Posted on 08/08/2006 10:13:27 AM PDT by Ready2go
That is a fact. Howard forums has all the details.
It is illegal to purchase cell phones in quantity?
Guy looks more like Russian mob type.
What everyone seems to be overlooking is operational security.
If these were going to be used as triggers don't you think they would buy 1-3 at a time over a time period & don't you think they would have the people in each city/region buy their own cell phones?
ROFL, a little disconnect between 100 sticks of dynamite and a cell phone, or even 100 of them.
Mine too.
We're good little greedy capitalists!
You clearly misunderstood my comment, which was in response to the idea that a "big city guy" would travel to Grafton, WV to stock up on pre-paid cell phones for his big city corner business.
From the perspective of any person from a big city, Grafton, WV really is in the middle of nowhere -- there are no big cities close to there. (BTW, "dog-bottom nowhere" is just my way to emphasize remoteness -- no perjorative intended.)
Perhaps his very lucidity should give you reason to inspect your own opinions on this matter.
Time to outlaw prepaid phones. Can't have that kind of crazy freedom if we hope to stay free from terror.
And also a little disconnect between war time and peace time. We are at war.
Thanks, I did, as I did with your post for the same reason. I still respectfully disagree with you both.
Why bother with all that trouble when most Americans don't care that we are at war?
"Erosion of freedoms in the USA sickens me. I am surprised to see you, one of the most lucid posters on FR, as a supporter."
You shouldn't be surprised. I am a rational man. I think about things. What I cannot figure out is why someone would buy 100 prepaid cell phones at retail prices. Obviously, there's no profit to be made from them, since you can buy the things everywhere for the same low price.
There may be folks who need 100 prepaid cell phones, but they are in business, and can arrange to buy them wholesale.
Ten prepaid cell phones makes some sense. 100 doesn't.
That's the suspicious part. Also, knowing that cell phones are used by terrorists for many purposes, including fairly secure communications and even for detonating explosives, makes me even more suspicious.
It's possible that someone doing this has good intentions. It's more likely that he or she does not have good intentions.
Reason dictates that such a purchase is suspicious and that it may well indicate a crime in the making. Therefore, I conclude that I should notify law enforcement of this.
It's the same reason I would call the cops if a group of 10 or 12 people were walking down my street at night slowly, looking at people's houses. Yes, what they are doing is quite legal. It's also quite suspicious. So, I'd call the cops and report that suspicious activity. They'd respond by sending a unit out to check these people out.
You have the right to buy 100 phones, or 1000, if you like. No question about it. I have the right to consider that a suspicious thing and to reason that there may be a crime in the making.
I'll leave it to others to make the actual determination, after investigating.
You see...it's not A "friggin cell phone." It's 100 cell phones. You tell me a legitimate reason to buy 100 of them at retail in a small town Walmart.
Hell, no! You'd beat me to a pulp!
Seriously, though -- this sort of activity is suspicious, and in the runup to Iran's Aug. 22 deadline I'd say it's far better to be safe than sorry in cases like this.
The last thing we need is another Jamie Gorelick-style tap dance explaining why the FBI couldn't get the word out about the bad guys.
"OK, citizens, hand me your papers as you enter the railroad car for Auschwitz, where you will recieve a cleansing shower."
Yep, all for the common good, eh?
The same Alltel (among others) cell phones sold at Walmart for $49.95 (as pre-paid cell phones) are sold at Verizon's retail stores for $149.95. Plenty of people buy the $149.95 version from Verizon not knowing that they can convert the cheapo $49.95 version to a Verizon model by poking in a few numbers in the set-up. A few people make a lot of money converting these for people who are on a contract and have lost or have had stolen their original cell-phone and go to a Verizon retail store for replacement. Buy it at Walmart for $49.95 --> convert it, then sell it to one of those people for $75.00 --> profit. You make $50, and the person purchasing the phone saves $75 over buying it from Verizon.
I see that you disagree. I take issue with your claim that you've done so respectfully. Indeed, your responses on this thread are pretty unhinged -- they give no indication that you've considered the other side of the issue at all.
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