In January, I met a wounded vet with severe post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, at an Inaugural event in Washington. Luis Montalvan had been an Army intelligence officer in 2003, when he was gravely wounded in Anbar Province. When I met Luis, he was walking with a cane and accompanied by his service dog, a beautiful golden retriever named Tuesday. Luis told me that without Tuesday he couldn’t have made it to the event.

Tuesday can anticipate Luis’s panic attacks by changes in his breathing or perspiration and then avert them by nuzzling Luis and calming him down. Tuesday reminds his master to take his medications. He can wake Luis from debilitating dreams. After hearing about all that Tuesday does for Luis, not the least of which is elevating his sense of well-being, I made it my business to learn everything I could about service dogs and veterans.

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SAINT PAUL [4/13/09] – Senator-elect Al Franken made the following statement today on the election contest victory:

“Franni and I couldn’t be happier, because today, after a lengthy and careful trial scrutinizing our lengthy and careful recount, the three-judge panel has declared a winner in the 2008 Senate election here in Minnesota.

“I am honored and humbled by this close victory, and I’m looking forward to getting to work as soon as possible.

“The campaign for this Senate seat has been long and expensive. But the fight ahead, the fight to rebuild our economy and repair our broken health care system and restore our standing in the world – that’s a fight we must win. It’s a fight we must win by setting aside partisan gamesmanship and working together.

“My role in that fight will be to work every day with Senators from both parties to serve the state I love, because restoring America’s promise is going to be a big job. And it’s long past time we got to work.”

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By Al Franken
Star Tribune

In the lead-up to the Nov. 4 election, it became all too clear that we were heading into a deep and dangerous recession. The economic policies of the last eight years — tax breaks tilted toward the wealthy, fiscal irresponsibility, cronyism, a refusal to invest in important American priorities — had been thoroughly discredited.

Americans voted for a new direction. They voted to rebuild our country’s economy by rebuilding its infrastructure, changing its energy policy and investing in our talented workforce. In electing Barack Obama president, America reaffirmed its conviction that, with the right leadership, any crisis can be transformed into a great opportunity.
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Minnesota has long had a reputation for clean, fair, transparent elections. That reputation was put to a test this election, and after 48 days, a hand count of nearly 3 million ballots, and a state canvassing board above reproach, our state passed with flying colors.

In the early morning hours of Nov. 5, our position was that every legal vote ought to be counted.

I am proud that three months later our position has never wavered.

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Read a statement from Al on attending President Barack Obama’s inauguration…
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“It has been a remarkable couple of months. Our recount brought national attention to Minnesota, and what Americans saw is that we take our democracy seriously. Our recount process was long, it was fair, and it was thorough. We should all be proud of our state, and we should all be grateful for the incredible hard work and dedication of all of our elections officials, from the state canvassing board and the Secretary of State’s office to the officials in the cities and counties and precincts of Minnesota.

“After 62 days, after the careful and painstaking hand inspection of nearly 3 million ballots, after hours and hours of hard work by elections officials and volunteers across the state, I am proud and humbled to stand before you as the next Senator from Minnesota.
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SAINT PAUL [12/30/08] – Al Franken:

“Today, the state canvassing board completed an important step in this process. I’m glad to be ahead, and as it appears that we’re on track to win, I want Minnesotans to know that I’m ready to get to work for them in Washington on Day One. We still need to ensure that Minnesotans whose absentee ballots were improperly rejected aren’t disenfranchised, but we are close to the finish line. And we should all be proud of our state’s electoral process, and grateful for the dedication of our public servants, from the state canvassing board down to elections officials at the local level.”

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Al Franken On The 6th Anniversary Of Paul And Sheila Wellstone’s Passing

SAINT PAUL [10/25/08]:

“Today marks six years since the plane crash that took the lives of Paul and Sheila Wellstone, their daughter Marcia Wellstone Markuson, Tom Lapic, Mary McEvoy, Will McLaughlin, and pilots Richard Conry and Michael Guess.

Read more after the jump…
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Al Franken: My plan helps Minnesota families pay for college

By Al Franken
Duluth News Tribune

The great promise of the middle class is about more than just security. It’s about the opportunity for success. It’s the idea that if you work hard, you can give your kids a better life than your parents gave you.

Read the entire Article after the Jump… (more…)

SAINT PAUL [10/01/08] – U.S. Senate Candidate Al Franken:

“I am very concerned by what I’m seeing from Washington. After eight years of dismantling the regulatory framework that should have prevented this crisis, it looks like Washington may yet stick taxpayers with the bill for a $700 billion handout to Wall Street.

“I know that negotiations are continuing, so I want to send a very clear message to Washington: If we’re going to pay a premium to clean up this mess, we had better fix the problem that caused it.

“That problem is the failure -the refusal- of this administration and those who support its economic agenda to hold Wall Street accountable for its reckless behavior and enforce real oversight over our financial system.

“So, I would urge that, in any bailout package that comes up for a vote, Congress not only establish strong oversight over how this $700 billion is used, but also fix the system that allowed this abusive and reckless behavior, by implementing concrete steps to guarantee transparency and oversight in the marketplace. I believe that if we don’t fix the system, this won’t be the last bailout.

“And let me be clear: this should not be a proud day in Washington. Arsonists don’t get credit for putting out their own fires, especially when it costs taxpayers $700 billion. But any bailout package must include strong oversight protections, and a regulatory framework to prevent this from ever happening again”

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