The following is dedicated to the Ranchman, Dan McCarty, Wingnut, TerryinMD, and all the good folks out there who have an appreciation for private property and the intelligence to separate private property issues from any red herrings like whether or not someone would win a popularity contest with any particular group A N D who refrain from going for the small minded cheap shot or "ad hominem" instead of arguing "their" POV.
I guess this is where I put myself in jeopardy of being penalized for "piling-on." Oh, well (deep breath...) Is anyone here actually against the private ownership of land? Think all land should be held in common, by the community? If you are for private ownership of land, fine, what distinguishes private land from public land? Asside from taxes inheritability and the like, the main difference is control. Who controls access and use (within any CC&Rs, federal, state, county, municipality (if any) and other Government entities, other taxing authorities, and empowered legal entities. Private land use and access is controlled by the owner(s). Any ( A N Y !!!) use of or access to private property (except as abriged by one of the entities listed above) is at the discression of the owner(s).
The important issue at stake here is not how fortunate, lucky, or unlucky someone is or has been to have lived (or not) where no one locks their door (or looks both ways before crossing a street) or where everyone treats all their neighbor's property as if if were all a 60's commune. It matters not if party A has all "good" neighbors while party B has "bad" neighbors. Most of what was described was NOT neighbors tresspassing but strangers treating private land with less respect than a public toilet. Respect for land, not being a litterbug, being a safe shooter, and on and on and on are all good things BUT merit badges aren't the issue either. Morals are good but also are not the primary issue. Contributors to this thread have touched on many important issues, but most are ancillary in their relationship to the primary issue.
I understand the frustration that when vented is called whining. I deplore any cheap, character impuning, shots implying that those with problems must bring it on themselves. 'Taint neccessarily so. From personal experience I can assure you that having problems with tresspassers is not neccessarily a function of not having good neighbor relations. I like all my neighbors save one (see previous thread about crazy neighbor) I get on fine with everyone who abuts my property (160 + acres) except the one crazy. I get along fine, to the point of having dinner at each other's homes, with over 1/2 the folks within 3/4 mile of me (5 out of 8 including the crazy) More folks included on friends list if I can jerrymander a bit out to a mile or mile and a half. None of these folks have ever trespassed on my property since I bought it even though the previous owner was very liberal in letting folks run wild. Some of these folks have asked permission for their kids or grandkids to fish on specific ocasions and I said yes. I get maybe 50 requests a year from strangers to fish my ponds. I have said yes once and have never had a tense moment or a less than polite response.
Unfortunately there are many who think that they are "SPECIAL." Rules don't apply to them. They are scofflaws. They are the M E folks. ME me me me me is their mantra. Often they are dangerous to themselves and others with fires, shooting, whatever BUT I don't really care if they are neat and clean or scruffy. If they don't ask for and receive permission they are criminals when they tresspass just as if someone helped themselves to your car, frige, wife, daughter, bank account, or whatever. It matters not whether I was born with a platinum spoon in my mouth, heir to a grand estate or worked for 50 years to buy a postage stamp sized lot. If it is mine (or I have an arrangement with the bank to call it mine) then I decide who does what if anything on it. Until or unless we spiral down quite a bit further toward total socialism (we are a good way down the spiral but still have private ownership of
some things) the owner, within the law, has use and access control-----PERIOD.
Now what I consider, WHINING, is anyone who tries to make excuses for the tresspassing criminals, however camoflaged or couched in pseudo-psychological jargon or referenced to socio-economic-status-class-war-like gibberish. Is it motiviated by a supressed sense of guilt at having done the same sort of things and feeing the need to justify the tresspasser to be able to excuse some acitons of their own?
(The devil made me do it!)
(I'm back) Got my Kevlar/Nomex underwear on and standing by to see who I ticked off this time. Wainting with baited breath to see who will argue for the "rights" of criminal tresspassers and against the private ownership of land. Have I ignited a small flame, I'm sorry, here let me put it out with this can of gasoline!
Maybe Muhammed will put it to a vote and see what percentage of folks on TBN support: 1. private ownership of land, 2. increased limits of punishment for tresspassers, 3. Being on land not owned by the person in question as prima facie evidence of tresspassing, 4. liberal bounties on tresspassers (paid out of increased tresspassing fines, with a cut to the court to grease the skids), 5. enhanced powers of arrest when acting on your own property (along lines of the powers granted to a ships captain at sea but not neccessarily to include floggings or marriages)