. (after a fair military tribunal of course)
Obama 08: Osama better surrender, or he’s going to het hurt bad. Obama wont capitalize on terrorism, he’ll destroy it. He’s no Bush. He’s no conservative greedy pig who would sell his country out for defense contractor friends, like Cheney is.
Obama. he’s about change. Change for the better. Better for americans. Worse for al queda, the ally of the conservative traitors who ruined our country for money.
By Fred
May 18, 2008 11:38 AM | Link to this
Stone, I STILL don’t think you get it. Had it been any other monkey than curious George, I would agree with you but as I KEEP saying, Obama AND Bush bear such a resemblance to THAT cartoon character that it is funny, must be the from Obama’s white mom lol. Get a picture of ALL three and lay them side by side. The pursed lips, the 90 degree protruding ears, actually LOOK without regards to race and you will see it. If I can find the MANY links to Bush/Curious George, I’ll post them, he could have been the model used for George.
But Racism? Nope. It wasn’t racist when the left made cartoons of Condelisa Rice dressed up like a mammy was it? Or HER portrayed as Aunt Jemimna? Once again I didn’t see the so called moral outrage. Why not? because SHE is a conservative and as such open to out-right racial attacks from the left. The double standard is blatant and pathetic. That dog just don’t hunt for me.
On another note how about Kruchies Dad? Hidden in the post of his drivel is a VERY good point. The right HAS used Al Quaida like allies for their agenda. Being an independant, I always laughed at the rididculous idea that a right wing controlled gov’t would be evil…….. but look what happened when we got a right President and Congress, even WORSE look what happened here in Georgia when we got a right wing Governor and Legislature? Maybe them nutty lefties weren’t as full of rhempty rhetoric as I thought………
oh and Kruchie? I DID vote for Obama in 08 in the primary and will do so again in the general election if Hitlery doesn’t manage to outright steal the nomination from him. Whether he truly is about change remains to be seen, but both McPain and Hitlery are DEFINITELY the same old crap in a “new improved box” while Obama IS something new, without or without the stupid t-shirt.
By Kruschev's Father
May 18, 2008 12:27 PM | Link to this
Fred, put your surrender monkey t-shirt on or they wont let you vote Repudlickan in November. The surrender monkey t-shirt is your Voter ID.
The t-shirt never was supposed to be racist, I was just teasing the Right. The curious George T-shirt is the defacto admission that conservatism itself is a monkey. A surrender monkey. and a great voter ID.
Fred, thanx for the praise of my writings. Get in line.
By Fred
May 18, 2008 3:12 PM | Link to this
LOL your modesty becomes you.
By Kruschev's Father
May 18, 2008 4:31 PM | Link to this
You know who I am. Everyone does. I live in the silence after a bad joke. Wherever there’s a heckler stepping on a line, I’ll be there. I’ll be in the way an audience laughs when they know their nachos are almost ready. I’ll be the delivery, the set up, and the muffed callback. I’ll be in the wry, the dry, and the jive. Whenever someone needs a laugh, I’ll be there.
By G. Mauricio
May 18, 2008 6:33 PM | Link to this
I GET IT fred! Obama looks like cureous george who looks like bush who looks like obama. Comparing obama 2 a monkey would be racist except in this case, because obama looks so much like this particular monkey right? People who find this ofensive and racist R wrong because the redneck who is pushing these t-shirts is only playing on the fact that they look alike and not on the fact that he thinks obama is like a monkey right? That’s pretty lame, fred. I think stone gets what ur saying and so does anyone else who reads your posts. UR a racist cracker and so is the redneck who is selling these t-shirts.
By ElBubba
May 18, 2008 8:02 PM | Link to this
It’s sort of funny that you guys keep arguing about the t-shirt. To any American with half an education it is offensive.
You will never see that bar owner (tavern :) stand outside and give an interview wearing one.
I am sick of the various forms of race-baiting, most of us are past that in this day and age. I vote for a person, not a name or color.
By Glenn
May 18, 2008 8:51 PM | Link to this
Confound it, Bubb, that’s not true. There are millions of Americans that love that t-shirt and believe the monkey man myth. We live in a racist country, born in slavery, and the problem is not just an american problem, it’s a human problem. Human beings are evil, they manufacture evil like bees manufacture honey, they just do it because they’re no good. So no amount of denial by you will change the sad facts about racism and the human condition. Luckily, there’s people like me that know how to stuff that tshirt down the throats of racists with my incredibly effective comeback about the tshirt being a surrender monkey voter ID for repudlickans. Why cant you think of good comebacks? Why cant you do anything except drink beer and and chase women?
IASKEDWHY???
By StillbornDittos
May 19, 2008 7:49 AM | Link to this
How rude of us not to comment on Steve Rose’s piece today. The camera on the gas pump is fertile ground. Reviewing the videos, they’ve found that the larger the SUV, and the less the gas mileage, the more apt a driver is to jiggle the gas nozzle against the sides of the intake to get every last drop. “I get 10mpg. I paid $75K for this Escalade! Okay, the tank is full, now I’ll just put the nozzle back in the pump’s socket, but first”, TINKLE TENKLE TANKLE JIGGLE KLACKLE, “hey, I think there’s still one drop that wont come loose”, KLACKLE KLOCKLE JIGGLE JOGGLE TINKLE TANK. “Whew, that was a close one. Was I supposed to shut the car off while I gassed up?”
