Pausing to Give Thanks

In this Thanksgiving Day season, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on the various things I'm thankful for:

1. Hormones and special genetically enhanced feeds that make today's turkeys so plump and juicy. I do remember the days (thankfully long past) of dry turkey. I say, "Juice 'em up!" This year I had the "Alex Rodriguez" turkey of all turkeys.
2. Sugar, especially after it's consumed by a bevy of small children. The energy produced by these toddlers as they bounce of the walls of the house could power a small city.
3. Pumkin pie. This is second only to Cheezits as the world's most perfect food.
4. Sweet tea from the South. Put as much sugar in Northern tea as you want, it still doesn't compare for some reason. Maybe Southern tea is made more with love. That's what I think.
5. Whoever came up with the idea of putting ham and pineapple together. Probably a Hawaiian. Those folks have it good, don't they? Perfect weather. A tropical paradise. Ham and pineapple.
6. Sitting at the big table. I remember having to sit and the little table when I was a kid. Thank God those days are over. Spilt milk. Peas rolling around. Crying. Wait, that happens at the big table, too. Never mind.
7. The Atlantic Ocean. That way all those Portuguese can't just walk over here. (I admit, I borrowed this one from Steve Martin's classic SNL skit, "Things I'm Thankful for").
8. Family. You know, you can pick your friends, not your family. But God has seen fit to bless me with a wonderful family.
9. Great friends. I've truly enjoyed re-connecting with everyone over the past few years. I look forward to staying in touch.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Random October Thoughts

Seems I'm doing this about once a month now. Here's this month's installment...

Arlene's sister with her two twin daughters and mother (with niece) are in town visiting. That makes 11 in the house. Not quite the 18 we had back in June, but it's a respectable showing.

Big Readiness Inspection begins this weekend. We get to deploy to be evaluated on how we go to war. The fact we are actually at war right now doesn't count.

Work is going well. Things have settled down a bit from the hectic days of August. I think folks are still feeling things out with the new boss and the entirely new squadron leadership team.

Kids are doing well. Nathan is playing water polo. My favorite sports t-shirt quote: "Water polo...if it was easy they'd call it football." He's played football and wrestling and says this sport is the toughest and most physically demanding by far. I'll take his word for it. Just watching him play it makes me tired.

Benjamin and William are playing soccer. Isabella is back to doing ballet. All are doing piano. Goodness, kids make things busy.

Sports. Hmmm. Like the Phillies/Yankees in the World Series. Probably the most evenly matched teams who'll provide the best game. Like Florida to go all the way in the BCS championship game. Continue to root against the Patriots and for the Steelers. Hockey...nope.

That's about it for this month.

It's Been a While

I guess like all new things one discovers, their newness and luster diminish. Such has been the case with the blog. As some of my friends have noted, Facebook seems to take the majority of their time. I do find it much easier and quicker to merely check what the latest word is on Facebook rather than trying to think of something witty or insightful to say in a blog. I've managed to type 6 lines here without really saying anything.

August was a trying month for me and my new command. What makes commanding a squadron so great is also what makes it such a challenge--the people. People do great things and accomplish wonderful feats. People also make very poor decisions that impact all those around them. Unfortunately, those are the folks who take up 80% of my time.

Long hours and heaps more stress. I've asked myself a few times what I've gotten myself in to. But then I'm reminded this is a Calling for me--God has set me on this path and I continue to faithfully follow. I certainly couldn't continue without His strength and wisdom He daily imparts.

The Dog Next Door

My neighbors have a beautiful black lab which, through the wonders of the modern day doggie door, has free and unfettered access to their backyard. This dog also has an abnormally large pair of lungs. How do I know this? Because it barks nonstop. What is it barking at? The wind. Birds. The grass. The silence. Random voices I'm sure it's hearing in its head. It's driving me nuts. Any suggestions on dealing with this? I've contemplated shooting it with my pellet gun. I've got a sniper position picked out in my upstairs bedroom window. Hot water tossed over the back fence--I'm sure that would only serve to whip it up into an inconsolable frenzy. Tainted meat? Hmmmm...

Flying With the Dolittle Raiders

I had the opportunity last week to fly two gentlemen around the Seattle area on an orientation flight. Normally these flights are uneventful. These orientation flights serve a dual purpose: They are training sorties for us and also give us the opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities of the C-17 and what's involved with being an airlift aircrew member. This particular flight was a little different, however.

