Where are YOU?

[almighty mat]

I'm in Swansea too, but my bit doesn't look as pretty as James's bit. This is by where I live.http://www.estates-general.co.uk/images/Camarthen%20Road.jpg">

[fugitive]

I'm another Scot, living in bonny ol' Dundee at the moment. (And no, that was not nearly as sarcastic as it needs to be :-)

[Proudhuff]

Mat: You live ina B&Q? Thats handy,man, lots of parking and a burger van outside.
Do you have to get multipacks of everything even if you just want one?

Proudhuff

[WoD]

I'm a valley boy who after travelling around a bit has settled (for the mo)in Miskin, nr Cardiff, South Wales.

WoD

[Noisybast]

>>"Noisybast, where abouts are you in Liverpool then? "

Just off Penny Lane. It's not as exciting as it's cracked up to be.

[Generally Contrary]

Umpty, It is one thing to day that a jotrider can't blame anyone else for the injuries resulting from his crime.  It is another to suggest they deserve those injuries.

I, for one, will not subscribe to a theory of justice that satisfies the public with the mutilation/execution of criminals.  I will concede that in enforcing the law which we have built upon our theory of justice there are sometimes no options but to injure or even kill the guilty party.  But that these should be a predetermined policy...

[Richmond Clements]

'Anyway, rant over, I now live in Bangor (N.I.), about 11 miles from Belfast'

11 miles away, but worlds apart, yeah?
Bangor is a nice place, lovely harbour.
You should try my home town for a shithole. We're so bad that McDonalds closed last week.
The Special Olympics are being held in NI this summer, and various towns are playing host to a countries team. So, guess who we got: bloody Iraq!
Though it was announced yesterday that the team was pulling out of the competition. Even disabled children can't have a fucking race with each other because of bloody Tony and George.

[Oddboy]

It is another to suggest they deserve those injuries.

I don't think it is...
They probably do deserve those injuries, in a "getting what's coming to them" manner.

The thing is, it should not be up to any one to implement that as a punishment.
What people deserve is different to what is right for others to inflict upon them.

Read The Lord of the Rings - and pay heed to Gandalf's advice to spare Gollum's life; even if such a wretched & villianous creature deserves to be put to death.

It's fair enough to wish dangerous drivers will do themselves in driving dangerously (provided that no one else is injured) - it wouldn't be acceptable to remove the breaks of a car left unlocked in order to catch out them pesky thieves.

[Trout]

Somehow, I missed this thread.

Anyway, I'm in Perth.

Hey Fugitive's in Dundee! I'm a Dundonian and proud of it. Perversely enough.

- Trout, fan of a guid peh

[karne]

Right then, although I'm not known for ranting, I'm going to have one for the following reasons;

1. Some circumstances do warrant a good rant.

2. Because I can.

The whole dead T.W.O.C.er's episode, along with an event which befell me on the way home tonight have incited me towards giving my own views on the whole sorry state of affairs. If you're now sitting uneasily I will begin...

On New Years eve a good few years ago, I answered the door as the clocks were about to strike midnight and was greeted by my younger brother sobbing hysterically as he tried, and failed, to explain what had caused him to turn up in such a state at what was after all a time of celebration and hope for the coming future, a time most people believe of better things to come.

When he finally managed to compose himself long enough to explain, it didn't really matter because for some reason I was still unable to understand him, not because he wasn't making sense you understand, but because what he was telling me was obviously so stupid that it couldn't make sense. His fianc? and my sister had been out for a New Years drink and were leaving a pub when a pickup truck driven by a drunk driver swerved into them, dragging his fianc? under the wheels. The driver fearing for his licence decided to make a run for it, probably hoping that his victim would somehow dislodge herself from his wheels if he drove off fast enough. However it was not to be and he eventually gave up and swapped seats with his sober passenger before the law turned up.

I'm not sure if she would have survived had he stopped immediately after he hit her, she lived for about ten minutes after the ambulance arrived, but the point I am trying to make here is that the driver knew what he was doing, and just like joy riders he was not prepared to accept the consequences of his actions. It's very easy to say, yeah, it's only a car, but what happens when that car ploughs into innocent bystanders? These people have no thought for pedestrians, the only thing that matters to them is to cause as much "mischief" as possible and then f*ck off back to their rat-holes and boast about their narrow escape while the devastated families of their victims try and pick up the pieces.

You can argue that whether or not they hit someone is a "theoretical conjecture" and all the other buzzwords that their overpaid solicitors care to use, but if you steal a car and race around at excess speed then it's a highly likely scenario. I'm fairly sure the majority of us here would not wish a horrible death upon any of these "bored and misguided" thieving low-life scum without whom the world would be a safer place, but if you want to live by the sword then you shouldn't go whining for sympathy or compensation when you finally f*ck things up for yourself and get what you deserve.

Finally, you may have noticed this isn't in line with my usual style of posting and I feel you deserve an explanation so here it is...

On the way home from work tonight as I wandered along the refreshingly sunny streets with my copy of this weeks 2K craftily hidden amongst my file work, I looked up from my musing to see a car mounting the pavement and aiming straight for me. I didn't even have time to look surprised and I'm sure the jeering c*nts leaning out of the windows were every bit as stunned at my lack of reaction as I was. Had it not been for the drivers reflexes it's more than likely I wouldn't be posting this tonight, but this fact didn't deter them from speeding off down the road and trying the same trick again, this time with a group of schoolchildren.

Now I hope I haven't alienated myself too much here but I feel I should just leave you with one final thought to dwell on and that is; it may only be a car, but you wouldn't want it hitting your child at one hundred and twenty miles an hour would you?

Life goes on no matter how hard some people try to prevent it,

Karne.

[Trout]

Please accept my sincere condolences, Karne.

Bad driving is far more common than most people think. Go and sit in your local court for a morning and you'll see.

Pick a random day and you'll hear all sorts of scary stuff.

Just today I was hanging around a court - in a professional capacity - and we had

A woman speeding while drunk in the afternoon who crashed into a car

A man who had a fight with his wife, drove while pissed and hit his neighbour's car

A sober driver who somehow managed to mangle a school's railings

(None of these three reported anything to the police)

Plus: an alcoholic who was five times - yes, that's the equvalent of a good dozen pints - over the limit as he weaved across lanes in our town centre

and several others.

Joyriders are just the tip of the iceberg. Antisocial behaviour is not limited to the young.

- Trout

[Richmond Clements]

Jesus Karne, that's shit man, it really is. Saying sorry always sounds really hollow, but I truely am.
I drive all day, it's my job, and I can tell you now that you would not believe some of the spectactularly stupid or careless or just downright evil things I see every day. I've managed to drive for the past 16 years and, thankfully, never have had an accident.
I always say that, in the end, you are only as safe as the stupidest bastard on the road.

[DavidXBrunt]

Ed, been summonsed to a meeting with my dealer in Warringotn to collect my fix on Thursday, so I won't be in Liverpool. That said I usually get down there a couple of times a month. If you ever fancy a pint and a moan about the state of Thargs empire I'll let you know when I'm next around. But no worries if you'd rather preserve your anonimity :)

[DavidXBrunt]

Karne - sympathies extended.

[Bart Oliver]

Just read your post Karne.

Was profoundly moved by your brother's story.

Very glad you made it back to your PC after Monday's near miss- Life here on the board wouldn't be the same without you.