Nov 24, 2008

Secret Irony :o)

Tonight, I read a brief article in Time Magazine about the history of the Secret Service. I found it ironic that in 1865, on the very day he was assassinated, Lincoln green-lighted what would become the U.S. Secret Service.

The agency's mission has evolved dramatically since its inception under the Treasury Department. Today, there are more than 3,200 members, ready to sacrifice their lives for he safety of the leader of the free world.

The agency's job originally was to stamp out counterfeiting in an era when one out of every three bills in circulation was fake. Presidential security became a formal objective after the assassination of President McKinley in 1901. It wasn't until 1951, after a failed attempt on President Truman, that Congress codified the agency's permanent protection of the First Family. Its duties also now include candidates for high office (they have been guarding "Renegade" since May 2007, longer than any other presidential candidate in U.S. history).

Monitoring for fiscal malfeasance is still half of the agency's job though. In August, the Secret Service helped crack what was heralded as the largest identity-theft ring in U.S. history (so where was the publicity on this? Oh, thats right, our media machine usually only reports on the negative. End of Rant :o).

Hope you enjoyed this little historical stroll :o)

15 comments:

  1. James West and Artemus Gordon are probably the most famous members of the Secret Service, you know. ;)

    Considering the atmosphere, I hope and pray the Secret Service will be extra-vigilant in their protection of Renegade...as well as Renaissance, Radiance, and Rosebud.

    B.

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  2. I love the names they assign! Rosebud! Awwwww!

    Thanks for the history lesson...

    *hugs*
    heather

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  3. Hi Bucko,
    Wow ... fascinating, especially that the Secret Service would have been green-lighted by Lincoln on the very day he was killed. How eerie is that ...?!?
    Best,
    Marty

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  4. Yes, I did very much so!!! Thanks for bringing it to light, and the recent success of the Agency.

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  5. Hi Ken,
    You're so right, the mainstream media only reports negative items. Very interesting post.

    I see you have already received the "Real People, Real Blog" award, but you got another one on my journal!

    Dirk
    http://tsalagiman2.blogspot.com/

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  6. A good read! Thanks for the entry, and have a great day tomorrow!

    Peace&Love
    Wes

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  7. i got to this blog hoping to find information on "what was heralded as the largest identity-theft ring in U.S. history". I did not hear anything about this. Please does anyone have information on this ring and the story of the arrests? If you do please send to samsonayooluwa@yahoo.co.uk . Thanks

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  8. i am lost a bit...who is Renegade? Obama?
    i saw a show on this...either on A%E or The History Channel, talking about all that you mentioned. Fascinating isn't it? Thank God we have the SS.

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  9. Thanks for the heads up. I LOVE historical pieces on our more, shall we say, clandestine agencies. I'll have to buy the mag. It is ironic indeed.

    Fred

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  10. Fascinating! More so to realize Lincoln is the reason for it's beginnings. (Hugs)Indigo

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  11. I did enjoy it. Very interesting!

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  12. Thanks for that! Really nice!

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  13. Thanks for the History lesson as our secret service is quite different,good entry.

    Yasmin
    xx

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  14. Thanks for the historical stroll, you are a good teacher.

    I'd like to ahve my own secret service detail; my code name would be Empress. Of course, I want to hand pick the members of my detail.

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