Taking crime to the suburbs

According to the Washington Post, "Metro Transit Police have arrested four men for allegedly breaking into more than 50 vehicles in a Fairfax County Metrorail station parking garage, officials said."

Some random thoughts:

1) This occurred in Springfield, VA, which is about 17 miles south of Washington, DC. According to the Post: "The two arrested June 25 are Maurice Conyers, 22, of Southeast Washington, and Darryl Walker, 20, of Hagerstown. The two arrested July 13 are Randy Smith, 19, and Kevin Wilson, 22, both of Northeast Washington."

Three from DC, one from Maryland. So these guys apparently took the Metro out to Virginia to steal cars? I'll remember that the next time I hear suburbanites getting criticized for opposing the Metro line to their area.

2) I've always thought "parking attendant" was a misnomer. "Attendant" is stretching it since they really just seem to be cashiers who also park your car and leave the door open long enough after they bring it back so you can tip them. But I've never trusted that those guys were paying attention...

3) The Post also notes: "Police say the four broke into 52 vehicles in June and stole more than 100 items, including Global Positioning System devices, car televisions, car stereos and cellphones as well as a sport-utility vehicle."

Wait, wait, wait! They stole a GPS device? For years (okay, at least 2 decades) I've said that I can understand someone hungry stealing food to eat. And by understand, I mean that is one of the few times I think someone shouldn't get the death penalty for touching someone else's property. But a GPS device?

4) I also like one other thing from the article: "The men were selling some of the stolen items at pawnshops and to family members, Smith said."

I'll admit it. I have some relatives that I would call the cops on if they showed up with a GPS device.

CJL

Obama debating Keyes, 2004, education excerpt

PONCE : Thank you. Let's move to the question of education. Mr. Obama, you've said that you consider education as the most important civil rights issue facing America today. Currently, your children are in private schools. If you're elected to the Senate, will you send them to public schools? OBAMA: Well, my children currently go to the lab school at the University of Chicago where I teach, and my wife works, and we get a good deal for it. But, so - - (laughter, applause) OBAMA: - -it depends on whether we move or not. And that, obviously, hinges on the election and what's gonna happen. We're gonna choose the best possible education for our children, as I suspect all parents are gonna try to do. And that's part of the reason why, consistently when I've been in the state legislature, I've tried to promote those kinds of reforms that would improve what I think is an inadequate performance by too many public schools, all across the state. PONCE : But yo...

Marshall Fritz passed away

I got a note in my e-mail that Marshall Fritz of the Alliance for the Separation of School and State passed away on election day. I met Fritz several years ago when I was at the Cato Institute. He was there to lecture us for not being libertarian enough. We went at it a little and e-mailed occasionally after that. After he read one of my studies and some of my articles he wrote me a very kind e-mail telling me what a great writer and thinker I was. His one regret is that I was wrong in accepting that there was a legitimate role for government in education. CJL Dear Friends of the Alliance: Marshall Fritz passed away Tuesday, November 4, 2008, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Marshall was a true friend and mentor. That's what he's been to me. Even during the last days of his life, when I was privileged to spend some time with him, he set an example of a life well-lived and considered. Like a good teacher, he always showed his love for people by not letting us get away with...

Rating the 10 Magazine speakers

I attended another 10 Magazine speech organized by Barry Welsh. Here are my unofficial grades for the speakers I have heard so far: 1) Shin Dong Hyuk (A+) : The audience was captivated. A few ladies were in tears as he discussed his escape from North Korea, his adjustment to living in South Korea, his difficulty at enjoying life. I first met Shin shortly before the best-selling book (Escape from Camp 14) in America about him was published, and was a bit surprised when he recognized me at an event and struck up a conversation with me even though he is so shy. Even though I was already familiar with his story, it was still great to hear it first hand in an informal setting. I threw a curveball at him, mentioning that that some people have doubted the veracity of his story. He took it in stride. After escaping from a prison camp in North Korea, I guess that there aren't many things that could rattle him. Shin, Lartigue 2) Michael Breen (A): An outstanding mix of humo...

"Who would be free themselves must strike the blow?" --Lord Byron

Frederick Douglass loved that quote. Booker T. Washington would say it sometimes, too. I recently met two women from North Korea. That's right, that North Korea. I asked them many questions but held back somewhat. I suppose they still must be careful and I don't want them to think I'm a spy. Hey, I used to be a host on black talk radio, I was accused of many things then. Plus, if North Koreans are trying to track those folks down I suppose the last thing they'd want would be to have their photos posted on a blog. At some point I will write about meeting those ladies. * * * Yesterday I got interviewed by a Korean reporter about various political and social issues. After I confirm that my interview made it past the station's producers then I'll post the info here. CJL

What if...

According to both English language papers in Korea: 2 of 3 Men Feel Urge to Flee From Home . A poll by online recruiter Career said 66 percent of working men in their 30s and older have felt the urge to flee from their homes and escape today's reality in the past year due to suffocating economic difficulties. Forty-something men turned out to have the strongest desire to run away with more than 72 percent of them saying they wanted to take off, while men in their 30s followed next with 64 percent. 1) What percentage are actually leaving? 2) The survey I want to see is: what percent of their wives would like to see them leave. * * * What if....Jon Huer actually made a point? Regular Korea Times contributor Jon Huer has some haters . I don't count myself among them yet. In the three weeks I have been reading his columns I find myself wondering why (1) he bothered to write (2) I bothered to read. Writers typically write to motivate readers, to inform them, or to get them to ch...

The Casey Lartigue Show!

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