Maybe He Asked Officer: Who You Going to Believe, Me or Your Own Eyes?

The Beach Reporter said Redondo Beach police nabbed a youth suspected of spray-painting graffiti that said “Capitalism is Organized Crime” in neatly printed letters. Don’t know why the cops suspected the young man unless it was because he was found in possession of a spray-paint can and a stencil that said, “Capitalism is Organized Crime.”

Capitalism (cont.): Gene Doss of Diamond Bar chanced upon a bank for the money-hungry (see photo).

In other financial news: Alex Baker of Upland spotted a name that fits the occupation (see accompanying).

Unreal estate: I’m sure you can see some explosive sights in the Sunset Strip area; I’m just not sure I’d want to admit as much in a real estate ad (see accompanying).

Calling the pot ... what? On a consumer Web site, no less, Harvey Feder of Encino noticed some dubious labeling (see accompanying).

Also unclear on the concept: Henry Hespenheide heard a radio ad for a food and wine auction that was described as “a once-in-a-lifetime event that always sells out.” If the event only comes once in a lifetime, Hespenheide asked, how would the promoters know?

O.C. Confidential: Adding to my slim volume of movie and TV plots involving Orange County, Hanna Hill points out that the TV show “West Wing” aired several episodes about a dead liberal Democrat upsetting a Republican incumbent in a district that included Newport Beach. The Democrat, I should add, was alive when the campaign started.

Initial success? Orange County is attracting a lot of attention these days, what with the Angels winning the World Series, the Mighty Ducks in the Western Conference hockey finals and the coming TV series “The O.C.”

But the county’s initials don’t immediately resonate with the rest of the nation, I guess. The E! Entertainment Web site said that the “O.C.” in the show’s title is “short for Orange County.” So, the title means, “The Orange County”? That’s a new one on me.

Flashback: Orange County’s longtime identity crisis was parodied in “The Naked Gun” (1988), in which an announcer at Anaheim Stadium forgets he’s in Anaheim, beginning one announcement: “Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the California Angels and the city of Los Angeles ... “

The final test: Anyway, I won’t believe the county has really arrived until I hear fans chanting, “Beat O.C!” the way jealous fans of L.A. rivals do. Or, I suppose that should be, “Beat the O.C.”

miscelLAny: Mention was made here of the closed caption typo on ABC’s “World News Tonight” that said Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan was recovering from surgery for an “enlarged prostitute.” Ron Fineman and several other readers pointed out that NBC correspondent Andrea Mitchell, Greenspan’s wife, had this comment: “He should be so lucky.”

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Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LA-TIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A. 90012 and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.