What gives people the right.............

Someone stole Brian's mountain bike out of our shed today. They left the doors wide open, which is how we noticed it. We also found another bike on the railroad tracks behind our house, so we think they traded their crappy bike for his nice one.


This kind of shit really pisses me off. It's not the bike so much as the fact that someone thought that something gave them the right to trespass on OUR property and steal things that we paid for, like good, honest, citizens. What makes people think they can do that? What, because I have enough money to buy a nice mountain bike and you don't, that somehow means that you're entitled to it? Get a fucking job. Get an education. Try to improve yourself instead of just taking from others.


We're not lucky. We're not more fortunate. WE WORK HARD. We've clawed our way out of debt over the last eight years. We've paid our dues. We've lived in a crappy apartment that was only 300 square feet (seriously), eaten nothing but Ramen and mac & cheese, and not been able to afford cable. We got where we are by working really hard to get out of that situation. This isn't some third-world country that gives you no opportunity to do something other than steal. You have other options. There is ALWAYS always always a choice, and this person chose to take from someone else because he or she felt that he or she was more deserving of the property than we are.


And it's just a stupid bike. Is a bike worth going to jail for? I mean, the chances that we'll get it back are slim to none, and I realize that, but if the person did get caught, he or she would be prosecuted and thrown in jail. Is it really worth having breaking and entering and theft on your record for a stupid bike??? People don't think.



This is why criminals get caught. It's not because "The Man" is after them, it's not because someone is discriminating against them, it's because THEY'RE STUPID. Incredibly, unbelievably, undeniably obtuse people with no regard for others. They think only of themselves and what they want, and have no regard for the consequences. Hell, half the time they don't think they deserve to be punished for breaking the law. I can't tell you how many depositions I've sat through where the defendant had one reason or another that they thought justified their crime, and one reason or another why the county attorney was just trying to get them in trouble for no good reason. Either the county attorney was Caucasian and the defendant was of some minority descent, or the county attorney hates people with piercings -- which is totally untrue, because I have my nose pierced and I wear it to depos -- or tattoos or whatever. There's always something. Always some reason why it's not their fault that they did what they did, or there's always someone setting them up.


I can't help but think that society has some fault in this attitude. We're all so afraid of our children not liking us that we provide no consequences for their actions and give them whatever they want, or in some cases tell them they're entitled to whatever they want, and can go to any means they have to to get it, all because we're so afraid to hear our kids say, "I hate you."

Let me tell ya, if you don't hear those three words come out of your child's mouth at some point or another, you're doing something wrong. My response to my future children telling me they hate me or that I'm mean or that they can't stand living with me will be something along the lines of, "Good, that means I'm doing my job."

Another reason this is partially society's fault: We've gotten so politically correct that even accusing someone of a crime has become taboo. We have to be so careful anymore. Now, I'm not saying that discrimination should happen against anyone, whether it's for political views or skin color or sexual preference, or anything else, so don't get me wrong. It's just that it seems that people play those cards when it's to their advantage, and we all now have to be on the lookout for lawsuits because we accused someone of something, and because that person found a reason why someone might discriminate against them, they claim to be falsely accused, even though there's a mountain of evidence against them.

Now, I do suppose this happens from time to time, but I REALLY doubt it happens nearly as often as a lot of criminals say it does. I doubt there are nearly as many people in this world who discriminate against race, color, religion or sexual preference, so much as they discriminate against BREAKING THE LAW. Yes, I discriminate against criminals. Yes, I will judge you if you have a record. It was your choice to engage in those activities, and I reserve the right to think you're a moron for it. I don't doubt there are plenty of people who would agree with me.

Now, can criminals change? Of course they can. Do I know people who have records who have become upstanding, productive members of society? Yes. You know what separates these people from the others? The fact that they know they did something wrong. They know they deserved the punishment they got, and they learned from their mistakes and made an effort to change. Unfortunately, these people aren't the majority in the criminal world.

Ug, I'm just ranting now. I'm so pissed off.