Showing posts with label America. Show all posts
Showing posts with label America. Show all posts
9.20.2007
Boston Trip
This past weekend, Chris and I took a whirlwind trip to Boston, specifically to go to the NY Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox baseball game at Fenway Park. Now, Chris has been giving me all this hype about the city of Boston itself and how they kept the historical sites, as well as about Fenway Park, and there's just no other ballpark like it! We bought tickets to the game back in June, and planned the weekend.
We flew out on Friday afternoon. Our plane tickets had us going from here to Detroit, then to Buffalo, NY, then arriving in Boston at about 9pm that night. When we got to the gate, we asked the lady there why we hadn't been able to check in for the flight from Detroit to Buffalo. She told us that Detroit was awful about overbooking flights, and that we probably wouldn't even be able to get on that flight. Then she offered to switch us over to a non-stop flight from here to Boston on Delta (we were booked on Northwest.) We snatched that offer up quickly, and though we had to wait in the airport for 2 more hours to get on that flight, we arrived in Boston 3 hours earlier, too! What a blessing that was!
When we got to Boston, we were shuttled to our hotel, which had a restaurant attached to it. We went downstairs and ate, then spent the rest of the evening in our room watching the Yankees/Red Sox game on TV (which the Red Sox lost!) :-{
The next morning we slept in a little bit, got up in time to get the continental breakfast (which had a LOT of choices; that was nice!), and headed out to the city. We walked a few blocks to the T station. We eventually got downtown, but only after the bus driver on the bus we had to take (since they were doing some construction or something on the T tracks) missed his turn and got lost! Fortunately, there was an older man who knew where we were and how to get back to where we were going, and he directed the bus driver to our stop! (Never a dull moment...)
It was raining a little bit when we got downtown, but we continued on our way. We stopped at Faneuil Hall, where there is a statue of Samuel Adams. We walked through Quincy Market, which is famous for its cobblestone streets and shops. When we got to the end of Quincy Market, we bought tickets for a trolley tour that would take an hour ride by the most famous historical sites. You could get off at any stop and site see what you wanted, then just catch the next trolley. The guides on the trolleys were HILARIOUS! They did a great job! We started in Boston's Historic North End, right by Christopher Columbus Park. We got off at the first stop, and went through the Paul Revere Mall to the Old North Church, then backtracked until we found The Freedom Trail. We followed Freedom Trail to Paul Revere's house, and took a tour of that, then headed back to the trolley stop.
Our next stop was the USS Constitution... America's oldest commissioned Navy ship. It was AMAZING! Chris got busted by one of the Navy sailors stationed on the ship for picking up the 25 pound cannon balls! The ship was really neat, and the Navy sailors did a great job as "tour guides."
From there we headed back toward Government Center, and went to see the Old State House. The Old State House balcony is where the Declaration of Independence was read for the first time. Just in front of the Old State House is the exact spot of the Boston Massacre. While the Declaration of Independence was being read, a British soldier started firing shots randomly into the crowd, killing one man. This incident is known as the Boston Massacre.
At that point, we headed back to the T and rode down to Fenway Park. (The weather had cleared up by then, too, and it turned out to be a beautiful day!) It was REALLY cool to be there, especially since Chris LOVES it so much. He was so proud to take me around "his" city (he grew up just outside of Boston, then moved to NH when he was 12), and especially to show me Fenway Park. I had on my Red Sox jersey for the occasion... which is why Chris gave it to me for my birthday. I figured you can't go to Fenway Park and not have the gear! We had great seats, and before the game went over and touched the Green Monster. Chris even autographed it! We had a group of older gentlemen sitting next to us, and one of them went around with us and took a bunch of pictures of us for us. He was so sweet!
The game itself was AWESOME! I've been to 11 ballparks now, and I have NEVER seen a crowd like that! They were standing cheering in the 1st inning when the pitcher had a pitch count of 3-2 with 2 outs! IT ROCKED! It was kind of funny... they pack you in like sardines there. Because the park is so old, the seats are very small ~ no personal space there! We had a GREAT time. Of course, it was much better since the Red Sox won 10-1! Before the top of the 8th inning, they do a karaoke rendition of the song "Sweet Caroline." It was hilarious... the WHOLE crowd sings along! Of course, that song always makes me think of my newest sis-in-law whose name is Caroline. (As a matter of fact, I heard that song in the grocery store today!)
