I grew up in the once segregated South. I experienced forced integration during my formative school years. I lived the sacrifices, burdens, and tears. I also lived the moments of understanding, of acknowledgment, of fellowship and success. I saw my parents and grandparents coming home beaten down - and some of my friends beaten up.

When I was growing up, our nation was partitioned: Blacks were segregated by law in the South and largely by custom in the North, though it, too, had segregation laws. Our best universities had quota systems. Many white communities had real estate covenants to keep nonwhites out.

Democrats have pushed for equal pay for women because we know that when women succeed, America succeeds.

Before Hillary-bashing became its own thing, she was subjected to the standard-issue woman-bashing used on every powerful woman in Washington.

I never thought of having cancer as something that was unfair. I just braced myself and tried to get through it.

I fully support Attorney General Cuccinelli and his efforts in challenging the constitutionality of the individual mandate provision in the health care legislation, and I look forward to working to repeal and defund the government takeover of health care in the 112th Congress.

There is no threshold level of fine particle pollution below which health risk reductions are not achieved by reduced exposure.

Oh, and once, when I was in the Marines, I got a perfect score on my physical fitness test.