...laughter is good for the soul.

Some of us don't know how to laugh. Maybe because we're prudes. I don't know. That's just a guess. The satirist Al Franken apparently wrote a satirical piece for Playboy magazine some 8 years ago. And that prompted some folks in Minnesota to oppose Franken being nominated for a U.S. Senate seat. Apparently, what Franken did was supposed to be shameful and disqualify him for public office. Fortunately, the Democrats in Minnesota last week picked Franken anyway to run against Republican incumbent Norm Coleman for the 6-year term. And I think Franken has a decent chance of winning. Because we Minnesotans tend to be a bit on the liberal side. Certainly more so than many other states. We do elect some Republicans, too. We do have open minds. But a few of us lack a sense of humor. We can't even laugh at winter, or at an article in Playboy. You know, laughter is good for the soul. --Jim Broede