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Symbols mean whatever the people who use them agree that they mean. The origin of the modern peace sign supposedly combined the semaphore symbols for ND, meaning Nuclear Disarmament.

I doubt Craigslist has anything to do with being covertly anti-Christian. They just want to make loads of money while congratulating themselves on how cool they are. I have to admit they have tried to rein in the prostitution and other explicitly illegal activity. They never will—the underground stuff just changes jargon to stay one step ahead of the monitors.

- Jim

The fact that someone has done something safely 10 or 1,000 times does not change the inherent risk. Nearly every dead pilot or motorcycle rider already had his license and a certain amount of experience. Every dead cop made thousands of uneventful traffic stops or arrests.

My only point is that some people still think of "the internet" as a harmless virtual world inhabited by cute little avatars.

The crooks, scam artists, rapists, and child molesters found it a long time ago.

- Jim

Monker10 wrote:My friend is selling a car stereo on craigslist and all the calls from interested people have been coming in in the middle of the night.

I suspect what they are interested in is not an honest transaction.

The last time I placed a newspaper ad for a used car, years ago, I had people calling in the middle of the night. I had drunks show up and want to go for test drives. I had one guy who wanted to pay me $50 a month.

I traded it in. I still had people calling a month later. (Don't ask me where they found a month-old newspaper.)

Craigslist just gets the message in front of more crooks and nuts.

- Jim

In San Diego Wednesday three young choirboys allegedly posted an offer to sell a computer on Craigslist with the intention of robbing the buyer, which they did.

The buyer then followed the robbers' car and boxed them in in a cul-de-sac. One of the robbers allegedly fatally shot the victim.

The three men were arrested and charged with murder.
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/3 ... 10474.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

All I can say is that I have regretted every private used-car purchase I have made. They all had multiple problems, including one that I bought in winter that overheated in summer.

Granted, these purchases were at times when I was short of funds and had to fish in the shallow end of the pond.

I try to pay cash whenever possible, but older cars (5 years or so) are generally in quite good shape these days. Reputable dealers don't keep junkers on their lot, and you can get decent financing from a credit union.

You might also try an auction, where at least you know you won't be stuck up. However, you had better know what you're looking for and at. Auctions are as-is-where-is with no warranty.

- Jim

I don't know what the definition of car theft is in Michigan. It can be murky when people are family members in the same household and they have some latitude in using the vehicle with permission.

The cops don't want to touch this kind of thing just because they are not civil lawyers.

Also, Texas allows the use of force or deadly force in some circumstances to recover stolen property after the fact of the theft. No other state allows that to the same degree. I don't think this incident would have passed the sniff test in Texas.

- Jim

Dave2 wrote:Isn't the other party in possession of stolen property?

People buy, sell, or trade vehicles without clean titles all the time. I wouldn't do it, but it happens.

In any case, this kind of issue cannot legally be settled by shouting and shooting. We have courts for a reason.

- Jim

In Ferndale, Michigan (Detroit suburb) earlier this month, a teenager traded an Oldsmobile that he did not own for a Pontiac though a Craigslist transaction.

The teenager's family decided they wanted to undo the trade and get the Oldsmobile back. The other party in the trade declined.

This family of fine citizens rolled up to the house of the second party. That man came out with a length of pipe. A verbal altercation ensued. Then one of the teen's brothers (who claimed to be the actual owner of the Oldsmobile) shot at the second party. No one was injured.

The alleged shooter was charged with felonious assault. He reportedly had a license to carry a concealed handgun.

http://www.dailytribune.com/articles/20 ... =fullstory" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Brains are optional. The consequences of not using one are not.

- Jim

That's another thing: Craigslist is right up there with eBay and PayPal on the list of "anti-gun" businesses and organizations that we are supposed to boycott.

(Not that I take consumer boycotts seriously. I don't know what I could buy, eat, watch, or otherwise do if I took them seriously.)

If you don't mind using a San Francisco-based site that uses a peace sign as a logo and openly promotes illegal prostitution, just don't expect the clientele to be a bunch of choirboys.

- Jim

lkd wrote:What's the alternative? Ban Craigslist? Ban eBay? Ban newspaper classifieds?

How about being careful?

People (still after all this time) have a way of thinking that they live in a cozy neighborhood where "that kind of thing never happens." I guess that's why they don't lock their homes or cars.

They extend that thinking to internet-based transactions, and this kind of thing happens.

- Jim

AJ80 wrote:

DoubleJ wrote:shoulda had a cover sniper in an overwatch position....

Would that even be legal?

Just for the sake of conversation, in Indiana, it probably would not have been illegal (which means it would be legal).

Indiana on the whole is more laid back about firearms than Texas. So is Kentucky. Neither state had to deal with Reconstruction and its aftermath.

- Jim

I don't see why online advertising would necessarily be more risky than a newspaper ad, except for two elements:

• Online transactions allow for more anonymous communication than an ad in the paper, because it's easier to set up a throw-away e-mail address than an anonymous phone number.
• Online ads are more readily searchable over a greater area.
  
  Newspaper ads typically run for a few days in a single city, and the newspaper web sites are not all easily searchable.

This kind of incident seems to be in the news more frequently. I don't know if it's just because of the internet-related novelty, or whether it actually is more frequent now than years ago.

You also see the prevalence of scams that would be difficult to impossible to commit without online transactions—though of course there have been scams for all of recorded history.

- Jim

Illegal prostitution (like every other illegal activity) has always been dangerous for both parties. Prostitutes are a favorite target of serial killers, because prostitutes often have no family or personal connections who would miss them.

(That's why I find it so annoying when movies and TV glamorize prostitution, but I'm getting off-topic.)

- Jim

In Manhattan, New York, this week, a man advertised a BMW for sale online (on cars.com, not Craigslist). He met a prospective "buyer." The seller was later found in the trunk of the car, stabbed and severely injured, after the car crashed into a taxi and the driver-buyer fled.

A convicted felon with a penchant for stealing BMWs is suspected and sought by police.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/nyregion/28bmw.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/29/nyreg ... c_ev=click" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Look at this guy's mug shot.

This robbery shows signs of obsessive-compulsive behavior bordering on insanity. The thief got himself into an aggravated felony that may yet turn into capital murder. He wrecked the car he was trying to steal, and the police know who he is and where to look for him.

The moral of the story being not to assume that criminals are deterred by circumstances that a reasonable person would consider a deterrent.

No way am I ever going to sell anything that way.

- Jim

Dayton, Ohio, last week -- A man used Craigslist to arrange to sell a 1986 Camaro. The buyer jerked him around, eventually luring him into a robbery. The seller and his girlfriend got into a firefight with the robbers. The seller/defender was shot. One of the robbers was arrested. The stolen car has not been recovered.

http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story/Cr ... px?rss=703" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim