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#220340 - 09/12/05 07:59 AM
Can we calm the paranoia a bit???
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GRAND Pooh-Bah
Registered: 06/13/05
Posts: 3462
Loc: Somewhere out there...
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I thought long and hard before posting this, but the paranoia that has been running wild through the boards through the past few weeks is starting to grate on my nerves. I know that sounds cold and uncaring, but these posts from either unknown users or new users with 1 -5 posts under their belts who cause mass hysteria, fear, confusion, and worry within our little community here are getting old....and so are our reactions to it. I've reacted, too, so I'm just as guilty as everyone else.
I know there are people in the world that thrive on causing fear, paranoia, worry and confusion, just as I know there are people who thrive on living with fear, paranoia, worry, and confusion. But, looking at the members of this board, for the most part, we seem to be logical, rational people (most of the time). The community we have created revolves around certain "gray area" laws and outfits just so that we can function in a semi-normal way in our lives. But, we are still gifted with brains that can distinguish, sometimes easily, fact from fiction and lies from reality. And, we can throw a little humor in the mix from time to time to keep things interesting.
I'm not saying anyone is lying; I don't know for a fact that they are. But, in the past 2 weeks, we've had one woman allegedly arrested for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, one guy who was allegedly arrested for something that wasn't even addressed to him but he was nice enough to take the fall for his buddy, a ROP rep running around making cryptic remarks having something to do with "two weeks", some poster with only a few posts who tells us that NDS is in cahoots with the DEA and the same poster may have been rejected by NDS and is out to get them, a "sheriff's deputy" looking for Xanax, telling us we are way off on the laws but not explaining how, NDS reps posting on the board then disappearing when other posters point them out as NDS reps, threats of arrests, stories of LE hiding in shrubs around hubs and post offices, threats of stings and busts, and all the other BS, but I think I hit the high notes here.
I think we all need to step back for a minute and take a calming breath and look at some of these things logically and intellectually. I don't doubt some of the stories are true, but, doubting Thomas' that some of us are, we naturally ask questions instead of taking what a poster says at face value. Then, we get nailed for asking the questions, then we fight, bicker, and complain, and then we make up again. This is turning into a vicious circle that none of us seem willing or able to break.
So, in closing, we cannot take everything that is posted on this board as the carved-in-stone truth. We cannot let one post that may or may not have any validity to it send us off into a tailspin of fear and confusion and paranoia. If we keep this cycle up, like we have rather consistantly over the past few weeks, we are going to be doing ourselves more harm than good. This is just one person's opinion, and I felt it might do some good for the moral and mental health of some of the board members.
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#220350 - 09/12/05 11:20 AM
Re: Can we calm the paranoia a bit???
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GRAND Pooh-Bah
Registered: 06/13/05
Posts: 3462
Loc: Somewhere out there...
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Ha, ha. Cute, Jump.
No, the world isn't gonna end in two week's time. Something might happen, then again, it may not. We have arrest threads, NDS/DEA threads, NDS/unlicensed pharmacy threads, and all other kinds of BS threads that just keep going and going. These are the ones that cause all the paranoia and fear and worry because people keep asking the same questions over and over again and others answer them over and over again (thanks for mentioning that, Don). Quit beating these dead horses.
Face it folks, what we do here, what we discuss here, and what we discuss doing here is gray. I hate the term as much as the next guy, but all of it, even the ROPs (depending on state laws) are in the gray area of the law. Is discussing that to death going to make it black or white? No.
Too many people on this board are scared and paranoid right now....and I am willing to bet it is mostly a domino reaction kind of thing. 2 or 3 people worry about a shipment, get paranoid about the way a carrier or UPS or FedEx driver looks at them, thinks LE and the DEA are waiting in the bushes, and then everyone falls right in line behind them. Domino effect.
Just step back, calm down, and rest your nerves.
Just because one or two people got busted (maybe) is no reason for everyone to go psycho and let paranoia reign supreme around here.
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#220351 - 09/12/05 11:26 AM
Re: Can we calm the paranoia a bit???
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Enthusiast
Registered: 11/23/04
Posts: 212
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#220357 - 09/13/05 03:54 AM
Re: Can we calm the paranoia a bit???
