Today is Tuesday, July 5, 2016.  We learn about happy mugshots.  Somebody questions the declarative nature of the Declaration of Independence.  A baseball collector gets into that Fort Bragg game.

Happy Mugshots

How would you feel if you got arrested?

Evidently, you would likely be happy.  That is according to LA Criminal Defense Partners.  They examined more than 30,000 mugshots through Microsoft Cognitive Services, a tool that detects emotions.  About 59 percent of people arrested appear to be “happy” in their mugshot.

Do We Get the Declaration of Independence Right?

Danielle Allen, a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, says that we are misunderstanding the Declaration of Independence.  Here’s one of the most recognized parts of the document:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed ….”

That period you see after “pursuit of Happiness” wasn’t in the original document according to Allen.  That’s a big deal because most American believe the Declaration is implying that government exists to protect the more important “unalienable rights.”  However, without the period, the Declaration might be saying that government is just as important as those rights.

A Collector Goes to Fort Bragg

Zack Hample has become a pretty controversial baseball collector.  He has caught more than 8,000 balls at Major League Baseball games.

His notoriety has risen since Sunday when he showed up at Fort Bragg for a special game that was closed to the general public.  Only active-duty soldiers, their families, and U.S. Department of Defense personnel were allowed to have tickets.

But, Hample found his way into the game through a “friend.”  That didn’t sit well with some in the military.


 He’s been apologizing.  A lot.

Related Stories
None