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Date:         Fri, 5 Aug 2005 17:34:07 EDT
Reply-To:     Oxroad@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeff Oxroad <Oxroad@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: serious vanagon security issues
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

The sad truth is as a society whose justice system offer only minor consequences and lets repeat criminal offenders live side by side with law abiding citizens we , often unknowingly, rely on hope as our point man for security. That hope manifests itself in the idea that we're safe because the car doors are locked or the front door is locked on the house. We can soetimes trust a greater order of things and the idea that since we wouldn't steal someones stuff no one would want to steal ours. Even though we know this isn't exactly true.

And I am guilty of that as well. So I'm not pointing the finger.

I'm not down on America, so it's not that. And I am guilty of the excercise of hope for security as well. It's not a bad thing necessarily, but it is unrealistic.

Obviously door locks on a car door are not fool proof. A window can be busted out in a fraction of a second. We do benefit that a window breaking may make noise. Broken glass around a vehicle with someone rummaging inside "might" alert a passerby to call police. Police may roll by. And so on.

But what we are doing when we lock the doors is keeping someone on the fence out of the car. Someone who has made a determination they are getting in will get in.

My point here is not to bring anyone down and create panic.I live life and I'm not suggesting we walk around in fear 24/7. BUT don't use your dtermination not to live in fear as an excuse not to protect yourself from the reality of our world.

For my money the key to security in our society is deterrents. (Some societies favor corpaoral punishment, some an eye for an eye, we believe in and hold fast to "rehabilitation" but don't offer any. So I say deterrents are the way to go.)

The Club on your steering wheel isn't going to stop a professional theif with the jaws of life at his disposal. But some punk may be deterred enough to pass by because he didn't leave the house planning to steal a car. He's just walking by with only a screw driver and "Hmm Club...I have no way to get that off easily." Go to next car>

I think alarms offer the same deterrrent to a greater degree. That blinking red or blue light on the dash showing a criminal you have an alarm makes a break in less attractive. I've seen it on my street--a car with no alarm is broken in to while a car with an alarm is right next to it with visible goods inside is passed by.

That Lo Jack that is linked to a phone system that calls you if your car is moved at 4am or whatever--that's gotta give you piece of mind if nothing else. Also I've seen police recoveries of Lo Jack equipped cars within hours. And while the Lo Jack may not necessarily be a deterrent, again it may help you sleep. (I think it's not a deterrent because I think LoJack cars do not say "Lo Jack installed" on the windows to keep criminal from deactivating the system.)

Anyway in short the sad truth is crime doesn't only happen to bad people--in fact usually it s the opposite. And I'm not saying to live in fear. But prevention beats the heck out of losing your stuff or worse. Little things like having a light on outside to "watch" your cars and property. The type with motion sensors can save energy and come on when needed.

Our one weapon--or one of them--is time. The more time you charge a criminal the less attractive your goods are to him. To deactivate an alarm, to shut down lights, to remove the club--all these take time. Therefore less protected areas or goods are more attractive. Becasue they're gonna steal something, but lets not make it yours.

Don't ever rely on the criminals respect for others because they don't and never will have any. That's why they're theives. That's why they're criminals. They don't respect you. You can't reason with them, they're theives. They're stealing your stuff with no care watsoever about you now or ever.

I mean law and order is another means of deterring crime but if you dabble at all in the legal system you'll see consequences we are sold are greatly exaggerated. 5 years in prison can usually mean 10 months and so on. No cake walk, don't get me wrong, but we're sold the idea of 10 years when the reality is far less. And probation!? Put me on probation for the rest of my life. It won't change my life one bit . How can that be a punishment--or is it rehabilitation?

As long as we honor criminals rights over the victims we're gonna need some lights and some alarms. I suppose we could work on changing that, but in the meantime I say get a car alarm. Because no matter how nice your town is or your neighborhood it only takes one person--JUST ONE--passing through to make you day miserable or worse.

And I'm not siding with crime saying if you don't have an alarm that's your tough luck. I don;t believe that at all. It's a shane when someone's property is stolen and no one is at fault except the person who committed the crime. But don't talk yourself out of an alarm because you don't want to live in a world where you need one. You need one.

And while we're on it carry pepper spray. For the most part it has no lasting effect inthat it won;t kill or mame anyone, it's not a gun so you don't have to get political. And when you need it you're gonna really wish you had it and wonder why you never got it because you thought you wouldn't need it knowing you might because you watch the news.

I consider myself a purveyor of reality (often I am told "my" reality).

Best, Jeff 83.5 Westy LA,CA

In a message dated 8/5/2005 1:33:06 PM Pacific Standard Time, lorr16ainesym@YAHOO.CA writes:

agree, if you go through all of the work and expense of the door locks, they'll just get in another way - and possibly do more damage to the inside of your van.


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