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Journeyman
Registered: 05/07/05
Posts: 42
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I was thinking earlier about everyone that is scared that they're going to be locked away for ordering a bottle of pills. Is it possible that you could get in trouble from ordering medication online? Yep. It's also possible to get arrested for simply being at the wrong place at the wrong time. There are always risks. However, to those that think LE is out to get them personally...well, I hate to burst your bubble, but you are probably not that important. For those of you that order once a month for your own personal uses, I would imagine that 99.9% of you are going to be just fine. The ones that aren't might run into trouble from, like I said, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even Renee said that the LE weren't there to get her. They just took advantage of the situation while waiting for the 'big dogs'. Do a Google search. Try 'internet pharmacy bust'. You won't find many stories about regular joes who ordered occasionally. You'll find stories about pharmacy owners, fraudulent doctors, and the like. In fact, the only time I could see anything about where a regular person was arrested, was when they were connected with distributing not only prescription medication, but illegal drugs as well (marijuana, heroin, coke, etc.). Why is this? Because these government agencies are working to keep their own jobs and funding, just like everyone else in the world. And bringing in Suzy Homemaker for buying a bottle of hydro every month (who probably has some genuine pain issues), isn't going to cut it. They go after the BIG busts. The ones that allow them to rationalize their jobs to their superiors. Again, is it possible you could get in trouble for ordering medication online? Yes. They could always pick you at random to make an example. But if you're following the Rules (no double-dipping, no selling to others, not drawing unnecessary attention, etc.)...then you likely will not have anything to worry about. Just my opinion, but I think a lot of people are starting to jump at shadows. And the thing about shadows is that 99 times out of 100...it's your imagination playing tricks with you.
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#220358 - 09/13/05 04:35 AM
Re: Can we calm the paranoia a bit???
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GRAND Pooh-Bah
Registered: 06/13/05
Posts: 3462
Loc: Somewhere out there...
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You are right. Finding stories about internet pharmacy busts, arrests relating to online pharmacies, etc., are few and far between. You might see them if they happen in your community, but, believe me, I've done the research, and there isn't a lot out there.
Every scare tactic post, every panic filled post, every close call post shouldn't make all of us run inside our houses, pull the blinds, and hide in the closet, scared that LE is going to ram our doors down.
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#220360 - 09/13/05 08:49 AM
Re: Can we calm the paranoia a bit???
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Veteran
Registered: 06/20/05
Posts: 506
Loc: Florida but always a New Yorke...
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Quote:
I was thinking earlier about everyone that is scared that they're going to be locked away for ordering a bottle of pills.
Is it possible that you could get in trouble from ordering medication online? Yep. It's also possible to get arrested for simply being at the wrong place at the wrong time. There are always risks.
However, to those that think LE is out to get them personally...well, I hate to burst your bubble, but you are probably not that important.
For those of you that order once a month for your own personal uses, I would imagine that 99.9% of you are going to be just fine. The ones that aren't might run into trouble from, like I said, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even Renee said that the LE weren't there to get her. They just took advantage of the situation while waiting for the 'big dogs'.
Do a Google search. Try 'internet pharmacy bust'. You won't find many stories about regular joes who ordered occasionally. You'll find stories about pharmacy owners, fraudulent doctors, and the like.
In fact, the only time I could see anything about where a regular person was arrested, was when they were connected with distributing not only prescription medication, but illegal drugs as well (marijuana, heroin, coke, etc.).
Why is this? Because these government agencies are working to keep their own jobs and funding, just like everyone else in the world. And bringing in Suzy Homemaker for buying a bottle of hydro every month (who probably has some genuine pain issues), isn't going to cut it. They go after the BIG busts. The ones that allow them to rationalize their jobs to their superiors.
Again, is it possible you could get in trouble for ordering medication online? Yes. They could always pick you at random to make an example. But if you're following the Rules (no double-dipping, no selling to others, not drawing unnecessary attention, etc.)...then you likely will not have anything to worry about.
Just my opinion, but I think a lot of people are starting to jump at shadows. And the thing about shadows is that 99 times out of 100...it's your imagination playing tricks with you.
I am in definite agreement with this. What I see is the doctors and the pharmacists getting in trouble with LE and not the people that are ordering once a month. I also think a lot more is going to be revealed on this topic.
My pet peeve is when the phone rings at 8:30 AM on a Saturday morning and wakes me up with someone offering a free vacation. Now that should be against the law.  
Peace,
Alice
_________________________
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind. Bob Dylan
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#220361 - 09/13/05 09:14 AM
Re: Can we calm the paranoia a bit???
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GRAND Pooh-Bah
Registered: 06/13/05
Posts: 3462
Loc: Somewhere out there...
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And, just how many people on this board order just ONCE a month? There are many, many that order from several places during the month and post about it (and yes, we can find out who you are; any member on this board can read all the posts from any other member very easily with just one click of the mouse). That's where the problem begins. The obsessive, non-stop posting about their multiple orders from multiple OPs, and then......here it comes.....OH NO.......the PARANOIA WHEN THE UPS OR FEDEX DRIVER SHOWS UP!!! That's when the fear and the panic and the worry sets in. Well, why didn't you think of that before, when you ordered 10 times from 10 different places in 4 weeks????? I can understand desperation, but all it leads to is panic and paranoia.
And, on this board, those two things spread like wildfire. Maybe if some people used the system like they were suppose to, the panic and paranoia wouldn't be so bad because.... guess what??? You wouldn't have hardly anything to worry or panic about.
_________________________
Everything's conditional. You just can't always anticipate the condition.
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#220362 - 09/13/05 10:08 AM
Re: Can we calm the paranoia a bit???
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Member
Registered: 12/05/04
Posts: 143
Loc: United States
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Thanks, Abbey. That was a much-needed, and well thought out, post.
