Blog Header - June 8, 2008

This photo was taken in front of one of my favorite Washington, D.C., buildings—the Library of Congress. There are a a few statues and fountains in front of the Library. The statue in this photograph is of the ancient Roman god, Neptune.

The Library of Congress is America's library. As American citizens, every one of us pays for the library through our taxes. So it is yours to be enjoyed. There is a sign in front of the doors to the reading room, which is the area where the books are located, that says, "Closed to tourist traffic." Thinking that this means that no one is allowed to enter except special dignitaries, the crowds of tourists gather around those doors and peek through the small windows to catch a glimpse of the reading room—the most glorious room I have ever seen. Of course, anyone can enter the reading room. They just don't want groups wandering the reading room, talking loudly, pointing at the statues and snapping photos. When I excuse myself and pass through the doors into the reading room, I often hear the tourists whispering to one another, "Who is he? I bet he's somebody important." If only they knew.