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George Washington Racks Up 220 Years of Late Fees At Library

Posted by samzenpus on from the at-least-he-read dept.

Everyone knows that George Washington couldn't tell a lie. What you probably didn't know is that he couldn't return a library book on time. From the article: "New York City's oldest library says one of its ledgers shows that the president has racked up 220 years' worth of late fees on two books he borrowed, but never returned. One of the books was the 'Law of Nations,' which deals with international relations. The other was a volume of debates from Britain's House of Commons. Both books were due on Nov. 2, 1789."

117 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. And he decided to pay the late fees... by Doug52392 · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... in $1 bills.

    1. Re:And he decided to pay the late fees... by pbrooks100 · · Score: 1

      Better in quarters...

    2. Re:And he decided to pay the late fees... by jitendraharlalka · · Score: 1

      He must have read it somewhere in 'Laws of nations' that keeping things you borrow with you for ever is not a punishable act by law.

    3. Re:And he decided to pay the late fees... by Shakrai · · Score: 2, Funny

      You've got a +5 funny right now, but you won't think this is a laughing matter when Philip Baker Hall shows up at Mount Vernon to collect the debt....

      --
      I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
      We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
    4. Re:And he decided to pay the late fees... by eleuthero · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Mount Vernon isn't the Washington estate - it is owned by a private company (they manage several historic properties - similar to the Patrimonio Nacional company in Spain and various others that own most of the royal palaces in Europe). Finding heirs to pay the "lost book fee" (I'm sure there is a maximum late fee clause somewhere) will be next to impossible and this was done only for publicity (if it came to it because of some weird public concern, the library would 'forgive' the fine... gaining more publicity).

    5. Re:And he decided to pay the late fees... by treeves · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Actually I heard they don't want the fine to be paid, but they do want the books back. I imagine two library books kept past due date by Geo. Washington are worth a lot if they can be found.

      --
      ...the future crusty old bastards are already drinking the Kool-Aid.
    6. Re:And he decided to pay the late fees... by elrous0 · · Score: 1

      And the library still demanded some ID before they would accept payment.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    7. Re:And he decided to pay the late fees... by JWSmythe · · Score: 1

          Actually, if you read the article (I know, Slashdot, good luck there), they'd like the books back. I'm sure they would. Beyond the normal antique value, there is a higher value because of the holder of the book. They'd probably both sell at auction for a fortune.

      --
      Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
    8. Re:And he decided to pay the late fees... by JWSmythe · · Score: 2, Funny

          Well, they'd probably accept a federally issued picture id. He could whip a dollar bill out and say "look, me." Then again, with decomposition, he probably doesn't look much like his pictures any more. That, and folks may get the heebie jeebies when a decomposing zombie comes walking in to pay a bill. :)

      --
      Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
    9. Re:And he decided to pay the late fees... by AnotherUsername · · Score: 4, Funny

      "Shoot it!"

      "But's it's former President George Washington! That's practically treason!"

      "It wants our brains! Shoot it! It's coming through the door!"

      "But, but...President! Founding Father! George Washington!"

      "Zombie Apocalypse begins today if you don't shoot it!"

      "But this is the Father of our Country"

      "I don't care, give me the gun!"

      BOOM!

      "You...you shot George Washington...Who...Who are you?"

      "Ash Williams. You can thank me now."

      --
      I don't like Linux. This doesn't make me a troll.
    10. Re:And he decided to pay the late fees... by rockNme2349 · · Score: 2, Funny

      So..... Dear George, your library fees are now -$32768.00

      It turns out if you wait long enough you no longer owe money on them, but the library will pay you to bring them back!

      --
      Sewage Treatment Facilities - "Our duty is clear."
    11. Re:And he decided to pay the late fees... by treeves · · Score: 1

      It turns out if you wait long enough

      It turns out if the POTUS waits long enough

      It turns out if the first POTUS waits long enough

      FTFY.

      --
      ...the future crusty old bastards are already drinking the Kool-Aid.
    12. Re:And he decided to pay the late fees... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      He must have read it somewhere in 'Laws of nations' that keeping things you borrow with you for ever is not a punishable act by law.

      Obviously not. Laws of Nations deals with public international law, whereas the mens rea requirement "permanently to deprive the owner" is an element of the common law crime of larceny. Moreover even under common law borrowing things and not returning them is, depending on the facts of the case, either a breach of bailment or the tort of detinue, both of which give rise to actions (where they have not been abrogated by statute -- which they certainly were not in the C18th).

      Sheeshh, what do they teach you kids in Law School these days!

    13. Re:And he decided to pay the late fees... by Dhalka226 · · Score: 1

      You didn't even get the joke, did you? Just decided to use it as a launching off point for a stupid Slashdot meme?

