Dear Boy With Banjo
I don't see any pictures in this thread, so I suppose that isn't the only purpose of this forum.
Brilliant idea changing your Gucci loafers for your next theft but do you really want to get your Doc Martens all muddy?
Your post at 12:36 What in God's name are you babbling about?

I think you two would have a lot in common with my brother-in-law.

He has his own toolbox and would love to spend the day shopping with you. Just a suggestion but here's a place just begging for trouble. You can save everything before it get's damaged. Besides, I heard it is owned by Pakis.

GREAT STUFF HYACINTH,,,THANKS FOR THE PICTURES,,I YUST KNEW  AT SOME STAGE YOU WOULD EVENTUALLY SHOW US SOME ENAMELS AND ADD SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE TO THIS SITE.."WELL DONE"...ANY CHANCE OF LETTING ME KNOW WHERE THIS PLACE IS?? "PLEASE" ha ha..I DOUBT VERY MUCH IF A PAKI DOES OWN THESE PREMISES AS ONE ITS TOO RURAL LOOKING AND I CANT SEE A LOTTERY SIGN...MAYBEE ITS A" COLOURED PERSON" WHO OWNS IT.??. ...AS FOR GETTING MY D.Ms MUDDY,,,WELL I ONLY DO THAT WHEN THE GOLDEN RETRIEVERS GET OUT ...

Well whatever our morals or what we we think, thanx to the Bucket Woman this has now turned into a great thread !

Although I must say earlier I was thinking .................................

" Come back WARD ALL IS FORGIVEN "

Now that really is Contentious !!!

L'umo

the point that seems to have been missed here is that ownership is a little vague !

The REAL owner of any sign would be the company that had it made - then  eventually abandoned it  - It never belonged to the property to which it was attached so if you had bought it from the shopowner then he wouldn't neccessarily own it in the first place

BUT after the "Town & Country Planning Act 1947" most signs still on buildings would have been there illegally  and should have been removed so shouldn't have been there  for anyone to take !

Alright it's only polite to ask and offer a little money but in reality this has only become an issue with the rise in values  - in the 60's and 70's no - one cared about these things  and there wasn't a market anyway   - just a few odd collectors regarded as strange by the general pubic

I also collect Gramophones and 78's and once gave a concert at an Old Folks Home after which an Old Lady said to me :

"you should get out more and stop living in the past "

I Think that says it all !

Fred, your "when did you last...?" post is pretty stupid.

Regarding the moral code covered here. I don't see that there's a lot of wrong in rescuing a piece of art (like a sign) that is being used for some throwaway purpose. People who steal VALUED collectibles are loathsome, though. I certainly have not always practised honesty, though as I age I've realized that dishonesty simply isn't practical; it costs more than you gain.

I just came across this thread and it makes me realise how different people can be.

Let me start by saying that I know who I would want to have a beer and a laugh with, that would be you Banjo Boy. I myself have had a gut full of the politicaly correct and the do gooders in our society who get up on their high horses and proclaim how honourable they really are. We all remember people like Jimmy Swaggart, such honourable men of God. We have all got skeletons in the closet, even the do gooders.

I live in Australia and some consider that calling an Aborigine an "Abo" is racist, that's funny, to me it's just an abreviation of the word Aboriginal. So as a Pakistani why would you be so offended at being called a "Paki". If you know who and what you are why would you even care what a complete stranger thought?? My parents immigrated to Australia from Croatia back in 60's and they as was I were called "Wogs", who cared, who cares, we didn't and don't.

Now we have Laws that stop parents being able to discipline their children because there is a small minority who seem to have too much say in our society. I don't believe in beating children, but  I believe I should have the right to give my child a smack on the butt when I believe they are out of control and not have to have some do gooder telling me that I'm a bad parent because I don't believe in timeout as much as they do, or the fact that I don't believe that every second child has got attention deficit dis-order.

What I'm really trying to say is that some will read my thread and think that I am a Hillbilly racist too, but at the end of the day It's all about perception.

Gordo

That's well put Fleece.  To take the argument to its logical conclusion, everyone can be regarded as racist, if they use abbreviations.  What's the difference between calling a Pakistani a Paki, a British person a Brit, or an Australian an Aussie?  Americans used to call the British Limeys, was that racist?  I'm sick of political correctness as well, I don't like being told how I should think about and regard certain issues by a vocal few, and I don't like the way they're trying to change the English language to suit their own purposes.  As for the issue of stealing, well that's another matter altogether.........

The main point of my post was to comment on the fraud and theft that some of you condone and justify. I never commented on Chelt Original's post because his act did save some signs from coming to a rusty end under a pile of logs. The other acts of liberating people of their rightful property were nothing but common theft. Even worse they were planned acts where the thiefs formulated a plan and stole with intent. Many of us have stolen something in our lifetime, but then again, most of us feel regret and enough shame not to boast about it on the internet or to repeat the act. That's how boy's become men. They learn right from wrong and don't go through life making the same mistakes over and over.
Now this thread has degenerated into a rant about political correctness because I pointed out that calling someone a Paki is racist. It's pathetic that any person of average intelligence needs this explained to them, but for those neurologicaly challenged individuals, ponder this. In most cases the word Paki is preceeded by the word f*****g. Such as, f******g Pakis do this and f******g Pakis do that. The people that throw this term around don't even care if the person is from Pakistan or happens to be Indian, Sri Lankan, Arabic or any other of the brown races. By the way Fleece 77 you know the term Abo was used in the same way as Paki. F*****g Abo's are lazy and shiftless was never used in the same sentence as the Aboriginal's have an ancient and impressive culture Calling someone a Brit is not the same as calling someone a Paki and if you need this explained to you then you are not only ignorant but stupid. Do you guys not have enough human decency in you to not use the word Paki simply because Pakistani's don't like being called Paki's? Spare me the drivel about it being an attack on the English language or your freedom of expression. If that was the case then I should be able to call you a wanker or your wife a bitch without getting punched in the face.
I loathe the political correctness that has surfaced in recent years but I also believe the scales will and are shifting things back to a more balanced approach that we can all live with. In the meantime chill the hell out and stop acting like the steretypical white trash that are just as bad as the stereotypical "foreign" fanatics that you so despise.

Incidentaly Fleece 77 I absolutely agree with you on the other matters you raised but that has little to do with theft or racist language. I am far from a do gooder but stealing is wrong for any person and I find that not using words that others find offensive to be of little consequence to my daily struggle to pay the bills and feed my family.

I accept your points, but again it's all about perception. I read Banjo boys thread about the signs being between two Paki shops and didn't take that as a significantly racist comment, you obviously did. That either makes me ignorant or you a bit over sensitive, I'll accept I must be ignorant.

Gordo