There are a number of people around doing that scam you mention with the gas. I've seen it, but didn't fall for it. Yeah, the guy just keeps going around and seeing who will give him some money.

Let's face it, there's a lot of petty dishonesty out there nowadays, but it could be much worse.

For example: In Trinidad, where I have some good friends, kidnapping is a very common crime now. And I mean violent kidnapping. 3 men with guns showed up and kidnapped a family member of some of my friends down there out of her car in her own driveway shortly before Christmas, firing shots to break the car windows, since she locked the doors, and injuring her in the process. This is a smart professional lady with children and a family who need her. She has now been missing for over 30 days. The kidnappers contacted the family by phone within a couple of days and demanded a ransom, which is the standard procedure. I don't know how much they asked for...probably as much as they figured they could get. The ransom has been paid, but no sign of the victim yet. They may well have killed her, because she is a witness who could identify them, obviously, and they clearly don't care who they hurt in the process of getting their hands on some money.

There were over 50 of these kidnapping incidents in Trinidad in the past year, and Trinidad is a fairly small island. The gangs who do it target local middle class and wealthy people. They often kill the person after getting the ransom. The police are remarkably ineffective in doing anything about it, because the Trinidad police are corrupt and dishonest. No one expects much help from them. People are scared of them, in fact. There's not a hell of a lot you can do except pay the ransom, cross your fingers, and hope your loved one will be released...and pray.

The woman they kidnapped is a person who has done an extraordinary amount of valuable social service to people in her community in the past and is very well loved by her community. They don't care. They just want a bunch of money so they can go and buy ghettoblasters and cars and stuff.

Why is there so much violent crime in Trinidad? Well...there's a tremendous amount of absolutely dire poverty down there, a great deal of unemployment, alcoholism, and broken homes, a police force that's almost as bad as the crooks, and politicians who either can't do anything about it or won't.

Somebody pulls a stunt like that in Cuba, and he's dead...or locked up for good. The police WILL find him (or them).