Ooh, Virgil Goode must be pissed about this one. Keith Ellison, the Minnesota Congressman who has caused a fury among the mouth-breathing set by planning to use a Koran (he's Muslim, don't ya' know) during his private completely unofficial photo-op swearing in ceremony, has found a book to use. It was in the Library of Congress and was donated by Thomas Jefferson - a former resident of the Congressional district now represented by Goode (i.e., Charlottesville, VA and related areas):
Jefferson's copy is an English translation by George Sale published in the 1750s; it survived the 1851 fire that destroyed most of Jefferson's collection and has his customary initialing on the pages. This isn't the first historic book used for swearing-in ceremonies -- the Library has allowed VIPs to use rare Bibles for inaugurations and other special occasions.Turns out that the head of special collections at the LoC grew up in Ellison's district.
1 comment:
I read that story earlier and thought it was pure classic.
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