Murder and Crime in Tulsa

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by YoungTulsan

Second, how many murders are committed by illegal aliens?  I keep hearing stories on the news about gentlemen with hispanic sounding names who were involved in shootings or murders.  The news, of course, being politcally correct, will not identify if these people were here illegally.

They sure were quick to point out the guy the cops shot at I-44 and 169 last month was here illegally.

[mr.jaynes]

quote:Originally posted by tulsa1603

quote:Originally posted by Conan71



So maybe CF, I am somewhat like you.  If I see a black kid with his waistband down at his knees and a bunch of tats, I assume he's a gangsta and up to no good.

Or a white kid for that matter.  Anyone that emulates "thug" behavior is rather suspect to me.  Maybe I'm getting old, but I am sick of the glorification of criminal activity.

I understand cultural differences and youthful rebellion, but I must say that as bad as we may had been in our youth, our worst among us was never this bad. And so it goes without saying that I never quite understood what makes these often well-to-do suburban kids pretend to be these gangsta types, talking the talk and occasionally walking the walk. But I figure they all need to learn sooner or later that it's counterproductive-even those that have to learn the hard way.

I'm not married (but I once came mighty close) and have no kids myself (just never happened for me, couldn't tell you why, it just never happened). But I do have three siblings, each of whom are married and have no less than 5 children between them, and so far I'm impressed how my nieces and nephews are being raised, and just as proud in advance of how they will probably turn out with that same kind of guidance. Not a bad apple in the bunch, and not a single "gangsta wannabe" among them.

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder

The main obstacle I see is LAZINESS.

Laziness is what usually leads to criminal behavior.  It doesn't take any real work to peddle crack, crank, or weed, or to steal from others and the payback can be pretty good until you get caught or gunned down.

I've never ascribed to the lifestyle, but throughout my life with various job pursuits, family businesses, family relations, friend's families, etc. I've had a front-row view of the underbelly of society.

There is a lazy "take-all" mentality that pervades certain people in our society.  Take all you can from the gov't, take all you can of other's personal property, take someone else's life by selling them drugs or shooting them.

It's a mystery to me, other than personal accountability, or a "lazy gene" as to why some people turn out good and some bad from the same household and same parents.

Case in point:  My best friend grew up with three brothers.  My buddy now runs a successful family-owned business.  He sells, engineers projects, gets up on the roof when it needs fixing, mows the grass, works on equipment- anything but lazy.  

One of his older brothers split off from the parent company, built up a successful business on his own and recently sold it.  

One of his other brothers has been a frequent guest of the ODOC over the last 25 years for various drug and theft raps.  He's out right now, but appears to be slowly working his way back to prison.

The fourth brother is a crank addict and was jack-booted out of the family business ten years ago when he was caught running a meth lab out of his garage.  As far as anyone knows, he takes odd jobs to get a fix, or if he can't find an odd job, he steals something to get a fix.  

Go figure: same house, same educational opportunities, same opportunities to mature into a thriving business, parents were married over 40 years.  The parents also provided examples of giving and not taking by supporting various charities with money and volunteering.  Two turned into F-up's, two turned into productive citizens who give back.

[cannon_fodder]

Rest assured Conan, I get up on the roof, garden, mow, clean, fix, work, take the boy Tae Kwan Do, go to parks, fish, shoot, hike, go to the opera, etc... I try not to be a slothful person.  But at my core, I'm lazy.  I know this.  

It's not an excuse for NOT volunteering, just an honest assessment of why I do not as often as I should.
---

and I agree with you Mr. Jaynes - parenting is much of it.  My son can watch Capt. Jack Sparrow as long as he realizes in real life most pirates were mean people who stole things from people and killed someone if they got in their way.  Same should be true for any interest of a child:  rap music stars have nice cars and live interesting lives, but most uneducated "thugs" have no money, live in squaller, and end up in prison.  Somewhere, this message is not getting through.

If my son dressed like a pirate and talked about robbing ships, I think I would intervene. []

[Conan71]

CF- should've clarified that "your" laziness isn't leading to a life of crime.  Laziness is all relative and certainly I could give back more to the community with my time than I do.[]

I took the "lazy" idea and ran with it as to it being a leading cause of why many criminals wind up in a criminal lifestyle.

[mr.jaynes]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder

The main obstacle I see is LAZINESS.

Laziness is what usually leads to criminal behavior.  It doesn't take any real work to peddle crack, crank, or weed, or to steal from others and the payback can be pretty good until you get caught or gunned down.

There is a lazy "take-all" mentality that pervades certain people in our society.  Take all you can from the gov't, take all you can of other's personal property, take someone else's life by selling them drugs or shooting them.

As liberal as I unabashedly am, I have zero tolerance for laziness and even less for crime against another person.

As for crime and those embroiled in the ways of punkhood, I never followed that way of life, and don't tolerate those who do. Oh sure, I'd drink with my buddies as a teen, party and do all the stuff kids my age did, and I still know how to have a good time. But I drew a line in some areas and still do unto this day, and a consistent life of crime was one of those things I said NO to.  

Do you know how I got the name Mr. Jaynes? Well, Jaynes is indeed my last name, but it all goes back to when I'd returned to my native New Orleans to live, to go to school, to map out my life. I'd be working uptown as a cosmetologist, or if I had a free summer, as a bartender as well. And inevitably, there'd be that punk element that I'd come across, either at work or on the street. I'm open-minded enough that I can and do call all kinds of people my friends and/or esteemed colleagues. But only if I see that their behaviors won't adversely affect me in the long run. And I can always tell, believe me.

But whenever someone from the more consistently criminal element tried to "befriend me" and try to get social with me, I draw the line. When someone like that tries to get my name, I tell them to call me Mr. Jaynes, and inevitably, I either get their grudging respect, or a sense of fear-I want one or the other from those that follow that way of life. So far, so good. I'm not a victim and never have been.

I think I've been a tough target for crime of any kind of, because of the particular vibe that I put across. I carry myself in such a way that says that I'm getting through life the best I can, that I'm not looking for trouble, but I won't hesitate to defend myself if it's looking for me; I'm a survivor. I know it seems hard-boiled, but that's what you have to be if your travels take you uptown or through other rough territory. I must be doing something right. I've never been conned, mugged, shot; never been carjacked, my place has never been broken into, my car has bnever been vandalized.

As for laziness, I have zero tolerance for that either. I do't mind welfare programs as a last resort, but not as a substitute for good old-fashioned hard work. I knew a girl from my high-school days who used to be a devout subscriber to the work ethic (or so it seemed), but once she got pregnant after high-school, she began looking for ways to get on welfare and getting on various programs, and looked just as earnestly (2 more children later) at trying to find ways to stay on it. Meanwhile, you have people like me who are determined to make my own way through school and life, and struggle to do just that without asking for much help from anyone (though Lord knows I had offers galore, but hey, I'm too proud, I'll admit it). I never got people like her who choose not to do their part in society.

But hey, good parenting, I have mom and dad to thank for that.