The Spring 2007 issue of Buddhadharma magazine tells me something I’d completely missed: that last November’s midterm election not only brought the nation’s first Muslim to Congress, but also ushered in two Buddhists (both Democrats): Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, and Hank Johnson of Georgia.

Also in this month’s “Ask the Teachers” column, Zenkei Blanche Hartman is asked by a reader if “a person can practice Buddhist ways and still maintain a job in the military.”

The answer is, um…no.