DatCrazyMongoose

Claiming that doing something that distracts you from driving should be illegal, while doing something that distracts you from driving, would make you a hypocrite. I don't believe that me pointing out that fact violates any guidelines.

I'm actually saying that ALL laws that punish people for things they MIGHT do to violate anothers' rights are unConstitutional. Here is an example... I want to build a garage on my property. The law says I can't build it within 5' of the property line without the neighbor's permission. Unconstitutional. I take my shirt off because it's hot. My wife can't do the same because it's against the law. Not only unconstitutional, but sexist (which is unconstitutional). It goes on and on and on. When does it stop? I'll tell you when. It stops when everyone is forced to live in tiny boxes so that their safety can be ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEED.

I like how you cleverly dodged my question about your driving habits by immediately going to another emotional appeal that has nothing to do with the discussion.

If you can tell me that you drive without changing the radio, the A/C, talking to passengers, looking out the side windows, or ANYTHING ELSE that might distract you, then I will acknowledge your position on this topic. Otherwise, you are full of BS and are a hypocrite. Again, please stop with the emotional appeals that lack any sense of logic and reasoning. Take a step back, a deep breath, etc. You never know how much better it will make you feel.

What you fail to realize, Roddy, is that those things WERE NOT written into the Constitution INTENTIONALLY. Laws can't be written that deny me the right to do ANYTHING I PLEASE....as long as it doesn't violate someone else's rights. It's a really simple concept. If I want to program my GPS while driving, that's my business and my right.....until doing so violates someone else's rights. At THAT point (and no sooner), I should be held accountable for my actions. Using your logic, the government should be allowed to make a law that forces you to sit in a 6x6x6 cell so that there is NO possible way you could potentially violate someone else's rights. This argument is best taken up using logic and reasoning, rather than the flawed use of emotion and feeling. It tends to lead to circular references that make no sense.

Isn't killing someone already covered under "Right to Life...." in the Constitution? I have the right to risk other people's lives every second of every day. Driving alone is a serious risk to everyone's lives even without the added risk of drunk driving. The end result of an accident is the same, regardless of the means by which it was achieved!!!! The person who caused it isn't MORE guilty because of the means. NONE of these laws accomplish ANYTHING that isn't already accomplished by the Constitution (besides taking away your liberty one seemingly harmless law at a time).

Free to make decisions for ourselves....and free to suffer the consequences of those decisions. I wish I could have been around at least 100 years ago to feel what it was like to live free. I must say, though, that I seriously believe that I'm getting the same feeling of excitement that our founders had when they realized that something was brewing that would stop the march to tyranny and end the suffering of free people under unjust laws like these. Anyone else feeling the revolution coming? I do.

Bittsen and Arrow42 are correct in saying these laws make criminals out of normally law abiding citizens without their knowledge. It punishes someone for what they MIGHT do instead of punishing those who HAVE done something wrong. Every single one of these laws is unconstitutional. The problems they claim to solve are already covered by THE law. The Constitution. If you violate my right to life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness, then AND ONLY THEN should law enforcement get involved. In summation, laws that criminalize POTENTIAL (not actual) violations of someone's rights are a violation of EVERYONE'S rights.

I use the main account for logging all finds I make alone or with my family. I am Dat"CRAZY"Mongoose if a family member is with me, I always put in my log that either DatFreakyMongoose (wife) or DatWackyMongoose/DatSillyMongoose (daughters) or DatMuttlyMongoose (dog) was with me. That way if they ever decide to get their own accounts, we can look back through my logs and they can backdate the ones they found as well.

I have thought about it and may yet do it. In this area FTF 45 minutes to a max of 3 hours after publication is the norm, so it wouldn't take long! Back when I used to chase FTFs I got there within 30 minutes of getting the notification a number of times only to find that I was the third finder! I think it was Snoogans who did this and took pictures of the FTFers to post online. That's cool. Might try that. As soon as they post their FTF log I will post a picture of them finding it - that ought to be a surprise! How surprised do you think they would be if you raced back home after snapping the picture and put it front and center on the cache page? Or maybe get their ID from the cache after they leave and then emailing them the picture? That would freak them out.

I also remember the most fortuitous thing I ever scored at a cache. While nearly being carried away by the blood-thirsty horde of mosquitos at a cache site, I opened up the container to find an OFF wipe! I immediately opened it and applied to my (by then) very pale skin. I think it might have just saved my life!

More laws that can't be enforced....YAY!!! Might as well outlaw drinking, smoking, cell phones, hands-free, talking, radios/CDs, A/C and vent controls, cruise controls, wiper controls, etc. Where does it end?