We stayed long enough after the game that the security guys asked us to leave. Chris got a handful of Fenway Park dirt, which we brought home. I thought he was going to get busted for that, too, but the security guard right there was super nice. While we were talking to him, Jorge Posada walked RIGHT past us (we were standing right next to the vistors dugout.)
After the game, we headed back to Quincy Market to the Build-a-Bear Workshop. At that particular store (and that store ONLY) you can get a Build-a-Bear Wally the Green Monster (the Red Sox mascot). We got in just in time to get one made! So, now I have 2 Wallys... one little one from the ballpark, and one big one from Build-a-Bear. :-)
At that point, I was very tired, and it was late, so we went to bed.
In the morning we got to the airport and went to check-in on Northwest, only to be told that we didn't have any reservations under our names. Chris was pretty upset, and (this is the abbreviated version) after having a customer service rep hang up on him, we finally got the issue solved... our first flight was on US Airways, the 2nd two were on Northwest. We got everything straightened out and went through security. Chris ran into a little problem there, too. Since we were bringing back souvenirs, I had rearranged some things in our suitcases which we carried on. In the rearranging process, I forgot that you are only allowed ONE bag of travel sized toiletries per person... and I had put both of our toiletry bags in Chris' suitcase. They pulled it off the line for a more specific search. We also had squished my teddy bear in there on top of everything, and Chris warned the TSA lady to be careful when opening the suitcase that it would "blow up." That phrase was NOT THE GREATEST CHOICE OF WORDS IN AN AIRPORT SECURITY LINE!!!!! You should have seen the look she gave him! I quickly stated, "Chris, that's a poor choice of words!" He explained what he meant, and she laughed. I could just see Chris getting arrested or something! YIKES!
After all of that drama, we had no more mishaps along the way from Boston to Buffalo, to Detroit, to here! We had a LONG layover in Detroit, and a few gates down from ours, they had a HUGE screen TV. Since it was Sunday afternoon, the Packers/Giants game was on. We were cracking up at the other people watching the game... and cheering as if they were in their living room at home (or actually at the game!) It was VERY entertaining, and made the time pass a lot more quickly!
We finally made it home... 7 hours after our first flight left... just in time to watch the Yankees/Red Sox game AND the Patriots/Chargers game on TV! Chris was so happy... except the Red Sox lost AGAIN!
Well, that's the story of our weekend! I'll try to post some pictures... if not tonight, at least next week. I have several days off next week! YEAH!
We flew out on Friday afternoon. Our plane tickets had us going from here to Detroit, then to Buffalo, NY, then arriving in Boston at about 9pm that night. When we got to the gate, we asked the lady there why we hadn't been able to check in for the flight from Detroit to Buffalo. She told us that Detroit was awful about overbooking flights, and that we probably wouldn't even be able to get on that flight. Then she offered to switch us over to a non-stop flight from here to Boston on Delta (we were booked on Northwest.) We snatched that offer up quickly, and though we had to wait in the airport for 2 more hours to get on that flight, we arrived in Boston 3 hours earlier, too! What a blessing that was!
When we got to Boston, we were shuttled to our hotel, which had a restaurant attached to it. We went downstairs and ate, then spent the rest of the evening in our room watching the Yankees/Red Sox game on TV (which the Red Sox lost!) :-{
The next morning we slept in a little bit, got up in time to get the continental breakfast (which had a LOT of choices; that was nice!), and headed out to the city. We walked a few blocks to the T station. We eventually got downtown, but only after the bus driver on the bus we had to take (since they were doing some construction or something on the T tracks) missed his turn and got lost! Fortunately, there was an older man who knew where we were and how to get back to where we were going, and he directed the bus driver to our stop! (Never a dull moment...)
It was raining a little bit when we got downtown, but we continued on our way. We stopped at Faneuil Hall, where there is a statue of Samuel Adams. We walked through Quincy Market, which is famous for its cobblestone streets and shops. When we got to the end of Quincy Market, we bought tickets for a trolley tour that would take an hour ride by the most famous historical sites. You could get off at any stop and site see what you wanted, then just catch the next trolley. The guides on the trolleys were HILARIOUS! They did a great job! We started in Boston's Historic North End, right by Christopher Columbus Park. We got off at the first stop, and went through the Paul Revere Mall to the Old North Church, then backtracked until we found The Freedom Trail. We followed Freedom Trail to Paul Revere's house, and took a tour of that, then headed back to the trolley stop.
