I'm going to Boise, Idaho!

If you've seen the movie "The Singles Ward," then the next line in your head after the title of this post is "I gotta get a map..." Well, it's final, my last exam is Dec 19th, then I'll go to NYC for a few weeks, take the GRE for grad school on Jan 3rd and fly to Boise, Idaho on Jan 6th. I will be interning in the Idaho House of Representatives, working with various reps, probably mostly with Rep. Margaret Henbest, whose focus is public health policy (my interest), as well as with the House Minority Leader Wendy Jaquet. I am really excited about this opportunity. I've even bought a car (I haven't sent the check yet, but it's pretty much a done deal). My first car! Oh and since I promised some political talk, I was glad the House voted against the proposal for an immediate pullout of Iraq, since that would be irresponsible and a disaster. More importantly, I'm also glad that the Senate passed a proposal to have comprehensive accountability for the White House on what they're doing over there. It doesn't feel like anyone has an exit strategy for the end of the war. Which reminds me, I saw a fantastic movie recently from the 80's called "Born on the Fourth of July" with Tom Cruise, about a Vietnam vet and his difficult transition after being paralyzed. Two lessons I learned from the movie: 1) We need to be very careful about why we go to war and make sure it's worth the sacrifice (I'm not in a position to judge about this war, but I have my doubts) and 2) We need to treat our vets with absolute respect for what they go through for us. They literally give their lives to answer the call of duty. Even if we don't agree with the cause, we should treat them like heros. This movie portrayed that well; it was the first time I've cried in the middle of a movie.