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

B.P. Oil Spill Should Lead To Compensation But Not Necessarily Punishment Unless... ~by Legal Pub

Reader: What affect will the B.P. oil leakage cause on ligation?

Legal Pub: Making sense of the B.P. oil spill as well as its affect on litigation is difficult to do. We certainly know that suits have or will be filed concerning injury to people resulting from the initial explosion. But of greater interest may be the litigation from bystanders and business affected by the pollution.

Reader: Have you learned of any interesting cases?

Legal Pub: Well, one in particular stands out to me. Susan Spicer, a New Orleans author and chef has sued B.P. Susan is known for her cooking of seafood from the Gulf. Her suit appears to involve a class action against B.P. for depriving chefs of their normal seafood supplies. Reuters.

Lets rightfully give Susan some free publicity. She runs Bayona, an excellent French Quarter restaurant that serves local fish and shellfish. Spicer's lawyer apparently claims that the pollution from the oil spill will cause the restaurant to lose customers "because of lower tourism and convention business, contamination fears and significantly higher prices." Quite frankly, it is hard to argue to the contrary. It is hard to imagine how the chain of delivery from the initial fisherman, oyster grower or shrimper to the ultimate consumer has not been harmed. Thus it is easy to understand how a local business will be harmed.

BP does not generally comment on litigation, but Legal Pub can. The oil spill in the gulf is a huge disaster, the magnitude of which is hard to comprehend. It is perhaps one of the greatest environmental incidents in our country's history. The total damage will be astronomical. Federal and local response has been largely ineffective. Perhaps not from any fault, but merely because of the magnitude of the disaster. It is easy to point the finger at B.P. and even politicians. In hind sight, it appears that there is more that could have been done to reduce the likelihood of a disaster of such huge magnitude. But at this point, there is nothing that can be done to put the genie back in the bottle.

B.P owes a duty to those effected by the spill to stop it as soon as practical and to pay for the damages. This requires B.P. to compensate the victims who prove their damages. But taking out our collective anger in the form of punishment, as oppose to just compensation, will likely lead to corporate shell games where future drillers and operators are under capitalized. When this happens, future victims are less likely to be adequately compensated and bankruptcy will become the expected response to claims for liability. Furthermore, before juries rush to punish, keep in mind that we are all to blame. We love our gasoline operated motor vehicles and our plastic products. Did we not stop to think of the potential costs to our ecosystem of our lavish life styles? Did we really think a leak could not happen? What cleaner more environmentally friendly forms of energy have each of us personally pursued?

It's easy to play the blame game. But the truth is that this is not a Democrat or a Republic issue. This is an American problem which we all need to take some responsibility for ourselves. We can ask no less of ourselves than we do of our children or our corporations. Compensation? Yes. Punishment? Not before each juror looks at the person in the mirror and says what they did before this incident to reduce our nations dependency on oil.

Reader: Well there goes your chance of ever being appointed by this administration.

7-15-10 Update: Quite simply, it continues to get harder to sympathize with B.P. In the latest scandal, there are allegations that a trade for a terrorist was made in exchange for commercial considerations. BP has confirmed that it had lobbied the British government in late 2007 over a prisoner transfer agreement with Libya. This resulted in the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset Al-Megrahi. B.P. admits that it voiced concerns that the slow pace of negotiations risked impacting an offshore drilling deal with Moammar Gadhafi's North African country.

Abdel baset Al-Mohmet al-Megrahi was convicted in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am airliner over Lockerbie. He was released from a Scottish prison jail last August because a doctor said he was dying of cancer." But in reality, B.P. had told the U.K. government that the slow progress that was being made in reaching a prisoner transfer agreement with Libya might jeopardize off shore drilling. In sum, unbelievable!

8-19-10 Update: Here is a Texas lawsuit where a woman is blaming B.P. for the death of her son. http://www.galvnews.com/story/169994

Armondo Cano Creates Chaos On I-80 While Brendan Cross Enters The Political Arena Just As He Came Into This World?