    14. Re:And he decided to pay the late fees... by codeButcher · · Score: 1

      Bloody criminal.

      Bloody white, colonialist, cristian, elitist, democratic, bigoted (etc. etc.) criminal.

      --
      Free, as in your money being freed from the confines of your account.
    15. Re:And he decided to pay the late fees... by Jedi+Alec · · Score: 1

      "Ash Williams. You can thank me now."

      Can't be. I left Ashley to die on Virmire, and good riddance!

      --

      People replying to my sig annoy me. That's why I change it all the time.
    16. Re:And he decided to pay the late fees... by wvmarle · · Score: 1

      Of course - if only because those books, if they still exist, are now antiques.

    17. Re:And he decided to pay the late fees... by treeves · · Score: 1

      Yeah I got it. Overflow error. It just wasn't that funny. Get over it.

      --
      ...the future crusty old bastards are already drinking the Kool-Aid.
    18. Re:And he decided to pay the late fees... by L1feless · · Score: 1

      or pay the replacement costs based on the original 1789 value. Then auction them off for a huge profit.

  2. case by CSHARP123 · · Score: 4, Funny

    When he goes to renew his Library card next time, bring a case against him and collect lots of those Washingtons

    1. Re:case by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      looks like he really bucked the system lol

    2. Re:case by eleuthero · · Score: 5, Insightful
      If you've read any of his writings, he was a slave owner because of a period understanding of necessity - he also freed his slaves at his wife's death (something Jefferson was unable to do because of a million dollar - modern conversion - debt).

      Privately, however, Washington could -- and did -- lead by example. In his will, he arranged for all of the slaves he owned to be freed after the death of his wife, Martha. He also left instructions for the continued care and education of some of his former slaves, support and training for all of the children until they came of age, and continuing support for the elderly.

      Washington on slavery

      It is sometimes helpful not to bash people who were stuck in a system that they sought to improve with as little violence as possible (This didn't end up happening in the US, but in Britain and other European countries slavery was outlawed over time without violence).

    3. Re:case by elrous0 · · Score: 1

      And, worst of all, a land surveyor.

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    4. Re:case by gandhi_2 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "But, as it is, we have the wolf by the ear, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go. Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation in the other."

      --
      THL phish sticks
    5. Re:case by RJFerret · · Score: 1

      In some places, he could be denied renewing his driving license based upon overdue books. ;-)

    6. Re:case by Neoprofin · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Never spoke out publicly against slavery. Signed an act that allowed hunters to enter free states to recover runaway slaves. Supported only whites to become citizens of the United States.

      On this point he and the rest of the founding fathers had the choice between the ugly reality of slavery and half of the colonies not signing on to the constitution or agreeing to the fight for independence.

      The result of the revolutions failure could have been Canada and they could have all been freed 20 years early, or it could have been apartheid South Africa. If you're going to Monday morning quarterback at least consider that this world of black and white you live in is often complicated by circumstance and in this case not even hindsight really clears things up.

      Slavery is wrong, everyone gets that, but before before you lash a man for not trying hard enough to solve the injustices of the world consider the limitations to their power. He never had the authority or the support to rid America of slavery and any attempt to do so would have undermined the few things he could enact.

    7. Re:case by dwye · · Score: 1

      > George inherited 10 slaves, and by the time of his death had hundreds of them.

      Because he married a rich (much richer than him) widow, with lots of slaves. The reason that he freed his wife's slaves after her death was that he couldn't legally do that before her death, since most were hers or mostly hers (in the cases where the slaves were born after his marriage).

      > And only supported emancipation of his slaves as long as he could find a buyer to pay him for it.

      Pardon? You seem to have skipped a clause or two, here.

    8. Re:case by Jhon · · Score: 1

      Well that makes it all okay then doesn't it?

      Why do so many look at OUR OWN history with our own contemporary values but not that of other cultures? We look at the damage done to native Americans by our ancestors for example -- but fail to ever talk about the slavery endemic to many of the native cultures at the time. We fail to talk about the cannibalism and human sacrifice that was frequently practiced as well. Had history not progressed the way it did, how many people would have been enslaved? Hunted? Killed? Eaten? But that would just be "all ok then"?

      If we're going to turn a blind eye (as we should) and make observations about a given society and culture in a given time in which they lived -- and judge them by their own standards -- we should do the same to our own ancestors.

      On a side note (and not an attempt to justify slavery, but to put the USs part of it in perspective), I suggest you look at the average life expectancy of a slave in colonial and the post federal US and compare it to the life expectancy of slaves in the French and Spanish controlled "Americas".

    9. Re:case by DustoneGT · · Score: 1

      The founding fathers as slave holders argument is a variant of Reductio ad Hitlerum.

