Interview with Thomas Jefferson

Good afternoon, everyone! For anybody from Challenge 1 who was wondering about those questions for Jefferson, this is what it was all about. After completing the time machine and bringing Jefferson up to speed on what has happened since the early 1800s, he has agreed to do this interview, in which he will answer YOUR questions! At least, I hope he will. Anyway, here he comes now. Welcome to the twenty-first century, Mr. Jefferson.

Me: Let's start off on a light note. Brent*, a friend from my homeschool group asks, "What do you think of the future?"

Jefferson: Well, I must say first of all that I am very impressed by the advances in medicine and other sciences. I find it hard to believe the incredible prosperity achieved in just over 200 years. However, I am quite shocked at the overbearing government.

Me: Well, we're the freest country around.

Jefferson: That's rather sad. We didn't fight the British just to install another form of dictatorship, you know. I am also greatly disturbed by the erosion of states' rights. After all, I myself was a proponent of nullification.

Me: Yes, it is really sad. If anyone today talks about states' rights, secession, or nullification you generally get a bunch of angry looks. But on to other questions. Mr. Bowman, my Challenge tutor, asks, "Did you really believe in the Constitution?"

Jefferson: No, not really. I made it perfectly clear that I am an "anti-Federalist," and opposed the Constitution, it being a great expansion of government power. What particularly concerned me were the "general welfare" and "necessary and proper" clauses.

Me: I'm thinking we should have listened to you.

Jefferson: Indeed. However, I still thought that the Constitution could effectively restrain the government, but it appears that I was wrong. I am greatly disturbed at the way so many sections of it have had their obvious meanings changed.

Me: I know, it's pathetic. Anyway, Alex, also from Challenge, asks, "What do you think about the deficit?"

Jefferson: It's horrifying.

Me: If I'm not mistaken, your administration went into debt from the Louisiana Purchase.

Jefferson: Yes, but I believe that would be far easier to pay off than several trillion dollars. Not to mention, that was a vast amount of territory and would help pay off the debt. Would you have turned it down?

Me: Of course not, that would be downright stupid. Now, Christian asks, "What is your religion?"

Jefferson: I consider myself a Christian.

Me: But you reject the divinity of Christ and question a number of biblical events, correct?

Jefferson: Correct.

Me: Then in today's terms, I think you would fall under the "Deist" category.

Jefferson: Well, definitions have certainly changed.

Me: True enough. Now then, Ashley-

Jefferson: Wait, who? You also never stated who "Christian" was.

Me: Both from my homeschool group. Anyway, Ashley asks, "If you could give any advice to President Obama, what would it be?"

Jefferson: Well, if it had to be short, I would say that it all boils down to this: Do not overstep your constitutional boundaries. The same could be said for Congress.

Me: I strongly agree. Now, the last viewer question is another from Mr. Bowman. He asks, "Why did you take a slave as your mistress?"

Jefferson: *Sighs* I cannot believe that this is still being brought up. That was a false accusation made in a newspaper in 1802 by some fellow named James Caller. In his accusation, he included absolutely no evidence, and later changed the details and the number of children supposedly produced. Besides, my moral standards are far above that.

Me: Then why didn't you reply to it publicly?

Jefferson: I felt that if I did, it would give the accusation more credibility than it deserved.

Me: That's interesting. Funny how the press will take a story and run with it. Now, I would like to know how you feel about the wars that America has been in since the War Between the States.

Jefferson: I think that the Second World War was, at least mostly, justified, but World War One and the "wars" after that were most certainly not! Particularly the Korean "war" and afterwards, since Congress didn't once actually declare war. The other wars, there is very little written about them.

Me: What do you think about the War Between the States, and which side would you have fought on?

Jefferson: Absolutely horrific. It's sad that the Union broke apart, but I would have fought for the Confederacy, of course. The precedents set in that war were truly chilling. Unilateral declaration of war, suspension of habeas corpus, and the worst by far, total war, all are disgusting, but unless I'm mistaken, they seem to have become rather common over the past century.

Me: Sadly, that is very true. Now, I would like to know your opinions on the Patriot Act, suspension of habeas corpus, and the war on terror.

Jefferson: The Patriot Act is completely unconstitutional. Congress's powers are enumerated for a reason. Article I, Section 8 lists, specifically, every single power Congress should have. Spying on its own citizens is not in there. As for the suspension of habeas corpus, the Constitution specifically says that it is permitted only in the cases of rebellion or invasion.

Me: But doesn't habeas corpus only apply to citizens?

Jefferson: Most certainly not! The writ of habeas corpus is a natural right that applies to every single human being. Just like everyone has the right to bear arms, to peaceably assemble, and many others, everyone has the right to due process. Unless, of course, they are an enemy soldier captured in combat. The idea that our rights only apply to our fellow citizens is, in essence, saying that the government gives the rights, instead of simply protecting them.

Me: Once again, agreed. Sadly, it appears that we are out of time. There were a number of other things I would have liked to ask you. It has been an honor talking with you, Mr. Jefferson.

Jefferson: Well, it has certainly been a pleasure talking to you as well. Hopefully this will correct your sloppy historians and politicians.

Me: *Laughs* Sloppy indeed! Well, folks, that's all for now. Next time I will be interviewing the "Father of the Country," George Washington! Feel free to leave your questions in the comments.

*Full names have been omitted.

About that paranoia mentioned earlier...

This is how big tefillin are. Bomb, indeed.

I sense a high paranoia level...

Seriously, I understand the fear of terrorism, but this is way over the top.

