Darius McCollum Arrested again

[Kamen Rider]

IAWTA, and lets take this one step further, I have the same condition and even I think he's a danger to the system. giving Darius a job sets an dangeroius precident, in that any one can claim a mental defect and say they should be hired. The MTA an't Wal-Mart.

Except that McCollum isn't claiming a mental defect, he was diagnosed as such by qualified doctors. I don't think it would set any precedent, let alone a dangerous one. McCollum's case, as previously stated, is unique, and I don't think anyone would consciously desire to emulate his path in life.

Let's then analyze your logic. You have Asperger's. You assert that McCollum is 'mentally unfit' because he has Asperger's. Then if we apply that same logic to you, Kamen Rider, you are 'mentally unfit' because you have Asperger's. But if you yourself are 'mentally unfit', then how would you be qualified to judge McCollum's mental fitness, or lack thereof? You wouldn't be qualified to make such a judgment. See how your logic bites yourself in the foot?

I find your use of "loigic" insulting. I think darius is a problem becuase he can't control his aspergers. meanwhile I can. bit of a diffrence there. I've never gone and snuck into closed off areas or taken trains out for a spin. I know my limits. On the other hand, "logicaly", I would be the best person to judge Dairus's mental fitness becuase I understand what's going through his mind. but I feel that we would be better off if dairus was kept at a distance. If you give him a job you'd basicly be reinforceing his behaivour since no one would be able to stop him if he does something he still shouldn't. You don't give an addict more of what they are addicted to. that would only make it worse.

[DarkSun]

Let's then analyze your logic. You have Asperger's. You assert that McCollum is 'mentally unfit' because he has Asperger's. Then if we apply that same logic to you, Kamen Rider, you are 'mentally unfit' because you have Asperger's. But if you yourself are 'mentally unfit', then how would you be qualified to judge McCollum's mental fitness, or lack thereof? You wouldn't be qualified to make such a judgment. See how your logic bites yourself in the foot?

I find your use of "loigic" insulting. I think darius is a problem becuase he can't control his aspergers. meanwhile I can. bit of a diffrence there. I've never gone and snuck into closed off areas or taken trains out for a spin. I know my limits. On the other hand, "logicaly", I would be the best person to judge Dairus's mental fitness becuase I understand what's going through his mind. but I feel that we would be better off if dairus was kept at a distance. If you give him a job you'd basicly be reinforceing his behaivour since no one would be able to stop him if he does something he still shouldn't. You don't give an addict more of what they are addicted to. that would only make it worse.

Why are you purposely misspelling the words 'logic' and 'logically'? If this is an attempt to mock my previous post, I'd have to say it's a rather lame attempt.

You do have a point though. McCollum clearly is not able to control his obsession with 'helping' out in the transit system. In general, I'd also agree with your statement about addicts, but in this specific case it seems to me that the easiest and perhaps best way of curing McCollum's addiction is by giving him a (paid or unpaid) position at the TA. Since the "term addiction is used to describe a recurring compulsion by an individual to engage in some specific activity, despite harmful consequences" to the individual, by giving McCollum a position and eliminating the "harmful consequences," his addiction would be cured by definition.

I disagree though that you would "be the best person to judge [McCollum]'s mental fitness." According to you, Asperger's impairs mental fitness. You may not be afflicted by Asperger's as severely as McCollum apparently is, but the fact that you have Asperger's indicates, by your own logic, that your mental fitness is impaired to some extent. As such, you would not be the best person to judge McCollum's mental fitness, or lack thereof.

[Kamen Rider]

Let's then analyze your logic. You have Asperger's. You assert that McCollum is 'mentally unfit' because he has Asperger's. Then if we apply that same logic to you, Kamen Rider, you are 'mentally unfit' because you have Asperger's. But if you yourself are 'mentally unfit', then how would you be qualified to judge McCollum's mental fitness, or lack thereof? You wouldn't be qualified to make such a judgment. See how your logic bites yourself in the foot?

