The front page of yesterday's STAR was a painful advertisement of how this country is affected deeply by theft.

Two of the headlines on the page spoke of the similar crime of stealing, carried out in different sections of the island and in forms that show utter disregard for property, be it dead or alive.

Speaking about the "lighter" matter first, the theft of the plantains, it was obvious that crooks were preying on this man's produce. The story said that the man sprayed the plantains with poisonous chemicals and stuck needles in them, using them as bait for praedial larcenists. We may not necessarily approve of his methods but it was his idea of how to defend his property.

The thugs apparently walked onto his farm and made good their escape with the poisoned produce. There is no doubt that those needles have long been removed from the plantains and the criminals are well on their way in seeking buyers for the goods. We keep our fingers crossed wishing away the worse case scenario.

In the second matter, the case of the stolen skeleton, the nation needs no clearer indication that thieves have no respect, rationality or fear of any sort when it comes down to "business." It matters not for what reason the theft was carried out, just the fact that the victim was dead is mind boggling enough. How can one rob a dead man's bones? Seriously?

There used to be a saying that in life only one thing is certain, death. Well in Jamaican life two things are certain, death and thefts.