These two gentlemen took part in the famous WWII Dolittle Raid that bombed Tokyo in April of 1942. They launched a fully fueled B-25 off the rolling deck of the aircraft carrier Hornet to an uncertain fate. The gentleman in the tan coat is Lt Col (retired) Cole and was Jimmy Dolittle's copilot that day. The gentleman in the red sweater is Maj (retired) Griffin, the navigator on the 9th aircraft that launched that day.

Several things stood out in my mind that day as I talked with them both during the flight and afterwards:

1. The raiders had to launch early--a Japanese fishing boat had spotted the convoy. They'd run the numbers and realized that they wouldn't have the fuel to make it to China. They knew they were going to have to set it down in the ocean--they went anyway. That's courage.

2. As we flew up the San Juan straight that day, Lt Col Cole leaned over and said, "A buddy of mine bombed and sank a Japanese sub right along here back in '42." I didn't realize the war had gotten that close on the West Coast.

3. Maj Griffin talked about what happened after they got back to the States after the raid. They did a war bond drive for a month or two then he was shipped off to North Africa to support ongoing operations there. He and his aircraft were shot down by the Germans and he spent the remainder of the war in Stalag Luft III. You'd think they'd be set up in the lap of luxury after a mission like that. They didn't miss a beat and all went off to fight the war elsewhere.

4. Those of you familiar with the movie "The Great Escape" may be familiar with Stalag Luft III. That was the actual camp where the Great Escape took place. Maj Griffin actually helped spread the dirt from the tunnels, though no Americans actually escaped that night. I asked him if the Steve McQueen character was based on him. He had a nice laugh about that and said, "No, but I sure spent a lot of time in the cooler like his character did."

One of the most rewarding things I've done in the Air Force. God Bless the men and women who fought for us all in WWII and all the past and present wars.

"Roadhouse" Revisited

A quick followup from my last post. Came home from work the other evening to find my father-in-law watching "Roadhouse." This is, I hear, the crown jewel in Patrick Swayze's acting crown. I myself prefer "Red Dawn," but I digress.

I chose to keep an open mind and watch a little bit while eating supper. I wanted to be a good host. Grabbing the remote and saying, "I can't believe you're watching this trash" would mean I was a bad host.

As I settled in and allowed myself to become transported into the world of cinematic excellence, I really sat back and listened to the dialogue. Now, when I saw this movie I was about 20--dialogue is not why I went to see this movie. Mostly the girls in it, I think. Dialogue...oh, yes. Fortunately there's very little of it. The one quote that stood out and inspired this follow-on post happened after the big fight in the bar (doesn't narrow it down much, does it?) when Dalton gets cut on his side and has to go to the hospital. Talking with the doctor, she offers him pain killer which he, bravely, refuses.

"Pain don't hurt."

Brought tears to my eyes. Also brought my supper up.

That, my friends, is the line that got this movie added to the AMC channel archives. No doubt about it. This movie belongs on Spike TV, not AMC. Am I wrong?

American Movie Classic? Really?

Trying to escape all of the political furor yesterday, I came home from a busy day to an empty house; the wife and family down helping a sister move in to a rental in Monterrey, CA. I fixed myself some dinner and sat down for a night of guy TV. Flipping through the channels I approach the usually fruitful AMC channel. But this night, to my great chagrin, was "Road House" with Patrick Swayze. "Road House?" Are you kidding me? Is this a classic movie? That's probably an insult to the word and it certainly cheapens the word that's used for such movies as "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Casablanca," "Patton," and "The Sting."

Gift Wrapped Office

Returned to work on Tuesday from a weekend of camping. I walked up to the door of my office which, strangely was closed and the door handle covered in aluminum foil. I opened the door, flipped on the light, and was immediately bathed in reflected light from all over the room. As my eyes slowly came back into focus I saw this...

Someone came in and wrapped everything in aluminum foil. Each and every book. Things in my desk. Coffee cups. Pens and paper in the drawers. Pictures on the wall. The carpet on the floor.

I couldn't help but laugh. To the crew that pulled this off, a salute to you! Very impressive.

Now I know what the inside of a Jiffy Pop popcorn pan looks like.

