Ballad Of Paul And Sheila

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the plane crash that took the live of Paul Wellstone, his wife Shelia, daughter Marcia and five members of his campaign staff while campaigning for re-election for his third term in the U.S. Senate. Wellstone affiliated with the Democratic Farmer Labor Party.

Wellstone believed that politics cannot be about money and power games but about the improvement of people's lives. In an open later on the anniversary of his death, Former Republican Jim Ramstad says:

We miss your passion to help people who are hurting. People suffering the ravages of mental illness, addiction, homelessness and hunger. We miss our champion for veterans, seniors, abused women and children. Most of all, we miss the authentic person you were. You never took yourself too seriously, but you took the causes you championed very seriously.

As I sit in the fearful anticipation of what is to come, may I continue to wonder, dream and act for those most vulnerable, while continuing the legacy of Paul Wellstone, because "If we don't fight hard enough for the things we stand for, at some point we have to recognize that we don't really stand for them."