Cars crushed in street racing crackdown

[Z train]

First off,sorry for the double post.

Second:"Lose a family member or a friend to the immature idiots who drive recklessly,

then see if you feel sorry for "the poor blokes who had their car crushed".

I'll STILL be of the same opinion.This is another thing that's wrong with this country,people think that because "something" has happened to them/their family that somehow changes what the penalty should be.If my opinion changes because an incident happened to a friend/relative vs a stranger,then I AM the problem.

Case in point:My mother,father & uncle died as a result of smoking.But my opinion about the tobacco companies is not what you'd expect.Tobacco is a LEGAL product(as of now).What they(the gov't)is doing with taxes/restrictions on smoking is harrassment & extortion.Either outlaw tobacco altogether or leave it alone.What's being done to the tobacco companies in the guise of "public health" is un-constitutional.

Saying cars should be crushed is just as stupid as trying to confiscate all the guns because some gang-banging piece of $hit does a drive-by.

What are you going to do when someone is beaten to death with a baseball bat-go down to the little league field and take all their bats away?

This is nothing but grand standing political bull$hit.

You say"break the law and pay the penalty.Fine.The laws are on the books as are the penalties.Guess what?Crushing cars ISN'T in the book.Yuo can't "pull penalties out of thin air"They are making this up as they go along.Sorta like Germany circa 1936.

[Montezuma]

First off,sorry for the double post.

Second:"Lose a family member or a friend to the immature idiots who drive recklessly,

then see if you feel sorry for "the poor blokes who had their car crushed".

I'll STILL be of the same opinion.This is another thing that's wrong with this country,people think that because "something" has happened to them/their family that somehow changes what the penalty should be.If my opinion changes because an incident happened to a friend/relative vs a stranger,then I AM the problem.

Case in point:My mother,father & uncle died as a result of smoking.But my opinion about the tobacco companies is not what you'd expect.Tobacco is a LEGAL product(as of now).What they(the gov't)is doing with taxes/restrictions on smoking is harrassment & extortion.Either outlaw tobacco altogether or leave it alone.What's being done to the tobacco companies in the guise of "public health" is un-constitutional.

Saying cars should be crushed is just as stupid as trying to confiscate all the guns because some gang-banging piece of $hit does a drive-by.

What are you going to do when someone is beaten to death with a baseball bat-go down to the little league field and take all their bats away?

This is nothing but grand standing political bull$hit.

You say"break the law and pay the penalty.Fine.The laws are on the books as are the penalties.Guess what?Crushing cars ISN'T in the book.Yuo can't "pull penalties out of thin air"They are making this up as they go along.Sorta like Germany circa 1936.

Welcome to the Socialist Republic of America formerly known as the United States of America.

[jmortensen]

First off,sorry for the double post.

Second:"Lose a family member or a friend to the immature idiots who drive recklessly,

then see if you feel sorry for "the poor blokes who had their car crushed".

I'll STILL be of the same opinion.This is another thing that's wrong with this country,people think that because "something" has happened to them/their family that somehow changes what the penalty should be.If my opinion changes because an incident happened to a friend/relative vs a stranger,then I AM the problem.

Case in point:My mother,father & uncle died as a result of smoking.But my opinion about the tobacco companies is not what you'd expect.Tobacco is a LEGAL product(as of now).What they(the gov't)is doing with taxes/restrictions on smoking is harrassment & extortion.Either outlaw tobacco altogether or leave it alone.What's being done to the tobacco companies in the guise of "public health" is un-constitutional.

Saying cars should be crushed is just as stupid as trying to confiscate all the guns because some gang-banging piece of $hit does a drive-by.

What are you going to do when someone is beaten to death with a baseball bat-go down to the little league field and take all their bats away?

Totally agree with you, this coming from a guy who thinks the same as you do about all of the above, and would also legalize drugs (all of them) and has a very close relative who was a heroin addict for decades.

