Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.

Jeff gets lots and lots of mail. Much of it is related to his legislative service...glossy publications and newsletters from interest groups and various organizations all over Iowa and beyond. One of the magazines I always take a moment to read is Liberty Magazine, a publication of the Seventh-Day Adventists. It's subtitled, "A Magazine of Religious Freedom." Articles are often historical pieces about the separation of church and state. This month's issue contains one that is worth checking out: "The Break From Rome," about Henry VIII's "divorce" from the church in Rome (and from Catherine of Aragon) in order to marry Anne Boleyn. It's a good review. I have long been fascinated by Henry VIII and his successors.

I am also listening to Sarah Vowell's The Wordy Shipmates on CD. While the Puritans arrived in America long after Henry VIII's colorful life, their departure from Britain can be traced back to the King's obsession with obtaining a male heir.