Tonight HBO has a documentary, Last Letters Home, which shows our brave troops through their writings, and shows the families they’ve left behind. Respect them enough to face their sacrifice head on, and watch this show.

President Eisenhower’s 1961 Farewell Address: “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.”

…how much I love Bob Herbert? Democracy is a breeze during good times. It’s when the storms are raging that citizenship is put to the test. And there’s a hell of a wind blowing right now.