Yet again I am amazed at the every present capacity of people to commit activities that are so boneheadedly stupid that one is left shaking one's head in dismay.
You may have caught this story today:
A nicely dressed couple appeared on a Dr Phil show (no . . . a quack doctor having a show isn't the stupid thing here - although it could be!) and said they had roamed several states as shoplifters, stealing mostly toys, selling them on the Internet and making as much as $1 million (U.S.) over seven years.
"I'm no lawyer or a cop," said show host Phil McGraw, incredulously, "but isn't that a federal crime?"
The wife paused, then said, "Yeah, it is."
Hellooooooo?
How can you be so foolish?
Yes, shoplifting is a crime. Now I'll admit to a youthful indiscretion or two - what normal, well adjusted child hasn't lifted a chocolate bar or two . . . and been caught . . . and paid for it! 'Tis a rite of passage.
Criss crossing states, stealing what apparently had to have been tractor trailers worth of toys, selling them on eBay, making close to $ 1 million takes it to an entirely new level. That is the grand king of all indiscretions!
Then to pop on national TV to admit your crime spree is so foolish that I was convinced it was a lie.
One one could be that goofy.
Could they be?
Sadly it is true.
The indictment, for moving stolen goods across state lines, says the Eatons sold more than $100,000 worth of stolen goods using eBay and PayPal over a 12-month period – a crime prosecutors call "e-fencing."
More than 500 boxes of toys and other items were carted off when investigators from the San Diego Regional Fraud Task Force raided the couple's suburban home in San Marcos, Calif.
The Eatons had approached the Dr. Phil show with the offer to tell their story.
Yes. It is real.
Sadly, it gets worse.
Apparently for these silly folks, crime is a family affair. If you're going to rip off the Wal-Mart be sure to bring your toddlers with you . . .
Yet again I might be well on my way to being convinced that those wanting to be parents should have to pass a stringent examination prior to being allowed to breed.
The toddlers, they said on the video, are good decoys.
"Sometimes we just kind of go in together as a nice little family to make it seem like we're normal people, and we don't look like the kind of people that steal," Matthew Eaton said.
Hmmm. No wonder we're going to hell in a hand cart!
There are no words...
Posted by: Rebecca | September 22, 2009 at 10:01 AM
Look on the bright side, there is some comfort in the consistancy of stupidity. It always makes me feel like a genius(LOL).
Also, I have always thought we humans should be licensed to breed, and some gene pools should die out entirely. And yes Jerry, I do believe mine should be one of the latter.(smile)
Posted by: Kendall | September 22, 2009 at 11:07 AM
To make matters worse, they were probably paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by Dr. Phil to appear on his show. Enough to pay their legal bills. The book-and-movie deal they're likely about to sign will only prove that crime really does pay!
And people wonder why we're cynical.....
Posted by: sandrac | September 22, 2009 at 05:06 PM
Perhaps if we put just a tad more value on education, some of these people might have some hope (although I still think there are some who will always be hopelessly stupid).
Posted by: girasoli | September 27, 2009 at 04:17 AM
True Rebecca - but I found some! LOL
I would never say that Kendall - BTW someone nearby was recently arrested for driving a lawnower whilst drunk. I immediately thought that you had come to the great white north!
I don't doubt it Sandra. How depressing.
Exactly girasoli - a good public education would solve so many of these problems. Well, good parenting at the beginning wouldn't hurt either. *smile*
Posted by: JDeQ | September 27, 2009 at 07:04 AM