      It's the absurd idea that anything Hitler did is automatically bad, for example the Nazis created Volkswagen, so therefore VW is evil.

      In the case of the founding fathers, the fact that they were slave owners is supposed to mean that everything they did was bad and should be changed. Often it's used to justify the illegal behavior of current politicians because the old rules they are breaking were written by slave holders. The next time you encounter this argument, apply the same standard to Bill Clinton and watch them take an ideological 180 degree turn. Sometimes they switch from slave ownership to using the behavior of George Bush (senior or junior, take your pick) as justification. Inform them at that point that you are not a Republican and then the real olympic backpedaling begins.

    10. Re:case by Jhon · · Score: 1

      Think about it. Do you toss out EVERYTHING good done by someone who lives in a time when the abolition movement is starting? "Well, Benjamin Rush started PSAS -- in the mid 18 century, so the ENTIRE culture is against slavery!" Doesn't work that way.

    11. Re:case by shadowbearer · · Score: 1

        He treated his slaves far better than most slave owners of the period did. He allowed blacks to serve in his military - from some accounts, 20-25% of his military was composed of blacks who had asked to serve.

        I suspect you don't understand what things were like at that time. Rich white landowners were practically *required* to own slaves - if you did not, it was a black mark against you in a social and political sense.

        I would suggest that you look up and read some of his papers.

        As to his wife, just what, exactly, would you have done, if you had this estate, and slaves were necessary to the continuing function of it? The fact that he decreed his slaves be freed upon her death is an indication of just what he thought about the whole subject - few of his contemporaries at the time would have done so.

      SB
       

      --
      It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
    12. Re:case by hagar� · · Score: 2, Funny

      "Reductio ad Hitlerum!" This is hardly the time or place for references to Harry Potter.

      --
      Insert something insightful here, or I'll insert something painful there.
    13. Re:case by mjwx · · Score: 1

      (This didn't end up happening in the US, but in Britain and other European countries slavery was outlawed over time without violence).

      It's also worth noting that in many places in Europe, including Britain slavery was outlawed before the US civil war.

      1102, slave trading and serfdom ruled illegal in London.
      1117, slavery declared illegal in Iceland.
      1335, slavery declared illegal in Sweden.
      1723, Russia abolishes slavery.
      1761, slavery declared illegal in mainland Portugal.
      1772, English courts decide the condition of slavery did not exist under English law, 10-14,000 slaves emancipated.
      1778, slavery declared illegal in Scotland.
      1787, Siera Leone established as a colony for emancipated slaves by Britain.
      1794, First French Republic abolishes slavery.
      1803, Lower Canada abolishes slavery.
      1807, Slave trading declared illegal by Britain, captains charged 100 Pounds per slave transported.
      1807, Britain patrols African coast to arrest slave trading vessels.
      1822, Greece abolishes slavery.
      1834, Britain abolishes slavery throughout the empire with the exception of the East India company and Ceylon.
      1838, Slaves in the British empire made free after a period of forced apprenticeships.
      1839, Indian indenture system made illegal.
      1843, East India Company forced to abolish slavery by the British empire.
      1845, 36 Royal Navy vessels assigned to the Anti-Slavery Squadron making it one of the largest fleets in the world at the time.
      1860, indenture system abolished in British India.
      1861, American Civil War begins
      1863, Slavery abolished in Dutch colonies.
      1863, Emancipation Proclamation.
      1865, Thirteenth amendment to the US constitution outlaws slavery.

      There were many other examples but I've tried to keep this list limited to US and European governments. Several US states outlawed slavery in the early 1800's but there was also the Fugitive Slave Act of 1950 which required the return of escaped slaves.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    14. Re:case by jonadab · · Score: 1

      > I suggest you look at the average life expectancy of a slave in
      > colonial and the post federal US and compare it to the life
      > expectancy of slaves in the French and Spanish controlled "Americas".

      That's not entirely a fair comparison. Life expectancy was worse in the tropics for free men, as well as slaves. If you go with worldwide averages, life expectancy is *still* a good deal worse in the tropics than in the temperate zones.

      I'm not saying the French and Spanish treated their slaves well. I'm just saying there were other things besides that that had an impact on life expectancy.

      --
      Cut that out, or I will ship you to Norilsk in a box.
    15. Re:case by hey! · · Score: 1

      Sure, when everyone around you's wrong, it's understandable that you'd be wrong along with them. It's not an excuse, however.

      The tendency to accept what everyone around you believes as necessarily true is one reason that the much maligned "multiculturalism" is important. People don't like that because it undermines their certainty about things, but sometimes that certainty *ought* to be undermined. Like the proverbial visitor from Mars, somebody from another culture can see things that are obviously wrong that you believe because everyone around believes too.