Our next stop was the USS Constitution... America's oldest commissioned Navy ship. It was AMAZING! Chris got busted by one of the Navy sailors stationed on the ship for picking up the 25 pound cannon balls! The ship was really neat, and the Navy sailors did a great job as "tour guides."
From there we headed back toward Government Center, and went to see the Old State House. The Old State House balcony is where the Declaration of Independence was read for the first time. Just in front of the Old State House is the exact spot of the Boston Massacre. While the Declaration of Independence was being read, a British soldier started firing shots randomly into the crowd, killing one man. This incident is known as the Boston Massacre.
At that point, we headed back to the T and rode down to Fenway Park. (The weather had cleared up by then, too, and it turned out to be a beautiful day!) It was REALLY cool to be there, especially since Chris LOVES it so much. He was so proud to take me around "his" city (he grew up just outside of Boston, then moved to NH when he was 12), and especially to show me Fenway Park. I had on my Red Sox jersey for the occasion... which is why Chris gave it to me for my birthday. I figured you can't go to Fenway Park and not have the gear! We had great seats, and before the game went over and touched the Green Monster. Chris even autographed it! We had a group of older gentlemen sitting next to us, and one of them went around with us and took a bunch of pictures of us for us. He was so sweet!
The game itself was AWESOME! I've been to 11 ballparks now, and I have NEVER seen a crowd like that! They were standing cheering in the 1st inning when the pitcher had a pitch count of 3-2 with 2 outs! IT ROCKED! It was kind of funny... they pack you in like sardines there. Because the park is so old, the seats are very small ~ no personal space there! We had a GREAT time. Of course, it was much better since the Red Sox won 10-1! Before the top of the 8th inning, they do a karaoke rendition of the song "Sweet Caroline." It was hilarious... the WHOLE crowd sings along! Of course, that song always makes me think of my newest sis-in-law whose name is Caroline. (As a matter of fact, I heard that song in the grocery store today!)
We stayed long enough after the game that the security guys asked us to leave. Chris got a handful of Fenway Park dirt, which we brought home. I thought he was going to get busted for that, too, but the security guard right there was super nice. While we were talking to him, Jorge Posada walked RIGHT past us (we were standing right next to the vistors dugout.)
After the game, we headed back to Quincy Market to the Build-a-Bear Workshop. At that particular store (and that store ONLY) you can get a Build-a-Bear Wally the Green Monster (the Red Sox mascot). We got in just in time to get one made! So, now I have 2 Wallys... one little one from the ballpark, and one big one from Build-a-Bear. :-)
At that point, I was very tired, and it was late, so we went to bed.
In the morning we got to the airport and went to check-in on Northwest, only to be told that we didn't have any reservations under our names. Chris was pretty upset, and (this is the abbreviated version) after having a customer service rep hang up on him, we finally got the issue solved... our first flight was on US Airways, the 2nd two were on Northwest. We got everything straightened out and went through security. Chris ran into a little problem there, too. Since we were bringing back souvenirs, I had rearranged some things in our suitcases which we carried on. In the rearranging process, I forgot that you are only allowed ONE bag of travel sized toiletries per person... and I had put both of our toiletry bags in Chris' suitcase. They pulled it off the line for a more specific search. We also had squished my teddy bear in there on top of everything, and Chris warned the TSA lady to be careful when opening the suitcase that it would "blow up." That phrase was NOT THE GREATEST CHOICE OF WORDS IN AN AIRPORT SECURITY LINE!!!!! You should have seen the look she gave him! I quickly stated, "Chris, that's a poor choice of words!" He explained what he meant, and she laughed. I could just see Chris getting arrested or something! YIKES!
After all of that drama, we had no more mishaps along the way from Boston to Buffalo, to Detroit, to here! We had a LONG layover in Detroit, and a few gates down from ours, they had a HUGE screen TV. Since it was Sunday afternoon, the Packers/Giants game was on. We were cracking up at the other people watching the game... and cheering as if they were in their living room at home (or actually at the game!) It was VERY entertaining, and made the time pass a lot more quickly!
We finally made it home... 7 hours after our first flight left... just in time to watch the Yankees/Red Sox game AND the Patriots/Chargers game on TV! Chris was so happy... except the Red Sox lost AGAIN!
Well, that's the story of our weekend! I'll try to post some pictures... if not tonight, at least next week. I have several days off next week! YEAH!
7.04.2007
Happy 4th of July ~ Independence Day!