Back From Michigan

Been another long pause since the last post. Just the standard "hustle and bustle" of life. Just got back from a huge, flyaway mobility exercise to a training base in Michigan. Somehow something this large managed to "sneak up on me," meaning I was so busy and didn't give it two thoughts right up to the point when I realized I was leaving for a week the next day. So a week ago today I hopped on a plane, flew four hours away and landed in "Japan" to begin the war. Our base was attacked by missiles, fanatic enemy special forces, aircraft, chemicals, high explosives--it really was a lot of fun! Well, maybe not the parts where we were in chemical suits for hours on end, but all of the excitement and watching good people do great things to get the mission done makes it all worth it.

I ended up in charge of the whole wing for a brief period of time when the command center was "bombed." That was pretty exciting. I joked with my group that I was going to take this opportunity to "shake things up a bit" in the wing. New Sheriff in town, if you will. I joked that we were going to set up a "fun run" in chemical suits and a picnic for the wing. Lightened the mood a bit and everyone had a nice chuckle (as much as you can with a mask on).

All-in-all, it was a good week. Long hours, lots of MREs, bad coffee, rain, sweat, stinky feet, bad food at the chowhall...what more can you ask for?

A Night of Smooth Jazz

My apologies. I must join many of my friends and, too, pass along my apologies for not posting more often. I've been bitten by the Facebook bug and, much to my wife's chagrin, can't stay away from it. I'm drawn to it like the inevitable head turn as you pass an accident on the side of the road. Like a moth to a flame. You get the picture.

Had a great evening with my good friend Jay on Thursday night. Met up at the Kirk casa, said "Hi" to Caryn and Harper, and hit the road for dinner and the Joshua Redman trio Jazz show. I've never attended a Jazz concert, though I've heard it plenty on the radio (I also find myself drawn more and more to public radio/classical music stations the older I get).

The concert was quite the experience and I had a great time. I had the lamb curry over rice. A plate of warm Hummus and pita bread started things off. All very classy and, mixed with the great company I had, proved a winning combination for a great evening.

As we were walking out that night, I remarked to Jay that "Between this concert and the Brittany Spears concert ongoing at the Tacoma Dome, I think we made the right choice."

Lost About "Lost"

My wife and I love the show "Lost" on ABC. We started watching it from the beginning and were almost immediately hooked. It's new and different. A character-driven story that doesn't seem to rely on the "sure fire" formula for today's TV success. It seems shows today are either tough cop shows, some version of a CSI, a reality show, or about lawyers. "Lost" stands out in stark contrast.

This season has been a bit slow, though. Granted, the storyline creates a challenge (timetravel is tough to do right), and it's tough to live up to last season. I'm having a hard time getting in the groove. Last Wednesday's episode linked most of the group together again. Hopefully they'll settle into their rhythm and get things going again. Otherwise, I'll have to tune into "CSI: Fresno" or something.

The Jell-O Challenge

Back from the latest 10-day trip East. We flew most of the time with another crew from another squadron and were, for the most part, put through the wringer. One of the crew members passed along a funny story from his deployed days last year I'd like to pass along to you.

When you're deployed for 4 months and you begin to settle into a rhythm, the human brain (at least the guy brain) begins to look for new things to occupy it. This is where some people get in trouble. Some folks channel this desire for stimulation in creative ways. This fella and his friends were at the chow hall one day and got to discussing crazy diets and nutrition. Someone was eating jell-o and took a look at the nutrition content. Now, this was the sugar free jell-o, the snackpacks of 10 calories each.
"Hey, I wonder if you could survive on these for a day?"
This innocent question spawned more creative debate. "How many of them would one need to eat for 2000 calories (average required for your standard man)?" "Would you need to mix it up with multiple flavors?" "What would a diet like that do to you?"

Unfortunately, the last question there was not asked, or at least not thought all the way through. This gentlemen, sufficiently challenged by his peers, set out on the "Jell-O Challenge" the next day. Each snackpack of Jell-O contains 10 calories--200 for a 2000 calorie diet. He only did it for one day and passed along some thoughts on this diet you should consider if my description of it has interested you in the slightest:

- 200 snackpacks in a day weighs in at just over 40 pounds of Jell-O. He was able to eat about 70 snackpacks. That's over 14 pounds. Respectable.
- At some point, the body says, "Oh great, more Jell-O. I'm still working on the last batch, so let's just let this batch right on through." Zero digestion. I believe he said you could almost put it in a bowl and right back in the refrigerator, though I don't know why you would want to.
- You'll want to stay away from the green Jell-O. See above observation for why.
- It's a strange feeling to be full yet not mentally satisfied with what you've eaten. It's like eating Chinese food and then being hungry again in an hour, but taken to a whole new level.

