Banner Day - Thanks for

Banner Day - Thanks for all the kind comments so far on the redesign. It's encouraging!

A few people did ask me what are all those pictures, and why are they there? Happy to oblige:

• The Missing Man formation. Symbolizes loss - but also vengeance. Those aren't white doves flying in formation.
• The Minnesota State Capitol. I love politics here in Minnesota, and I love Saint Paul, even though Saint Paul tends not to love Republicans.
• The Replacements. Because if you ever played in a garage band (and oh, lordy, did I play in garage bands) they were the great sign of hope. Plus Tim is one of my favorite records ever.
• A Hawker Hurricane. Or, as one correspondent asked, "A Hawker Hurricane"? OK, it's obscure; I'm a huge Winston Churchill buff. And the Hawker Hurricane was 2/3 of the Royal Air Force in 1940, and scored 2/3 of the air-to-air kills in the Battle of Britain - a battle that arguably saved western civilization. It was the unsung underdog, not only the the battles of that summer 63 years ago - but of the whole war. Paul Gallico wrote a classic book on the subject that made the case - read it if you can find it.
• Me and the kids. It's an old picture - I don't look that bad anymore. (Do I?)
• The Flag.