It is hard to look at the amount of damage in the two states and say it's equal, but the time to fight that battle is gone. Without Louisiana and Mississippi working together, Louisiana might have gotten a lot less than that. That's just the reality of politics.

From the War for Independence to today in Iraq and Afghanistan, I am inspired by the courage, professionalism and patriotism of our men and women in uniform.

We need to fund No Child Left Behind. We need to start at the beginning and we are not doing the job here in the United States of America.

I am a firm believer in the mission of the health centers, which offer cost-effective comprehensive primary and preventive services to at-risk people.

I just find Bobby Kennedy's short campaign for president so inspiring because his rhetoric identified what America can be like if we care about each other.

It seems to me it would do us all good to act from our heart more often. We’ll be surprised how small acts of attention and kindness can release the energy, enthusiasm, and imagination bottled up in our overstressed minds and bodies.

Mindfulness is about finding ways to slow down and pay attention to the present moment-which improves performance and reduces stress. It’s about having the time and space to attend to what’s right in front of us, even though many other forces are trying to keep us stuck in the past or inviting us to fantasize or worry about the future. It’s about a natural quality each of us possesses, and which we can further develop in just a few minutes a day.