Cyndi and I went to DC today (I'll post pics later on…). We rode the metro–of course–to the Smithsonian station. We went to the WWII memorial, the Lincoln memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, we ate lunch at the Ronald Reagan building, tried to go to the National Aquarium, and spent some time in the Museum of American History. Here is the story of today.
Neither of us has been sleeping well, so we slept in (Cyndi later than me). We got ready and went into town. It was so so hot. I have never sweat so much doing nothing before. If you had seen me, you would have thought that I was running a marathon or something.
WWII Memorial
First, Cyndi wanted to go see the WWII memorial so we did that first. It was ok. I don't get exactly what the designers were going for, but who knows. The liberals have their influence here too. These two quotes are present on the memorial:
THEY HAVE GIVEN THEIR SONS TO THE MILITARY SERVICES. THEY HAVE STOKED THE FURNACES AND HURRIED THE FACTORY WHEELS. THEY HAVE MADE THE PLANES AND WELDED THE TANKS, RIVETED THE SHIPS AND ROLLED THE SHELLS. — President Franklin D. Roosevelt
WOMEN WHO STEPPED UP WERE MEASURED AS CITIZENS OF THE NATION, NOT AS WOMEN…THIS WAS A PEOPLE’S WAR, AND EVERYONE WAS IN IT. — Colonel Oveta Culp Hobby
Now, don't get me wrong…women made contributions in WWII, but so did everyone left behind. Why single women out seperate? Everything was rationed…what about including a quote about the kids who collected tires, grease, scrap metal, and everything else. What about a quote for the Japanese in the country who were put in "internment" camps. There is only one reason to include these quotes in a memorial for those who died serving in WWII and that is liberals trying too hard to be all inclusive. For me, it was simply distracting.
One thing that I really thought was really cool was the field of stars representing those who died. I'll post my own picture in a bit; however, the link above will give you an ok idea about what I'm talking about.
Lincoln Monument
Next, we went to the Lincoln Monument. I don't ever remember being here before, and I really enjoyed it. Pres. Lincoln has to be my favorite president ever. He saught God when he made decisions, he led the nation through the Civil War, and was the first Republican.
I admit it…I'm a Civil War buff. Contrary to what people are taught in schools, the Civil War was not about slavery or emancipation. The Civil War was fought by Lincolin to preserve the Union (Don't get me wrong…slavery was wrong; however, it wasn't THE reason for the Civil War). The south saw their rights being violated. If you want proof of what Lincoln thought, make sure you visit the "basement" of the Lincoln Monument (down where the restrooms are). There you will find many of Lincoln's quotes (I think I have pics that I'll post later) where he details that he is fighting the Civil War to preserve the Union.
Jefferson Monument
After visiting Lincoln, we walked over to the Jefferson Monument. This was another place I had never been before. If you are in DC, go here. Jefferson was the main person responsible for writing the Declaration of Independence. This document says (among other things):
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Ronald Reagan Building
After we left the Jefferson Monument, we went to the Ronald Reagan building. We were actually headed to the National Aquarium but we were looking for a place to eat. We asked a very nice security guard who mentioned that there was a food court in the basement of the building. We ate lunch there (typical fast food/food court fare). This isn't a memorial/monument…it is just named after Reagan (who, in my mind was probably the second best president behind Lincoln).
The signs indicated there was a metro stop here, but we couldn't figure out which one it was. Our best guess was the Federal Triangle stop. Use this information at your own risk….
As an aside, going in, we had to show some picture ID and go through metal detectors. The experience was very thorough and uneventful. I set of the metal detector. What happened? Was I treated like a criminal (like we are at airports in the US now)? Nope. The guy asked me to stand to the side and he wanded me. Once he was satisfied, I was allowed in. This is how airport security should be!
National Aquarium
Once we finished lunch (and cooled down in the AC), we continued on to the National Aquarium. We didn't actually get past the front door. Unlike the National Zoo and the various Smithsonian Museums, you have to pay to get in. I wasn't interested in paying to get in, so we turned around and left.
Museum of American History
To get back to the metro stop we wanted, we had to walk by the Museum of American History. I have to say…I think this was the biggest let-down of the day. First off, they don't have the pendulum that knocks over cones as the earth rotates anymore. They don't have the dragster, Fonz's jacket, or any of the really cool stuff that used to exist on the bottom floor. Most of the exibits were loaded with AMAZING MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATIONS (videos). In and of itself, this was only mildly annoying; however, these videos were produced by the History Chanel. This isn't necessarily bad…it just added to the annoyance factor. On top of that, the videos are copyrighted! This was unbelieveable. These videos were produced to be shown in a government institution. As such, they should be in the public domain (just like everything else the goverment does). If not the public domain, the information should be free.
On top of that, it is hard to find your way around the museum. It isn't well laid out. I think you should be able to walk through the museum in an orderly fashion and see everything. You shouldn't have to make u turns, walk over the same display twice, or meet dead ends. This museum has them all.
Several of the displays in the museum have a left-leaning slant. For example, the display on The Price of Freedom mentions major eras of war the US has gone through. They mention expansion, self-preservation, WWI, and WWII; however, they don't have a seperate category for the various wars that have been fought this century to provide freedom to various peoples (Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Afghanastan, Iraq, etc…). Now, they mention the wars; however, a visitor is left with the idea that the US never fights wars without wanting to expand colonies, etc…. There was also an exhibit on the role of the First Lady in politics. I couldn't even go in this one. I'll give you one guess as to what this is about. Hillary Rodham Rodham. Have you ever heard of First Lady Lincoln being involved in politics? How about First Lady Hayes?
Tomorrow
Tomorrow, we plan on going to Capitol Hill Baptist Church and–ta da–the Air and Space Museum. We are also going to visit the Museum of Natural History (although I plan on observing how left-leaning this museum is and writing on it tomorrow). Of these, the Air and Space museum is always the best. I have read they may have Spaceship 1 there.