The notion that crimes against property are insignificant is obscene. People give up their lives, in the sweat of their brows or the work of their minds, to produce the income that they use to buy their personal property. If you steal someone's property, you are stealing his life, bit by bit. The right to property is a basic natural right. Those who disparage such a right are usually those incapable of offering anything of value to society themselves. They are incapable of earning a wage. Their lives are, in an economic sense, worthless, because they have nothing of worth to offer others. Therefore, they see the fruits of others' labors as essentially worthless - it's all free for the taking. Such a mentality is dangerous to civilization because it makes those who engage in useful activities the prey of those who don't. Anyone who lauds this lawless looter declares, by his own worship of the thief, that he is at heart a thief himself; he merely lacks the initiative to live the philosophy he expounds. Predation becomes the ultimate virtue. So now these people have a hero!

Colton Harris-Moore: Leader of the slacker class. Lord of the incompetent non-producers. King of parasites.

I've been following this story for a while. I have to admit I'm one of those 60,000 "fans" on facebook. Don't worry, I don't idolize him or think he's a hero, but I have to admit I love his story. Lets see if I can explain myself...

He's not Robin Hood, but Bonnie and Clyde.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnie_and_Clyde

Those two stole way more and they even killed people. They were not the kind of folks you want your kids to grow up to be like, but to this day people remember their names because they were outlaws.

People are attracted to outlaws. I think its because modern life is so stable and so regulated that we all sometimes wonder what it would be like to live outside that system, living a life of chaos and anarchy. You spend enough time in a cubicle filling out TPS reports (or in a school desk being to what to do by a teacher) people romanticize those who rebel against the system and live outside it, regardless of the consequences. Is it immature? Of course it is, but its the same reason people like movies and TV shows about "good" criminals on the run like "Thelma & Louise" or "Firefly".

But he was more than just another outlaw, he was a survivalist. The guy lived in the woods for what, two years? Surviving on only what he could hunt, gather and steal? How many of us could honestly say we could do that? Very few.

What did he do when the heat got turned up? He didn't do something simple like steal a car or get a bus ticket, he STOLE A PLANE AND FLEW TO THE BAHAMAS. That's insane! It's like something out of a movie, but its 100% real.

People like this because its a good story. The people who idolize him are idiots, but you have to admit its a good story.

I think people, including myself, compare him to other thieves, especially the white collar variety and admire his resourcefulness. What he has done is reprehensible but I tend to compare him to other criminals and unlike those other criminals he has skills and imagination, not just greed. So he's bad but not as bad as the others.

Talk about striking a nerve, Colton Harris did most of his damage where my folks live, the south end of Camano Island. He had the whole Island in an uproar since you never knew if he was going to be in your house when you came home. Jon Sayer talks about being a survivalist living in the woods for two years. That is a Colton Harris myth. He spent almost all his time living in summer homes, he would break into one, stay there until the owners arrived, then move onto another home. As for Bonnie and Clyde, those were two small time thugs who couldn’t pour water out of a boot if the instructions were written on the heel. They looked for small towns to terrorize where they could kill a couple of people and get away with it. Much of what was stated by Jon Sayer was from the movie, I read the Wiki link and facts are not too abundant there. Again, they seem to be based on the movie.

Colton Harris is a bully and a thug who has manufactured with the help of his mother, a web of lies and deceit to make himself something he isn’t. To elevate him to folk hero status uses the same logic that others use for Osama bin Laden. To already have a book deal in the works speaks volumes as to the type of people he and his mother are. He is just a petty thief and thug who needs to spend some time in the big house where he will be knocked down to size. He spent many years terrorizing people the same way bin Laden has, not necessarily on the same scale but with the same tactics and the same result.

The byline says Knute Berger, but are you sure Lou Guzzo didn't write this piece?

Not sure what the big deal is either way. Does the national focus on this story offend some sort of Seattle Chamber-like "wish we were a world class city, hope people don't make fun of us" notion growing inside you Knute? That would be a little ironic.

I think Knute gets it. He just doesn't agree with it.

I feel the same way about Mike McGinn.