Happy 4th of July to you all! I just want to say that I am so thankful to be an American, as well as to be a Christian! Freedom from sin is so much more important than political freedom. I am deeply grateful for the freedom that I have as an American because many men and women have sacrificed and given their lives that I might be free from the tyranny of political bondage. So, thank you to all of you who have either served in our Armed Forces, ARE serving in our Armed Forces, or sacrifice that your loved ones can serve in our Armed Forces. Your sacrifices are not taken lightly.
I am all the more thankful for the freedom that I have found in having a personal relationship with my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He paid the ULTIMATE sacrifice to redeem me from my sin and to offer me the gift of eternal salvation from separation from God forever in Hell. I now have the freedom to live a life that is not held under the bondage of sin, and the guarantee that I will spend eternity in Heaven with God when I die.
Keeping these things in mind, how much better can it get?!?!?
FREEDOM IS NOT FREE!
FREEDOM: CHERISH YOUR FREEDOM AND GUARD IT WITH HONOR AND RESPECT FOR IT CARRIES THE BLOOD OF THOSE WHO GAVE IT TO YOU!
5.29.2007
Memorial Day - part 2
Every week in our church bulletin, there is a letter from our pastor. I love the letter he wrote about Memorial Day. It completely captured my thoughts, and rather than reiterate it to you in my words, I'm going to copy it. Here's the letter from Pastor Lonnie Mattingly:
A DAY TO REMEMBER
Memorial Day is a United States Federal Holiday that is observed on the final Monday of May. It was formerly known as Decoration Day. This holiday commemorates U.S. men and women who have died in military service to their country. It began first to honor Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War. After World War I, it expanded to include those who died in any war or military action. Following the end of the Civil War, many communities set aside a day to mark the end of the war or as a memorial to those who had died.
WE SHOULD NEVER FORGET
The military men and women who gave their lives that we might have life. Last Sunday evening I asked this question - "If those who died for the freedom you are now enjoying could see your lifestyle and commitment to freedom, would they say it was worth giving their life for?"
We should also never forget the Christians who have been and are being martyred for their faith in Christ. I thank the Lord that salvation has come to our generation. The cost for many was death at the hands of the enemies of the cross. Let's stand up for Jesus regardless of the cost.
We should never forget our Saviour and the ultimate price He paid for our sins. Let's honor Him every day until He returns to receive us to Himself. If you have never trusted His saving grace, do so today. Don't let His death for you be in vain. ~Bro. Lonnie
5.28.2007
Memorial Day
(Soldier: Because of your bravery, courage, and sacrifice, liberty & freedom are still ours. We are deeply grateful. GODSPEED)
I just wanted to say a HUGET H A N K Y O U
to the men and women in the military that sacrifice every day for me to have my freedom, as well as their spouses and families that sacrifice the moments they miss while being away from each other. I hope I live a life that is worthy of that sacrifice. A special thank you to my dad, for serving in the Navy during the Vietnam War, and my 3 brothers in law that have served in various branches of the military. Also, thanks to our good friends, Pete, who served in Desert Storm in Iraq, and Jeff, who has also served many years in the military.
(Letter Home)
I don't have the time to write more tonight, so I'll continue this post tomorrow. I just wanted to post this today... I am so thankful to be an American, and so proud of all of those who have given their lives, whether in life or in death, to preserve the freedom and liberty that I hold so dear. I am deeply grateful!.JPG)
(some gave all)
4.12.2007
Easter Weekend part 1 - the plane rides
We had a wonderful Easter weekend! We flew down to Jacksonville, Florida, and met up with ALL of my family at my brother Steve's house. It was SO fun to see everyone together again... it's been almost 2 years since that has happened. I'm going to split up telling about parts of our trip, just because there is so much that I want to say, and pictures to show you as well.
The first thing I'd like to share is our plane trip down there. It was very uneventful as far as the actual plane trip goes, but there were some really neat things that happened. We flew from Louisville to Charlotte, NC, then to Jax. On our flight from Louisville to Charlotte, we were entertained by a flight attendant with a GREAT personality. As I boarded the plane, the flight attendant (Patrick), gasped as if I was a long lost friend that he hadn't seen in forever, and then said, "Welcome Aboard!" That started it... Chris and I sat in the second row, so we were able to clearly see and hear everything that Patrick did. As more passengers were boarding, one man came onto the plane and said, "I want some of whatever he's (Patrick) is on!" Of course, all of us who heard that comment started laughing, and the man said, "Did I really say it that loud?"