That is what knowschad refers to "buying" cache. I don't like the practice either. The question is did you leave more foreign currency value than the pocket change that was left? I put in at least $10 worth of currency (a low estimate, I believe), and there wasn't even enough chump change in exchange to buy a small Starbucks latte! Ironically, the cache description specifically mentions that this cache is not to feed your Starbucks habit!!!!

You nearly got that email on Saturday. If only it weren't for Watson the delinquent dog. I loved your log on that one, Chumpo! Thanks for taking the time to go into details. By the way, the Liberty Park cache is also mine. (adopted from WA Red Bear) 'Goose

I do a bit of travelling, so I collect foreign currency and use it for trades. There is a foreign currency themed cache in my neighborhood, which I thouht was a great idea. I took a bunch of bills/coins and basically donated them to the cache. I went back a couple of weeks later to discover all my swag gone and some #!!#$^ &^@@$ %&@& !#@$21 thief's worthless U.S. pocket change in its place. Needless to say, I was ticked off something fierce.

Google GCVote and download the script app and the script. It works like a champ. The more people who use it, the better it will get.

I was the same way with a multi I just placed. It went up on a Friday, so I thought for sure someone would get it Saturday morning. I waited all weekend and finally Sunday night I got the email. WOO HOO!!!!

The clam has been out of the bag for some time. Most land managers already know about geocaching. In reality a good deal of the regulations and policies came about when we were supposedly underground. The NPS ban dates to the early days of geocaching. NY state's DEC banned geocaching about 2002 (and lifted the ban several years later) and numerous other state and local agencies moved to ban the sport in its early days. It's only as geocaching has begun to enter the mainstream that our image is changing and many agencies are embracing the sport. It's now viewed as a legitimate outdoor activity in many places. Though that has brought more policies and regulations, many of those policies and regulations tend to be favorable toward geocaching. I compare geocaching to mountain biking in a way. 15-20 years ago monutain bikers were looked upon as a scourge by many land managers. Mountain bikers have gone through great lengths to change their image and are now considered partners by many agencies. They achieved this by contributing to trail work and litter cleanup efforts up and working closely with local, state and federal agencies. As the sport morphed from a small, underground group into a mainstream activity their image has improved. A model we would do well to follow. The only downside of our sport growing is that there will be more clods ande jerks joining our ranks. The percentage will always be small, but as the number of geocachers grow, so will their numbers. Our worst enemy are those people who heard about geocaching and form opinions about it without any first hand experience. The more people who learn about it and understand it, the better it is for us. We can hide in the closet all we want, but the closet door has already been taken off the hinges. Well, I hope the NPS decides to take another look at this soon. Would a CITO event cache be allowed in a National Park? There is no physical container, and the resulting activity couldn't possibly have any negative affects on the land. Letting them know you are doing it might be a good way change that stale image they have of the sport. If it were possible, maybe a coordinated effort for next year's CITO weekend to flood the National Parks with CITO events to show them we mean no harm. Thoughts? 'Goose

Great topic and post! I think the only area of geocaching that should reach out to "them" is CITO. Contact an official for the area you want to clean up, and tell them you are part of Geocaching and want to volunteer your time to clean up. No need to go into details about the hobby. Keep it simple and relevant to the task at hand. The less they know, the better.

I have to agree with you on this one. I think the less "they" know about geocaching, the better. It is, after all, a hobby of hiding and seeking. If "they" are threatened by the hiding aspect, the hobby could become regulated out of existence due to an ignorant fear of it. Take the National Parks, for example. The NPS should be thrilled to get more people visiting and appreciating its lands and services, but instead you get fear and a resulting ban. The lands they manage belong to every American by virtue of taxes paid, yet they regulate the way you use those lands. The same could happen to every public place in the country. All it takes is one ignorant person on the right board or council to put an end to it all. I'm all for sharing the hobby with your friends, but I draw the line at involving government bureaucracies. Where they are concerned, I apply the "easier to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission" philosophy. 'Goose

deleted... My apologies to the OP. Moving my thoughts to the off-topic forum. 'Goose

deleted My apologies to the OP. Moving my thoughts to the Off-Topic forum. 'Goose

I just had a cache published that has 2 physical stages (containers) that contain info to solve a puzzle to obtain coords for the final. I listed it as a multi and the reviewer agreed. Triangulation

I believe this is what you were talking about... http://www.geocacher-u.com/resources/citolabels.pdf I may just start doing this myself.

From reading your posts in these forums, I can't imagine any reason a CO would delete your log. You seem like a very sincere person who is passionate about caching. I hope this mess gets decided in your favor (assuming, of course, that you didn't do anything wrong 'Goose