Commentary: J. Mark Powell - The bloody past of nation s Capitol
J. Mark Powell
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‘We have built no temple but the Capitol. We consult no common oracle but the Constitution.”
Those words, from former Massachusetts Sen. Rufus Choate, are inscribed on the wall of the U.S. Capitol the same walls desecrated by rioters who ransacked the building. For many Americans, seeing such acts of violence and vandalism occurring in the Capitol was something unimaginable.
In fact, our civic “temple” has a surprisingly bloody history. It was still under construction when British troops seized it during the War of 1812. The Brits torched the structure, also destroying the U.S. Supreme Court and the Library of Congress, which were both housed there. Only a violent thunderstorm’s arrival put out the flames, thus sparing the original walls, which are incorporated in today’s building.
For the Mirror
Wearing protective masks to ward off COVID-19 and needing glasses is not a good mix, and the combination seems to be prompting more people to get LASIK surgery.
Michele Scott of Huntingdon had LASIK surgery at Envision Laser Centers in Altoona in May.
“There would be days where I would just wear my glasses, and I didn’t like the way I looked with my glasses,” she said.
“They were better for me, but they were uncomfortable because I had to wear a mask and my glasses would fog up. It just became a constant headache.” She had previously worn contact lenses during the day and sometimes bifocal glasses and bifocal contacts for reading and distance vision.
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George Whitmore, one of the first climbers to reach the top of El Capitan, dies at 89
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Warren Harding, far left, George Whitmore, far right, and Wayne Merry, who is just coming over the edge, complete their ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Also pictured is George Whitmer, second from left, who is a member of the support party which greeted the climbers in 1958.UPI/San Francisco Chronicle File 1958Show MoreShow Less
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Wayne Merry, George Whitmore and John Whitmer, enjoy a hot meal after scaling El Capitan in 1958. Merry and Whitmore were the successful climbers while Whitmer is from their support party.Associated Press/San Francisco Chronicle File 195Show MoreShow Less
The last 12 months will be remembered as a plague year, when the COVID-19 virus killed nearly 2 million people worldwide and more than 15,000 in Pennsylvania. In the background,