Then it came time for the usually boring safety announcements. Patrick picked up the phone to do the announcements and said this, "Welcome aboard US Airways flight 7757 (or whatever the number was... I can't remember) with service to... Cancun... oh, I'm sorry, we don't have enough gas to get us to Cancun, so we will be going to Charlotte today." As he continued going through the safety speech, he added so much personality that we were all listening! He talked about how to buckle and tighten the seat belt, then said, "Let me demonstrate" in a long drawn out voice. He then proceeded to "demonstrate" in slow motion. We were laughing so hard!
As we were taxiing down the runway, he picked up his little phone and told us this, "Due to the rising fuel costs and the increase in travel for this holiday weekend, we are driving part way to Charlotte today. This is the driving part, but if you'll wait just a few minutes, we'll be taking off shortly."
There are many other things that he did that were incredibly funny, but typing the story just doesn't seem to do it justice. I'll just let it suffice to say that it made that part of our flight a lot faster, and we got our dose of laughter for the day!
One our second flight from Charlotte to Jax, we had two Air Force soldiers on board that were returning to the States from service in Afghanistan. We had a conversation with the man, and he ended up being assigned to the seat right behind me. After everyone had boarded the plane and the flight attendants were getting ready for takeoff, one of the flight attendants came back to the soldier and told him that they were upgrading him to first class. He said, "Are you sure? You don't have to do that." To which the flight attendant responded, "Yes, we do... we take care of our military!" Both of the soldiers were moved up to first class. I thought that was really cool!
When we arrived at the airport in Jax, the USO there had a bunch of people ready with a reception for those soldiers. We were not able to stay to see them come off the plane and the reception there, but we did get some pics of the banners and such. Here they are:
4.02.2007
Something worth watching...
Here is something that the media reported on that is actually WORTH watching: Click Here
Then Click Here to read about a friend of mine who experienced this homecoming. This made me cry!!
Then Click Here to read about a friend of mine who experienced this homecoming. This made me cry!!
3.29.2007
Another Military Card
Since Dora requested that I send her the image "Godspeed" so that she could show it to her mom, I am posting the card that I made to send to her for that purpose. (Dora's brother is in Iraq right now.) I just bought the "Soldier..." stamp the other day, and love it. Anyway, here is a salute to our soldiers: 
"Soldier~Because of your bravery, courage, and sacrifice, liberty & freedom are still ours. We are deeply grateful. GODSPEED"
Inside: "You are in my thoughts and prayers."
Back: "Missing you"
Back: "Missing you"
Military Pride
In honor of our military, I have added a few graphics to my blog. These serve also as a reminder to pray for our President and our military. I also want to honor those that I know (family especially) that served/are serving in the military:
My dad - Navy - Vietnam War
2 brothers-in-law - Marines
Another brother-in-law - Air Force
We also have a couple of close friends that have served/are serving in the military - Jeff W. in the Air Force currently, and Pete M. former Marine who fought in Iraq. (See his wife's post honoring him here.) Also, my good friends, the LaFlammes, have Rodney's dad who recently arrived back home from Iraq, and the Kinnan's - Dan just went back to Iraq from being on leave to see their newborn son.
I am sure that MANY of you either have family members and/or friends that are serving us and our country in the military. I just want you to know that I am VERY thankful for their sacrifice and for the freedom that those sacrifices offer me. Please continue to pray for our military, and their family members.
My dad - Navy - Vietnam War
2 brothers-in-law - Marines
Another brother-in-law - Air Force
We also have a couple of close friends that have served/are serving in the military - Jeff W. in the Air Force currently, and Pete M. former Marine who fought in Iraq. (See his wife's post honoring him here.) Also, my good friends, the LaFlammes, have Rodney's dad who recently arrived back home from Iraq, and the Kinnan's - Dan just went back to Iraq from being on leave to see their newborn son.
I am sure that MANY of you either have family members and/or friends that are serving us and our country in the military. I just want you to know that I am VERY thankful for their sacrifice and for the freedom that those sacrifices offer me. Please continue to pray for our military, and their family members.
3.27.2007
GODSPEED
"GODSPEED"
So, it's after 3am, and for whatever reason, tonight I can't sleep. Maybe I drank too much tea today and the caffiene got to me. Anyway, since I'm up, I figured I'd share with you what it is I do at 3am when I can't sleep!