      I remember reading a letter -- it was either from John Adams to Abigail or vice versa -- in which the writer recounts watching some maintenance task being done by a team of slaves, directed by an overseer. It went very slowly and poorly. No doubt the slave owners thought that the slaves were stupid and lazy, but what are you going to do? The job has to be done, and that's what slaves are for. It was perfectly clear to Adams that one man *working for himself* could do the work of a half dozen slaves being driven by an overseer, and do it faster and better.

      There's a certain wisdom to the phrase "stick with what works", but that can be taken too far. Where would the human race be if that were our credo?

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    16. Re:case by Pentavirate · · Score: 1

      We have a lot of writings from George Washington where he states his abhorrence to slavery but he also lived in a tough economic situation. It was impossible in the south as a farmer to survive without slaves. He was competing with others that were using free labor. There was also a shortage of laborers for hire because there just wasn't a market for it.

      He felt so strongly about it that he never bought nor sold any of his slaves and freed them upon his and Martha's deaths. He often faced serious debt because of his part in the revolution and because his land just wasn't that good for farming. Also through his slaves having children, he was supporting a lot more people than his plantation justified. He could have paid off debts and reduced his expenses by selling some of his slaves but he refused on moral grounds.

      It's easy to judge with our 21st century lenses, but they lived in a different times and circumstances. Regardless, it doesn't ever negate the incredible good he did for not only America but the whole world.

      --
      www.joshferguson.org
  3. So... by TheSpoom · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Where are the books now?

    --
    It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
    - E. Debs
    1. Re:So... by Eevee · · Score: 4, Informative
      If we go to a better news source, we see that

      Sadly for fans of 18th-Century political literature, they appear to have vanished.

    2. Re:So... by Kratisto · · Score: 2, Funny

      Not at your local library, if you live in New York.

      --
      Conscience is the inner voice which warns us that someone may be looking.
    3. Re:So... by lorenlal · · Score: 1

      Ask John Adams... He either:
      1) borrowed them from Washington while VP
      or
      2) found them when he moved into the White House... Assuming Washington brought the books with him when the place was completed.

    4. Re:So... by AnonymousClown · · Score: 3, Funny

      If we go to a better news source, we see that

      Sadly for fans of 18th-Century political literature, they appear to have vanished.

      BBC?! So, you're implying the British took them?

      --
      RIP America

      July 4, 1776 - September 11, 2001

    5. Re:So... by eleuthero · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It makes sense - they did invade and take over DC and parts of Virginia in the War of 1812. ;)

    6. Re:So... by eleuthero · · Score: 1

      ...umm, no White House for GW - just the second president onwards. see this for more.

    7. Re:So... by batquux · · Score: 3, Funny

      And what happened to privacy? What would Washington think about the library publishing what books he borrowed and how much he owes in fees?

    8. Re:So... by negRo_slim · · Score: 3, Funny

      Too shay.

      --
      On the Oregon Cost born and raised, On the beach is where I spent most of my days
    9. Re:So... by MaskedSlacker · · Score: 1

      Washington never lived there, and the books were borrowed from the NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY, when New York was the capital.

    10. Re:So... by decoy256 · · Score: 1

      Ah! The Shay Rebellion... indeed, there was "too [much] Shay".

    11. Re:So... by Neoprofin · · Score: 1

      Wait, so the BBC is a better news source because they're willing to speculate in print what everyone already assumed? Did it really need to be explicitly stated that either no one knows where they are or whoever does isn't talking?

    12. Re:So... by masmullin · · Score: 4, Funny

      He'd think "bbbbrraaaaaaaaaiiiinnnssssszzzz" because thats what Zombies think.

    13. Re:So... by Manfre · · Score: 2, Insightful

      And what happened to privacy? What would Washington think about the library publishing what books he borrowed and how much he owes in fees?

      Nothing, he's dead.

    14. Re:So... by dmmiller2k · · Score: 1

      Go to London and look in almost any museum. They took anything they wanted, for any reason.

      --

      "No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up." -- Lily Tomlin

    15. Re:So... by Bragador · · Score: 1

      Just in case you didn't know, it's "touché" and not "too shay".

    16. Re:So... by laron · · Score: 3, Funny

      That was a bit over the top, just to get back two books, wasn't it?

      --
      "Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master."
    17. Re:So... by Abstrackt · · Score: 2, Informative

      Just in case you didn't know, it's "touché" and not "too shay".

      Just in case you didn't know... it's probably Shay. ;)

      --
      They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it's not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance. - Terry Pratchett
    18. Re:So... by Bragador · · Score: 1

      Ah, thank you, I get it now. So Washington, like Shay, would start a rebellion instead of paying his debt.

    19. Re:So... by shadowbearer · · Score: 2, Interesting

        It's entirely possible those books burned with the White House in 1814.

