Elderly delinquents

Next time you visit Japan, you can feel safe around the teenagers, but if you see a gang of elderly Japanese with chains and knives, dancing and snapping their fingers, look out.

Crimes committed by elderly people in Japan have risen sharply in the past 15 years, a trend that has officials worried as the population ages rapidly due to longer lifespans and a falling birth rate.

Police data shows that people aged 65 and older accounted for more than 10 percent of those arrested or taken into custody for crimes other than traffic violations in Japan in 2005, compared with just 2.2 percent in 1990, the Asahi newspaper said on Monday, citing National Police Agency data.

I don't see this problem developing here in the states. I suspect the aging baby boomers will be enjoying their medicinal marijuana too much to harm anyone. Which reminds me, I need to move some of my retirement money into Frito-Lay.