Folk Hero!

People are so taken with novelties. The quirks and peccadilloes, the aberrations, the unusual, the bizarre just take our fancy. Because of the unusual quality of some events, some people as they present to society, are admired, given encouragement, celebrity status; their exploits become a matter of vibrant interest to an otherwise-bored public.

An elderly bank robber? That now, is really unusual. On the other hand, anyone who takes to robbing banks at the presumed age of 70, is simply an elderly version of the same individual who in youth was not averse to committing crimes against society of one kind or another. Most criminals who outlive the habit do so simply because they've become sclerotic; too old and frail to keep up the show.

So perhaps it's a little mind-boggling to see this old gent with his oxygen tank slung over his stooped shoulder, and his plastic breathing apparatus. He's been named the 'Geezer Bandit'; how utterly quaint and amusing. On the other hand, he carries a firearm. Well, this is the United States after all and even grey-haired geezers can carry guns, one supposes.

Throughout the course of an extraordinarily-busy year, eleven bank heists have been attributed to this enterprising, frail old man. He's old, stooped, and obviously is in the throes of a serious medical condition. He's wrinkled and weak in appearance, unsmiling and businesslike in his illicit pursuit of dollars. But he pointedly shoves a gun in tellers' faces, and recommends they co-operate.

The FBI is quite interested in this geezer. Southern California sure breeds them peculiar.