Talked with my brother the other day.

On Sunday afternoon I talked with my brother, since he's going out from the U.P. where he lives to Montana to visit his girlfriend and live with her while looking for work. When I called, he was mounting a bike rack on his station wagon, since he had found a set of marroon (sp.?) his-and-hers bikes from the 80s and he got them as a gift for him and his girlfriend. He said that she knows that he's bringing bikes, but she doesn't know what kind or what color or what, and she'll just flip.

He also added that his employment instability has more and more made him amenable to national health care. He said going from good health care to expensive health care that's barely better than nothing through no fault of his own has made him think that everyone should have his standard of previous coverage, and that it should be a national priority.

He also also added that when he's been going to the local VFW and bars, the older libertarian "guns and glory" guys are railing against Obama for being a socialist, but he's surprised that there's no racial element at all to it - no jokes, no affirmative action cracks, no nothing. And, he said, despite their disliking his politics, they're worried about his safety, too, and hope he's well-protected.