Re: Did you miss me?

[Bob La Londe <none@none.com99>]

On 10/1/2021 5:31 PM, Jim Davis wrote:
> On Friday, October 1, 2021 at 2:00:21 PM UTC-4, Bob La Londe wrote:
>> On 9/30/2021 7:05 PM, Jim Davis wrote:
>>> On Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 2:36:36 PM UTC-4, Bob La Londe wrote:
>>>> On 9/30/2021 11:29 AM, Jim Davis wrote:
>>>>> On Wednesday, September 29, 2021 at 2:01:53 PM UTC-4, Bob La Londe wrote:
>>>>>> On 9/28/2021 8:10 PM, Jim Davis wrote:
>>>>>>> On Tuesday, September 28, 2021 at 7:44:28 PM UTC-4, Bob La Londe wrote:
>>>>>>>> I was gone for almost a whole day. Did you guys miss me?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Looks like aioe crashed. Form posts I saw earlier today seems to
>>>>>>>> indicate even their website is down. I just now figured out how to get
>>>>>>>> my old Eternal September account to work with Thunderbird. Ok, to be
>>>>>>>> fair I never really tried before.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>> This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
>>>>>>>> https://www.avg.com
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hmmm, I know what Eternal September refers to re: AOL back in the early 90's ( You may have noticed that I "still" use AOL from those days)
>>>>>>> But what is an Eternal September "account"?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> AIOE and Eternal September are free (**read & post) Usenet servers still
>>>>>> in operation. It looks like AIOE is back up and operating as of now. I
>>>>>> am using their server to read your post. I seemed to recall Eternal
>>>>>> September charges a one time setup fee like ten dollars, and never
>>>>>> another fee after that. I know I have not paid again in more than a
>>>>>> decade of use.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> There are a lot of read only Usenet servers.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I noticed you have an AOL email account, but I've never felt the need to
>>>>>> look at your headers and information to see where your posts appear to
>>>>>> originate from.
>>>>>
>>>>> Way WAAAAYYYY way back i used to pay a fee to Aol but then they started offering it free so I stopped paying and just continued to use it. As of now, I use it but just as an autonomous mail service. That is - - - I don't have the app on my computer and don't even use Outlook or any kind of message organizer. I don't do any alarm business on line so it's no inconvenience.
>>>>> When I want to Emai, I just go to the AOL website and sign in using the names and passwords I've use for centuries. I've actually got 4 separate account that I use in the event that I want to remain super anonymous for any reason.
>>>>> I'm in NY But hardly anyone knows exactly where. Bass came kinda close when he was looking to "get" me. But he had me located in a town about 40 miles away where my ISP is located.
>>>>> For some reason back when I first started using Usenet, I went on it anonymously right off the bat. Today, not even Google knows who I am and I'm not on any of the social media groups or even Linkdin. My bank offers a service that makes it so I don't have to give anyone my real credit card number. So that end is pretty well covered too.
>>>>> I guess that It all stems from the fact that I consider people guilty until proven innocent. That's my interpretation of Billy Joel's "I'm in a New York state of mind"
>>>>> What's that old saying? " Paranoia is just a heightened sense of awareness"
>>>>>
>>>> I've never looked for you. Is that a challenge? I hunted a guy once,
>>>> and the only reason I didn't get him is the FBI (one I) got him first.
>>>> They had more money and better resources.
>>>>
>>>> I'm kidding. I have no need to know where you are or even if Jim is
>>>> your real name. Not about the other part. The FBI really did get him
>>>> first.
>>> No challenge. I'm not that important.
>>> BUT
>>> I don't have much respect for the FBI.
>>> I have seen first hand how they can railroad someone right into federal prison. The guy was my customer and as side work he repaired motor cycles in his little one car garage on weekends and evenings. A couple of the members of a local Hell's Angels group brought their bikes there for repair. My customer never rode with them but after some members were arrested on some federal crimes, they got my customers name and manufactured some story that allowed them to arrest my customer as an accessory and sent him to federal prison for five years.
>>> I continued to monitor his home at no charge for his family until he was released and they moved away. There's more to the story but that's the gist of it. I still monitor the alarm system for his sister-in-law. It's been about 10 or more years ago now They're doing OK but it's always going to be a blemish on him.
>>>
>> I suspect FBI agents are like other government agents. Some want to do
>> the job and enforce the spirit of the law. Some are on a mission driven
>> by ambition. Some are on a mission driven by almost religious fervor
>> regadless of the law or to the extreme most minute detail of the law. A
>> few I am sure are totally out of control. I've only met a couple in
>> passing and I can't really make any general conclusion as a whole. I've
>> had a few federal agents as customers, (Justice, DHS, BPS, Customs,
>> etc...) and one or two who have been ocassional fishing partners. Of
>> those I know in more than passing most seem to be pretty reasonable
>> types. Admittedly most I know in that capacity are higher ups who are
>> not necessarily on a holy mission or driven by ambition. They seem to
>> understand that grey isn't necessarily right, but hard division of black
>> and white almost never is.
>>
>> I've also dealt with one or two BATFE agents in their official capacity.
>> My dad more than me. He had an FFL in his country hardware store. (I
>> have a collectors license myself, and have considered a regular dealers
>> license once or twice.) Every BATFE agent I dealt with was atleast
>> modestly reasonable and some were downright helpful. Less looking to
>> score a collar and more driven to make sure I don't get myself in
>> trouble or have issues with other agents. If you follow any of the pro
>> gun political channels the BATFE gets a pretty bad rap, and some agents
>> certainly deserve it based on the verifiable stories about them. The
>> thing is in my limited experience they were more reasonable than that.
>>
>> The only real overall issue I have with federal agents is the system
>> more than the agents themselves. Civil asset forfeiture abuses are a
>> systemic issue. Qualified immunity protecting bad ones from egregious
>> (sometimes pretty horrific) violations is a systemic issue.
>
> Yeah all above probly so. but "one bad apple spoils it for the rest" Right? How do you tell the good ones from the bad?

That's kind of the sentiment among many regarding cops in general.  You
are either pro-cop or anti-cop and no room in the middle.  I'm
personally not anti-cop, but I am anti bad cop, and I believe covering
up for bad cops turns good cops into bad cops.  I also understand that
many "good" cops protect their own and enforce the blue wall because
they want to make sure the guy they get stuck will still cover their
back when police work gets dangerous.  They want to be able to trust any
cop who has their back.  This create a conundrum.  How do good cops stay
good cops and still be certain the guy covering their back won't let
them get killed... maybe even on purpose.

Anyway, on social media when I make the mistake of getting drawn into
one of those conversations the pro cop folks think I'm anti cop and
throw ultimatums at me.  The anti cop folks get all upset because I also
recognize the issues of the job.

There is a saying that you hang out with five millionaires you will
become the sixth, and if you hang out with five junkies you will become
the sixth.  By that logic I've got a buddy who is convinced all cops
eventually become criminals because they hang out with criminals.  I
don't think its that simple, but there is no good answer.  Personal
responsibility and transparency can help, but it can also make the job
more dangerous.  In 1982 I decided law enforcement was not for me.  In
retrospect it was the right choice.

You have to recognize the FACT that they have a job to do AND that they
have what I consider to be unconstitutional protections against bad
behavior as well as power and authority you or I do not have.  Whether
you agree or disagree you have to understand that you are at a certain
position of disadvantage.  Respect must be shown if only out of caution,
but as you say individual trust must be earned.

I honestly do not think FBI agents are any different than any other cops
as a group.  Maybe just a little better trained.


Its a complex issue, and I think my short writing here totally fails to
address it adequately.