Vegas Sculptor’s Blog

Almost 30 years ago I had the good fortune to receive a phone call from Clayton Moore , the famed Lone Ranger of my youth.

How this phone call came about is a story for another day, but it was something I will never forget. As we talked however, a strange thought came to me. He really thought of himself as The Lone Ranger.

I couldn’t decide if this was funny, strange, or scary. I mean The Lone Ranger was a character he played on TV. Was it weird for him to talk and act like that all the time? Do some people get so wrapped up in the fantasy of acting or writing that they lose themselves?

I’ve heard that Stephen King sleeps with a nightlight on because he’s scared of the dark.  Do his books come from his fears, or do his fears come from his books?

Ever since the Harry Potter series started, J.K. Rowling has been a mega-star. She has been in the news for years and has become one of the richest writers of our times.

Now that the Potter series has run it’s course, you might expect her to fade from the front pages until the next project gets started. But that doesn’t seem to be the case. 

Recently Rowling entertained a large group of youngsters from all over the U.S. at an invitation only reading and book signing at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. The invited guests won the right to attend in a sweepstakes event created by Rowling’s publisher, Scholastic.

She entertained the crowd and signed a book for each attendee. What made the news however, was her statement that one of the main characters from the series, Dumbledore, was gay.

According to an article on the Popwatch blog, the outing of Dumbledore came in response to a question from the crowd. “Responding to a question from a child about Dumbledore’s love life, Rowling hesitated and then revealed, “I always saw Dumbledore as gay.” Filling in a few more details, she said, “Dumbledore fell in love with Grindelwald….”

Now my first response to hearing this news was, “He’s a fictional character! He can’t be gay.” I even thought of a good tee-shirt to celebrate this earthshaking news, “Fictional Gay Guys Suck Imaginary Weenies”.

Of course that’s in bad taste, and as Larry The Cable Guy would say, “Forgive me and be with the pigmy’s down in Africa”. But still, does anybody care if Dumbledore is gay? If it mattered to the story, wouldn’t everyone who read the books know already? If the character’s sexuality didn’t come up in the books, then he doesn’t have a sexual preference does he? I mean, he’s fiction, remember?  Is this just a case of an author who has built such a fantasy world that the characters are real to her?

Still, after reading the article, and seeing that the statement came in response to a question from the audience, I guess I can see the point of her answer. She never wrote a love interest because she had it in her mind that he was gay. The problem then seems to fall in the laps of our media. With all the real news that could be reported on, we get the headlines “Dumbledore Is Gay”.

It’s enough to drive Mickey Mouse to drink!

Imagine a situation where a bank robber is on the loose and responsible for over a dozen bank robberies. He wears a different hat in each robbery, thus earning the nickname “The Hat Bandit”. In spite of news coverage, no leads come in to help in apprehending this guy.

I imagine the public would be concerned about their safety when conducting bank business. The bankers would probably be putting pressure on the government, who would be putting pressure on the police. In an effort to stop the robberies rewards would be offered.

That is exactly what had been occurring in northern New Jersey according to articles in The Star Ledger and on the website of Philadelphia television station WPVI TV 6.

But the Hat Bandit’s luck ran out on July 22, when he walked into a Bank of America branch and approached 21 year old teller Steven Gomez. He handed Gomez a note demanding $3,000 (2,105 EUR). As Gomez was handing over the money he heard a fellow worker whisper that it was the Hat Bandit.

As the robber left the building, Gomez followed, stripping off his maroon Bank of America dress shirt so he’d be less noticeable. In his undershirt, Gomez ducked behind a car and watched as the bandit climbed into a black Nissan Altima and drove away. Gomez quickly noted the plate number.

Thanks to Gomez, James G. Madison, 50, was behind bars two days later. He has since plead guilty to 19 counts of bank robbery and is due to be sentenced Dec. 8.

For his efforts, Gomez has been praised as a hero by the Morris County Prosecutor, the Union County Prosecutor, and the Essex County Sheriff among others. He also earned $10,000 (7,017 EUR) in reward money.

The reward money came at a price however. The management of the Bank of America where Gomez worked told him that he couldn’t accept the reward as long as he was a bank employee.

“Citing privacy issues, Bank of America spokeswoman Tara Burke said she could not discuss Gomez. In general, Burke said, all employees are trained in the steps to take should a robbery occur. She would not elaborate on those steps.”

“All bank tellers are trained to protect themselves and customers first,” said Margot Mohsberg, a spokeswoman for the American Banking Association. “I would think they would want to keep a safe distance.”

Fortunately Gomez, who is a student at Rutgers University, is no fool. He resigned from the bank and collected the reward money. He plans to pursue a career in law enforcement.

I’ve always been a firm believer in citizens helping police whenever they safely can. Does it seem totally insane for a bank to chastize an employee who helps stop a bank robber? I mean it might have been different if Gomez had leapt the counter and wrestled the robber to the floor thereby putting customers and employees in danger, but he did the smart thing and obtained necessary identifying information. Was what he did very much different than giving a good description of the thief? Aren’t we, as a society, creating more and more rules that allow robbers to have free reign over us? Don’t we need more people like Gomez?