Poisoned Trees: What One Fool Can Do

Zryn

Are you saying that people shouldn't be sad about a hit and run driver who kills a cherished family pet for example, because rape is much more horrible?

This isn't really meant to be a contest.

Loren Booda

I think that there is a relation between deriving pleasure from animal abuse and the mindset of someone who destroys living history as a thrill.

What if someone were to vandalize the Smithsonian? No harm done, just some dusty artifacts.

To those individuals raped it is a big deal.

nismaratwork

Genuinely sick in my view.

Jack21222

Agreed, but in addition to all of those things, it is minor. On the scale of evil from 1 to 10, with 1 being jaywalking and 10 being Hitler, this is a 3 at best.

Evo

But we're not discussing other crimes, or how this crime compares to other crimes. Please do not derail the discussion.

dlgoff

I saw a spill where trees couldn't get a start for years. I suppose if all the soil was replaced (half a city block) would have been okay.

nismaratwork

Phew... it's already going to be a huge cost to clean this... apparantly this 'rouge genius' used FIFTY times the concentration of this already (absurdly) effective herbacide. He's going to spend the rest of his life in and out of civil court because of this, if he's LUCKY.

Proton Soup

Finebaum in unapologetic.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2...isoning_1.html

Jack21222

I AM talking about how this crime compares with other crimes, and that is ON topic. You have no basis to declare comparisons to other crimes off-limits. It's completely arbitrary on your part.

Killing trees is not a major crime. It's hardly worth mentioning. How you can say that statement is off-topic is beyond me.

turbo

Catch a clue. If you were to kill my dog (with legal deniability so i didn't have any recourse, like dumping toxic anti-freeze all over my driveway), your action would still be reprehensible. If you were to poison the two apple trees near my front border, so my wife and I and friends could not enjoy the fruits, your action would be reprehensible. Do you not get this? The actions of sociopaths cannot be covered by excuses or misdirections.

nismaratwork

Good, that just means the judge will drag him across a field of broken glass.

Jack21222

Nowhere did I ever say his actions were right. What he did was quite clearly wrong. What I'm saying is it's nowhere near as wrong as a dozen other things that you don't care about at all. Life isn't a binary thing. Just because mass-murder and killing a tree are both "wrong" doesn't mean it makes sense to have the same kind of visceral reaction to both.

This was a property crime. Fine the man and put him on probation, and lets all move on with our lives.

nismaratwork

OK... I'm going to go out on a limb here (yes, just said that):

Jack... you recently lost someone you cared about, so I completely understand why a dead tree of purely sentimental value would not faze you right now. By the same token, maybe that would be the case anytime, but from what I've read of your posts, that's not the case.

You're missing a few basics here that I don't believe you normally would: This chemical is illegal to use in the manner that he did, and the concentration he had may not have been legal without a license. His application of it to the soil may have effects beyond the tree: this is a NASTY thing, Spike-8; you don't apply it without warning flags for one. Using such a high concentration without warning is truly unwise, and if a pet, or a baby or someone else with Pica ate that dirt... badness.

There's an element of depraved indifference here that, if harm has been done to a person or pet, he's going to be facing legal penalties for. Beyond that, the decontamination of the soil, given that 2 MONTHS passed between applying the Spike and "confessing" to that radio station... well... that decon is going to be expensive.

As property crimes go, this is an exceptionally short-sighted one that may still go beyond simple property crime.

Note that my case above lacks any sentimentality for the tree (which I do feel); there is a rational argument for why this man is dangerous.

Evo

Obviously it matters to the people discussing the issue in this thread. You've had your say, now let's get back on topic.

jobyts

Evo, can you elaborate where exactly Jack was off topic. I would call it derailing the topic if he was keep talking one some other very specific crimes. He just compared this crime with other crimes in general.

Jack is just someone who do not share the same sentiments as you and most others in this thread. But his comments are not off topic.

Evo

See my post #22. If you wish to discuss it, PM me, let's not continue disrupting the thread.

Newai

Also sucks for any animals that called it "home."