Archive for June, 2023

Is the post office suffering from high crime?

Posted: June 24, 2023 by navygrade36bureaucrat in crime
Tags: , , ,

I work as an instructor for a few companies, none of which reside in my local area. Whenever I finish a teaching gig, the company I taught for pays me, sometimes electronically, sometimes with a check. So naturally I was curious when I saw this headline the other day:

Now, reading a bit further (because I don’t trust any headline, and you shouldn’t either), I realized its NOT the Postal Service saying this, its instead a member of the Better Business Bureau. That person had good reason to say this, because she noted that check fraud jumped from 300,000 incidents to 680,000 incidents in 2021, despite Americans writing less checks every year.

From: https://goodmorningwilton.com/break-in-reported-at-wilton-post-office-outside-mail-box/

The issue doesn’t seem to be with residential mailboxes, but rather with the large, outdoor blue post boxes. Post boxes are being broken into at an alarming rate. In some cases, the criminals rob the postal worker to get the key to open the blue boxes. In other cases, they simple beat the boxes open with some blunt instrument. Once they get the checks, it’s not hard to erase the amount with a chemical solution and re-write the check for significantly more than was originally intended.

Checks are probably one of the few items to still be regularly mailed, and the post office was quick to note that its still safe (in their words) to mail checks:

“The Postal Service delivers about 130 billion pieces of mail over a year to 163 million customers,” said Paul Shade with the U.S.P.S. “It still remains the most secure way to transmit anything from any type of mailing.”

Paul Shade, USPS

The Post Office also noted it was installing high security boxes that are more difficult to break into.

There is a trend in the statistics. Going city by city, each “bubble” lists the incidents and arrests. Take a look at California:

Los Angeles: 54 incidents, 1 arrest
Oakland: 51 incidents, 4 arrests
San Francisco: 20 incidents, 2 arrests

And at Texas:

Houston: 97 incidents, 12 arrests
Dallas: 25 incidents, 2 arrests

Vs. Florida:

Miami: 15 incidents, 7 arrests
Tampa: 3 incidents, 3 arrests

Although I didn’t have full access to the data to calculate an arrest to incident ratio, I suspect that California would come out on the losing end of that calculation. Florida’s numbers are significantly lower than expected, and I’d reason its the fact that they make arrests and actually prosecute crimes. If you knew you could simply steal a bag of mail, cash a bunch of washed checks and face little to no chance of repercussion, well, why wouldn’t you?

This post represents the views of the author and not those of the Department of Defense, Department of the Navy, or any other government agency.

Three Worst Case Russia Scenarios

Posted: June 24, 2023 by datechguy in war
Tags: ,

Under the 24 hour rule (and because I was distracted by burial of my Godfather) I paid little attention to the situation in Russia but it appears to be VERY serious to say the least. Revolution in a nuclear power is always inherently dangerous but Wretched the Cat on Twitter who always has excellent insights noted the most serious international aspect of what is going on which leads to what I think is the key question in this situation.

Or think of it this way, if you think the anarchy in Libya post Gaddafi is bad, picture it repeated in a nuclear armed Russia? How badly is something like that going to end?

And if Putin thinks the entire state is going down and taking him with it what makes anyone think he won’t decide to Nuke Ukraine or even the west to go out in a blaze of glory?

100 Word Fan Fiction: The Key Moment

Posted: June 23, 2023 by datechguy in fan fiction, fun
Tags:

Hogan barged in pointing: “Col Klink I must protest the delay in getting access to these prisoners.”

The Major glared: “What is this man doing here?”

Klink was nonplussed “Col Hogan these men are naval officers not under your jurisdiction.”

Hochstetter repeated: “WHAT IS THIS MAN DOING HERE?”

Hogan continued “They’re American prisoners covered by the Geneva convention!”

He had enough: “WHAT IS THIS MAN DOING HERE!”

Parker tapped his shoulder: “He’s arguing sir.”, Binghamton hit him with his hat Parker turned accidentally knocking his glasses onto the desk.

Only one man there realized the moment of truth was here.

Previously In Writing Next: A job well done

Five Fast Thoughts Under the Fedora: Pre-Sedgwick Syndrome, Watching a Republic Die, I’ll Never Tell, Still getting it, The Old Man’s Burden

Posted: June 23, 2023 by datechguy in catholic, culture, Israel, middle east, News/opinion, under the fedora
Tags: , , , , , , ,

 The death of the maker of the Titanic Sub and those who traveled with them is not unremarkable as those with wealth have been taking large risks for centuries but when I heard that in interviews he had stated he rejected hiring experienced submariners because he didn’t want a bunch of 50 year old white guys all I could think of was General John Sedgwick saying about rebel snipers with new rifles with telescopic sights: “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.” just before being shot by one.

The primary difference being that Sedgwick lived long enough after he was hit to appreciate the irony of his word, reports now coming out state there was an implosion and all those aboard died instantly.

RIP

The more I see of what is happening on the national level the more I’m amazed at the country doing its level best to go along with national suicide.

Of course historically this is consistent with republics, but what a difference between reading about such things and living it.

Mind you in a generation with the left spaying their own kids that managed to survive the womb it might be moot as the future still belongs to those who show up.

There’s that Tom Hagen math again.

Yet another futile terrorist attack has taken place in Israel.

As always Israel will survive it and do their level best to go after those who helped out but in the end none of these things are going to bring down the state, nor frankly will Iran’s nuclear dreams as Israel, particularly with Biden in the White House is not going to allow itself to be destroyed to sate those who own him.

For Nearly 80 years the Arabs have dreamt of the destruction of Israel. As a supporter of Israel, I ironically see the obvious way for them to achieve those ends and have done so for a long while but it has never has and likely never will occur to them.

How you ask? That’s a secret I’ll take to my grave.

Attended my Godfather/Uncle’s wake yesterday taking a day off work for the final relative of the generation ahead of me to die. I was sitting praying my rosary as people reached the receiving line and I heard an interesting exchange as a couple greeted My uncle’s son who lead it. They had not seen them for years and marveled at their son and daughter now near 30 and asked:

“Any Grandchildren?”

“No they’re not married.” answered my cousin’s wife.

The friends noted that these days that’s not necessary and while my devout Catholic Uncle’s dead body naturally did not flinch at the exchange in my mind’s eye his soul was fist pumping that his son and daughter in law had brought up their children right.

Finally today I’ll be having lunch with some friends from work who no longer see since I’ve been transferred to another building down the road. It’s important to keep up in person contacts like this in a digital world when possible but I must confess it’s very weird in the sense that of the friends I make the vast majority are young enough to be my children and some young enough to be my grandchildren.

Sometimes this is very hard because I’m very aware of my faults and failings and grateful for the sacrament of confession to be absolved of them but when I’m with these young folks it’s incumbent on me to carry myself in such a was as to set an example rather than in the relaxed way friends can be.

That’s a sentence that is rejected by those who spent a lifetime treating their kids as friends and doing all they can to pretend they will now grow old and die, but I suspect if they worried more about setting a good example our society and republic might not be dying before our eyes.

Older Entries
Newer Entries