The 'Barefoot Bandit'

[Mariness]

Originally Posted by Minggat

I'm sorry. What?

1) People who are in unhealthy situations still have choices. Yes, Some choices can be really tough to make.

2) ...."it didn't matter"... It matters to me. Not only that my personal property is in danger, but that people can look to excuse the sickness, even cheer it.

Conditions exist here one will do anything to escape.
He has.
We've all read about battered wives, for instance, who stayed with the man that eventually killed her and we've asked ourselves " Why didn't she leave?"
This kid may have gone through things so bad that it didn't matter what he had to do to leave. We don't know.

I hope I am misunderstanding this. But is this really 2 men considering this guy to be in any way equivalent to what a battered wife is going through?!

For whatever he may have suffered in the past, I feel for him. Given his young age, and that he doesn't seem to have injured anyone, it would be great if rehabilitation were possible, but as others have noted, that is unlikely. Such is the penal system we have - almost no one gets any help that might actually make a difference.

I suspect the "folk hero" followers are the same as people admiring Bonnie &
Clyde, or Butch & Sundance, Jesse James (the original one), etc. Cruisers look to escape the bounds and boredom of many peoples' lives - and actually have the chance to do it without law-breaking; for non-cruisers with no viable "escape plan", someone like this appears to have broken those boundaries, so they admire that aspect of his life even while they would agree that his choices were wrong.

[Minggat]

Originally Posted by Mariness

I hope I am misunderstanding this. But is this really 2 men considering this guy to be in any way equivalent to what a battered wife is going through?!

For whatever he may have suffered in the past, I feel for him. Given his young age, and that he doesn't seem to have injured anyone,...

Mariness,

I confirm your misunderstanding, at least for my part. No, this guy is in no way equivalent to a battered wife. And I apologize for anything I said to allude to the idea that he was, although I don't see it in my post.

However,

"he doesn't seem to have injured anyone" really is a part of the problem. Just because there were no bodily injuries does not mean there were no injuries.

I work hard to accumulate enought money to buy what I want or need. If you steal it, you injure me. You have robbed me of that part of my life I sacrificed for it. And even if you don't get mine, insurance companies will find a way to punish me for the "innocent" crime. Be it raise rates, or refusing to insure for whatever their justification. Insurance companies don't make it OK. They find a way to win or they die.They don't fix everything. From a certain perspective, you could say that they compound the problem.

[GordMay]

➥ Camano Islanders Vent Frustration Over Colton Harris Moore...in Song - Seattle News - The Daily Weekly

The South End String Band sing about Colton-Moore:

You all probably heard about the wild child we have on the south end, some 15 year old kid who broke into our houses, stole our laptops and credit cards and sense of security...

Colton-Moore was a lad who turned out bad
He robbed the Tyee Store
He lived in our sheds and he slept in our beds
And they say he was rotten to the core

Well, Colton had a mom who claimed he was wronged
By all our society's neglect
She sez it's not her fault when he robs your personal vault
If it gives her boy back his self respect.

Oh Colton had a friend who got caught in the end
Those boys were steadfast and true
They knew who was gone by their unmowed lawn
And their legend rapidly grew.

It was on a Friday night when the moon was shinin bright
That he robbed the Tyee Store
And folks from miles about they all said without a doubt
It was done by that boy Colton-Moore

Well they caught Colton Moore just south of Elger Store
They sent him to Re-form School
And the folks there we know they just simply let him go
Made all of us look like stupid fools

So Colton's back here now, he's workin on the prowl
Scarin all the whole South End
And everywhere you go people just have to know
His mom says you ought to be his friend.

Colton Moore look around ... there's a storm comin down
The likes of which you ain't never known
Forget the movie rights and the fame and the lights
They're gonna put you underneath a stone

You might think it's fate .... But it's still not too late
To turn this trainwreck around
All you done so far .... Is steal some planes and a car
Don't end it six feet down in the ground

[sww914]

I'm saying we don't know.
Would you steal to protect your own life?
You don't know unless you've been there.
Would you steal food to feed your children?
Many would say yes. Some will say no.
If somebody killed a family member of yours, what would you do?
You don't know.
What if somebody put your spouse in a wheelchair and laughed when he did it? What would you do, would you kill him?
If somebody molested your kid, what would you do? If the authorities did nothing?
You don't know what you would do.
I'm saying that there are such extreme circumstances that you don't know what you would do to protect yourself, your family.

I have faced 2 of those, I am surprised at what I actually did. I DID NOT do anything illegal.
I thought I knew what I would do but I didn't.

[Minggat]

Originally Posted by sww914

I'm saying we don't know.
Would you steal to protect your own life?
You don't know unless you've been there.
Would you steal food to feed your children?
Many would say yes. Some will say no.
If somebody killed a family member of yours, what would you do?
You don't know.
What if somebody put your spouse in a wheelchair and laughed when he did it? What would you do, would you kill him?
If somebody molested your kid, what would you do? If the authorities did nothing?
You don't know what you would do.
I'm saying that there are such extreme circumstances that you don't know what you would do to protect yourself, your family.

