NEW HERO FOR THE KIDS

Oh wow -- teenagers, and we TV watchers have a brilliant super bandit --a double, triple cool guy -- with a hundred robberies under his belt in and around Camano Island (near Seattle), where he lives.

Young --just 18-years-old -- he stole cars for awhile, now it's speed-boats, and aircraft. He flies around without a license, crash-lands the plane, and escapes unhurt.

Good-looking, six-foot-five-inches tall, dimpled chin, quick, marvelously sharp eyes, Colton Harris-Moore goes for it -- whatever he sees and wants -- a bath in someone's a sunken tub, food from someone's fridge, jewelry, fun knickknacks from the rich, or from plain, average folks. He's defnitely not a Robin Hood.

Apparently, he just does whatever he's in the mood to do. He doesn't seem to care about what's right, or wrong, or worry about being caught.

You have to admire a guy like that -- no wonder he's got 8000 fans in his fan club on Facebook. No wonder his mother says she's proud of him. "I hope to hell he stole those planes. I'd be so proud. But next time, I want him to wear a parachute."

So where is Colton Harris-Moore?

Police found a stolen Mercedes-Benz on Camano Island, with a camera, and a photo that Harris-Moore had snapped of himself. They have his DNA -- Harris-Moore police a note saying: "Cops wanna play huh? Well its no lil game. It's war! "

Then, he proceeded to steal an assault rifle from a deputy, a neighbor on Camano Island. The deputy said, "Unless he's stopped, chances are he'll end up a career criminal — or dead."

That, of course, has added to his legend. He's already known as "The Barefoot Burglar" because he kicked off his shoes when deputies were chasing him. A young, tattooed waitress says she saw a tall young man sprinting down the street, last month. "He was barefoot, and he was laughing. I wanted it so much to be Colton."

Just last weekend, blankets, shoes and food were found -- stolen stuff from a home near the site where a stolen Cessna crash-landed north of Seattle, near Colton's home. When police were looking for him, a shot was fired at them from the woods -- the shooter got away.

It's a serious problem. The police don't have the manpower to mount an all-out hunt. While residents wonder why they can't find a teenager in the confines of a not large island, a Seattle man's selling T-shirts bearing Colton's picture and the words "Momma Tried."

Island County Sheriff Mark Brown, whose office has dealt with Harris-Moore since he was 11, blew up at a "Today" show producer who mentioned a possible made-for-Hollywood story. "He is an adult felon!" Brown said. "I will not have him made into some kind of folk hero."

Colton's mother hopes her son makes his way to a country that won't extradite him. She said she talks to him on the phone, but she won't let on if she knows where he is. "I figure I'll spend my time with him in a positive way," she said, "because who knows if he'll be shot tomorrow?"

Whew -- this guy is a hero, that kids want to emulate?

Well, who are kids going to admire these days? Grungy, sexy rock stars, pelvis dancing, screaming into their mikes? Sports heroes? They've got Derek Jeter, but he's kind of old. And we keep hearing about baseball, basketball, hockey stars, more and more of them into steroids, weed, wild women, wild behavior.

So what thrills the young, younger generation? Colton breaking the law, that's for sure! Colton doing whatever he wants to do -- with no supervision, no rules.

Is it because kids, like us adults, are constantly seeing and hearing about lying, immorality, no sense of right and wrong, in many of the men and women who are running the country?

What can I do? How can I promote the old adage --do unto others as you would have them do unto you?

Should I point with my forefinger -- that's good -- that's bad -- that's right, that's wrong. Should I try to sneak the adage into a conversation with friends, strangers -- techies, delivery guys?

Well ... if I can't say it, maybe I can think it ten times a day -- strong thoughts can be ESP-contagious.