I find your use of "loigic" insulting. I think darius is a problem becuase he can't control his aspergers. meanwhile I can. bit of a diffrence there. I've never gone and snuck into closed off areas or taken trains out for a spin. I know my limits. On the other hand, "logicaly", I would be the best person to judge Dairus's mental fitness becuase I understand what's going through his mind. but I feel that we would be better off if dairus was kept at a distance. If you give him a job you'd basicly be reinforceing his behaivour since no one would be able to stop him if he does something he still shouldn't. You don't give an addict more of what they are addicted to. that would only make it worse.

Why are you purposely misspelling the words 'logic' and 'logically'? If this is an attempt to mock my previous post, I'd have to say it's a rather lame attempt.

You do have a point though. McCollum clearly is not able to control his obsession with 'helping' out in the transit system. In general, I'd also agree with your statement about addicts, but in this specific case it seems to me that the easiest and perhaps best way of curing McCollum's addiction is by giving him a (paid or unpaid) position at the TA. Since the "term addiction is used to describe a recurring compulsion by an individual to engage in some specific activity, despite harmful consequences" to the individual, by giving McCollum a position and eliminating the "harmful consequences," his addiction would be cured by definition.

I disagree though that you would "be the best person to judge [McCollum]'s mental fitness." According to you, Asperger's impairs mental fitness. You may not be afflicted by Asperger's as severely as McCollum apparently is, but the fact that you have Asperger's indicates, by your own logic, that your mental fitness is impaired to some extent. As such, you would not be the best person to judge McCollum's mental fitness, or lack thereof.

Your asumming about the imparament of mental function part, that's not how it works. My brain work fine, I behave just like anyone else. I was more like Darius for a short while when I was a little kid before I found out I had it and learned to control it. and giving him a job would not eliminate the harful consisquenses. He would still most likely step out of the boundires of that postion.

[RussNelson]

[He would still most likely step out of the boundaries of that position.

You are speculating. I, on the other hand, am pointing to the failure of the correctional system to correct him. We know this. It's a fact that he's been "corrected" 28 times, and not one of them has "stuck". As a reality-centered person, I see only two choices here: continue to throw him in jail, or at least make an attempt to turn him into a productive citizen. So far, jail ain't worked real well. When all else fails, try freedom.

[DarkSun]

You are speculating. I, on the other hand, am pointing to the failure of the correctional system to correct him. We know this. It's a fact that he's been "corrected" 28 times, and not one of them has "stuck". As a reality-centered person, I see only two choices here: continue to throw him in jail, or at least make an attempt to turn him into a productive citizen. So far, jail ain't worked real well. When all else fails, try freedom.

Agreed Russ. We also need to bear in mind the cost to the taxpayers of New York of continuing to attempt to use the correctional system to 'correct' McCollum.

[Kamen Rider]

You are speculating. I, on the other hand, am pointing to the failure of the correctional system to correct him. We know this. It's a fact that he's been "corrected" 28 times, and not one of them has "stuck". As a reality-centered person, I see only two choices here: continue to throw him in jail, or at least make an attempt to turn him into a productive citizen. So far, jail ain't worked real well. When all else fails, try freedom.

Agreed Russ. We also need to bear in mind the cost to the taxpayers of New York of continuing to attempt to use the correctional system to 'correct' McCollum.

You can't correct him if he is resistant to the process,even if only on a subconious, ever think of that? Part of having Aspergers is a resitance to change, some worse than others. this inculdes change of the self.

[RussNelson]

You can't correct him if he is resistant to the process, even if only on a subconscious level. Did you ever think of that? Part of having Aspergers is a resistance to change. Some are worse than others. This includes change of the self.

So you agree with us? He's not going to stop, so throwing him in a correctional institution for anything less than a life sentence isn't going to work. Do you think a life sentence is tolerable? Do you think he is a threat to the safety of others? Has he ever done anything to put anyone else at risk? Do you have any evidence of this, or are you just afraid of this fairly strange person because he's strange?

Cuz frankly, we're all a little weird. Comes with being a railfan. Darius just has it worse than anyone, and for that, I have sympathy for him.

[DarkSun]

You can't correct him if he is resistant to the process, even if only on a subconscious level. Did you ever think of that? Part of having Aspergers is a resistance to change. Some are worse than others. This includes change of the self.