Here is another card I made for our family member that is at Basic Training. A friend of mine owns this stamp set, which is now retired (meaning that I can't get it unless I come across it on ebay or something.) Being the good friend that she is, she stamped several variations of the images and sent them to me, so that I could use them. Since the set is retired, I am allowed to make copies of the images, which is nice. I cut out all of the images from the paper she sent, then put vellum over top to try to hide all the lines from the layers of paper. The word "GODSPEED" is stamped in red and embossed with clear powder on the vellum. The second picture I played with a little and you can see it stands out a little bit more.
Well, with that, I am off to bed to try to get some "shut-eye" before I have to get up for work in 3 hours! YIKES! I hope you enjoy my card, and remember to pray for our servicemen and women that sacrifice on a daily basis to provide us with our freedom. Thank you to those of you in the military!
3.01.2007
Pray for our troops
America is the land of the free, because of the brave!
In light of the recent enlisting of one of our family members into the Marines, I just wanted to take a minute to remind you of the importance of praying for our men and women in the Armed Forces, as well as their families. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to know that a loved one is in harm's way every minute of every day.
Also, continue to pray for our President and our country. Thank God for America!!
~FREEDOM ~
Cherish your freedom and guard it with honor and respect
for it carries the BLOOD of those who gave it to you.
~FREEDOM is not FREE!~
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
2.21.2007
Theodore Roosevelt's Stand on Immigration 1907
Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.
"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
Theodore Roosevelt 1907
My thoughts exactly, Mr. President!
"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
Theodore Roosevelt 1907
My thoughts exactly, Mr. President!
2.08.2007
An Age-Old War - Americans vs. Muslims
This article was sent to me by my dad, and I thought it was very interesting. Therefore, I am sharing it with you.
Democrat Keith Ellison is now officially the first Muslim United States congressman. True to his pledge, he placed his hand on the Quran, the Muslim book of jihad and pledged his allegiance to the United States during his ceremonial swearing-in.
Capitol Hill staff said Ellison's swearing-in photo opportunity drew more media than they had ever seen in the history of the U.S. House. Ellison represents the 5th Congressional District of Minnesota.
The Quran Ellison used was no ordinary book. It once belonged to Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States and one of America's founding fathers. Ellison borrowed it from the Rare Book Section of the Library of Congress. It was one of the 6,500 Jefferson books archived in the library.
Ellison, who was born in Detroit and converted to Islam while in college, said he chose to use Jefferson's Quran because it showed that "a visionary like Jefferson" believed that wisdom could be gleaned from many sources.
There is no doubt Ellison was right about Jefferson believing wisdom could be "gleaned" from the Muslim Quran. At the time Jefferson owned the book, he needed to know everything possible about Muslims because he was about to advocate war against the Islamic "Barbary" states of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Tripoli.
Ellison's use of Jefferson's Quran as a prop illuminates a subject once well-known in the history of the United States, but, which today, is mostly forgotten - the Muslim pirate slavers who over many centuries enslaved millions of Africans and tens of thousands of Christian Europeans and Americans in the Islamic "Barbary" states.
Over the course of 10 centuries, Muslim pirates cruised the African and Mediterranean coastline, pillaging villages and seizing slaves.
The taking of slaves in pre-dawn raids on unsuspecting coastal villages had a high casualty rate. It was typical of Muslim raiders to kill off as many of the "non-Muslim" older men and women as possible so the preferred "booty" of only young women and children could be collected.
Young non-Muslim women were targeted because of their value as concubines in Islamic markets. Islamic law provides for the sexual interests of Muslim men by allowing them to take as many as four wives at one time and to have as many concubines as their fortunes allow.
Boys, as young as 9 or 10 years old, were often mutilated to create eunuchs who would bring higher prices in the slave markets of the Middle East. Muslim slave traders created "eunuch stations" along major African slave routes so the necessary surgery could be performed. It was estimated that only a small number of the boys subjected to the mutilation survived after the surgery.
When American colonists rebelled against British rule in 1776, American merchant ships lost Royal Navy protection. With no American Navy for protection, American ships were attacked and their Christian crews enslaved by Muslim pirates operating under the control of the "Dey of Algiers"--an Islamist warlord ruling Algeria.
Because American commerce in the Mediterranean was being destroyed by the pirates, the Continental Congress agreed in 1784 to negotiate treaties with the four Barbary States. Congress appointed a special commission consisting of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, to oversee the negotiations.