Jewish teen’s prayers spark jet security scare
Flight is diverted after religious item is mistaken for a bomb, police say

PHILADELPHIA - A Jewish teenager trying to pray on a New York-to-Kentucky flight caused a scare Thursday when he pulled out a set of small boxes containing holy scrolls, leading the captain to divert the flight to Philadelphia, where the commuter plane was greeted by police, bomb-sniffing dogs and federal agents.

The 17-year-old on US Airways Express Flight 3079 was using tefillin, a set of small boxes containing biblical passages that are attached to leather straps, Philadelphia police Lt. Frank Vanore said.

When used in prayer, one box is strapped to the arm while the other box is placed on the head.

"It's something that the average person is not going to see very often, if ever," FBI spokesman J.J. Klaver said.

The teen explained the ritual after being questioned by crew members of the flight, which had left LaGuardia Airport around 7:30 a.m. headed for Louisville and was operated by Chautauqua Airlines, authorities said.

Officials with the airline, however, said crew members "did not receive a clear response" when they talked with the teen, according to a statement issued by Republic Airways, which owns Chautauqua.

"Therefore, in the interest of everyone's safety, the crew decided to land in Philadelphia, where a more complete investigation and follow-up with authorities would be possible," the statement said.

The flight landed in Philadelphia about 9 a.m. without incident and was met by police, bomb-sniffing dogs and officials from the FBI and Transportation Security Administration.

‘They were more alarmed than we were’
Authorities said the plane was searched and passengers were questioned. The teen, who is from White Plains, N.Y., and was traveling with his 16-year-old sister, was very cooperative, Vanore said.

"They were more alarmed than we were," Vanore said.

Klaver said the teen and his sister were never in custody and were cleared to continue their travels.

The teen's grandmother, who was waiting for him at Louisville International Airport, said the early flight left no time to pray before leaving New York.

"He hadn't had the opportunity to pray, so that is why he did it on the plane," Frances Winchell said.

She said the episode was traumatic for the boy, whose mother requested that he not give interviews.

"But in any event," she added, "all's well that ends well, and maybe some good will come to the world because of it."

The teen, who belongs to the congregation Young Israel of White Plains, is "a brilliant student" from "the sweetest family," said Shmuel Greenberg, the synagogue's rabbi.

The morning prayer ritual is supposed to take place within a few hours of sunrise, so it's understandable that the teen was doing it on the plane, Greenberg said.

‘Aware of ignorance’
Binding the boxes of holy scrolls to the arm and head serves as "a reminder for the person that their actions during the day, and what they think about during the day, should be on a level of holiness and should inspire them to do productive, good things," he said.

The rabbi said he could see how someone unfamiliar with the tefillin could be alarmed.

"Security today is a serious issue. You can't become educated up in the air," Greenberg said. "I can definitely see a pilot or a crew that never saw it before in today's environment be very, very concerned."

Another rabbi, however, said tefillin have been used for thousands of years and he found it hard to believe no one recognized it. Benjamin Blech, an assistant professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University in New York, said he found the incident "both humorous and outlandish" and called it a "wake-up call" for religious sensitivity.

"We should be aware of ignorance just as much as we should be aware of terrorism," he said.

Concerns about passengers carrying bombs have been heightened since a Nigerian man was accused of trying to blow up a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight using explosives concealed in his pants on Christmas Day.

The Republic statement said the airline would use Thursday's event "to further strengthen our commitment to both security and customer service."

The flight was carrying 15 passengers and three crew members; travelers were rebooked on other flights, US Airways spokesman Morgan Durrant said.

My rifle

Yes, you read that right. I have a brand new, old, .22 rifle. This is really old news to anybody who knows me, but I haven't thought to post about it until now. While at my grandparents' house for Thanksgiving, my grandpa gave me a rifle that his dad had given him. Needless to say, I was feeling very thankful! It's fairly old, but it shoots like it's brand new. Below are two pictures that were taken this morning.


In this one, sadly, I am not actually shooting anything. Does anyone know of any shooting ranges near me?

Whoo! First egg!!!

FINALLY! Those dumb birds have finally started paying their rent. I was checking on their food this morning, and looked to see if we had any eggs. Before I looked closely, however, I thought, "Nope. No eggs again." Then I actually looked closely, and, amazingly, there was an egg sitting among the poo. Here are the photos of it after being cleaned off.


This is the photo I took.


This is the photo my sister took... She posed the egg.

National Geographic... Again

Wow, National Geographic has lately been giving me lots to talk about. In this issue, there are two, no, three articles I want to discuss. First, there's a great article on bionics. It's really cool, the advances in artificial limbs. Second, there's the article on illegal wildlife trafficking. It goes through the usual, "People are -gasp- using endangered species! Even worse, they're making a profit! How horrible!" It then talks with dread about the possibility of raising tigers for profit, farming basically. Personally, I would prefer having a huge range in Africa for the tigers to breed in, but also allow adventurers and thrill seekers to go on safari and hunt the beasts, then selling the product. For a price, of course. But no, farming tigers is somehow horrible, despite the fact that it would save the species from extinction. As one book put it, the environmentalist thinks, "Tigers going extinct: bad. Capitalism: worse." That about sums it up.
The last article I want to talk about is their article on Singapore. You know, the tiny little country off the coast of Southeast Asia that is unbelievably prosperous compared to its neighbors? Well, the folks at NatGeo attribute its success to the tight regulations on personal liberties. Obviously, they think that the prosperity of Singapore is thanks to socialism. Minor problem: The article mentions not one economic regulation, and Singapore is actually more capitalistic and economically free than the USA. The lack of personal liberty is wrong, of course, but as far as economics goes, Singapore is a shining example of capitalism run wild. Not as scary as some people would have you think, is it?