You didn't see this coming? The Barefoot Bandit is a product of the recession. At a time when we are all taking a beating from economic conditions that are out of our control there is one guy that has figured out how to beat the system. Did you notice the John Dillinger that came out recently? That was 90 years ago and they are still making movies about it. Colton Harris-Moore is the John Dillinger of our time, like it or not.

Beat the system? As I comment, Harris-Moore has just appeared before a judge in the Bahamas. By the end of the week, he is likely to be back in Washington, facing a multitude of state charges and at least one federal charge. How exactly did he beat the system?

As for Dillinger, that movie was mildly entertaining. I'll bet, though, that for better or for worse, most people had forgotten about him until it came out. And if they're still making movies in 2100, I doubt any will be about the Barefoot Bandit.

Thanks Knute for the link in your piece to the Weekly's Nov. 2009 write-up on HM's troubled past. The context is useful.

Is it surprising that anyone with a childhood as rough as his was (abusive/dysfunctional parents) would end up in trouble with the law, or addicted to drugs, or going on to hurt others? Not to me. At least it sounds like he managed to avoid addiction and violence himself -- a minor miracle. It doesn't excuse his crimes, but it makes me sympathetic to the human side of this titillating, but truly sad, story.

Colton Hariss-Moore - the bear cub who brought down along the American Economy, along with Black Americans....

Mr. Berger sums it up very well. Rather than his comnments being charicteristic of "Seattle style" as some have remarked, I'd say the remarks from the faux-hipster excuse makers for the little a-hole are more in keeping with the tenor of the times around here. I'd like to point out that this little (big, actually...he's 6" 5"!) creep was carrying a gun during many of his "escapades" (aka "crimes") and I have no doubt he would have used it if he thought it necessary. And whoever posted the comment that the guy is worthy of some sort of respect because his crimes were more "creative" than those of the big-time corporate thieves...well, that's just silly. A pox on him AND on the big guys, too.

OK Knute, I have finally followed you all the way to Crosscut, and it was the Bandit who led me here...
If half of what his biography on wikipedia reads is true, then we should be glad he is just a squatter & thief and not a serial killer. I think society pushes people out & then they have to deal with it in their own way. It sounds to me like he was very lonely...
Also, it is fascinating to me in an age of constant connectivity, all this kid wanted was to get away- and more so that he was able to do it! Had he used a cell phone or car for very long, he would have been located by GPS. He learned to fly a plane with just then manual & then flew one all the way to the Bahamas from Indiana. How many people could do that?
I don't condone crime, but I also don't condone marginalising people. This guy deserves a chance to put his mind to good use.
I want to get away too. Viva Barefoot.

I used to watch Breaking Vegas on the History Channel, which profiles various people who have found ways to take advantage of the system in the casinos. They usually get caught, of course--otherwise there wouldn't likely be a show on it. Some of the schemes are legal, most are illegal. I found the show quite fascinating and perhaps for the same reason.

Putting aside the moral questions for the moment, it really does get to the Office Space / Fight Club fantasy that can strike such a chord in our society. It's the appeal of the exotic, that if only we had the courage, we really can strike out and live an exciting life, free of TPS reports, the hopeless job search, an uninspiring spouse, taxes, and the pesky rules of polite society.

When the bandit gets arrested, though, then reality sets in. It turns out that you can't just go ahead and live that way without consequences. That's disappointing. Oh well; back to the TPS reports.

Incidentally, my favorite historical figure has long been Teddy Roosevelt. Not just because of his politics, but because of his energy and courage to strike out on the Dakota Badlands, the San Juan Hills, the African savannas, and the Amazon. It was all legal, too.

Thanks Knute for taking the time to say your piece for the rest of us nobodies. While other journalists play adventure writer, sidewalk philosopher, psycho sympathizer and love-that-jerk man baby, you alone call a spade a spade. How would any of these giving applause feel if their house was robbed, their favorite stuff stolen, their trust broken. Anyway, thanks for showing your colors. Thanks for not wasting our precious time with boring, bullshit reporting.

Thank you all for the continued discussion on BB.
Does Colton bring to mind Holden Caulfield for anyone else? A less fortunate and more modern HC to be sure, but something about the alone-ness and inability to stay in society... maybe. Anyone care to remark on this?