Lacking the ability to protect its merchant ships in the Mediterranean, the new America government tried to appease the Muslim slavers by agreeing to pay tribute and ransoms in order to retrieve seized American ships and buy the freedom of enslaved sailors.
Adams argued in favor of paying tribute as the cheapest way to get American commerce in the Mediterranean moving again. Jefferson was opposed. He believed there would be no end to the demands for tribute and wanted matters settled "through the medium of war." He proposed a league of trading nations to force an end to Muslim piracy.
In 1786, Jefferson, then the American ambassador to France, and Adams, then the American ambassador to Britain, met in London with Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja, the "Dey of Algiers" ambassador to Britain.
The Americans wanted to negotiate a peace treaty based on Congress' vote to appease.
During the meeting Jefferson and Adams asked the Dey's ambassador why Muslims held so much hostility towards America, a nation with which they had no previous contacts.
In a later meeting with the American Congress, the two future presidents reported that Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja had answered that Islam "was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Quran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners, and that every Musselman (Muslim) who should be slain in Battle was sure to go to Paradise."
For the following 15 years, the American government paid the Muslims millions of dollars for the safe passage of American ships or the return of American hostages. The payments in ransom and tribute amounted to 20 percent of United States government annual revenues in 1800.
Not long after Jefferson's inauguration as president in 1801, he dispatched a group of frigates to defend American interests in the Mediterranean, and informed Congress.
Declaring that America was going to spend "millions for defense but not one cent for tribute," Jefferson pressed the issue by deploying American Marines and many of America's best warships to the Muslim Barbary Coast.
The USS Constitution, USS Constellation, USS Philadelphia, USS Chesapeake, USS Argus, USS Syren and USS Intrepid all saw action.
In 1805, American Marines marched across the desert from Egypt into Tripolitania, forcing the surrender of Tripoli and the freeing of all American slaves.
During the Jefferson administration, the Muslim Barbary States, crumbling as a result of intense American naval bombardment and on shore raids by Marines, finally officially agreed to abandon slavery and piracy.
Jefferson's victory over the Muslims lives on today in the Marine Hymn, with the line, "From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli, We fight our country's battles in the air, on land and sea."
It wasn't until 1815 that the problem was fully settled by the total defeat of all the Muslim slave trading pirates.
Jefferson had been right. The "medium of war" was the only way to put and end to the Muslim problem. Mr. Ellison was right about Jefferson. He was a "visionary" wise enough to read and learn about the enemy from their own Muslim book of jihad.
What Thomas Jefferson learned from the Muslim book of jihad
January 2007
Democrat Keith Ellison is now officially the first Muslim United States congressman. True to his pledge, he placed his hand on the Quran, the Muslim book of jihad and pledged his allegiance to the United States during his ceremonial swearing-in.
Capitol Hill staff said Ellison's swearing-in photo opportunity drew more media than they had ever seen in the history of the U.S. House. Ellison represents the 5th Congressional District of Minnesota.
The Quran Ellison used was no ordinary book. It once belonged to Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States and one of America's founding fathers. Ellison borrowed it from the Rare Book Section of the Library of Congress. It was one of the 6,500 Jefferson books archived in the library.
Ellison, who was born in Detroit and converted to Islam while in college, said he chose to use Jefferson's Quran because it showed that "a visionary like Jefferson" believed that wisdom could be gleaned from many sources.
There is no doubt Ellison was right about Jefferson believing wisdom could be "gleaned" from the Muslim Quran. At the time Jefferson owned the book, he needed to know everything possible about Muslims because he was about to advocate war against the Islamic "Barbary" states of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Tripoli.
Ellison's use of Jefferson's Quran as a prop illuminates a subject once well-known in the history of the United States, but, which today, is mostly forgotten - the Muslim pirate slavers who over many centuries enslaved millions of Africans and tens of thousands of Christian Europeans and Americans in the Islamic "Barbary" states.
Over the course of 10 centuries, Muslim pirates cruised the African and Mediterranean coastline, pillaging villages and seizing slaves.
The taking of slaves in pre-dawn raids on unsuspecting coastal villages had a high casualty rate. It was typical of Muslim raiders to kill off as many of the "non-Muslim" older men and women as possible so the preferred "booty" of only young women and children could be collected.
Young non-Muslim women were targeted because of their value as concubines in Islamic markets. Islamic law provides for the sexual interests of Muslim men by allowing them to take as many as four wives at one time and to have as many concubines as their fortunes allow.
