UPDATE: Kent Conrad Glad to be Gaylord

We get letters! And sometimes those letters are a delayed reaction to something posted long ago. But let's set the record... um... straight: Senator Kent Conrad (D-SD) is totally glad to be Gaylord. Regard:

Hi Sparkle Pony

Someone forwarded me your, by now ancient, post of June 14th. You accurately describe Senator Conrad's given first name as Gaylord, and snicker a little because he commonly uses his middle name, Kent, suggesting he's hiding his first name. I can assure you he's not.

I wanted to make sure you knew that he's proud of his given name. He grew up being called Kent because Gaylord was his father's name. Senator Conrad was orphaned when he was five when a drunk driver slammed into the family car, and when he was a young boy, he was raised by his grandparents. They knew the son they had lost, the Senator's father, as Gaylord. So they called their grandson Kent.

You have an interesting site. I like to encourage bloggers to feel free to check in with me directly if you have any questions or want to verify facts. I'm usually very available by email.

Thanks,
Chris

Christopher Thorne
Communications Director
Office of U.S. Sen. Kent Conrad

Thanks for clearing that up, Mr. Thorne! And thank you for riding the Pink Pony! Hmmm... I'm thinking now of a new catch-phrase, something like "Princess Sparkle Pony: Occasionally taken seriously by mistake in the corridors of power."

EDIT: Now I feel kinda guilty, and I feel the need to point out that I really don't have any issues with Senator Conrad. He's a good guy.