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1,192,809

By Paul Lyons

2/16/2008 11:21:15 AM | Number of Comments: 0 | Add Comments +

In the United States in 2006 there were 1,192,809 stolen cars reported.
This means that for every 100,000 people, 398.4 cars are stolen.

In 2006 there were 17,034 murders in the US. Since the beginning of the Iraq war there have been 3239 combat US deaths. So, there are five times as many murders in the US every year than all the US combat deaths since the “despicable war” began.

Of course the Iraqi civilian death toll is anywhere from 100,000 to a million – which is a genocide that rarely if ever makes it to the front page of the news.

See:
http://www.disastercenter.com
http://www.antiwar.com
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org

On Monday, February 10th a message was left on my answering machine. The Richmond police department had found my car that was stolen from right in front of my house the previous Friday. The thieves had stripped the doors, the headlights and taillights, the seats, the radio, the battery and assorted odds and ends. We got up early and went up to the new Richmond police department building. In front of the building was a bizarre scene. There was a backpack and some clothes and a significant amount of blood on the sidewalk. A police officer was standing there enjoying his morning coffee with a co-worker. They were talking as though a bloody mess ten yards away was normal. Was this some sort of strange psychology experiment? Should we bring this to the attention of the officer? In the end, we said nothing and probably failed the test. We walked straight into the spotless new, pristine police department lobby. Stainless steel and glass were everywhere. We filled out the necessary paperwork and then drove to the towing company a few miles away. We paid them $300 so that they could keep our car. It was a sad way for this old car to go. Sort of like an old lady losing her life to a bunch of muggers, when she had only five bucks and some really nasty Kleenex in her purse. We did find some evidence as to who may have stolen the car. A Yahoo map with a phone number on it dated the same day the car was stolen – all a bit peculiar. Recently, I relayed this information to Richmond police department but I am not sure why I bothered. They have their hands full. They have to clean up the bloody mess on the front walk of their station. Police departments around here do not pursue stolen car crimes. Period.

To the Car Thieves
So you actually did have a plan! You wanted my crappy seats! Cloth seats from a seventeen year old car that has been to the beach a thousand times. Good thinking! Good luck with all the surf wax that is impregnated into the headrests. If you figure out a way to get that off please send me an email with your magic formula. You also had a thing for the doors. They were nice white doors but just so you know, the windows leak. If you see a dark cloud around, it is probably best to pull the beast into a garage. Nothing like a moldy smelly car. Gives you that authentic, been camping for three weeks, road-trip vibe. The CD changer was pretty good and the CDs were fine but to tell you the truth I was a bit sick of them and have them all as MP3s. Whichever ones you do not like, just mail them back. You know my address as copies of the insurance and title info were in the glove box. The battery was less then a year old so that was a good idea. The floor carpet was a bad idea. In fact if I were so dense as to re-outfit this $1800 Kelly Blue Book vehicle, I would have taken out the seats, the doors and carpet (basically all the stuff you stripped – minus the odometer) and gotten new stuff. It’s funny how some people find value in things that are past their prime. The thing that was probably of greatest value in this car where the engine and tires. These you passed on.

Seeing this car all stripped down was actually interesting. It was a bit like that feeling one gets when moving out of an apartment. After all your crap is moved out and you see the morning sunlight bounce off of the nice hardwood floors and delicious open space you wonder why the hell you wanted to move out in the first place. Lastly, I would like to thank you for leaving my driving glasses in the glove box. You put them in the case - a classy final act of thoughtfulness and empathy. Perhaps there is hope for you afterall.

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