Wi-Fi Freeloader Arrested → unfortunately it's illegal

just because I leave my house unlocked doesn't mean you can come in unless I allow it. Say I leave my hose on outside my house all day long. You're not allowed to take a drink from my water without my permission.

LLLL, it's the permission that is the issue. The only reason encryption is needed is people like you and me. It's to keep people's data and connection safe from wardrivers that are illegally searching for open networks.

And the others... Just because someone is foolish or naive doesn't mean that it is legal to take their stuff. The 7-11 car example is really, utterly stupid. Yes, it is still a crime to take someone's car EVEN IF THEY LEAVE THE KEYS IN IT WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING. In the eyes of the law you should be in control of the impulse to take what is not yours, even if it is right in front of your face, wiggling its tight little butt.

Even if someone drops their ATM card and the pin is 1234 doesn't mean you can take their money.

I do the occasional hop-on to open networks around my neighborhood just for fun, but I don't have any illusions about what I am doing. I know that it is illegal just as when I cut the coax running through my apartment building and installed a splitter for 6 months of free cable. I don't have to justify what I am doing.

Free hotspots are another story all together.