Or how about this one? “My SUV gets such lousy mileage that yesterday I filled it up and then suckered for the free drive through car wash, which took so long to get through that I had to fill up again, of course I couldn’t resist a free $7.95 Deluxe car wash where the little thing comes out and scours your wheels and everything, so I drove through it again, yes, you guessed it, I had to fill up again…..same thing over and over until I finally gave up and walked home. I hope the cops dont tow my SUV away. Was I supposed to turn it off?”
By Cassie
May 19, 2008 9:42 AM | Link to this
Do you guys read the Roswell Beacon? Seriously, Friday’s edition hit my mailbox with a real, honest to god article about what certain people will do if Obama wins the election. People who secretly meet in the woods and don’t tell other people where they are going, if you catch my drift.
I can’t believe that people really think that way. What the h e double hockey sticks is wrong with the world?
By carry on
May 19, 2008 10:59 AM | Link to this
Cassie, do you have an older sister 4 me?
By Straight Talk
May 19, 2008 1:14 PM | Link to this
Obama quote: *”The United States of America is the greatest Nation in the world. Stand beside me and help me change it.” *
If you don’t find the irony in that statement, then please don’t vote in the upcoming election.
Check all you want, he really did say it.
By Julie
May 19, 2008 1:48 PM | Link to this
If Obama wants to wear a Curious George shirt, that is fine with me. And what is he going to change about the country, anyway?
By carry on
May 19, 2008 1:53 PM | Link to this
Yes, there is irony in a political speech or a campaign slogan or a spin, but there is tyranny in your words, sir, and I dont know what others may think, but as for me, give me liberty and obama and give you a frozen hotdog up the wazooo!
bwa. You’ve got nothing. You are nothing. Your party is dead, and no mouth to mouth gay encounter in no airport restroom can revive it. So get lost, repudlickan loser, the country has already left you far far behind. You’re a zero-sum-hero without a country like all your conservative POS’s.
bwa
By Fred
May 19, 2008 5:36 PM | Link to this
Mauricio and El bubba, YOU are the racists, not me. I missed your moral outrage at Condies defilement, I missed your outrage at President Bush’s defilements, oh wait. It’s ONLY racist if some white CONSERVATIVE is talking about a a balck person. Quite basically Mauricio, you DON’T “get it” and won’t get it because YOU are a n**** racist hypocrite. Oh wait, you can call ME a cracker and get away with it but if I type N****, I get autosnagged. THAT is a tad racist wouldn’t you agree? Naw, I thought not because on top of being a RACIST you are a HYPOCRITE. You will NEVER “get it” and you will never be content to live in peace as long as you can use the poor tired excuse of your skin color to your advantage. Kruchie’s dad/Glenn gets it. Unless I am mistaken, he is laughing WITH me, not at me, unlike me who is laughing AT you not with you.
The dumbass who made the shirts? I don’t know for fact, but I would be willing to bet that he never looked to see a resemblance between Obama and Curious George and that he IS a racist. But that is not and never has been my point. The double standard is. Yet YOU refuse to see the double standard you hypocrite. It is an issue beacause YOU and folk like you CHOOSE to make it an issue. I guess I also missed you outrage at Obama’s long time soulmate and preacher being a racist POS. Oh, I forgot, THAT is different…………
Bottom line is that you really lack the mental capacity to even begin to plumb the depths of my soul and character, but it takes 1 inch of line to get to the bottom of yours. You are the racist here, not me. You are just too stupid to understand it. Cracker this you racist piece of crap.
By G. Mauricio
May 19, 2008 6:43 PM | Link to this
Uh fred I ain’t black but ur a racist cracker.
By ElBubba
May 19, 2008 6:53 PM | Link to this
Fred,
I have some thoughts that may be racist and misogynist… see what you think.
I think the appointment of Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State is perhaps the stupidist decision I have ever seen a President make. That’s assuming of course that the President really does want peace in the middle east. The problem is that in the middle east they really are racist and misogynistic. Sending a black woman to broker anything other than buying bread is a joke.
I assume that peace in the middle east never was a goal of either President Bush. One would have to be an idiot to think they want any sort of peace over there.
What really bugs me though, is that the media keeps reporting that Bush or Condi are over there at various times trying to broker some sort of peace. It’s insulting, I’m not an idiot. They haven’t even gotten anyone to sit down at the same table.
El Bubba Obama ‘08
By Stone
May 19, 2008 8:28 PM | Link to this
Wow, now we’ve resorted to calling one another n**** and cracker. Way to go, guys, you’re now in the gutter. It’s hard to deny one is racist when you resort to such verbal assaults on one another. I’m disgusted with all of y’all.
By ElBubba
May 19, 2008 8:45 PM | Link to this
Stone,
Did you read about the two guys that tased each other over some sort of parking dispute? No joke. Maybe tasers are a good thing. Anybody can get one. If robbers start tasing people rather than shooting them… Maybe we can even get gang members on board.
By the way, I have not called anyone any names and you’ll never see me using words that need to be edited by a computer.
El Bubba
By Stone
May 19, 2008 10:05 PM | Link to this
I saw the taser article El Bubba and I have to admit my imagination got the best of me there wondering how it all went down. I have indeed noticed that you are a man of restraint and class. We could all use a lesson in that.
By Kruschev's Father
May 20, 2008 9:25 AM | Link to this
My grandmother tasered me once………..ONCE!