Is Colton Harris Moore A.K.A. the Barefoot Bandit Merely A Criminal With A Bad Taste Of Fashion?

Reader: "Quit glorifying criminals. Stop writing about them. Otherwise, the mess you are creating will result in anarchy."

Legal Pub: Sorry, it is what we do. Why is it that the world is so obsessed with a 19 year old criminal anyway? Tons of juvenile centers, courtrooms and jails are littered with their shackled legs which don only jail house slippers. So why is Colton Harris-Moore any different than any other criminal with poor taste in footwear? Barefoot Bandit.Moore. Is it because this juvenile delinquent is claimed by America as one of its own modern day Jesse James? Colton has already pleaded guilty to a minor minor offense in the Bahamas. (Illegally entering the country.) Now he has been deported to the U.S. for probable prosecution relating to several break-ins and plane thefts across the our great nation.

The Bahamas arrest ended what is believed to be a two-year crime spree. Colton was arrested after a high speed boat chase reminiscent of a James Bond film. Yet actual charges arising out of Colton crashing an apparently stolen air plane on Great Abaco Island only subjected him to a $300 fine or three months in jail. Monique Gomez represented Harris Moore and the U.S. Embassy apparently paid the fine. Then the U.S. Marshall's office gave him a free trip back to the states.

In court, Harris-Moore's sense of fashion was apparent as he donned white sneakers without any laces. As spectators gathered outside of the court room, Harris Moore's status officially grew to that of "celebrity suspect." The "Barefoot Bandit" had become notorious by allegedly committing numerous crimes while shoeless. But as his reputation grew, so apparently did his ego. In February, the young man allegedly drew chalk-outlined feet on the floor of a grocery store during a burglary in San Juan Islands. A signature to a crime or just a charitable gift to the prosecution to spare the expense of DNA testing?

Harris-Moore appears to be no choir boy. He may be a suspect in as many as 70 property crimes across eight states and British Columbia. He is even accused of stealing a plane from an Indiana airport and flying it all the way to the Bahamas. He developed a reputation of dodging police with an efficiency not seen since the" artful dodger" of English folk lore. The teens mother may soon be represented by O. Yale Lewis, a Seattle lawyer. Lewis could potentially help her profit from her son's misadventure. But at this point, one can only speculate about possible book and movie deals.

So let's use our imagination, does the story begin with the protagonist walking away from a halfway house south of Seattle or does it go begin even further when as a young child he was allegedly wrongly accused of stealing by authorities? Does Colton's difficult upbringing capture the sympathy of the audience? Are unsympathetic school officials made out to be the real culprits for not taking the time to understand Harris-Moore's plight?

Or is this poor lad a victim of child abuse or neglect? Or is his father to blame for leaving the household when Harris-Moore was just a toddler? Or could it be that modern medicine is the real culprit because it failed to save his stepfather who died when Colton was only seven? No matter how cute he may be, no matter how much sympathy and celebrity status he is able to generate, its doubtful that the "barefoot bandit" will avoid conviction on all of the potential charges arising out of alleged crimes in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa. So enjoy your moment of fame, you will likely find it very fleeting if you have to spend much time in jail.

Is Goran Lindberg An Example Of Why A Gal Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover? ~by Helen

Just who can a girl trust these days? Goran Lindberg seemed like a trustworthy fellow. He looked good in his blue uniform and had a steady job as a police chief in a large city in Sweden. He openly promoted equality among the sexes. He even gave lectures on prevention of sexual harassment and promotion of respect among the genders. Now this same former police chief is on trial concerning charges that claim he chained and sexually assaulted teenage girls. Lindberg denies all the charges except for eight counts of buying sex. Yet, he faces 23 counts.
Perhaps the most outrageous allegations is that one of the alleged victims was only 14 years old.

How could a respected man fall so low? Lindberg was formerly the police chief in Uppsala, the fourth largest city in Sweden. Lindberg was a decorated speaker on sexual equality and sexual harassment. Was he speaking from experience or did his speaking enhance his experience? His lawyer, Karl Harling, denies that his client has committed any crime. And of course, Legal Pub compels me to write that "Lindberg, like any suspect, is presumed innocent unless otherwise proven in a court of law." But I sure as heck would not want to be his lawyer. While the victims names are shielded from the press, they are likely to give compelling testimony for the prosecution. Furthermore, these witnesses will likely have the aid of powerful visual aids. The prosecution evidence allegedly includes a bag belonging to Lindberg that contained handcuffs, leashes and sex toys.

So just who can a girl trust? Well, the first lesson to teach your daughters is "don't judge a book by its cover." Just because the man looks good in a blue suit does not mean his intentions are pure. And if we assume that men did indeed evolve from the ape, just what makes anyone think that the male leopard can ever truly change his spots?

Mel Gibson Gives Drunks A Bad Name

Has "Mad Max" (Mel Gibson) finally flipped? His latest alleged taped conversation with his girl friend is inexcusable. While View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg defended Mel Gibson and claims that he is not a racist, the audio tape simply is not excusable. Goldberg said, “You can say he’s being a bonehead, but I can’t sit and say that he’s a racist, having spent time with him in my house with my kids. I can’t say it."

Well, perhaps Whoopi can't say it, but we can. In this day and age it is inexcusably ignorant to use racially derogatory names. Previously Gibson disparaged Jews during his drunken maledictions during his Malibu DUI arrest. While drunks may say stupid things, being drunk is not an excuse to be an idiot. Drunks all over the world are likely insulted that Gibson is included in their ranks.

Update 7-22-10: If Gibson's girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, threatened to release the tapes unless Gibson abided by "their agreement," then Oksana may have committed extortion under California law. Police are apparently looking into whether a possible crime has been committed. This in no way constitutes an excuse for Gibson's racially derogatory comments or anyone's attempt to make excuses for Gibson's behavior.

Does Mark Fogarty's Treatment of Angela Driver Make Bill Maher Look Like A Genius?

Bill Maher comes across as being a fruit. He entertains the masses with pro-atheism remarks that humorously point out that religion may be at the root of a great deal of the world's obsession with violence and war. LINK: Religiosity. Of course it's funny until one hears about a fanatical terrorist or a Pastor like Mark Fogarty. Then, Maher starts to look like a genius. Mark Fogarty is a Georgia pastor who singled out a woman in his congregation and made remarks that to some insinuated that she had "committed some form of fornication." Well apparently, Angela Driver, the target of the remarks, had not been engaging in such conduct. In fact, she filed a suit claiming that she had been slandered. She hypothesized that the real reason she was targeted was because Fogarty did not like the way she dressed and thought she was not submissive enough.

A jury apparently agreed with Ms. Driver. A Georgia jury ruled that Pastor Fogarty is libel for more than $500,000 in damages and attorney fees. While Fogarty may try to appeal, the message is clear. It doesn't matter if you profess yourself to be a member of the cloth or not, you simply can't slander another person with false or grossly misleading statements. It doesn't matter that one's intentions may be to save many souls. Hurting one for the benefit of many others is not the way things should be done in America. After all, as Bill Maher says, shouldn't those who profess to be Christians act like Christians? A few more "preachers in the news" and Maher may be elevated to genius status. For more information on the lawsuit please read: Macon Telegraph

Update 9-8-10: A rather comprehensive presentation of the allegations may be found at: http://www.spiritualabuse.org/experiences/lawsuits/mark_fogarty.html