In a recent Washington Post submission, former Air Force officer and high ranking Bush Administration official Thomas Schweich makes an important observation concerning the Department of Defense and their anaconda-like grip on the national agenda.  The DOD is slowly taking over this country right in front of everyone's eyes (see Washington_Post)

The big question is what do we as citizens do about this situation.  For starters, you need to start looking at the way you vote.  Yes, the best thing to do is check out how your Congressmen and women are voting to see if they are part of the problem.  In many instances, the DOD is being given way too much leeway in the budget and they are also getting way too many of the requests they make, and in some cases, requests that they didn't!

If you see that your Congressman or woman isn't voting in a manner that is consistent with keeping the military under civilian control, then perhaps its time for a new Congressman or woman.  That's the first step.

The next step is to make sure that the military and the government are clear on what you think about the potential for the military to have too much say so in the way things are done in this country.  The best way to do this (after the first step above that is) is to write letters to the editor, to make noise and to get people to notice what the problem is so that we can have maximum citizen participation in taking back the government from these interlopers!

It's our country, lets not let it go to those who respect it least by their actions to take over the government.