Ironically, after eating 14 pounds of Jell-O in one day, he still lost 3 pounds. "That gives you an idea about how my day went."

Dads Can Be So Cruel

So about 4 months ago I took my two youngest out for a little time with Dad. "Time with Dad," or as my wife calls it, "Goof off time," is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're going to get. We stopped by the grocery store and picked up a loaf of bread and headed down the street to the decorative ponds just outside our neighborhood. These ponds are home to scores of ducks and geese. These ducks and geese appear to be permanently "on the dole," living the life of Riley while being constantly fed bread by saps like me. Nature's "Stimulus Package" I suppose. But I digress...

Anyhoo, we hopped out with our bread in hand and thus began the feeding frenzy. Frenzy was right. Those ducks and geese must have had a slow bread day up to that point. They were on us before we knew what was happening. My daughter began growing uneasy at this point which, of course, is my cue as a father to do something mildly cruel to her but immensely funny to me. I waited until she was preoccupied with one geese (who, by the way, are pretty mean) when I dropped a particularly appetizing bread chunk right behind her. A large geese took the bait and moved in. Just as the geese grabbed for the bread I told my daughter to look behind her. She didn't like that one bit. Next thing I know I'm wearing my daughter as a hat. I told her the same thing my Dad used to tell me, "Geese don't have teeth...they won't hurt you." It's hard to believe that when those things have your finger two knuckles deep down their throat.

I thought it was pretty funny and I thought she did too after sufficient time had passed to dull the fear she'd felt that day. I talked with her about it today. She still doesn't think it's funny. In fact, she said, "I mean, what kind of father would do that?"

"One who loves you very much, girl. " I told her one day she'd laugh.

"Not likely."

"Well...your kids will if you ever tell them about it."

My son chimed in at this point. "Yeah," he said, "I'll make sure your kids know all about it!"

Kids are so much fun.

More Snow

We had a stretch of about 4 days last week of highs in the upper 50s and sunny skies. I think one day even touched 60. For here that's Spring weather (shoot, sometimes that's Summer weather!). Woke up this morning to a fair dusting of snow on the ground. My wife and I have decided that we both belong where it's warm. No offense, Todd my friend, but wearing a sweater in June is not my idea of Heaven. I like to break a goodly sweat in November, get a suntan in March, and wear shorts at Christmas. That's just me.

I've found myself pondering retirement from the Air Force as, sadly, the majority of my career now is behind me rather than in front of me. I've been blessed to have seen a large portion of this great land and have a new project to think about--where to retire? South Carolina tugs at the heartstrings...I guess a piece of me will always call it home. Probably won't be Columbia, though. Coach Yawn used to call Columbia "the armpit of South Carolina--no ocean like Charleston and no cool weather like Spartanburg." That was when he wasn't paddling folks with his boat oar. Texas is really nice, especially around San Antonio. Hot is the word there, though. Good Mexican food, George Strait, cowboy hats as accepted fashion accents, and pickups. Florida is warm but a bit crowded. Virginia? North Carolina? What about the deep South? Alabama?

Anyone else thinking that far ahead? Am I showing my age?

10 Things I Learned This Week

I had the pleasure (?) of participating in a mobility exercise this past week which consisted of trying to operate aircraft in a fictitious location while getting attacked in various and sundry ways. It was educational for me in many ways, ways I'd like to share with you right now:

1. You can drink coffee all day. I figure Rick knows this already, but it was news to me.

2. MREs, which stands for "Meals Ready to Eat," have come a long, long way. I had a Veggie Burger in tomato sauce on Thursday that was not half bad. I'm not real sure what vegetable is square, brown, and tastes like a hamburger, though.

