OT - Boy shocked after man powers up campaign sign

[Red Green]

Chapel Hill boy

• Caught On Tape: Duo Stealing Obama Signs Play Video Video: Caught On Tape: Duo Stealing Obama Signs CBS 2 / KCAL 9 Los Angeles * Campaign closing in contested states Play Video Video: Campaign closing in contested states Reuters

Pedestrians walk along a sidewalk that is lined with dozens of election signs in AP ? Pedestrians walk along a sidewalk that is lined with dozens of election signs in front of a early voting ?

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. ? Shawn Turschak of Chapel Hill was tired of someone stealing McCain-Palin campaign signs from his yard. Turschak, with a degree in electrical engineering, hooked up a third sign to a power source for an electric pet fence Monday and also put up a surveillance camera.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported that a 9-year-old boy with an Obama-Biden sign grabbed the McCain-Palin sign and got a jolt on Tuesday.

The boy's father, Andrew Noble, upset that his son had been shocked, showed up at Turschak's door. Soon an Orange County sheriff's deputy also showed up at the Turschak's home.

Noble said his son just wanted to see how the sign was put together. Turschak said the boy intended to swap out the signs.

Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass said he doesn't plan to file charges.

___

Information from: The News & Observer,

[HeyBub]

[...]

Lest anyone else be tempted, booby-traps are outlawed in every jurisdiction and have been since the Magna Carta. The penalties for setting a booby-trap are severe. The reason is simple: there are any number of people who can enter your property without your permission or without your knowledge.

These groups include:

• A police officer with a valid warrant,

• Firefighter or other emergency personnel,

• A child with no criminal responsibility,

• A civil trespasser,

• Utility workers gaining access to an easement,

• Public health, game and fish, or other government inspectors,

• Anyone under exigent circumstances,

• and the list goes on.

[Kelly]

What's the definition of a "booby-trap"? I've got electric fences on my property... are those booby-traps? This guy had, effectively, an electric fence/sign. Who is to say that this was a booby trap, and not simply an attempt to keep marauding sheep away from his sign?

Kelly

[John Gilmer]

What's outlawed are "man traps" which are often called "infernal devices" which KILL or seriously wound anyone who trips it.

An electric fence is FAR short of this. It's can't kill. It just "shocks." It's quite acceptable to keep animals from "pushing" on a fence and, indeed, have been used to keep dogs on the "right side" of a property line.

Anyone who "electrifies" a political sign with an electric fence charger would not be in violation of any serious state laws but might face multiple convictions under local laws.

Off hand, I would say that "next time" folks will put up small warning signs about the electric fence and a "token" electrified wire which is also connected to the actual sign.

It's important, of course, that the fence charger be UL aproved and not be capable of inflicting fatal shocks.

Slight OT: If memory serves, at least one small business owner has "gotten away with murder" when he hooked up the 120 volts "mains" to a ceiling entrance to his business. The bad guy was killed and the business owner was let off by a jury.

[Red Green]

"HeyBub" wrote in news:PsSdnXW03JSC-JfUnZ2dnUVZ [e-mail]:

Well, apparently Sheriff Bubba here in NC doesn't give a rat's-ass and said he doesn't plan to file charges.

[Red Green]

Wayne Boatwright wrote in news:Xns9B47C2D1948C8wayneboatwrightatgma@69.16.185.250:

Not far-fetched. Some of the main roads here in town run right through Ft Bragg. You will find the roadside, maybe 10 feet of grass and then real coiled razor wire. I guess it's not considered a booby trap by them either. Or, like Sheriff Bubba, they don't give a rat's-ass either.

[Red Green]

Wayne Boatwright wrote in news:Xns9B47C2D1948C8wayneboatwrightatgma@69.16.185.250:

More entertaining than razor wire. You gotta want that political sign awfull bad.

[HeyBub]

You're probably right. Still, the company that makes Tasers has had to defend its claim that "Tasers can't kill" several times in civil courts. So far, they've won them all but that doesn't stop people from trying.

Next, an "infernal device" can be construed to be anything that acts unexpectedly and sets in motion a train of events that causes a foreseeable peril. Suppose someone is doing something hazardous (Plutonium, Nitroglycerin, "just putting the tip in," etc.) and a Whoopie-Cushion goes off !

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Thu 30 Oct 2008 10:13:39p, Red Green told us...

Nikolai would be proud!!!

[Michael Dobony]

And what business would any of them have touching a political sign? Obama worshipers might want to touch the spirit of the anti-christ, but let them get their own sign to make into a shrine.

[Michael Dobony]

I had a mailbox run over 3 times. They drove directly over the top of it. The fourth time I bought a springloaded metal pole and filled it with cement. Should cause quite a bit of damage if they try it again!

[George]

You may want to reconsider that. My friend was successfully sued over such a mailbox when a riff-raff got hurt. In his case they were beating down mailboxes with bats while their cars were moving so he erected a beefier support. There are lots of lawyers whose only interest is to transfer wealth to themselves who will be interviewing the riff-raff at the hospital to "protect and help" them.

[George]

Its not only supporters of the messiah. If you drove through my region you would be hard pressed to find anything but "blue" signs now or in past elections. For whatever reason the blue kool-aid drinkers flip out if any other signs are displayed and find it necessary to steal, destroy or deface them.

[HeyBub]

Emotion, "feelings," and hormones often overwhelm rational thought, as in: "But officer, I HAD to hit him! He spit on my Oklahoma button!" or "I feel your pain."

[HeyBub]

Whatever happens, your intent was NOT to cause damage to the miscreants! That shows intent and premeditation. Whatever reason you publicly offer, make sure it is innocent of any malice.

You can, however, wink when you say it.