George's father, Harlin D. (better known in Lakewood as "Cooter") Hale, is a federal bankruptcy judge in the Northern District of Texas. George is a student at George Washington University, four blocks form the White House. At Woodrow he was a wonderful pot-stirrer, very bright, very political.
George once suckered me into joining a "community panel" to discuss disciplinary policies at Woodrow with the principal. George believed the policies infringed improperly on civil liberties. Anway, me and a bunch of other community dolts are sitting at this table in the teacher's lounge waiting for the principal to appear. George comes in to tell us, with evident satisfaction, that she won't be coming in to see us, because she's afraid to leave her office.
I believe the principal had not been fully apprised beforehand of the nature of the meeting. It was, in short, an ambush--my kind of stuff, for which I will always admire George. I can just hear him telling her, "...and I even got that guy from the Observer in there too." That was, by the way, a former principal, several principals back. For all I know, George got her canned. I wouldn't put it past him. The policies did infringe, by the way. They way infringed.
I sure hope he's on Larry King Live tonight. George is a live wire. Glad he's OK. --Jim Schutze
