Whatever you think of the White House or its war strategies, here's a way to help the wounded and disabled veterans who are arguably the Americans most directly on the receiving end:
Nineteen-game Jeopardy! winner David Madden is hiking the length of the entire east coast -- from Maine's border with Canada all the way to Key West -- all while raising money for Fisher House, a non-profit that provides lodging near hospitals so that loved ones can be close while wounded military veterans undergo extended treatment for war-related injuries. Fisher House gets excellent ratings for its management of contributions, and it fills a need that many of us may not even realize needs addressing.
(Full disclosure: David is a friend. Jeopardy! and its fun growing microculture of former contestants have been a part of my life since my own string of appearances began in 1997, as I recounted last year in a memoir called Prisoner of Trebekistan. David and I got to know each other last year, shortly after he staged one of the longest winning streaks in the show's history. Along the way, he racked up enough cash that now he can do things like hike and fundraise for months on end. So now he does.)
Last David checked in, he was enjoying a short detour through Amish country. "Short detour" here, of course, means he walked over from New York City. My feet hurt just thinking about it.
If you'd like to see what hiking the length of the U.S. east coast looks like, David's photo albums from the walk so far are here, here, and here.
But more importantly, if you'd like to join David in helping to provide the most important source of comfort to America's wounded soldiers and their families -- which is, of course, each other -- here's where you can chip in.