Happy Birthday, General Lee

You people with your misunderstanding.  Not the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard.  The real General Lee – the confederate general.  We’re talking real history here…
Yes, September 16th 2006 is General Custis Lee’s 174th birthday.  So hats off to a man who played a large part in the civil war.  Oh, and note this little bit:

The eldest son and the second of seven children, Custis Lee, as his family called him, followed his father’s footsteps to West Point. At age 16, Custis had been denied entry into the military academy, but his father wrote an appeal to General Winfield Scott and so he was admitted the following year. Though he had needed his father’s influence to gain admission, once in West Point Lee made the most of his opportunity. He graduated first in his class of 46 in 1854. For the last two years of his studies, his father was superintendent of the academy.

Like so many children of the rich these days, it appears he couldn’t make the cut on his own, so he got Daddy to fix things and let him get where he wanted to be.  Not that he didn’t do well after this, but he couldn’t even get into the military academy on his own.  Think how history might have changed had daddy not written that letter.

[tags]Happy Birthday, General Lee’s birthday[/tags]

Air marshals given the OK to dress casual

This may surprise some people, but I think someone made a very smart decision here, even if it’s 5 years late.

The armed undercover officers who protect U.S. airlines against attack no longer have to fear being overdressed. They’ve been told they can ditch their suits for outfits that blend in with their fellow travelers’ attire.

. . .

Dana Brown, who has been seeking to improve working conditions since he took over as the agency’s director earlier this year, said that, as of September 1, marshals can choose what to wear on flights.

“The manner of dress should allow you to blend in and not direct attention to yourself, as well as be sufficiently functional to enable you to conduct your law enforcement responsibilities, and effectively conceal your duty equipment,” he said in a memo to air marshals that was obtained by Reuters.

The article makes it sound like some other unwise restrictions on air marshals are likely to change in the future as well. I say “Well done, Mr. Brown.” This is a good decision, and it will actually improve the effectiveness of the air marshal system.

[tags]Air marshals get good job-quality change[/tags]

Dog arrested for extradition to Mexico

No, not A dog. This is about THE Dog. Yes, Dog the bounty hunter has been arrested by US authorities for extradition to Mexico. And if you still don’t know Dog, you should watch a little of his show on A&E to find out who he is.

Rita Cosby of MSNBC has reported that Duane Dog Chapman and two members of his bounty hunting team (one being his son, Tim & Leland Chapman) have been arrested by US officials. The arrest in in connection with the three year old case of “The Dog” going to Mexico and retrieving Max Factor cosmetics heir Andrew Luster. The Mexican authorities want them extradited. This is just absolutely insane. This is just plain wrong.

. . .

Cosby is reporting that Mexican government officials wanted the three men sent back there in relation to a three-year-old case.

In 2003, Chapman traveled to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to retrieve Max Factor cosmetics heir Andrew Luster, who was wanted in the U.S. on rape charges. Luster is now in jail, serving a 124-year term. The Chapman’s were jailed in Mexico for a brief time for the incident three years ago. Bounty hunting is considered a crime in Mexico.

Curious that they’ve already served time for their crime and are now, 3 years later, being sought for their crime. I’ll be interested to see how this turns out.

[tags]Dog the bounty hunter arrested for extradition to Mexico[/tags]

Fed Gov’t to run tax money tracking site

If you’ve ever thought your tax money was just going to waste, our government has plans to open a web site that should show you how right or wrong you are.

The House on Wednesday passed by voice vote and sent to President Bush legislation to create a Web site that will give people ready access to information on the $300 billion in grants issued to some 30,000 organizations annually, and the roughly 1 million contracts exceeding a $25,000 threshold.

“It’s a great, bipartisan plan to make sure tax dollars are spent wisely,” said House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo.

Bush, in a statement, welcomed the bill, saying it showed the commitment of Congress ‘to giving the American people access to timely and accurate information about how their tax dollars are spent.’

And that’s a good thing. Of course, it will cost more to track all this money properly AND get the information on a web site. But this should make it easier for the average citizen who cares about government spending to have some idea of where it is going. On the other hand, the average citizen doesn’t pay attention to this stuff in the first place…

[tags]Government spending web site, Your tax dollars at work[/tags]

The ever impressive brilliance of criminals

A co-worker of mine often comments that in general, criminals are not very bright. This story from Madrid gives one sample of the not-so-bright portion of the criminal population.

A Basque separatist prisoner on trial for threatening to kill a judge on Thursday told the presiding judge that he would shoot him and “skin him alive,” risking yet another jail sentence.

Ignacio Javier Bilbao Goikoetxea, a convicted murderer and member of armed separatist group ETA, kicked the dock’s bullet-proof screen and launched a torrent of abuse at judge Alfonso Guevara and Baltasar Garzon, the judge he had threatened at a previous trial who was appearing as a witness.

“If you’re a man, come here … I’m going to skin you alive. Come here if you’ve got the balls… I look forward to shooting you seven times when I get my hands on you,” the shaven-headed Bilbao Goikoetxea told Guevara in the Madrid courtroom.

You would almost feel sorry for someone who is that stupid, if it weren’t for your realization that their stupidity is what helps keep you safe.

[tags]Dumb crook news, The lower realms of criminal brilliance[/tags]

Hogwarts made from matchsticks

(via Neatorama)

This is just incredible. I’m always amazed at the work done by folks with the skill, determination, patience, and vision to do things like this. I’d get bored or frustrated way before you could identify any actual buildings. Someone, though, has the determination needed to reconstruct Hogwarts (based on what is seen in the Harry Potter movies) out of matchsticks.

matchstick-hogwarts01.jpgMatchstick Marvels will be taking you on an enchanted trip to J. K. Rowling’s world of Harry Potter this year. Acton will be displaying his matchstick version of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the Matchstick Marvels museum in Gladbrook, IA. The model is based on Hollywood’s version of Hogwarts seen in the Harry Potter blockbuster movies. When finished in December of this year, it will contain over a half-million matchsticks held together with 15 gallons of carpenter’s wood glue.

Check back at the site periodically for updates on the building. All construction is expected to be finished by December 2006.

[tags]Hogwarts rebuilt with matchsticks[/tags]