I have faced 2 of those, I am surprised at what I actually did. I DID NOT do anything illegal.
I thought I knew what I would do but I didn't.

I get it.

"Judge not that ye be not judged"

Your point is not lost on me. There's a balance thing we thinking animals are burdened with.

We've all had to deal with some of that. It sounds like you may have had to deal with more than your fair share. But things can get out of balance here.

He wasn't a battered wife. His life was not in danger when he escaped from the halfway house. And stealing to protect his life? No children to feed. Not even himself to feed. No spouse to possibly wind up in a wheelchair due to some other injustice perpetrated by others..........no kids to molest...

"I'm saying that there are such extreme circumstances that you don't know what you would do to protect yourself, your family."

HUH? This is what we need protection FROM. He was creating the extreme circumstances.

I've been violated. Taken down to my own ground zero. Yes, there was more room to fall. But I won't be somebodys victim if I can help it.

This guy was not stealing to survive. He was stealing to support some kind of sick lifestyle he felt he deserved, at anyones expense.

Sorry. Sick minds are too often excused as "it's not their fault".
/////////////
2 twin sisters. One alcoholic. One tea totaler.

Question to #1- "Why do you think you became an alcholic?"
Response- "What do you expect? Both my parents were alcoholics"

Question to #2 "Why do you think you became a tea totaler?"
Response- "What do you expect? Both my parents were alcoholics"

I failed my drivers test one time because I didn't know legal blood alcohol limits. I still don't. (I later passed because I guessed it was the minimum on a multipal choice questtion) I'm a tea totaler. Always have been- (so don't think "in recovery").

What a huge injustice. I'm gonna go postal over that one. Can I count on you to support me in my "it's not my fault" defense?

(do they still say "postal" these days)

Apologies for the rant. I'm guess that we are good friends that have not met yet.

[ConradG]

hmm lets see, three for three planes crashed...not quite an idol there. (although some say any landing you can walk away from is a good one)
Stole two boats and ran aground both times...getting caught the second time.
Where's the hero in all of this?
The guy seems to mess up everything he tries....

[mbianka]

Just like I predicted the barefoot bandit is not going to be spending any more time in a Bahamas jail. He pleaded guilty to a minor charge of crashing a plane in the Bahamas. Then our wonderful State Department used U.S taxpayer dollars to pay his fine $300 so they could extridite him back to the nice air conditioned U.S. jail to face "justice" ASAP. Oh and guess what else? His mom has now hired an entertainment lawyer. Hello suckers!

[stevensc]

I think he really thought of himself as a folk hero, he posted his smug face all over the internet, I had to laugh when I saw him crouched over trying to hide as the Bahamas police leading him around.
I hope he does a good bit of time inside. He was carrying a handgun maybe he might have used if he had come across someone in one of the houses or boats he robbed
Suppose one of those planes he stole had crashed into a school and burned up abunch of kids.
I see books and movies making him and his mom rich in the future, I don't guess his victims will see any of the profits.
Steve

[zeehag]

next there will be a movie about him. then a comic book.....

[slomotion]

Originally Posted by mbianka

Just like I predicted the barefoot bandit is not going to be spending any more time in a Bahamas jail. He pleaded guilty to a minor charge of crashing a plane in the Bahamas. Then our wonderful State Department used U.S taxpayer dollars to pay his fine $300 so they could extridite him back to the nice air conditioned U.S. jail to face "justice" ASAP. Oh and guess what else? His mom has now hired an entertainment lawyer. Hello suckers!

I hadn't heard this. The Bahamas didn't charge him with stealing a U.S. citizen's boat? Not to mention fleeing police and getting its engines shot up?

Hmmm. Maybe it's time for a web page seeking donations for his solo circumnaviagtion. He wouldn't need that much because he could just steal the boat in the Bahamas.

[Minggat]

A couple of weeks ago, I post my rant (above).

Today I read this.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/us...er=rss&emc=rss

I'm posting today to say that I'm a little shy about being so strong worded. I can't really say that I retract my words, but I will say that I'm glad I am not the one to be the final judge for this kids life. By that I mean, too many contributing factors to wade thru.

While the examples of stealing food to feed his children, or molesting his children obviously didn't fit him, clearly he had some seriously difficult obstacles. When I read the part about his mother beating his 4 year old head, and the perscribed drugs, I was reminded of my less than compassionate words.

Again, I am not saying he should be excused. We all get to make some choices. But clearly there is an ugly taint on his thought processes. His mom sounds like she was not a healthy choice maker herself, and quite toxic to her son.

I just am too ignorant to take this much further.

My apologies to anyone who had wish I would have shut up earlier.