        Quote from link:

        All thoughts of accommodation were instantly laid aside; the troops advanced forthwith into the town, and having first put to the sword all who were found in the house from which the shots were fired, and reduced it to ashes, they proceeded, without 'a moment's delay, to burn and destroy everything in the most distant degree connected with government. In this general devastation were included the Senate House, the President's palace,...Of the Senate house, the President's palace, the barracks, the dockyard, etc., nothing could be seen except heaps of smoking ruins."

      SB

      --
      It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
  4. I know how he feels by Again · · Score: 1

    Looks like I have some competition.

  5. Obligatory by cosm · · Score: 5, Funny

    Epoch fail.

    --
    'We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.' RPF
    1. Re:Obligatory by Hurricane78 · · Score: 1

      You mean:

      Obligatory

      Old news!

      --
      Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
  6. Hey man by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    don't Bundy that book

    1. Re:Hey man by mikeasu · · Score: 1

      I watched that very episode this morning while eating breakfast!

  7. It's a clue. by Toonol · · Score: 4, Funny

    Get Nick Cage on the case; those two books no doubt contain directions to the Illuminati's treasure stored in the hidden fortress of the Masons.

    1. Re:It's a clue. by megamerican · · Score: 1

      Mount Vernon, September 25, 1798. From: George Washington To: George Snyder

      I have heard much of the nefarious, and dangerous plan, and doctrines of the Illuminati, but never saw the Book until you were pleased to send it to me.9 The same causes which have prevented my acknowledging the receipt of your letter have prevented my reading the Book, hitherto; namely, the multiplicity of matters which pressed upon me before, and the debilitated state in which I was left after, a severe fever had been removed. And which allows me to add little more now, than thanks for your kind wishes and favourable sentiments, except to correct an error you have run into, of my Presiding over the English lodges in this Country. The fact is, I preside over none, nor have I been in one more than once or twice, within the last thirty years. I believe notwithstanding, that none of the Lodges in this Country are contaminated with the principles ascribed to the Society of the Illuminati.

      The book he is referring to is Proofs of a Conspiracy by John Robison

      Mount Vernon, October 24, 1798. From: George Washington To: George Snyder

      It was not my intention to doubt that, the Doctrines of the Illuminati, and principles of Jacobinism had not spread in the United States. On the contrary, no one is more truly satisfied of this fact than I am.

      The idea that I meant to convey, was, that I did not believe that the Lodges of Free Masons in this Country had, as Societies, endeavoured to propagate the diabolical tenets of the first, or pernicious principles of the latter (if they are susceptible of seperation). That Individuals of them may have done it, or that the founder, or instrument employed to found, the Democratic Societies in the United States, may have had these objects; and actually had a seperation of the People from their Government in view, is too evident to be questioned.

      My occupations are such, that but little leisure is allowed me to read News Papers, or Books of any kind; the reading of letters, and preparing answers, absorb much of my time. With respect,

      Note: Although in the 2nd letter he says he is "satisfied," meaning he agrees that the Illuminati and their doctrines have made their way to the United States.

      Source: Search for illuminati

      --
      If you have something that you dont want anyone to know, maybe you shouldnt be doing it in the first place -Eric Schmidt
    2. Re:It's a clue. by MaskedSlacker · · Score: 1

      National Treasure 3:Time to Kill Some Wall Street Bankers?

    3. Re:It's a clue. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      No, you silly billy. We're talking about the Illuminati, not the Knights Templar.

  8. Re:Aha! by MrEricSir · · Score: 1

    Maybe the termites got to his teeth.

    --
    There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
  9. TEA Party Loots Local Libraries in by Snarkalicious · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    3...2...

    1. Re:TEA Party Loots Local Libraries in by Snarkalicious · · Score: 1

      Public funding/socialism/'Founding Fathers'/NOBAMA is bailing out Salman Rushdie etc etc. (BTW...if my nick escaped your notice...)

    2. Re:TEA Party Loots Local Libraries in by MaskedSlacker · · Score: 1

      But Salman Rushdie hates Muslims (well, at least wacky Muslims think so)...I'd think the tea partiers would love him. Plus, 'Rush' is in his name!

    3. Re:TEA Party Loots Local Libraries in by Foobar+of+Borg · · Score: 1

      Plus, 'Rush' is in his name!

      No, No! His name is Rushdie, in other words, Rush-Die. The Tea Partiers definitely wouldn't like that!

      --
      Similar to the upcoming US election results
    4. Re:TEA Party Loots Local Libraries in by shadowbearer · · Score: 1

        This is not necessarily flamebait.

        The Tea Party says NO TAXES; well, part of what taxes support are libraries...

        Oh, and as long as we're on that subject, I love this statement from the front page of the Tea Party's website:

        Tea Party Patriots, Inc. operates as a social welfare organization

        A What?

