Are there any honest people left?

[daq7]

If they found it in your garage? Get serious.

To me the ambiguity is created by the fact that the finder has no way of knowing for sure if you will get it back if they turn it in.

So what if I find it and just decide to leave it. Does that make you somehow a bad person?

I am not obligated to you in any way by the act of finding.

Returning it certainly might make me a better person, but not returning it does not make me a thief. Of course we obviously aren't going to agree about this, so I will just let it go...

[EOSThree]

If they found it in your garage? Get serious.

To me the ambiguity is created by the fact that the finder has no way of knowing for sure if you will get it back if they turn it in.

So what if I find it and just decide to leave it. Does that make you somehow a bad person?

I am not obligated to you in any way by the act of finding.

Returning it certainly might make me a better person, but not returning it does not make me a thief. Of course we obviously aren't going to agree about this, so I will just let it go...

Yeah but the garage door was open, apparently you didn't want what was in there or you would have protected it better. Since you didn't mention it, is something in the driveway fair game? the front yard? the back yard? how about a farmers field? copywrited material? a national park? restaurant booth? trailhead? open car? open pannier? your photograph on this site? In every one of those instances taking is stealing, plain and simple, if you don't want to be involved (and you don't have to be), then leave it alone. The Law would disagree with you, if you take something that is not yours, with no intention of returning it, you have stolen it. That would stand up for any kind of property. If you "found" my tripod and I knew that you had found my tripod, you would be getting a visit from the police and they would be returning my stolen property to me.

Leaving it would have been fine, I would have picked it up about 2 hours later. Taking what is not yours is stealing, plain and simple. If you feel you are not obligated by the act of finding (and you're not), then leave it, because once you've taken it then you are obligated. If everyone would have felt not obligated, then no one would have stolen it, because they would have left it, and I would have picked it up.

Not being sure if I'm going to get it back is also fine, if I don't come for it, apparently I didn't want it, then, and only then, it is yours, that is the way lost and found works. Lost and founds always take the persons name who turned it in and will give it to the person if it is not claimed, haven't you watched the Brady Bunch?

[Loupey]

That really sucks, EOSThree.

Unfortunately, I'm not surprised. And because it was a Gitzo, anyone who knows anything about photography would probably have done the "right thing". So it was most likely a tourist who will either sell it at a garage sale for $25 or bang it around like it's some drugstore tripod.

As much as I try to see the good in people, things like this really tick me off.