3. Coffee left cooking at the bottom of the pot will keep you extra awake when you drink it.

4. When it's cold outside and you go pee in a porta john, the steam that comes up is pee, too.

5. Wearing chemical protection suits for 3 hours is no, I repeat no, fun.

6. You get used to body odor after 3 days and become blissfully unaware. Others, however, still remain painfully aware.

7. No one should have to get up at 4 a.m...ever.

8. It's possible to be so tired that you can't get to sleep, though it may have something to do with drinking coffee at 5 o'clock in the afternoon.

9. 9-year-old boys think these mobility exercises are the coolest thing in the world. My youngest boy asked me if I got to carry a weapon. I told him that the next time I was going to requisition a grenade launcher and carry it like Arnold did in Terminator 2.

10. A burger king Angry Whopper has got it all over a Veggie Burger (and with only 800 more calories!).

Shootin' Hoops

My youngest had his first basketball game at the Y today. To my great enjoyment, he scored the first 3 baskets for his team and finished with 10 of his team's 18 points. He was an animal, running up and down the floor, dominating on both offense and defense. Of course, I cheered louder than anyone and sat back with no small measure of fatherly pride. Good genes. He isn't inflicted with a case of the "slows" like his dad, though. NBA, here we come...

Been crazy-busy at work getting ready for a big mobility exercise next week. Had to come in at 0345 this morning (on a Saturday!) to process through the mobility line. This consists of various checks of your equipment and gear...lots to "hurry up and wait." Chuck, you probably remember those days, right? Being 40 now, I needed a 2 hour nap this afternoon to get me back in fightin' trim. I get to sleep in tomorrow morning. It's the small things one looks forward to.

Too Much Pork

I have to say that, as much as I disagree with President Obama's policies and ideas, I think the real problem is Congress. It's the Congress that allocates funding, right? It's the Congress that raises/lowers taxes (usually more of the former than the latter). Why do we continue to put up with the shameless porkbarrel spending in budgets? Why does an economic stimulus package have $400 million in it for climate research? Why is there funding for contraceptives (to President Obama's credit, I heard today he had the sponsering Congressman pull that bit of pork out--following Republican complaints).

Have Americans become that self-centered and that selfish? Are we a bunch of self-seeking individualists who "want ours now?" What about the common good? We are partially to blame, I suppose. We continue to elect Congressmen and Senators who, "Bring home the bacon." The incumbent has a huge advantage each election, riding the wave of public sentiment that a tenured member of Congress "knows the ropes" and "how things are done in Washington." It's a never ending cycle. For example, would we re-elect someone who fights building a Navy base in his home state of Iowa?

Just a few thoughts I had today driving in to work. Move along...there's nothing else to see here.

A Few Of My Number Ones

Driving along yesterday evening listening to the radio when a classic song came on, one of my favorites. Bruce Springsteen's "I'm on Fire" has to be the ultimate nighttime cruising song. Love the beat. Perfect for riding along with the top down on a warm summer night. The fact I was in a hardtop rental in January only slightly diminished the effect. Anyway, it got me thinking about songs I've grown to love over the years and how some songs are perfect in various situations. Here's my list:

- Best Song to Sing at the Top of Your Lungs With All Your Buddies: Boston's "More Than a Feeling"
- Best Cruising Country Song: Dwight Yoakam's "Thousand Miles From Nowhere"
- My All-Time Favorite Song: Police's "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"
- Best Album To Go Along With a Little Wine and My Lady: Soundtrack to "Sleepless in Seattle"
- Best Cruising Song at the Beach: Jimmy Buffet's "Grape Fruit Juicy Fruit"
- Best Song Guaranteed to Make Steve Cry: "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw
- Must-Have Songs to Listen to When Jogging: "Panama" by Van Halen, "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash, and "Synchronicity II" by The Police
- Best Song to Transport Me To the Great Outdoors: "Rocky Mountain High" by John Denver
- Best Album to Listen to By the Pool: Jimmy Buffet's Greatest Hits
- Best Christmas Album That Always Puts Me in the Holiday Mood: "When My Heart Finds Christmas" by Harry Connick Jr.

Do you have any songs that bring back a memory or that seem perfect for a particular situation?

Back Home and Resting (Kind of)

Got back home Wednesday night. This was a bit unexpected. We were scheduled to drop off some cargo at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, but had to divert here for a maintenance problem. One compensation from flying on a mission and being gone is that after the mission we are afforded Post Mission Crew Rest. This is a chance to unwind and take care of any neglected business which for me is the "Honey-Do List." This mission ended at the perfect time to coincide with the MLK holiday. I received two days of PMCR lasting through Friday night. Monday is a holiday. Folks, that's a five-day weekend. Me likee.

