This site’s sponsored by an author, Lloyd Reman, a.k.a. inmate 12190429. It’s intended to address crime, criminals, politics and related matters. Lloyd would never use it to plug his books (ahem)…of course, if you’d like to buy them… Lloyd Reman Amazon author page would be a good start, or check the CONTRABAND page

 

 

Are you a criminal? No? Can you become one? Again no? What if you uncovered a foolproof way to wire $50 million from a large corporation’s coffers to an offshore account in your name? Would you do it? If you said no, is it because you’re worried about getting caught despite the plan’s strengths? Doesn’t that mean you could become a criminal under the right circumstances?

If you completed a prison sentence after having been convicted of a crime, would you want a prospective employer to ignore your criminal record? Could you ignore the criminal record of a prospective employee?

When you read crime novels, do you typically root for the criminal?

Did you love The Godfather? Why? It can’t be because you love wine, meatballs and sausage or overweight actors who stuff orange peels in their mouths. Is it because you admire people who stand up for themselves? Is it because you want the ability to destroy your enemies?

How did Tony Soprano kill so many people without getting caught? Did his fingers not have prints?

What would Al Capone do if he were alive today? Would he head up an organized crime family, or would he become chairman of the federal reserve board, earning a fortune by secretly betting on the movement of interest rates?

Will virtual currencies become worthless, or are they here to stay? If the latter, is there a savvy cyber-criminal developing his own currency to perpetrate the crime of the century?

If most people hate politicians, why are there so many smiling faces at campaign events?

Is it possible to win elections and tell the truth?

Who was the dominant of the two, Bonnie or Clyde?

With advancements in the study of the brain, we’ll have the ability to read one’s thoughts. Is it ethical to do so? What if the subject is a person contemplating murder? Wouldn’t preempting his or her act make sense? How would you preempt it?

What if we could manipulate a person’s thoughts so they’ll act according to our wishes? Should we use this power? What if we could render violent persons nonviolent? What if we could make children crave healthy foods? What if we could manipulate voters in swing states in a presidential election so our party’s candidate will win, instead of that lying, good-for-nothing idiot who was nominated by that other party?

What’s the most successful crime to date? Could it be one that’s not been reported because it’s not been uncovered?

If you found $100 million of gold bullion buried in your yard, would you take it for yourself? How? Would you move it? Who would you use, and where would you move it? Would you abandon your house and change your name, so the gold’s owners can’t find you? What if they were gangsters?

Are relatives of people in witness protection programs given any protection? What’s to stop them from being killed?

Picture actor Michael Imperioli getting shot in the foot in Goodfellas. Now picture him in a scene from the Sopranos. Does this mean that anyone can inspire fear, regardless of their physical appearance (or does it just mean Michael’s a great actor)?

How would you feel if, as an adult, you learned that your parents had once been criminals?

Is it ok to ignore an unjust law? If yes, who gets to decide what’s unjust?

Would we be better served if there were no political parties?

Close your eyes and imagine it’s late at night and the streets are nearly deserted, save for a person standing by a $140,000 Mercedes Benz. A member of the local police makes a slow approach in a patrol car, apparently thinking the person standing by the Mercedes is acting suspicious. In your view, what’s the sex and skin color of the person standing? How about the member of the local police? How about you?

You’ve invented a tool providing you with access to any satellite orbiting the Earth. What would you do? Perhaps nothing, because use of such a gadget would be wrong? Maybe you’d eavesdrop on cell phone conversations of politicians you dislike and leak harmful tidbits to the press? How about causing banks to wire money to fictitious accounts to which you have access?

You and ten coworkers pool money to buy lottery tickets. When it’s your turn to buy, you hit the winner – to the tune of $200 million. When you first realize that you’ve won, do you: (A) call your coworkers to tell them the great news, (B) call your boss and fling a few four letter words, or  (C) start planning how to keep the money for yourself. If you chose C, how would you do it?

You possess inside information about a pending mega-merger. Would you trade on the information if you could make $3,000? How about $200,000? How about $30 million?

Prosthetics are being perfected, such that artificial arms and legs can easily be manipulated with one’s thoughts. Presumably that technology can be applied to the limbs of a robot. Well, using remote control, what’s to stop someone from having complete control of a robot’s actions over a long distance? How can that technology be used to steal?