Originally Posted by: PonyOnelosing a hand for a few apples or a shovel... yeah, that's a fair trade.

people who steal suck though.

You're right. It's not a fair trade. Not by a long shot. But then again, taking something that clearly doesn't belong to you isn't fair either. It's always been my thought that if you want something, ask. You would be surprised how many people are actually decent human beings and will gladly give to help someone else out. The minute you cross the line and take something that isn't yours, consideration becomes secondary.

Then we can move along the ol' logic trail and say that you have to look at what is stolen to decide the degree and extent of punishment? Is stealing $5.00 from an elderly person on a fixed income less a crime than bilking some huge conglmerate out of a half a million dollars? It's theft. Plain and simple.

My reasoning for bringing up the removal of a hand for stealing is not along the eye for an eye theory. I think it's a pretty good deterent. I believe that people would be less inclined to steal if they knew if they were caught they would be given a permanent reminder of their crime.

But then again, I may be wrong about this. It is an antiquated way to do things.