(GK: Garrison Keillor; TK: Tom Keith; SS: Sue Scott: TR: Tim Russell)

GK: We'll continue with our show in a moment, but first this message from the Associated Federation of Organizations.

SS: My name is Anna Svendsson. For years I tried to hide the fact that I'm half Swedish. (TR SWEDISH) On my father's side. I knew that many people associate Swedishness with being blonde and not so bright and having herring on your breath. So I majored in English. I took up Irish stepdancing. I learned to cook Thai and Chinese. I served French wine. I collected African art. And then I heard about the American Swedish Association. Based in Washintgon, it's worked hard to obtain billions in lucrative tax breaks for persons of Swedish ancestry. But more than that, it's made me proud to be who I am. (TR SWEDISH) I'm Swedish. And that means that I boil potatoes and boil the cod and serve it with white sauce and we eat it in silence, looking down at our plates. And then we go out back and smoke a cigarette and hate ourselves for it afterward. (TR SWEDISH) And that's who we are and we didn't ask to be this way but we are.

GK: If you think that you might be Swedish, maybe this is the time to tell the people you love. Call the Swedish Help Line, 1-800-SWE-DISH.

TR: There's something I need to tell you, Mom and Dad. I've struggled with it for a long time but --- I want you to know before you hear people whispering about it. I think I'm Swedish. (SS WEEPING, IN DENIAL)

GK: 1-800 SWE-DISH. A message from the Federated Organization of Associations.

© Garrison Keillor 2001