So you agree with us? He's not going to stop, so throwing him in a correctional institution for anything less than a life sentence isn't going to work. Do you think a life sentence is tolerable? Do you think he is a threat to the safety of others? Has he ever done anything to put anyone else at risk? Do you have any evidence of this, or are you just afraid of this fairly strange person because he's strange?

Cuz frankly, we're all a little weird. Comes with being a railfan. Darius just has it worse than anyone, and for that, I have sympathy for him.

Yep. A life sentence for McCollum based on what he has done is definitely unwarranted. And anything less won't stop him from going back to 'helping' in the NY transit system.

[RussNelson]

I think that Darius is a unique enough person that 1) he needs to be treated uniquely and 2) his treatment is in no way a precedent for anyone else's treatment.

Clarkson University used to have an employee named Robert (Bob) Carroll, Jr. (Google for him). He was more than a little quirky. He was basically withdrawn from the normal world. But in the speleological world, he was a master. Knew where all the Adirondack caves were and how to get into them. Intentionally kept himself very skinny so he could fit into small passages. Wrote scholastic papers on caving. So when he died a few years ago, two communities came together: one in which Bob was a respected researcher, and the other in which he was a barely tolerated weirdo who was one step from committment, and at least once had to drawn back from the St. Lawrence Psych Center by his boss at Clarkson. "No, no, that's just our Bob."

Darius's treatment thus far has been a travesty of justice. Here's a person who could be living a productive life in spite of his difficulties, and what happens to him? He gets thrown in jail at taxpayer exense.

[DarkSun]

I think that Darius is a unique enough person that 1) he needs to be treated uniquely and 2) his treatment is in no way a precedent for anyone else's treatment.

I absolutely agree.

Darius's treatment thus far has been a travesty of justice. Here's a person who could be living a productive life in spite of his difficulties, and what happens to him? He gets thrown in jail at taxpayer exense.

Yep. I cringe at even imagining how much taxpayer money has been wasted over the decades on repeatedly arresting, questioning, trying and incarcerating McCollum; on plastering "be-on-the-lookout" bulletins and "wanted" posters throughout the transit system; on having police follow him around whenever he looks like he could be up to something (e.g., "[Officers] followed him when he got on a northbound No. 1 train.").

[Kamen Rider]

You can't correct him if he is resistant to the process, even if only on a subconscious level. Did you ever think of that? Part of having Aspergers is a resistance to change. Some are worse than others. This includes change of the self.

So you agree with us? He's not going to stop, so throwing him in a correctional institution for anything less than a life sentence isn't going to work. Do you think a life sentence is tolerable? Do you think he is a threat to the safety of others? Has he ever done anything to put anyone else at risk? Do you have any evidence of this, or are you just afraid of this fairly strange person because he's strange?

Cuz frankly, we're all a little weird. Comes with being a railfan. Darius just has it worse than anyone, and for that, I have sympathy for him.

No I don't agree with you. He's needs to be tossed away someplace else, anywhere else and STAY THERE. What I meant is your blaming the justice system for failing darius when it's his own fault.

[DarkSun]

You can't correct him if he is resistant to the process, even if only on a subconscious level. Did you ever think of that? Part of having Aspergers is a resistance to change. Some are worse than others. This includes change of the self.

So you agree with us? He's not going to stop, so throwing him in a correctional institution for anything less than a life sentence isn't going to work. Do you think a life sentence is tolerable? Do you think he is a threat to the safety of others? Has he ever done anything to put anyone else at risk? Do you have any evidence of this, or are you just afraid of this fairly strange person because he's strange?

Cuz frankly, we're all a little weird. Comes with being a railfan. Darius just has it worse than anyone, and for that, I have sympathy for him.

No I don't agree with you. He's needs to be tossed away someplace else, anywhere else and STAY THERE. What I meant is your blaming the justice system for failing darius when it's his own fault.

It's not McCollum's fault that the correctional system hasn't been able to correct him. Saying this is McCollum's fault is like saying it's a baby's fault for having Down syndrome.

[Kamen Rider]

It's his fauilt he doesn't want to be corrected.

[DarkSun]

It's his fauilt he doesn't want to be corrected.

Is there reasonable evidence that he is consciously against being corrected?

[RussNelson]

It's his fault that he doesn't want to be corrected.

Do you know this for a fact or are you speculating?