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Old 02-19-2014, 08:34 PM
 
Location: Free From The Oppressive State
30,158 posts, read 23,545,197 times
Reputation: 38442

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Quote:
Originally Posted by rainroosty View Post
Go and take the cuttings and do the world a favor by planting them. People are posting 'what if everyone were to do that'...well, imagine how beautiful it would be if they did just that.

What's the argument here? That the original plant would dwindle down to almost nothing?

100 new, beautiful plants would be born.
The end does not justify the means.
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Old 02-19-2014, 08:35 PM
 
7,280 posts, read 10,894,577 times
Reputation: 11491
It is stealing. As for having already paid for it "kinda" through taxes, sure, a small part but not all of it.

Why not ask permission if it is that important? Otherwise, surely mom or dad taught that you don't take what is not yours...well, maybe in this day and age, not.
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Old 02-19-2014, 08:39 PM
 
Location: Virginia
18,717 posts, read 30,972,490 times
Reputation: 42988
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlygal View Post
?

Say you're in a botanical garden and there are leaves or a spent stems on the ground? What about leaves/stems on the floor at a big box store like Home depot?
In those situations, I see even less of a reason to take something, since there are bound to be plenty of people nearby you could ask if you could have it. Why do people find it so hard to ask?
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Old 02-19-2014, 09:51 PM
 
Location: Oakland, California
313 posts, read 495,161 times
Reputation: 630
Depends. Here in Oakland people have community gardens out in the open and plant food in the medians of roads purposefully for people to take to eat. Also, there is a whole community of people who are "urban scavengers" who walk around Berkeley CA and Oakland CA picking edible plants and bringing them home to wash and cook. Like grocery shopping, but out doors!

I don't know about just flowers. I'd never pick flowers, cuz I don't eat them and they're pretty.
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Old 02-19-2014, 10:17 PM
 
Location: Central Texas
20,958 posts, read 45,212,790 times
Reputation: 24738
This is a simple question, and one you already know the answer to, because if you didn't already know that it is theft, you wouldn't need to ask the question.

We are all taught, hopefully, when we're growing up, "If it's not yours, don't take it or use it without asking the owner." See how simple?

As for the "what if everybody did it?" perspective, that is absolutely correct. When I was a little girl, there were beautiful wildflowers along the roadsides that I wanted to pick. My parents pointed out to me all the cars that passed by and said, "If you picked a bouquet of wildflowers, it wouldn't be a problem. But what would happen if one person in every car that drives by wanted to do what you want to do? What would happen then?" Even a preschooler was able to figure out that there would soon be no wildflowers and no seeds for wildflowers to grow the next year. It's not rocket science.

Again, all you have to do is ask the actual owner of the item that you are wanting to take. If you don't, it's theft.
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Old 02-19-2014, 10:51 PM
 
Location: California
37,048 posts, read 41,998,003 times
Reputation: 34856
If you aren't destroying the plants it's not "theft" in a legal sense. No it's not, don't even try that. I wouldn't hesitate to take a small cutting from something in a public area. I'm public
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Old 02-20-2014, 08:08 AM
 
Location: On the Ohio River in Western, KY
3,387 posts, read 6,606,528 times
Reputation: 3362
Quote:
Originally Posted by Three Wolves In Snow View Post
The end does not justify the means.
And sometimes it does. Just like the Rose Rustlers; sometimes it does. If it had not been for those people; those rose strains would be gone forever!

I know I have helped with a few in this area too. In conjunction with a local greenhouse, and they feel as I and some others here do. But then again we harvest ethically, with little to no damage to the plant, and only things that are dwindling in supply.

I have an heirloom lilac I helped to rescue once cause it was on a condemned property set to be bulldozed over. Now that was one day I did ask, and the demolition crew forman looked at me like I had three heads for asking, lol! He was of the mind, that if it was going to be killed/trashed anyway, why not just take a few cuttings off of it, and try to keep the strain alive.

Matter of fact, he asked if I could either take a cutting for him as well, or show him how so he could try to grow one for his Momma.

Because neither one of us technically asked the owner of the property (the city), we helped save this strain, and now at least 7 of these lilac bushes are growing strong and healthy now!

For me, that end DID justify the means!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mack Knife View Post
It is stealing. As for having already paid for it "kinda" through taxes, sure, a small part but not all of it.

Why not ask permission if it is that important? Otherwise, surely mom or dad taught that you don't take what is not yours...well, maybe in this day and age, not.
Have you ever tried to "go through proper channels" to ask a city for cuttings or seeds?!

It's a fricking NIGHTMARE that ends you up in front of either the city council or the fiscal court so they can weigh the pro's vs con's, and the actual cost, and loss projection, etc...

I haven't been there personally, but the owner of the greenhouse I mentioned above has, and he ended up going to 3 separate meeting before they issued him a special permit after a month at that, to take seeds from the ground!

From then on, he's of the mind (as far as public spaces goes, NOT private property), it's better to aske forgiveness then, beg permission.

Quote:
Originally Posted by krawhitham View Post
Depends. Here in Oakland people have community gardens out in the open and plant food in the medians of roads purposefully for people to take to eat. Also, there is a whole community of people who are "urban scavengers" who walk around Berkeley CA and Oakland CA picking edible plants and bringing them home to wash and cook. Like grocery shopping, but out doors!

I don't know about just flowers. I'd never pick flowers, cuz I don't eat them and they're pretty.
There are TONS of edible flowers that are not only striking on the plate, but flat out yummy on the palate!

I was going to put out signs in my backyard stating something similar (that if someone really needed something, just to take it), but I know how ignorant some people in this area are, and no doubt they would try and harvest something I grow that is deadly. ( belladonna or foxglove, etc...)


Quote:
Originally Posted by Ceece View Post
If you aren't destroying the plants it's not "theft" in a legal sense. No it's not, don't even try that. I wouldn't hesitate to take a small cutting from something in a public area. I'm public
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Old 02-20-2014, 08:19 AM
 
Location: Virginia
18,717 posts, read 30,972,490 times
Reputation: 42988
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ceece View Post
If you aren't destroying the plants it's not "theft" in a legal sense.
I'm not sure what you mean by this. Here is the legal definition of theft:

Legal Dictionary | Law.com

Theft is defined as intentionally and fraudulently taking personal property of another without permission. Whether or not property is destroyed isn't part of the definition.
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Old 02-20-2014, 08:32 AM
 
Location: Long Neck,De
4,792 posts, read 8,152,621 times
Reputation: 4839
Quote:
Originally Posted by Azlcd View Post
Yikes! My mom is a world class criminal then. She's a world traveler and often takes an interesting leaf right off the plant. Her rule "if it's something that will fall off, like a leaf or a seed, AND you can take it without damaging the plant physically or aestheticly, go ahead." Obviously if there's someone to ask...like it's at a restaurant or business, she asks. But public areas, like traffic medians? No one to ask. And she collected specimens from medians in all sorts of places.
I was totally agreeing with you until I got to the traffic medians point. Are you serious? That

could be very dangerous for Mom plus those passing by.
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Old 02-20-2014, 08:41 AM
 
Location: Virginia
18,717 posts, read 30,972,490 times
Reputation: 42988
Another way to look at this...

Let's say you have really pretty hair. Is it ok for me to just walk up behind you, pull our my scissors, and "take a cutting"? I mean hey, it'll grow right back. Can I just walk up to a baby in a stroller and snip off one of her curls?

If you wipe your nose with tissue and put that tissue in your pocket, is it ok for me to reach into your pocket without asking your permission and take it? I mean hey, you were going to throw it out anyway. I just want your DNA.
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