People are crazy! ( Listen: People Are Crazy by Billy Currington). Armondo Cano of Moroni, Utah appears to be such a person. Armondo caused chaos on Interstate 80 in Wyoming after he struck several cars and fired a handgun. Three people were slightly injured. The Denver Post. Apparently, a white car driven by Armondo was swerving across eastbound lanes of I-80. The car stopped and Armondo was allegedly running around on the highway with no clothes on.

Armondo had a scuffle with another man. Then Armondo allegedly got back into his car and drove off. Approximately 17 miles later, Armondo allegedly rammed another eastbound vehicle. Casper Star Tribune. Armondo then allegedly tried to get in the other vehicle. Another woman stopped her car and Armondo apparently jumped into the passenger seat of her car. The woman fled and Armondo apparently picked up a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun that was in the car. Armondo allegedly fired the gun several times, got back into his own car and pursued the couple he had hit. Armondo apparently caught up with the coupe again and hit their car a second time. At some point, Armondo stopped his car, got out and laid down in the middle of the highway. This caused vehicles to have to swerve to miss the naked Armondo. At some point, Armondo allegedly tried to break the window of a truck. When police arrived, they wrestled Armondo to the ground with the help of some bystanders.

Cano sustained minor injuries. (Road rash from being wrestled to the ground?) A truck driver had a cut. The female owner of the handgun was taken to a hospital for shortness of breath. Fortunately, no one was hurt too bad. Armondo's motive for the alleged madness is currently unknown. Nevertheless, one thing is clear. On this particular day, Armondo Cano seemed to lack the ability to chose proper apparel. Armondo may not be alone in his desire to rebel against the temptation to comply with the latest fashion trend. A recent streaker, Brendan W. Cross, comes to mind. (Cross apparently has a history of exhibitionism.) Cross recently ran naked down the streets of Regina and then streaked into city hall just as he came into this world, naked. Cross, 34, went to the mayor's office where he was subdued by two bylaw officers and a commissionaire. http://www.vancouversun.com/news/.

Cross apparently shares Armondo's sense of fashion, as Cross was allegedly only wearing a pair of glasses and a huge smile.

The 26 year-old Armondo Cano is to be presumed innocent of all charges and allegations until otherwise proven in a court of law.

Pesticides The Latest Excuse For ADHD? ~Helen

ADHD! Is it really a legal issue or is it just an over exaggerated product of the imagination designed to shield bad parents from reality? (Look folks, if raising children was suppose to be easy, it would never have started with something called labor!)
4.5 million U.S. children ages 5 to 17 have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Each year the number of kids that are diagnosed with the disorder has risen 3 percent a year from 1997 and 2006. But no so called scientist can tell us why. The latest culprit is speculated to be pesticides.

According to the Journal of Pediatrics (common bedside material for most moms) researchers studied 1,139 children ranging from 8 to 15. All of the children had measurable residue of pesticides commonly used on fruits and vegetables. (Diet is the major source of pesticide exposure in children.) So much for thinking that blueberries, strawberries and celery were healthy.

In a 2008, detectable concentrations of malathion were found in 28 percent of frozen blueberry samples, 25 percent of fresh strawberry samples and 19 percent of celery samples. The Pediatrics study suggests that for every tenfold increase in the urinary concentration of pesticide residue, there was a 35 percent increase in the chance of ADHD. Since most pesticides leave the body in three to six days, such levels of residue suggest that exposure to pesticides is constant.

Moral of the story, go visit your grandparents and relearn what you were first taught. Wash fresh fruits and vegetables before you eat them. Grow your own garden with your kids help. Hard work is good for both of you. Besides, eating the fruits of your labor is not only rewarding,, it is healthy. Otherwise, just go back to being a douche bag parent and stand in line to fill your children's prescription for Ritalin. (In the 60's , people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Ritalin to make it seem normal.)

For too many, ADHD has become an excuse to be a lazy parent. For others, it is a serious challenge to organization and problem solving. Some of us actually have the disease and struggle to finish a thought. While I had a great finish to this story, it escapes my grasp. Having misplaced my reading glasses, I think I'll go tinker in the garden with my kid instead.