MTFCA Forum

Just when I thought I understood the meaning of stupid something new comes up.

In todays news was an item about a guy who stole a red fire truck out of a fire station in Oakland, CA. Police chased him all the way to Vacaville, CA (about 50 miles), where he crashed it and was taken into custody.

I guess he didn't think anyone would recognize the red fire truck.

So where was the fire ??

Stupid ? I am not convinced that is the most accurate word for this.

Several generations of no personal accountability and more emphasis on one's "feelings"
and "self-esteem" that civic responsibility have produced legions of individuals who think
this is among the options available as OK.

Now, let's review, new fire trucks range in cost from $50K for a basic forest/range pumper
truck to over a million for big and specialized rigs. Chances are near 100%, that the full cost
of repair or replacement will fall on the public (pronounced "taxpayer").

Add in the cost of pulling police resources away from other duties, as this individual took
said truck on his little sojourn ... Oakland to Vacaville is no less than 40 highway miles, ...

Add in upcoming costs of prosecution and defense, incarceration and supervision ... all
on the public dime ...

Call me crazy, but we handled this kind of thing with a simple pull of the trigger in AFG.
A dollar-fifty worth of ammo and this problem is solved, stays solved, and likely will cause
others with similar interests, a moment of pause before costing the rest of society cubic
mounds of green rectangles.

Stupid ? I am not so sure. What I am pretty sure about is, this "free spirit" felt no concern
for crapping all over the world around him, putting who knows how many people in the potential
path of harm,... and I am even more sure that the feel-good majority of the greater Bay Area
will have far more concern and sympathy for the "rights" of our subject individual than they
will for the collective burden he dumped on everyone else.

It seems like another guy stole a tank a while back.
These guys need a good hobby.
Rich

Contrary to popular belief, stupid can be fixed!
Its just illegal.

"Legal" is only a matter of making laws. The limp-wristed public at large doesn't have
the resolve or stomach to fix stupid. They'd rather let the malcontents of the world
piss all over everyone else, than do the harsh work of dropping the boom on the few
who cause problems. What's the current budget for the California State Dept. of Corrections ?
How many people do they have behind bars or under supervision. How many could be
tossed in the wood chipper and the world be better for it ?

There is a solution...

That's funny, Leo. The gas station (petrol?) where I buy my gas has TV screens on the pumps that advertise a bunch of stuff I'm not at all interested in. Along with the screen is a speaker that is set so high it's offensive. I keep a roll of duct tape in my pickup. I've learned that about 4"of duct tape over the offending speaker just about completely muffles it.

Your post is right on! Duck tape CAN muffle the sound of STUPID!!!

Ten bucks says a putty knife and some roofing tar in the speaker holes will do the
trick too ! Gorilla Glue ? JB Weld ? Maybe do a trial run with mayonnaise !