Now, what that really means is that my wife has five days of chores for me. Yesterday she floated the "Soooo, what are you planning to do today?" question at me. This is a trick question to which there is no acceptable answer. It's like the, "Honey, do I look fat in this?" question. I blinked several times, my mind wildly racing for something, some chore that would give the semblance of activity yet allow me to lounge carefree on the couch for the rest of the day.
"Uhhh, the dishes?" Arrggghh! That sounded too much like I was reaching. Have to do better than that, Steve.
"Hmmmm."
"What does 'Hmmm' mean," I ask. [Hats off to Caryn--one of the funniest comeback questions on a post I've seen. ] There is often a whole conversation wrapped up in one "Hmmmm."
"That means you really need to put together these chairs I bought the other day," as she walks out chuckling.
I toss out a feeble, "Now, don't feel like you have to fill up my day with activities." I hear her laughter in the next room. Foiled again. PS3 will have to wait.

Full Circle in Turkey

Coming up on a week on the road for this trip. I'm sitting in Turkey right now, in the same place I was a year ago. It's hard to believe the year went by so quickly. We flew into Baghdad last night to drop off some cargo and got here about 2 in the morning. I forced myself to stay awake until about noon and then slept until 7:30 in the evening. Talk about your clock being screwed up.

Two things I'm sorry I'll miss here on this trip are the pistachios and a haircut. The base commissary is closed on Mondays and I'm not sure I trust the pistachio vendors off base. I'm a big fan of pistachios and have got to say that the ones here are delicious. I already got a haircut in Germany, though the thought crossed my mind about paying for another one here. Like most things the Germans do, it was very thorough and basically flawless, though it lacked a certain...je ne sais quoi. I posted about these haircuts about a year ago. The alcohol rub and massage on the back of the neck is great. I think American barbers could take a few pointers from the Turkish ones.

We're on the road again in a few hours. Just enough time to swing by the chowhall for some cheesey grits and hash browns soaked in grease. My fav!

Back in Deutschland

I'm back at Ramstein AB, Germany, sitting and waiting for a mission to drop down. We flew out from Seattle on Tuesday, picked up a load of HUMVEEs in Texas, quick gas stop in Maine, then off to Germany. It's nice coming back for a visit. Place looks about the same as I left it. Today was pretty glorious; crisp, cold air and blue sky with not a cloud in sight. I've been up since 4:30 this morning--my clock is so screwed up now. It's pretty tough trying to align sleep patterns with when you fly. When you pull a 21-hour day, it kind of makes it tough. This is definitely a young man's game.

I've got to type fast. I'm at the base library and they've got a time limit on the computer. The internet Nazis will come in and haul me away if I stay on it too long. Funny, but adding the extra descriptive term "Nazi" takes on a new meaning here in Germany. They really don't like it...believe me. I made the mistake of renting "Schindler's List" once over here. They don't care for that movie either. Let bygones be bygones, or so they say.

One of my goals for this year is to buy an older pickup truck for my sons and I to work on and fix it up. I leaning towards a late '60s Ford F150. It has to be driveable as, I'm afraid, the limit of my car fixing skills ends with changing the oil and rotating tires. It's something for us to learn to work on together. My oldest's vote was for a Dodge Charger. I think he has delusions of fixing it up and then actually getting to drive it to school himself.

"That would be pretty cool," he says.
"Yeah, that's a pretty fast car," says I.
"Yeah," he says.
"That's why you're not getting it."

Pickup it is.

Senator Franken

Alright, I'm willing to get past the whole Republican/Democrat, hope/change, raise taxes/cut taxes, debate. Obama won fair and square. He's going to be our President in a few short weeks...I get it. Free elections are what make our country so great. I have to say, though:

WHAT IS MINNESOTA THINKING???!!!! I mean, come on, Al Franken for Senator? I know he's at least 30 and is an American citizen--he meets the criteria. But really, Al Franken? He's about as far left as they come. Can anyone tell me this isn't a vote for a democrat as much as it's a vote AGAINST Bush? Very short sighted, Minnesota.

Maybe all those daily affirmations made the difference.