I hate the "you might feel differently if it happened to you" line of thinking, sorry 1 Bravo 6, but I really do. Just because something bad happens to me I'm supposed to throw reason out the window and do a complete 180 and start offering to give my rights away??? No thanks. I don't need gov't to protect me from myself, which is basically what this boils down to.

Let people have as much freedom as we can possibly give them, and make the penalties for violating the fewer, less intrusive laws more severe on the criminals without violating our Constitutional rights. That's my idea of how it should be done anyway. Sometimes I feel like I'm one of about 4 people in the US who still feel this way...

[jmortensen]

First off,sorry for the double post.

Second:"Lose a family member or a friend to the immature idiots who drive recklessly,

then see if you feel sorry for "the poor blokes who had their car crushed".

I'll STILL be of the same opinion.This is another thing that's wrong with this country,people think that because "something" has happened to them/their family that somehow changes what the penalty should be.If my opinion changes because an incident happened to a friend/relative vs a stranger,then I AM the problem.

Case in point:My mother,father & uncle died as a result of smoking.But my opinion about the tobacco companies is not what you'd expect.Tobacco is a LEGAL product(as of now).What they(the gov't)is doing with taxes/restrictions on smoking is harrassment & extortion.Either outlaw tobacco altogether or leave it alone.What's being done to the tobacco companies in the guise of "public health" is un-constitutional.

Saying cars should be crushed is just as stupid as trying to confiscate all the guns because some gang-banging piece of $hit does a drive-by.

What are you going to do when someone is beaten to death with a baseball bat-go down to the little league field and take all their bats away?

Totally agree with you, this coming from a guy who thinks the same as you do about all of the above, and would also legalize drugs (all of them) and has a very close relative who was a heroin addict for decades.

I hate the "you might feel differently if it happened to you" line of thinking, sorry 1 Bravo 6, but I really do. Just because something bad happens to me I'm supposed to throw reason out the window and do a complete 180 and start offering to give my rights away??? No thanks. I don't need gov't to protect me from myself, which is basically what this boils down to.

Let people have as much freedom as we can possibly give them, and make the penalties for violating the fewer, less intrusive laws more severe on the criminals without violating our Constitutional rights. That's my idea of how it should be done anyway. Sometimes I feel like I'm one of about 4 people in the US who still feel this way...

[Zs-ondabrain]

What some of you are forgeting about is "the cars were crushed not only because of street racing but because of STOLEN PARTS on the vehicles. Motors, trannies, wheels, body parts, etc, were the secondary cause of the "SETTING AN EXAMPLE" crushing. When you buy stolen parts, the law see's it the same as you steeling them.

just adding to the fire,

Dave.

[jmortensen]

What some of you are forgeting about is "the cars were crushed not only because of street racing but because of STOLEN PARTS on the vehicles. Motors, trannies, wheels, body parts, etc, were the secondary cause of the "SETTING AN EXAMPLE" crushing. When you buy stolen parts, the law see's it the same as you steeling them.

Let's say you had a home stereo that was stolen that you bought off of the back of a truck because I know a guy who did that once. If you're charged with posession of stolen property, do they take you and the stereo to a junkyard and smash it? Why should they then do that to a car, especially if only part of the car was stolen?

I agree that they're setting an example and trying to scare the street racer morons. I just think they're overstepping their bounds in doing so. It's not that the street racers are in a defensible position in terms of their crimes. It's that the punishment is indefensible in my opinion.

[JimmyZ]

Let people have as much freedom as we can possibly give them, and make the penalties for violating the fewer, less intrusive laws more severe on the criminals without violating our Constitutional rights. That's my idea of how it should be done anyway. Sometimes I feel like I'm one of about 4 people in the US who still feel this way...

I agree completely BUT...

As society becomes more crowded social responsibility must increase or we have chaos, anarchy etc. Laws that force people to be responsible for their actions and effects on others are an unfortunate by-product.

It is unfortunate that we are forced to live under the "oppression" of our current system. There really is no escaping it. The growth of law and government doesn't seem to have any end in sight.

