I don't own a prybaby ( in the U.K. possessing one might get you 6 months inmprisonment for possession of a burglarious artical). And it was snugged down tight. I had to go with what I had got on me. If it had be wire, I would have reached for my wave instead.

> I don't own a prybaby ( in the U.K. possessing one might get you 6 months inmprisonment for possession
> of a burglarious artical).

I live in the UK. You are much more likely to get arrested for a lock-knife, if you don't have a good reason to carry it.


> And it was snugged down tight.

Ah, Ok. I was imagining something you were supposed to break with fingers.

Your likely to be nicked either way. A B.A. is whatever the magistrate decides it is. As we are both well aware, there is this wrongheaded attitude in the U.K. of victimising the hero. Save 100 jobs and stop £10,000,000 worth of stock from going up in smoke and promptly get fired for using unauthorized equipment.....

Ohhh, that might explain that scene in 'Dr Who' where everyone makes sugh a deal over a pair of wire cutters...
I wonder what the police would have thought over his sonic screwdriver? <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

We have a bit of a problem over here with "Hoodies" carrying & using knives. A few judical executions would probably sort the problem out. Programs in the U.K. are subject to censorship. The Powers That Be are trying to demonise anything that has an edge on it. Hence the melodrama. Wrong tactic. Be interesting to see what happens when someone(s) dies because no one had a knife.

What are "Hoodies"? Are they criminals? Young toughs with too much time on their hands? Kids wearing hooded sweatshirts?

I'm going to assume that judicial executions have something to do with arresting and putting "Hoodies" in prison and not actually executing them. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Wrong tactice is absolutely right. Governments need to understand that taking weapons such as guns, knives or even non-lethal defensive ones like pepper spray out of the hands of law-abiding citizens is foolish. It criminalizes those who should not be, forces dependence on law enforcement who are already over-extended in most locations, increases crime, increases the likelihood of crime turning to violence, and makes the citizenry fear their government (instead of the other way around). Study after study, says the only people who will stop carrying weapons are those who wouldn't use them for illegal purposes in the first place. Criminals won't change no matter what laws are passed. Crazies will still find insane ways of killing the neighbors. In stead of a handgun they'll use something like a shovel or an axe.

Police State and Martial Law governments don't want their citizenry armed. I find it interesting that we don't head the lessons of history.

I found this letter written by a student to be a nice summary of the real reason we have the 2nd.

Programs lead to censorship.
Censorship leads to pograms.

Ever notice how an innocent typo can have such a chilling effect?

> What are "Hoodies"?

Kids wearing hoods to hide their faces from video cameras. In the UK we have widespread CCTV coverage - all the town centres, all the shopping malls etc. Sometimes kids want to have their fun without being identifiable by the police afterwards.

So, other than providing a false sense of security, big brotherish fear in the general populace, and general invasion of privacy, how are all of those CCTVs reducing crime? Criminals can always circumvent, hide, falsify, and redirect (masks, makeup, fake license, etc.). I've never understood the mentality behind this. It makes me want to run for office as I see it happening here too.

I'm not a law-enforcement officer of any kind. I imagine CCTV helps identify the perpetrators after the fact, and in some cases the person monitoring them can spot situations developing and nip them in the bud. They often feature in crime-related TV programmes. For example, after the bombing in London last summer, the police were able to track the terrorists movements before the incident. A google search will turn up more info - for example, here and here.

I wasn't advocating CCTV, by the way, nor trying to get into a discussion of the politics. I was merely explaining the British slang word "hoodies", which someone asked about.