      SB

      --
      It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
    5. Re:TEA Party Loots Local Libraries in by Snarkalicious · · Score: 1

      Nothing starts a fracas like snark. Well, perhaps attempting to use irony in a room of conservatives...hm. Is that a subclass of snark or a field of comedy unto itself? I suppose that would be predicated on the presence/non-presence of furries. But I digress. Technically, you're both correct.

  10. LAWL by deglr6328 · · Score: 1

    Sweet URL that goes nowhere bro! I tried copying it in here but /. gave me a lameness error "Filter error: That's an awful long string of letters there.".

    Do editors do ANYthing at this site anymore?

    Try here instead:
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8627835.stm

    --
    - "Hear that?! The percolations are imminent! Cease your ingress!"
  11. Re:White Guilt by Shakrai · · Score: 3, Insightful

    White guilt means guilt over doing what the other people would have done if they were in our forefathers shoes.

    Of course every non-white superpower throughout history (the Mongols, the Persians, the Arabs, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Indians) was a beacon of human rights and good will towards men. It's only the evil European powers that exploited their position in the world towards their own ends.....

    --
    I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
    We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
  12. Quirk Books Already on It by XPulga · · Score: 2, Funny


    After "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" and "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter", I'm pretty sure Quirk Books must already be working on a tale that involves Mr. Bookman (from Seinfeld, season 3) travelling back in time, terminator-style, to charge late fees on George Washington. That modifies the course of history. Last scene on the book, Bookman is back to the 20th century and the country formerly known as USA is now part of Canada. In the place of the Statue of Liberty, a huge green statue of Celine Dion greets the New Yorkers.

    1. Re:Quirk Books Already on It by Tumbleweed · · Score: 1

      I'm pretty sure Quirk Books must already be working on a tale that involves Mr. Bookman (from Seinfeld, season 3) travelling back in time, terminator-style, to charge late fees on George Washington.

      Sheesh, what a waste of a working time machine! Just go back a bit farther in time and get the books back before they're overdue. People were waiting for those books to return, you know.

    2. Re:Quirk Books Already on It by gregthebunny · · Score: 1

      Would it still be called "New York", since York is a British city? Wouldn't it be something like "Nouveaux Bourgogne" instead?

    3. Re:Quirk Books Already on It by gijoel · · Score: 1

      You maniacs, you stupid maniacs. You blew it all to hell.

    4. Re:Quirk Books Already on It by XPulga · · Score: 1


      Well, the city previously known as New York. In the alternate reality it could be Stinky River, Lotsofbridgestown, or the french equivalents of these.

  13. Send Bookman after him... by AthleteMusicianNerd · · Score: 1

    That guy 'll track down the money...Why don't they tell us the amount?

  14. The library went to a lot of trouble... by operagost · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The library went to a lot of trouble to prove that their records from the 18th century are probably a bit inaccurate. It could have been as simple as a star-struck librarian forgetting to update the register.

    --

    Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    1. Re:The library went to a lot of trouble... by mbone · · Score: 1

      The library went to a lot of trouble to prove that their records from the 18th century are probably a bit inaccurate.

      Got them in the press, didn't it ?

    2. Re:The library went to a lot of trouble... by moosesocks · · Score: 1

      The library went to a lot of trouble to prove that their records from the 18th century are probably a bit inaccurate. It could have been as simple as a star-struck librarian forgetting to update the register.

      Maybe, but probably not. They found the rest of the set of books, minus the volumes that Washington borrowed. I suppose it could be a coincidence, but it would appear that Mr. Washington's estate owes the NYPL a great deal of money, and their book back.

      --
      -- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
    3. Re:The library went to a lot of trouble... by westlake · · Score: 1

      The library went to a lot of trouble to prove that their records from the 18th century are probably a bit inaccurate.

      The New York Society Library was a private subscription library. Washington would have been charged a substantial annual assessment or membership fee.

  15. In related news by idontgno · · Score: 1

    an arrest warrant was issued for noted military leader, statesman, father of the nation, and library scofflaw George Washington.

    --
    Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
  16. Not quite so late, but... by aonyx · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I was related to Mary Coyle Chase (author of Harvey). After she died in 1981 I helped clear out some things from her house. We found a book which had been checked out of the Denver Public Library in 1929. It was really fun returning it. I asked how much the fine was. The person at the circulation desk called the head librarian, and after a good laugh, they said there wouldn't be a fine.

    1. Re:Not quite so late, but... by Chas · · Score: 4, Funny

      I was related to Mary Coyle Chase

      Technically, you still are.

