Let's be careful out there boys and girls

[SoulRaven]

you can't garner any info off how many hits you get when you search something.  haven't you noticed that when you do a search you get more junk that has nothing to do with the search,  and like Bob said you get the same thing repeated over and over.  so all those numbers in the above two posts actually mean nothing.  highdesertranger

I have to disagree there, even if as little as only 5% are on target, and non duplicates, those numbers are still huge.  Even at only 1%...

When I was a volunteer for Search & Rescue, we hauled a lot of dead bodies and injured people out of the woods.  The dangers are there, whether it be by crazy people or more natural sources.

People need to be aware, and the farther out  you are, the more aware you need to be.

 

[highdesertranger]

I give up. highdesertranger

 

[mockturtle]

While I totally agree that the 'woods' [or the desert] is a lot safer than a city, the original post didn't say anything about happening in a city. And, while lunatics may not always murder, they can wreak havoc on a campground. Maybe it's because I move around so much and stay in so many public camping areas that I have seen a few lunatics. Mostly 'tweekers', I suspect.

 

[akrvbob]

I hate and despise fear-mongering, it infuriates me.

There are real dangers out here, I've stared down many bears, rattlesnakes and even a mountain lion, but being scared of a real danger is normal and healthy and exactly how humans were born to live--and to die. When that mountain lion was deciding if I was going to live or die, I thought to myself, "Today is a very good day to die. At least I can get a picture of him as he's doing it" Fortunately, just as I got the camera out he decided to leave.

The great majority of the people in this country are huddling in their homes in fear and that's the lunacy that scares me. That's exactly the opposite of how humans were born to live. It breeds stress and 10,000 times more Americans are going to die from stress caused disease than from crime or natural dangers.

Lunacy breeds more lunacy and its only going to get much worse. I'm trying to do what tiny little bit I can to fight it and work against the tide--it just really pisses me off when this forum is used to contribute to it.

Bob

 

[SoulRaven]

Hunters firing into your home?  Dang.  I'd be hanging signs on the trees telling them my house is X yards that away from here.

It's all posted No Trespassing & No Hunting...

The law says no hunting or shooting within 150 yards of a building, but the problem is that from as little as maybe 100 feet away, you'd never know there was a building close by, or the road.  They could be many miles from their vehicle, and unfamiliar with the area.

Luckily none have actually penetrated to the inside, other than intentional break ins, theft, and vandalism when nobody is there, and that has been an ongoing problem for many years.  I've even had yahoos tearing up my yard with ATV's when I've been there!

When you get out in the sticks, and your nearest neighbor is maybe 1/2 mile away, the bad guys figure they can do whatever they want, and they do, and they usually get away with it.  They'll even tear out an old rusty barbed wire fence and steal it.

 

[mockturtle]

[font=Verdana,Arial,sans-serif]The great majority of the people in this country are huddling in their homes in fear and that's the lunacy that scares me.[/font]

Really?  Why should you be afraid of people huddling in their homes??  Maybe you should get some help with all that fear, Bob!  

 

[akrvbob]

Fearful people vote for anyone who offers safety, no matter the cost.

They also are most afraid of people who live differently than they do who don't live, act or dress like they do. That's most of us and puts us in their cross-hairs.

That fear gives us the Patriot Act and Real ID and now we need a rent receipt to get a drivers license or a P.O. Box. But that wasn't enough, they still feel afraid and there are terrorists in Paris, so they need more. And everywhere they look there are lions and tigers and bears and murderers--oh my!!!!!

What's next?

The national lunacy of fear hurts us all.
Bob

 

[GotSmart]

If you look hard enough, you find something to be scared of.

My greatest fear was of my mother in law #2.  

Now 30 years after the meeting, and 13 years after the divorce, she is my greatest supporter.  

After that, nothing scares me any more.  I can handle anything. 

99% of the van dwellers can pass as being just another citizen on a holiday.  

 

[SoulRaven]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]I hate and despise fear-mongering, it infuriates me. [/font]

[snipped]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Lunacy breeds more lunacy and its only going to get much worse. I'm trying to do what tiny little bit I can to fight it and work against the tide--it just really pisses me off when this forum is used to contribute to it.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Bob[/font]

Bob, with all due respect I think you're missing the big picture here.

Nobody else is going to keep you safe, other than you.  The people who throw caution and/or worry to the wind, because somebody told them how safe they'll be, those are the people who are going to get themselves into trouble.

A healthy dose of both fear and caution is what can keep people safe out here, in the city, or in the boondocks, the same rules apply.

If that fear or caution prevents some people from doing something, then so be it, but for many people that same fear and caution can allow us to expand our boundaries, and enjoy life more. 

I've faced down bears, cougars, and more too, and it was that fear and caution that allowed me to be prepared and act appropriately when the need presented itself.

Fear and caution are not something to hate and despise, or be infuriated over, they are something to be grateful and thankful for, they save lives, and reduce injuries every single day in all walks of life, and they make so many things in our lives just a little bit better.

Fear and cautions are not about limitations, they are about forcing you to think things through clearly and logically, and find any needed solutions to possible problems before you are confronted by them.

