Buchholz a thief

[NewMarketSean]

I know. And Clay should have gotten an A+ on his business ethics exam after that.

[Elbren]

I want to move to where he lives. My high school doesnt even have 29 computers.

LOL

That's the first thing I thought of when I read this. What school is this and how many field trips could they possibly go on that they need almost 30 portable wireless connections??

Apparently, they budget their money a little better than the Baltimore City School System.

[scOtt]

When I was in middle school, our entire school district had only one computer. Of course this was about 1976...

And we LIKED it that way!

[Migrant Redbird]

Seriously, who among us hasn't done stupid crap when we were 13 or 14....

I applaud the balanced perspective towards a foolish juvenile crime, but let's not go too far overboard. If Buchholz was arrested in April 2004 for the theft, as the Wikipedia article states, then he was 19 years old at the time of his arrest and probably over 18 at the time the crime was committed -- hence not a juvenile. I wasn't able to find any news articles confirming the date of the theft, but I did find one which indicated he left McNeese State because he and an accomplice were selling the computers to his fellow students. I'm a little surprised that he apparently didn't have to serve any jail time for a theft of that magnitude, which implies that he (or his parents) made restitution and a soft hearted judge gave him a suspended sentence.

OK, he made a mistake, and was able to muster enough influence that he got off lightly for his offense. It's still water under the bridge at this point, assuming that he paid his (light) debt to society and has stuck to the straight and narrow since then. It's not quite the same thing as breaking narcotics laws while playing as a pro athlete, which a substantial number of his fellow players have done. Darryl Kile and Josh Hancock, the two Cardinals who died so tragically in 2002 and 2007, were confirmed to have been using marijuana in violation of the law. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that a majority of current baseball players have done likewise during their major league careers. That's at least as reprehensible as a one time theft three years ago when a 19-year-old college student.

[Lucky Jim]

I applaud the balanced perspective towards a foolish juvenile crime, but let's not go too far overboard. If Buchholz was arrested in April 2004 for the theft, as the Wikipedia article states, then he was 19 years old at the time of his arrest and probably over 18 at the time the crime was committed -- hence not a juvenile. I wasn't able to find any news articles confirming the date of the theft, but I did find one which indicated he left McNeese State because he and an accomplice were selling the computers to his fellow students. I'm a little surprised that he apparently didn't have to serve any jail time for a theft of that magnitude, which implies that he (or his parents) made restitution and a soft hearted judge gave him a suspended sentence.

OK, he made a mistake, and was able to muster enough influence that he got off lightly for his offense. It's still water under the bridge at this point, assuming that he paid his (light) debt to society and has stuck to the straight and narrow since then. It's not quite the same thing as breaking narcotics laws while playing as a pro athlete, which a substantial number of his fellow players have done. Darryl Kile and Josh Hancock, the two Cardinals who died so tragically in 2002 and 2007, were confirmed to have been using marijuana in violation of the law. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that a majority of current baseball players have done likewise during their major league careers. That's at least as reprehensible as a one time theft three years ago when a 19-year-old college student.

Really? Using marijuana is as reprehensible as stealing computers from a school? Stealing 29 computers from a school?

Someone obviously really took to the Just Say No programming.

[Migrant Redbird]

Really? Using marijuana is as reprehensible as stealing computers from a school? Stealing 29 computers from a school?

Someone obviously really took to the Just Say No programming.

So, you believe it's OK for mature adults to break the law to get high?

I don't believe that the use of marijuana should be illegal and I do believe that heroin and cocaine abuse would be a lot less if addicts could obtain their fixes from licensed sources that required participation in a program to treat their addictions, but that still doesn't justify anyone breaking the law to acquire and use illegal substances.

When I look at a 19-year-old kid stealing some computers and a ballplayer who's around 30 years old routinely buying his marijuana from drug traffickers who probably also peddle the hard stuff, I don't see a lot of difference. The illegal drug trade causes a lot more murder and mayhem than results from burglaries against public schools.

[rolliefingers]

So, you believe it's OK for mature adults to break the law to get high?

I don't believe that the use of marijuana should be illegal and I do believe that heroin and cocaine abuse would be a lot less if addicts could obtain their fixes from licensed sources that required participation in a program to treat their addictions, but that still doesn't justify anyone breaking the law to acquire and use illegal substances.

When I look at a 19-year-old kid stealing some computers and a ballplayer who's around 30 years old routinely buying his marijuana from drug traffickers who probably also peddle the hard stuff, I don't see a lot of difference. The illegal drug trade causes a lot more murder and mayhem than results from burglaries against public schools.

This is absurd. The problem is drug prohibition, not the fact that pot dealers might also sell hard drugs.

[Migrant Redbird]

This is absurd. The problem is drug prohibition, not the fact that pot dealers might also sell hard drugs.

It doesn't occur to you that there might be more than one problem?

If you're patronizing the mob, then you're part of the organized crime problem. If you're purchasing legal products and have no idea that mobsters are affiliated with the business, you have an excuse. If you're buying illegal products, you have no such alibi, and deserve whatever penalties the law provides. It's as simple as that.

[rolliefingers]

It doesn't occur to you that there might be more than one problem?

If you're patronizing the mob, then you're part of the organized crime problem. If you're purchasing legal products and have no idea that mobsters are affiliated with the business, you have an excuse. If you're buying illegal products, you have no such alibi, and deserve whatever penalties the law provides. It's as simple as that.

What if you grow it yourself, or buy from a guy who does?

[Migrant Redbird]

What if you grow it yourself, or buy from a guy who does?

Is that how you get yours?

It wouldn't alter the fact that raising pot, selling it, and using it are all against the law. The impact upon society might be a little bit different if the source isn't "organized" crime, but we have no reason to speculate on how the majority of ball players acquire their fixes.

Trying to rationalize breaking the law by arguing that the law is unjust might get you somewhere if we were discussing Jim Crow, but not when we're discussing substance abuse. I'm for drug law reform, but I'm still not going to whitewash the guys who knowingly break the law.

And yes, I pay my speeding and parking tickets too, even if I don't always believe the laws are properly written and enforced. The biggest gripe which I have regarding traffic law enforcement is the so-called "professional courtesy" wherein off-duty law officers and families of law officers often get off with a warning for a crime which would cost you and me a fine.