      --


      Chas - The one, the only.
      THANK GOD!!!
    2. Re:Not quite so late, but... by SnarfQuest · · Score: 1

      I was related to Mary Coyle Chase (author of Harvey) after she died in 1981

      Miss that one period, and this takes on a very strange pallor. There must be an interesting story there.

      --
      Who would win this election: Andrew Weiner vs Andrew Weiner's weiner.
    3. Re:Not quite so late, but... by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      Oh, in that case there is a fine of $8,462.75

      --
      Table-ized A.I.
  17. send bookman to get the book back! by Joe+The+Dragon · · Score: 2, Funny

    send bookman to get the book back!

  18. Authors suing for loss of IP? by spookymonster · · Score: 4, Funny

    I mean, think of how much revenue they must've lost!

    --
    - Despite popular opinion, I am not perfect.
  19. Other GW failings by interval1066 · · Score: 1

    He was often heard to ask total strangers whom he'd just met if he could borrow enough cash to purchase a hamburger and would promise to gladly pay them back on Tuesday.

    --
    Python: 'And then suddenly you have a language which says "we're all stuck with whatever the whiniest coder wants".'
  20. US Federal Debt by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now we know why the US Federal Debt is so high. That fine is probably still being carried by the Office of the President.

  21. Re:Just Spoke to George... by eleuthero · · Score: 1

    My problem is when I turn them in, they are left in the bin... someone else comes along and grabs them... and then I have to pay the fine (It has happened before and would happen again but for turning them into the over-worked clerks directly and waiting for the beep of each book being logged in).

  22. Weak Evidence by lee1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The evidence that it was G. Washington is 'An aide simply scrawled "president" next to the title to show who had taken them out'. This seems pretty weak to me. How do we know this means the President of the U.S.? Maybe it was the president of the library, or someone else entirely. The entry was intended to make sense to the library staff, not random other people 200 years later.

  23. Re:White Guilt by Scarletdown · · Score: 1

    Where is Conan the Librarian when we need him?

    --
    This space unintentionally left blank.
  24. Re:National Debt repaid with invention of timetrav by MaskedSlacker · · Score: 1

    Nah, $2 compounded at 5% for 221 years only gives $96,000 today (even a 10% yearly ROI would only net $2.8 billion). Can't blame the debt crisis on THAT George W.

  25. Oh really now? by OrwellianLurker · · Score: 1

    Everyone knows that George Washington couldn't tell a lie.

    Good ol' Honest George.

    --
    'Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.' - Mao Tse-tung
  26. Re:More slashdot fail by b4dc0d3r · · Score: 1

    "[H]e couldn't return a library book on time" is an awfully broad stroke based on "two books he borrowed, but never returned." How many other books did he borrow and return on time? If you can't answer that, we have two books out of an unknown number, which could be 2/2 (100%) or 2/2000 (suggesting he actually could return things on time).

    Is logic really that hard?

    Additionally, he was probably busy doing Presidential things since this was the first year of his Presidency. And the ledger says "president", not "President", so how do we know which president it was? Look at the original Constitution - they loved capitalizing everything, and they went out of their way to lower-case this one. A circumstantial case if ever there was.

    Slashdot: "News for nerds"
    Fark: "It's not news, it's Fark.com"

    So, how many History nerds are reading Slashdot instead of ThingsThatUsedToBeNews.com?

  27. Blame it on... by hAckz0r · · Score: 1
    Blame it on Tobias Lear http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobias_Lear_VTobiasLearVTobias Lear. He was Washingtons' personal secretary at the time. Are not the secretaries held accountable for managing the affairs of presidents?

    No, I didn't mean THAT kind of affair!! A President would never do that kind of thing would they?

  28. Actually he did return them... by kybur · · Score: 1

    To save space, the library used a VARCHAR(16) for the full name, so every time George returned something, there was an buffer overflow, and the database had to be fixed by hand. Seems like twice, they just forgot.

  29. How much does he owe? by MaWeiTao · · Score: 1

    We have an article on two books 220 years late, references to late fees, but no estimate on what George Washington would owe. Without that figure this is like a joke without the punchline.

  30. Mod parent up by cpghost · · Score: 1

    I wished I had mod points. But at least, here it is.

    --
    cpghost at Cordula's Web.
  31. Probably he was busy following French Revolution by unity100 · · Score: 1

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution

    notice the dates. he probably forgot all kinds of due dates due to the speed things were proceeding in france. by his books' due date, everyone in the world was aware that what was happening was a revolution.

    --
    Read radical news here
  32. mod parent interesting by unity100 · · Score: 1

    for it is, and i have posted in this discussion.

    --
    Read radical news here
  33. The Kajagoggles, they do nothing! by Dogtanian · · Score: 1

    And what happened to privacy? What would Washington think about the library publishing what books he borrowed and how much he owes in fees?

    Too shay.

    George Washington was too shay, shay?