All of this won't matter if Mexico and Canada have their way. There is talk of eventually making the US one nation with our neighbors and becoming a North American version of the EU. (Heard this from Neal Boortz Am radio. Take with grain of salt.)

[Z train]

First off,sorry for the double post.

Second:"Lose a family member or a friend to the immature idiots who drive recklessly,

then see if you feel sorry for "the poor blokes who had their car crushed".

I'll STILL be of the same opinion.This is another thing that's wrong with this country,people think that because "something" has happened to them/their family that somehow changes what the penalty should be.If my opinion changes because an incident happened to a friend/relative vs a stranger,then I AM the problem.:stupid:

Case in point:My mother,father & uncle died as a result of smoking.But my opinion about the tobacco companies is not what you'd expect.Tobacco is a LEGAL product(as of now).What they(the gov't)is doing with taxes/restrictions on smoking is harrassment & extortion.Either outlaw tobacco altogether or leave it alone.What's being done to the tobacco companies in the guise of "public health" is un-constitutional.:mad:

Saying cars should be crushed is just as stupid as trying to confiscate all the guns because some gang-banging piece of $hit does a drive-by.:stupid:

What are you going to do when someone is beaten to death with a baseball bat-go down to the little league field and take all their bats away?

This is nothing but grand -standing political bull$hit.

You say"break the law and pay the penalty.Fine.The laws are on the books as are the penalties.Guess what?Crushing cars ISN'T in the book.Yuo can't "pull penalties out of thin air"They are making this up as they go along.Sorta like Germany circa 1936.:mad:

[CoastGuardZ]

Well this is a nice and heated discussion isn't it?

Here's my 2 cents and I'll try to keep it short, simple and civil...

The punishment does not fit the crime :dead: Plain and simple.

If you are in possesion of stolen furniture the "authorities" will not demolish your house with the stolen furniture in it. They will confiscate the furniture and then fine/imprison you.

I know of too many people who have been popped for DUI who got to keep their cars and now just pay astronomical amounts of money for insurance. No car crusher for these guys.

The ricer argument should be dropped. It's no different than any other type of discrimination. Just because someone drives a "riced" out Civic doesn't automatically make them a street racer. Personally, I was once much more of a danger to society in a 5000 lb full size Chevy truck in high school than I ever was in my old Monte Carlo SS, MR2 or my 240Z. Quite frankly if I go to Cali my Z should be confiscated/crushed... lowering springs and urethane bushings weren't stock nor are they required for normal street use so they must be used for racing, and since I don't belong to any sanctioned racing organizations I must be street racing and therefore guilty, right? Maybe the PO replaced the tranny and maybe a shady mechanic used a stollen part to replace it with, now I have a receipt even though the part was stollen and now they can crush my little Japanese tin can... you get the point?

A small side note on the Foreign car companies manufacturing in the US... let's not forget the companies that supply to them that also establish plants here. For example if you own a US produced Nissan (Frontier, Xterra, etc.) look for Calsonic Kansei parts, like the radiator. Also produced in the US by a Japanese company providing US jobs... since 1976.

So much for short...

[Z train]

When police popped open the hood, Hoang said, they found a stolen transmission. Hoang flashed a receipt for the transmission he bought from his father who runs an auto shop and doubted the item was hot.

The kid had a receipt but still lost his car

______________________________________________________________

"Everything on that car was practically brand new," Hoang said as he watched his car get moved to auto death row. "They should take out the stuff that matters, auction it off, and give the money to charity."

The kid was right

_________________________________________________________________

Most of the cars police examine are illegally modified. Sergio Zavala, 18, was pulled over in his 1993 yellow Honda Civic for a broken tail light in December. He had purchased a B-20 Vtech engine with a double-overhead cam a couple months before, and after a police investigation, was told it was stolen.

For this to be a crime the cops MUST PROVE the kid knew BEFORE-HAND that the motor was stolen.

