Deep in the mountains of Greece, the country's most-wanted man has been on the run for over a decade.

He's a bank robber, a kid napper, but to many Greeks, he's a hero.

His name is Vasili Spaliokostas and we're on the trail of the man behind the men, a modern-day Robin Hood

who steals from the rich and gives to the poor.

I'm Miles Gray, listen to the Good Thief on the iHeartRadio app Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome to Brain Stuff, a production of iHeartRadio.

Hey, Brain Stuff, Lauren Volhuban here.

A proudly flown from vehicles or defiantly waved at political rallies.

The yellow don't tread on me flag with its fearsome, coiled rattlesnake has become a rallying cry for right-wing America.

This historical flag, unknown as the Gadsden flag, originated in colonial times and was resurrected by the modern-day Tea Party movement in 2010.

Today, the Gadsden flag has taken on darker overtones.

The flag has been embraced by fringe political groups, including the anti-government militias and other protesters who stormed the capital on January 6th of 2021, displaying dozens of don't tread on me flags.

The history of the Gadsden flag, particularly the symbolism of the rattlesnake, is closely linked with Benjamin Franklin and the unity of all of the colonies that eventually became the United States.

The Gadsden flag is visually striking because of its bright yellow field, the words don't tread on me, and the image of a coiled rattlesnake with its fangs bared, ready to strike.

The rattlesnake was the first of these elements to be associated with America.

In 1751, colonists were bristling over the British practice of shipping convicted felons to the 13 colonies.

The crown said that it was doing the colonies a favor by helping them populate faster, but Benjamin Franklin, then the journalist in Philadelphia, wasn't having it.

With his trademark wit and dripping with venomous sarcasm, Franklin penned a satirical article for his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette, titled Rattlesnakes for felons.

Here's a sample. Such a tender parental concern in our mother country for the welfare of her children calls aloud for the highest returns of gratitude.

Rattlesnakes seemed the most suitable returns for the human servants sent us by our mother country.

So yes, Franklin proposed shipping crates of venomous American rattlesnakes to London, where they could slither happily through the city's parks, and I quote,

particularly in the gardens of the prime ministers, the lords of trade and members of parliament, for to them we are most particularly obliged.

...