As for people on here who start hysteria, I think information on REAL busts or REAL law enforcement cases would be helpful to read, but what gets me is when someone comes on and says something really cryptic, ends their post with, "I just want to warn everybody, I just want everybody to know what's going on" and then they go away, without providing details, links, anything to back up what they are trying to "warn" the board about. I mean, if you've got information on something, spend some time putting all the facts together and be prepared to post an intelligent, informational post and then be prepared to COME BACK and respond to the inevitable questions.
And as far as spell check goes, yeah, that's a pet peeve of mine too because I'm a writer, but it's not the misspellings (we all make mistakes when typing and such) as much as it is the rambling posts that look like this:
so jus wanted to let everybdy know that i ordered from them got a track number tried to call but nobody answere the phone and i email but still no reply can somebody tell me is there another place i could go and what does UPS do if they get here and there is no money order ready can i take it to the bank where do i get one thanks for listening bye.
I mean, some people have never heard of the device known as THE PERIOD that ends sentences/thoughts! Let's all take a deep breath.
Hope I didn't offend anybody, just wanted a little laugh.
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#220363 - 09/13/05 10:15 AM
Re: Can we calm the paranoia a bit???
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Threadhead
Registered: 04/20/05
Posts: 811
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Quote:
Thanks, Abbey. That was a much-needed, and well thought out, post.
As for people on here who start hysteria, I think information on REAL busts or REAL law enforcement cases would be helpful to read, but what gets me is when someone comes on and says something really cryptic, ends their post with, "I just want to warn everybody, I just want everybody to know what's going on" and then they go away, without providing details, links, anything to back up what they are trying to "warn" the board about. I mean, if you've got information on something, spend some time putting all the facts together and be prepared to post an intelligent, informational post and then be prepared to COME BACK and respond to the inevitable questions.
And as far as spell check goes, yeah, that's a pet peeve of mine too because I'm a writer, but it's not the misspellings (we all make mistakes when typing and such) as much as it is the rambling posts that look like this:
so jus wanted to let everybdy know that i ordered from them got a track number tried to call but nobody answere the phone and i email but still no reply can somebody tell me is there another place i could go and what does UPS do if they get here and there is no money order ready can i take it to the bank where do i get one thanks for listening bye.
I mean, some people have never heard of the device known as THE PERIOD that ends sentences/thoughts! Let's all take a deep breath.
Hope I didn't offend anybody, just wanted a little laugh.
Your attempt at writing a rambling post made me laugh! You are obviously a writer because it was far too coherent! 
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#220364 - 09/13/05 10:17 AM
Re: Can we calm the paranoia a bit???
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GRAND Pooh-Bah
Registered: 06/13/05
Posts: 3462
Loc: Somewhere out there...
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Bad, bad grammer on the board. Where's that third grade teacher with the yard stick when we need her??
I started this thread, hoping to calm some people down, calm the board down, make everyone see that the world was not going to come crashing down around everyone's ears in two weeks, and then today, we have this crazy thread about LE busting everyone and the original poster is outta here. And, despite most of us being well read, educated, logical people, we are drawn to those types of threads like moths to a flame. And, we help carry them along when they shouldn't even be there in the first place, or if they remain, then we should ignore them. But, we are feeding the paranoia and I just, for the life of me, can't understand it.
I don't personally believe there is anything to be afraid of or paranoid about or panic over....if we aren't abusing the system and if we aren't being obvious as hell about what we do, where we do it, who we do it with, and how much we do it. We all know LE monitors this board and looks for certain things, so there needs to be some discretion is what is written and how it is written and how often it is written....but some people just post away all the time about their numerous orders from NROPs during each week. Either I'm missing something big or I just have the wrong ideas about what this board is suppose to be about.
_________________________
Everything's conditional. You just can't always anticipate the condition.
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#220365 - 09/13/05 10:22 AM
Re: Can we calm the paranoia a bit???
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Threadhead
Registered: 04/20/05
Posts: 811
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Quote:
Bad, bad grammer on the board. Where's that third grade teacher with the yard stick when we need her??
I started this thread, hoping to calm some people down, calm the board down, make everyone see that the world was not going to come crashing down around everyone's ears in two weeks, and then today, we have this crazy thread about LE busting everyone and the original poster is outta here. And, despite most of us being well read, educated, logical people, we are drawn to those types of threads like moths to a flame. And, we help carry them along when they shouldn't even be there in the first place, or if they remain, then we should ignore them. But, we are feeding the paranoia and I just, for the life of me, can't understand it.
I don't personally believe there is anything to be afraid of or paranoid about or panic over. Either I'm missing something big or I just have the wrong ideas about what this board is suppose to be about.
To be fair, I don't think anyone got paranoid over the off the wall post from today?? At least I would hope not. Anybody that thinks that McAfee Virus Scan has anything to do with LE and OP's really, really shouldn't be here. It would be way too scary of a place.
What I saw was a board member melting down before our eyes.
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