Here in the United States, Democrat Al Franken of Minnesota has been sworn in as the newest member of the Senate. Franken was seated Tuesday following last week’s Minnesota Supreme Court ruling that ended former Republican Norm Coleman’s legal challenge to Franken’s victory in the November elections. Seating Franken gives Democrats effective control of sixty seats, enough theoretically to overcome a Republican filibuster. Franken took the oath using a Bible belonging to the family of another Democratic senator from Minnesota, the late Paul Wellstone. Within hours of his swearing in, Franken announced his first legislative action: co-sponsoring the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier for workers to vote on joining unions.