_____________________________________________________________

Too many holes in this,too many over-reactions,too much blatant bull$hit disguised as keeping the public safe.

Notice no-one mentions track closures as a contributing cause.

[JimmyZ]

First off,sorry for the double post.

Second:"Lose a family member or a friend to the immature idiots who drive recklessly,

then see if you feel sorry for "the poor blokes who had their car crushed".

I'll STILL be of the same opinion.This is another thing that's wrong with this country,people think that because "something" has happened to them/their family that somehow changes what the penalty should be.If my opinion changes because an incident happened to a friend/relative vs a stranger,then I AM the problem.:stupid:

Case in point:My mother,father & uncle died as a result of smoking.But my opinion about the tobacco companies is not what you'd expect.Tobacco is a LEGAL product(as of now).What they(the gov't)is doing with taxes/restrictions on smoking is harrassment & extortion.Either outlaw tobacco altogether or leave it alone.What's being done to the tobacco companies in the guise of "public health" is un-constitutional.:mad:

Saying cars should be crushed is just as stupid as trying to confiscate all the guns because some gang-banging piece of $hit does a drive-by.:stupid:

What are you going to do when someone is beaten to death with a baseball bat-go down to the little league field and take all their bats away?

This is nothing but grand -standing political bull$hit.

You say"break the law and pay the penalty.Fine.The laws are on the books as are the penalties.Guess what?Crushing cars ISN'T in the book.Yuo can't "pull penalties out of thin air"They are making this up as they go along.Sorta like Germany circa 1936.:mad:

First off I'm sorry about your parents. To loose both in that way is tragic. My wife had to see her father slowly succumb to brain cancer and it is very sad to see anyone waste away from cancer.

I agree with you. I LIKE to be able to own full auto weapons and smoke lucky strike or cloves if I choose. It pisses me off to no end when someone tries to tell us what lyrics we can have in our music... How much T&A we get to see on TV/movies and how that T&A can be used in said entertainment.

The problem is that not everyone is smart enough or not able to exercise foresight when going down a path of action. Parents wonder why their kids are parents at 12-16 but fail to see the connection with what they expose the kids to. (Ref the T&A above)

I used to live in a place where you could shoot in any direction and be 95% sure that you weren't going to hit person or property when doing so. To be responsible we chose to shoot at trajectories which made it a 99% certainty. (Berms, hills etc) Where I live now it's off to jail for discharging a firearm unless you have a really good reason... Even with a reason you might still be given a date with the judge.

Everyone screws up from time to time and society must pay for their ignorance. To keep this in check we have laws. An unemployed chain smoker living on welfare/handouts should not smoke drink excessively or do anything else which may cause undue expeneses from others. Why? Because each of us should pull our own weight. This is why my state has a no-helmet requirement for motorcycles if you are properly insured. You might still cost the taxpayers something but at least the edge is taken off the bill. (I won't ride with a helmet. Always have hated them.)

The issue is freedom and how some persons irresponsibility can deprive an innocent person of their freedom to use honest hard earned wages.

Seizing property such as the cars in question under the circumstances mentioned is a stretch of gov powers. Sometimes extreme problems require extreme measures.

This is one of those battles which you simply don't fight because there's no solid justification given the circumstances.

If they crushed a passerby's car who did have legit parts etc then that's a whole other story. It's OK to torch the city then.

2c

[Mike]

Guys, this technique by police (obviously) worked. They were trying to set an example by using these kids. The attempt to 'drive a point' has worked all the way down to our forum. Can you imagine how many other ricer forums were talking about this issue? Hell, why do you think they put Paris Hilton in jail (besides the pure satisfaction).

Authorities can make big impressions with moves like this. Another good example is Martha Stewart. If I remember correctly, she only sold something like $5,000 in stock ?! That's chump change -- and she was jailed for supposed insider trading.

My point is, they were trying to set a point. Obviously they were looking for a way to make it a big one.

-- Mike