Welcome to part two of my day at Becket Fund’s Freedom Summit. After a fancy lunch consisting of mostly finger foods, and some serious religious liberty talk, it was time for our tour of the Library of Congress. All I knew about the Library was that parts of National Treasure 2 were filmed there. Little did I know, the Library has a long history in America’s past and that every single painting, mural, wood carving, and cherub has a metaphorical meaning. Several paintings stood out to me – one was about how Greeks played their sports and another depicted modern day athletics. A different set of paintings displayed this idea: if government remains uncorrupted and fair, then prosperity and peace would transpire; if not, then decay would take over. A general theme running through all décor is progress and how our society has advanced since ancient past.
And because the core of the Library is formed by Thomas Jefferson’s personal collection (which we all were able to see, behind a thick glass protection), which included books from all languages and on all subjects, the Library has made it a point to collect any and every book that this country produces. In fact, by law it is required that two copies of any publication, be it in book, DVD or CD form, or any other media form, be sent to the Library of Congress. The genres range from religion, warfare, and music to games, philosophy, art, and science and everything in between.
This flood of knowledge was soon followed by a short reception with the Becket Fund and finally with an after-hours tour of the U.S. Capitol Building. I had been inside the Capitol once, but that was to a directed area for the CAPAL Washington Leadership Program. This time, the SALDEF team and I were given a grand tour, including the Old Senate Chamber, which actually used to house the Supreme Court, Emancipation Hall, and the old House of Representatives. But perhaps the most notable part of our tour was the privilege of stepping into the House Chamber, just 15 minutes after our Congressmen had stepped out. This is the location of all State of the Union addresses; where everyday Congress was legislating the next path of American history. It is a room, much smaller than I expected, that is filled with big decisions, big speeches, and big history.
The Crypt
The First Statue of Liberty
Old Senate Chamber
The Capitol tour, only expected to last 1 hour, had lasted 3 hours. This made us late to our ‘welcome to DC’ dinner with some local Sikhs but the wait was worth it. We had 20+ Sikh interns, students, and professionals attend the dinner. Later we all watched Game 7 of the finals I was able to show some Los Angeles Laker pride to a room full of Laker-haters.
The SALDEF Team