[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 199 (Thursday, December 14, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2361]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    LET'S HEAR IT FOR QUEEN ISABELLA

                                 ______


                            HON. JON D. FOX

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 13, 1995

  Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with my 
colleagues the following letter to the Editor in the Trenton Times on 
November 26, 1995.

                    Let's Hear It for Queen Isabella

       Nov. 26, 1504, is a milestone in history that should never 
     be forgotten, especially by New Jerseyans and Pennsylvanians.
       Why? Because that's the date that Queen Isabella of 
     Castile, the great woman who was instrumental in the 
     discovery of America, passed away at her castle in Medina del 
     Campo, Spain.
       A year ago, Nov. 6--yes, that far back and the news just 
     reaching our shores--the worldwide BBC/TV in London aired a 
     documentary for their ``Time-Watch,'' its peak-audience 
     program, in which their scholarly panel exonerated Queen 
     Isabella of Spain from historical lies attributed to her 
     regarding the Inquisition.
       That Queen Isabella did not act out of any anti-Semitic, 
     racial or religious hatred or bigotry can be firmly 
     substantiated by her unequivocal condemnation and personal 
     interventions to stop riots and acts of violence against 
     Spaniards of Jewish descent even before her formal accession 
     to the throne, and sometimes at the loss of support of 
     wealthy and influential partisans.
       Lastly, an intelligent response to the longtime assault 
     upon Queen Isabella and her legacy requires knowledge of the 
     actual history of her now celebrated reign.
       So, on this 491st anniversary of her death, let's tip our 
     hats, and on April 22, her birthday, let's let loose with a 
     big ``Ole.''--John Paul Paine, Philadelphia, PA.

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