It Is Almost Freezing In Texas On The 3rd Saturday Of December While I Ponder The Barefoot Bandit & Japanese Tsunami Flotsam

It appears, looking at the outer world, via my primary viewing portal, that, even though it is currently one degree above freezing at my location, that frost is between me and a clear view of the dawn of the third Saturday of the last month of 2011, Day 17.

One week til Christmas Eve.

Two weeks til New Year's Eve.

Two weeks and one day til the New Year of 2012.

This morning I was bugged to read that up in Washington the Barefoot Bandit, Colton Harris-Moore, was sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to dozens of charges in the State of Washington. Colton faces additional federal charges and additional time, to be served concurrently, at a later sentencing.

The Barefoot Bandit is only 20 years old. He was a teenager when he was doing his banditting.

The Judge in Colton's sentencing, Vickie Churchill, said, "this case is a tragedy in many ways, but it's a triumph of the human spirit in other ways." She described Harris-Moore's upbringing as a "mind numbing absence of hope," and believed he was genuinely remorseful and contrite.

The Barefoot Bandit has said he plans to make restitution using the money coming his way for book and movie rights. He is banned from using such money for himself.

I know of at least one criminal in Washington who stole hundreds of thousands of dollars, made no restitution, plead guilty and did only 3 days jail time and six months house arrest and did not pay any of the court ordered restitution. And this was a 40 something woman committing this crime. The only lasting debt paid to society by this particular criminal is the idiot is banned from voting due to being a convicted felon.

Methinks all would be better served if the Barefoot Bandit was put in college, with close supervision. This is obviously a very smart kid. He taught himself to fly a plane. Flying a plane is not easy.

In other Washington news of the sort that is not possible to happen in Texas.

Flotsam is washing ashore on the Washington Pacific Coast from the Japanese Tsunami. Beachcombers are finding all sorts of interesting things, including giant fishnet floats.

Beach combing is a fun thing to do. I can't remember the last time I did any beach combing in Texas.

A Blue Texas Monday With A Captured Barefoot Bandit

As you can see, from the view from my patio, it is a very blue Monday, currently, at my location in Texas, this second Monday of July.

I was dead tired real early Sunday. So, I went to bed before the sun did. And then got out of bed, this morning, before the sun did. Well, more accurately, I got up about the same time the sun did.

I have a lot of blogging fodder that should provide me some entertainment today. I hope.

Washington's notorious Barefoot Bandit, Colton-Harris Moore, was finally caught. Somehow managing to steal a plane in Indiana and fly it all the way to the Bahamas, where, eventually he was recognized, police called, with his capture after a high speed boat chase. When caught and arrested, Colton was still barefoot.

I did not know the Barefoot Bandit had been captured til Betty Jo Bouvier told me, suggesting it might be good blogging material. I'll get around to that later on my Washington blog.

But, before that, I believe it is time for my extremely salubrious early morning swim. You are welcome to join me. Monday's are clothing optional.

The Police Can't Catch Washington's Barefoot Burglar The New Jesse James

July 12 Barefoot Bandit UPDATE: Colton-Harris Moore has been arrested in the Bahamas.

My old home state of Washington has long had a history of spawning notorious criminals. D.B. Cooper and Ted Bundy come to mind.

The latest notorious Washington criminal has become a bit of a folk hero to some in the northwest, due to his long run at avoiding arrest.

He is known as the "Barefoot Burglar" due to being spotted a time or two running away barefoot. The Barefoot Burglar is Colton Harris-Moore, often called Colt when he's not called the Barefoot Burglar.

In 2005, or thereabouts, Colt dropped out of high school and started his burglary career by breaking into homes on Camano Island. Camano Island is in the Puget Sound about 45 miles north of Seattle, 20 miles south of where I used to live in Mount Vernon. I know someone who lives on Camano Island. I'll have to ask if the Barefoot Burglar burgled her.

Colt's first Camano Island crime spree came to an end in 2007. He plead guilty to 3 counts of burglary. Less than a year later Colt escaped detention.

Soon thefts were being reported on the island again. Colt was spotted in a stolen Mercedes-Benz, but successfully ran into the woods, escaping arrest, to begin a much bigger crime spree that is still going on.

Colt is now wanted by 5 Washington counties.

Colt left Camano Island to go to the San Juan Islands where he broke into a lot of homes, was spotted and chased several times. I have not read how Colt got from one San Juan Island to the other. I doubt he used a ferry, because he'd be easily spotted. His island hopping must have been facilitated by the boats he stole.

Colt got off the islands, back to the mainland, to Bellingham, where he stole another boat and somehow made it from Bellingham to Point Roberts. To you non-Washingtonians, Point Roberts is a peninsula, accessed by land by crossing into Canada and then back in the U.S. at Point Roberts. It is a bit of the mainland that sticks below the 49th parallel, and thus is in America.

Colt has stolen 3 airplanes, landing one in Idaho, then stealing another, a Cesna 182, flying it back west, over the Cascade Mountains, running out of fuel, then crash landing near Granite Falls and then running into the woods. Granite Falls is nestled up against the Cascade foothills. I would think it'd be a difficult place to crash land.

On Sunday there was a burglary report in the Granite Falls area. Deputies searched the woods. A shot was fired. A SWAT team was called in. A Blackhawk helicopter was brought in by Homeland Security to aid another helicopter which had an infrared detection scanner.

Yet still, Colt runs free.

Three guys, Zack, Will and Jordan have set up a Colton-Harris Fan Club site on Facebook. Facebook took it down for awhile. It's now back up. Currently the Facebook Fan Club has 4,846 members. There are 3 discussion groups on the Fan Club, "Crimes against the rich don't count," "Tales of the Barefoot Burglar" and "What you NEED to know about Colton Harris-Moore."

The Colton-Harris Fan Club site describes itself with the following...

Colton Harris-Moore is Western Washington's new Jesse James (without the murders). Without a doubt one of the greatest and most notable outlaws to come from an otherwise boring area. Some of his greatest achievements include the Kamikaze theft and crash landing of 3 airplanes (with no flight training) as well as commandeering a couple boats. Let's hope that he remains healthy, free and at large for a long time! Fly Colton, Fly!

When Colton is finally caught I suppose he can pay for all the damage he's done by selling the movie rights to his story.