The solution for fears is to address them, NOT to ignore them.

PS: Just read your last post, and realized that perhaps you're talking about stuff more on a governmental level than on a personal level...

 

[SoulRaven]

Fearful people vote for anyone who offers safety, no matter the cost.

They also are most afraid of people who live differently than they do who don't live, act or dress like they do. That's most of us and puts us in their cross-hairs.

That fear gives us the Patriot Act and Real ID and now we need a rent receipt to get a drivers license or a P.O. Box. But that wasn't enough, they still feel afraid and there are terrorists in Paris, so they need more. And everywhere they look there are lions and tigers and bears and murderers--oh my!!!!!

What's next?

The national lunacy of fear hurts us all.
Bob

After reading this post, it occurs to me that we may be talking apples vs. oranges here.

I was commenting mostly about personal fears, and it appears Bob may be commenting about governmental fears which to me are two entirely different subjects.

Government fears anybody that might fall off their radar and fail to bring in the revenue they think they deserve.  Many of us could fall into that category. These laws are meant to control the people, not to protect the people.

The fear of most individual's is intended to keep that person safe.  Real or imagined, that fear should be addressed and not be ignored.

 

[ccbreder]

And here I am. Thinking this forum didn't want politics. Can't anyone feel for the poor victims and the survivor of that tragic incident?

 

[SoulRaven]

In the article, it said that these people had purchased this land from the father of the guy who murdered them. The father died and the son did not like them padlocking the piece of land and making it private. There was trouble brewing between them. The murderer spent time with the family and returned later and murdered them. I believe there is much more to the story. This was not just a case of a family boondocking some where in the country. I also wonder about the possibility of a robbery since the people looked well-to-do and had just purchased a new Airstream. This is just so much more than some campers boondocking and being murdered. The advantage of boondocking is that if you choose a place and someone doesn't want you there, you can just go somewhere else and I would surely not challenge someone that wanted me to leave.

I have been following full-time forums/blogs for some time now. What happened to these people is rare and this wasn't just a random happening, there was a history between the murderer and the family. This could just as easily happened had this family built a small vacation home on the property since it was their property not a random location so it was not a matter of choosing a safe place, they owned this land.

I wonder though if it makes a difference on whether you feel safer in the city than in the country depending on where you grew up. You can be safer but never safe. I just "googled" boondocking safety and there are endless articles on the subject in addition to what is available on this website.

It is unfortunate that this happened to that family. It does not say how they were murdered, shot or whatever. Hopefully now, they can put this violent and disturbed man away for good. And, one more time, this family was "camping" on private land that they had bought from the murderer's father who is now deceased.

 

[mockturtle]

Hopefully now, they can put this violent and disturbed man away for good.

Away, as in six-feet under.  Why should taxpayers house and feed him for the rest of his natural life?

 

[SoulRaven]

Away, as in six-feet under.  Why should taxpayers house and feed him for the rest of his natural life?

Took a quick look at the criteria for the death penalty in TX, he would qualify since he took a life of a child under 10 years of age.  Also, under possible things like killing them during a robbery which I still think he was after something there.  So, he should go down, at least 6 feet if found guilty, you know, due process.  I think the whole town will be feel more at ease when this guy is 6 feet under.

 

[USExplorer]

This incident goes to show that most crimes against individuals are perpetrated by their acquaintances, not by strangers. "Stranger danger" is a catchy phrase with very little truth behind it.

 

[IGBT]

There were a series of terrorist attacks in Paris, France recently, yet not one single boondocking camper was injured.

So really, who is actually safer out there? The people in the cities or the people out on BLM land?

 

[mayble]

I just searched 'people shot in the woods' and got 8,420,000 results.
I just searched 'people shot in cities' and got 19,700,000 results.

Totally irrelevant numbers when looking for statistics.

Exactly.
I searched "Kim Kardashian" and got 160,000,000 results.
Fortunately, that doesn't mean there are 160,000,000 of them.

 

[SternWake]

The local news here said two of the victims were from north San Diego county.


I know there are a lot of pissed off Texans who resent arrogant, flakey, well to do Californians moving to Texas and driving up prices and bringing their 'too cool to acknowledge you' attitude.

  Perhaps this was a contributing factor to nutjob going wacko with a gun.  I run into many Californians who I am surprised have not gotten themselves knocked off with their overbearing arrogance.

Something triggered him.

Obviously they did not deserve to be murdered, but I suspect it was a clash of cultures/ attitudes which set the guy off.  Fierce localism is nothing new.

Whats really weird is thinking one can actually own land, something temporary owning something permanent.
Humans notions are so ridiculous.

Give respect to get respect. 
 If an unstable local wackjob craves respect..........and gets the opposite from what he considers invaders.......

There is a lesson here, but it is not to be fearful and to go wrap yourself in kevlar and bubble wrap and never experience anything.

 

[mockturtle]

SW, I suspect you are of the sort who blames a rape victim for dressing provocatively.

 

[SternWake]

SW, I suspect you are of the sort who blames a rape victim for dressing provocatively.

Good grief, what a ridiculous comment.

Your suspicion is wrong, and insulting.