Of course the thieves are scumbags, that goes without saying. However, we live in a world full of thieves, so it’s just not wise to leave things of value out in the open where they can see them and decide to try and take them. Just because people are pointing that out doesn’t mean anyone excuses the thieves.
Of course, but as my posts mentioned previously, it is not something that is in any way easy to remove and the odds of a theft was minuscule (unmolested for 25-yrs).
At some point common sense must intrude and ask, “Is it reasonable to assume this massively heavy chunk of iron, welded into place will likely be stolen?”
Answer, “Not bloody likely due to its weight and the fact it was welded in place as well as the fact it was unmolested for the past 25-yrs in a gated, safe rural community with no real history of crime.”
It would have been easier to break into a home and steal.