    --
    "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
  34. Alternate ending by AlpineR · · Score: 1

    We found a book which had been checked out of the Denver Public Library in 1929. It was really fun returning it. I asked how much the fine was. The person at the circulation desk called the head librarian, and had a good laugh, a ferocious laugh, a cackle almost. Then the head librarian peered at me over her thick-rimmed glasses and grinned menacingly. She said, sternly, "Come with me." Then she lead me through the stacks, down a short stairway, and toward a dark, heavy door.

    To continue following the librarian, turn to page 56.

    To apologize and walk away, turn to page 129.

    1. Re:Alternate ending by tobiah · · Score: 1

      ha!

      --
      "The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool" - Jane Wagner -
  35. I feel a lynchin' comin' on! by Anachragnome · · Score: 1

    Sue his descendants for the late fees and pay off the national debt?

  36. For every day late, your friend loses a finger... by Sidius01 · · Score: 1

    Good to see that even a founding father of the nation isn't immune from the loan sharks (aka librarians) of the library systems.

  37. obligatory Python quote by Foobar+of+Borg · · Score: 1

    He'd dead, Jim!

    He's not dead, he's just pining for the fjords!

    --
    Similar to the upcoming US election results
  38. On the bright side... by tjstork · · Score: 1

    I would be more than willing to bet that the descendants of the slaves that George Washington bought that are still alive today have a significantly higher standard of living than their counterparts who remained in Africa.

    --
    This is my sig.
  39. And they want to run healthcare... by gillbates · · Score: 1, Funny

    When it takes 220 years for a government institution to figure out that a book is overdue, does anyone really think it would be a good idea to let them run a health care system?

    I know its humorous because this is just a library book, but it serves as a striking example of how government bureaucracies can depart from the supposed intentions of their founders. Consider:

    1. How many other library patrons got to keep their books for so long overdue without adverse consequences? Clearly, the library believed that all patrons were created equal, just some more equal than others.
    2. And why is it that ordinary New Yorkers have to pay a fine when their items are a mere few weeks overdue, but if you are a certain *Virginian*, you get to keep the book for as long as you wish, and should you bother returning it, the library isn't even interested in collecting a fine? Talk about corruption!
    3. And when it comes to corruption, is there anyone who does it better than New York? These guys are still offering favors to politicians *even after they're dead*. In Chicago, hey, the dead vote, but we don't offer them favors!
    4. Perhaps the library isn't a den of corruption. But if so, isn't it troubling that the people we trust with our literary treasures took more than two centuries to recognize a book was overdue?

    Ok, this is kind of a half-hearted jest, but I think there are some real points to be made about the way the government works more for the people in power than for the interests of the average citizen.

    --
    The society for a thought-free internet welcomes you.
    1. Re:And they want to run healthcare... by SuperGT · · Score: 1

      Yeah, and private health care companies are the ones that really care about us...
      I thought your post was a joke - a bad joke, but a joke nonetheless - until that last sentence. You are either the dumbest person in the world (not to realize that people in power try to make sure that they STAY in power) or you're a poor, brainwashed soul that listens to Rush and all those other morans.

  40. Re:White Guilt by mjwx · · Score: 1

    White guilt means guilt over doing what the other people would have done if they were in our forefathers shoes.

    Unfortunately, the term white guilt is only used as a precursor to xenophobic and racist speeches.

    I know you are smarter and more eloquent then that.

    The dictionary definition and the colloquial definition differ with the term "white guilt" as it has become synonymous with the most nationalist and racist of radicals in the western world. It's used as more of a cop out, to ignore and excuse the actions of bigots these days. Brushing off the past as "white guilt" or "white mans burden" is just an excuse used by those who wish to ignore the lessons we learned from our history.

    Of course every non-white superpower throughout history (the Mongols, the Persians, the Arabs, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Indians)

    Because Joey hit Johnny is not an excuse for Johnny to hit Janey.

    The Mongols, Persians and Arabs are no longer superpowers, you reap what you sew, as Europe was abolishing slavery they were getting taken over by Europe. The big difference is that the regimes of India, Japan, China or any of the others that you mentioned no longer exist, however the first county to outlaw slavery in 1107 still exists, as do the governments of England and the United States. Those who do not learn from history and so forth.

    --
    Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
  41. so, how are late charges being assesed? by 3seas · · Score: 1

    Compounded interest beyond teh value of the books.

    Hmm, why does this make me think of the music and video industry regarding piracy lawsuits on one hand and the policies of redbox and block busters on the other hand where they charge you maximum of the cost of the video?

    And yahoo shows and expired article....

    Oh how redundant...

  42. where are the books by iamtheprincess · · Score: 1

    I was wondering were the book are now also. This is very sad that our country would do this to our Great president.