The Father of our nation presided over the War, the Constitutional Convention, and the first Presidency with integrity and strength of character. His reluctance to take the office of President was probably also what made him so great. If only these same traits were requirements for all of our Presidents.

It’s hard for me to put into words the wave of emotions I felt when gazing upon Lincoln’s face at his Memorial. It’s something akin to visiting Dr. King’s church in Atlanta. It’s difficult to look upon that weathered face and not feel his grandfatherly stare, judging and weighing you, demanding… commanding you to do right. Yes, it is often debated about the purity of his desire to abolish slavery, but upon studying the sum of his writings and speeches, I think it to be true. I leave it to his own words:

We started the overcast day walking past the Capitol Building.

It was great to see how the Library of Congress had embraced technology and was doing some surprising things with their digitization efforts. Two copies of every item that is copywritten in the United States is sent to the Library of Congress; and the Library is open and free to every American…I think that is great and can’t wait until my nephew is old enough to take there.

For some reason, the highest court in the land still retains the pure ideal for me; the stink of corruption and amorality that seems to have tainted every other government institution has left this symbol untouched. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there is corruption and flaw in the courts, but the highest court, the one that is responsible for defending my Constitutional rights, it still retains its integrity (for me). Sitting in the very same courtroom where the most controversial and polarizing issues of my country are debated, that was pretty amazing..and daunting.