Boys, as young as 9 or 10 years old, were often mutilated to create eunuchs who would bring higher prices in the slave markets of the Middle East. Muslim slave traders created "eunuch stations" along major African slave routes so the necessary surgery could be performed. It was estimated that only a small number of the boys subjected to the mutilation survived after the surgery.
When American colonists rebelled against British rule in 1776, American merchant ships lost Royal Navy protection. With no American Navy for protection, American ships were attacked and their Christian crews enslaved by Muslim pirates operating under the control of the "Dey of Algiers"--an Islamist warlord ruling Algeria.
Because American commerce in the Mediterranean was being destroyed by the pirates, the Continental Congress agreed in 1784 to negotiate treaties with the four Barbary States. Congress appointed a special commission consisting of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, to oversee the negotiations.
Lacking the ability to protect its merchant ships in the Mediterranean, the new America government tried to appease the Muslim slavers by agreeing to pay tribute and ransoms in order to retrieve seized American ships and buy the freedom of enslaved sailors.
Adams argued in favor of paying tribute as the cheapest way to get American commerce in the Mediterranean moving again. Jefferson was opposed. He believed there would be no end to the demands for tribute and wanted matters settled "through the medium of war." He proposed a league of trading nations to force an end to Muslim piracy.
In 1786, Jefferson, then the American ambassador to France, and Adams, then the American ambassador to Britain, met in London with Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja, the "Dey of Algiers" ambassador to Britain.
The Americans wanted to negotiate a peace treaty based on Congress' vote to appease.
During the meeting Jefferson and Adams asked the Dey's ambassador why Muslims held so much hostility towards America, a nation with which they had no previous contacts.
In a later meeting with the American Congress, the two future presidents reported that Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja had answered that Islam "was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Quran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners, and that every Musselman (Muslim) who should be slain in Battle was sure to go to Paradise."
For the following 15 years, the American government paid the Muslims millions of dollars for the safe passage of American ships or the return of American hostages. The payments in ransom and tribute amounted to 20 percent of United States government annual revenues in 1800.
Not long after Jefferson's inauguration as president in 1801, he dispatched a group of frigates to defend American interests in the Mediterranean, and informed Congress.
Declaring that America was going to spend "millions for defense but not one cent for tribute," Jefferson pressed the issue by deploying American Marines and many of America's best warships to the Muslim Barbary Coast.
The USS Constitution, USS Constellation, USS Philadelphia, USS Chesapeake, USS Argus, USS Syren and USS Intrepid all saw action.
In 1805, American Marines marched across the desert from Egypt into Tripolitania, forcing the surrender of Tripoli and the freeing of all American slaves.
During the Jefferson administration, the Muslim Barbary States, crumbling as a result of intense American naval bombardment and on shore raids by Marines, finally officially agreed to abandon slavery and piracy.
Jefferson's victory over the Muslims lives on today in the Marine Hymn, with the line, "From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli, We fight our country's battles in the air, on land and sea."
It wasn't until 1815 that the problem was fully settled by the total defeat of all the Muslim slave trading pirates.
Jefferson had been right. The "medium of war" was the only way to put and end to the Muslim problem. Mr. Ellison was right about Jefferson. He was a "visionary" wise enough to read and learn about the enemy from their own Muslim book of jihad.
1.25.2007
Petition on Life, Liberty & Family
I just signed a petition to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid demanding that the new Congress immediately stop its attacks on life, liberty and our families. Please go here for details and to sign: http://www.libertyaction.org/284/petition.asp?PID=12393039&NID=1
12.07.2006
MILITARY MEMORIES - PEARL HARBOR
65 years ago today was the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and I was just thinking about our military men and women. I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all of our troops for the freedom that you have given me. I greatly appreciate the sacrifices you make on a daily basis to serve our country, and though the media won't show it, there are countless Americans who support you. Thank you to the veterans of wars that I know: my dad in Vietnam, and Pete McMillin in Iraq. I also want to thank 2 of my brothers-in-law that spent time in the military: Tyson in the Marines, and David in the Air Force. There are many others, I know, but those are the ones that I can think of right now. Thank God for the country that we are able to be citizens of...God has blessed us so much. And thank you to the many men and women who fight so that we can retain the freedoms that were bought with the blood of many men and women before us. Remember: FREEDOM IS NOT FREE!
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