If you don't check the Flashbacks every day, you're missing amazing little gems like the strip that appeared 20 years ago today, on May 8, 1988: Republican hopeful Ron Headrest chooses his running mate, George Bush. The punchline, "Ready to follow from day one!", acquires new resonance in the context of the current election cycle.

Editor's note: To get to the Flashbacks page, click the "Archive" tab at the top of today's strip, then click "Doonesbury Flashbacks".

For me Doonesbury is a great learning experience as far as slang phrases are concerned. In a rerun I noticed "wall action," a phrase I missed (or thought I knew) the first time I saw it. By use of Urban Dictionary and Google, I found out it refers to how one's "friends" use a Facebook feature. No, I didn't recently fall off a turnip truck. It's just that I am a member of the less than 1% of the population who have no interest in Facebook or its features. A mild criticism: Mr. Trudeau, although he gets props (I learned that from the strip, too) for including pop phrases, should keep in mind that he is writing for a general audience, not just Gen Xers and Millennials. (I learned those jargon words from web pages List of Generations and Generations, which I recommend to Mr. Trudeau if he runs out of things to do during his break from writing the strip.)

Re the "prolonged primary" Straw Poll: Why is anyone to blame? We have learned quite a lot about our country from this process. Who gets credit for that? If you say "the news media", I'll croak. I say Hillary. Without her, this would have been over long ago.

I just want to say thank you, because Doonesbury has been a great teaching tool for me. I am 14 years old, and have been a huge Doonesbury fan since last December when my Dad gave me Heckuva Job,Bushie! for a Hanukkah present. He starting reading Doonesbury when he was a teenager, and has a number of the early books. However, the 1970s politics were relevant to him and not confusing, which is not true for me. After I got hooked, I started from Still A Few Bugs in the System, even though I hardly knew anything about Watergate or the Nixon administration. I have since learned a lot about every presidency from Nixon to Reagan. It also inspired me to write my term paper on student protest of the Vietnam War, in which I had to restrain myself from quoting Mark. Anyway, I love Doonesbury, and it has been very educational for me. Thanks!

As a reader of military history, I was highly entertained by "Murphy's Laws of Combat", the April 30th post on The Sandbox. It occurs to me that several of these must date back long, long before the 21st century. For example, the first ten sound likely to have originated with the Assyrians, let alone the Roman army. I wonder when the rest were first thought of.

I'm disenfranchised in the Straw Poll this week! My greatest peeve about this election year is the painfully drawn-out primary process. And my greatest peeve about just about anything involving coverage of current events this year is the fact that nobody, but nobody, gets it regarding whose fault the long-drawn-out primary process is.

We all knew damn well a year or two ago whose fault it was. Then, constant media coverage focused on the jostling to see which state legislatures could get away with starting the season earlier than ever, and which ones would stoically stay put in May or June. We all know that the state legislatures can't be controlled very well by the Parties, and we now know (thanks to the Supreme Court this winter) that the Parties don't have to answer to the courts or anyone else regarding the fairness of their internal process, because legally they are private associations of people. So how idiotic do we have to be to be brainwashed by the media and its pundits into blaming a candidate, or even the media itself, for the fact that the season is way too long for anyone to endure? People are so desperate that some even think it would be best to decide the nominees ASAP and let the people vote in their primaries afterwards (why bother with democracy at all?).

The fault is 100% in the egos of the legislators in the various states. They all ought to sign a truce and organize a six-week primary season. I wanted so bad to click like a ton of bricks on their button in the Straw Poll!

Had the DNC's "leaders" the requisite imagination or methodicalness, we wouldn't have the Michigan/Florida problem, and the race might have ended a while ago. Going much farther back, had the DNC not instituted a primary system that fails to reflect the way the national election is held (and counted), the race might have ended a long time ago. People in my neighborhood have been talking about those two circumstances since long before the MSM picked up either in its campaign coverage. It seems likely the same conversations happened in many other neighborhoods in many other towns. The worship of notions over facts in the DNC is astonishing. That's why I'm not a Dem PCO anymore...and I've been working on Dem campaigns for 25 years, since I was 14. The idiocy inside of the party machine is just too much.

I couldn't vote in the current Straw Poll because the real culprit was not among the choices. The media, Clinton and Obama are all doing what I'd expect given the circumstances (and Hillary does have a long-shot chance if unforeseen events stampede the superdelegates in her direction). I blame the Democratic Party for setting up such a problematic calendar of elections and caucuses and then not being able to enforce their own rules, either on the States to stick to the schedule, or on the candidates to avoid over-the-top attacks on opponents. Personally, I support Barack, but would definitely vote for Hillary over McCain (though that increasingly feels like choosing the lesser of two evils).

I really liked the Toggle story arc and I just wanted to say Good Job developing a character people could relate too. I hope to see more of his recovery. I know that he is just a comic character and I don't want to sound like some crazy, but I liked his effect on the strip and the self-revelations that his ordeal brought about. Thank you for the good work, and if you keep writing it I promise to read it.

Today's 35-year Flashback in which Joanie relinquishes all custody of J.J., simply broke my heart. I suppose it's nothing that divorcing or separating fathers haven't done throughout history, but still, this one moment is the turning point: Joanie's estrangement from J.J. for the rest of J.J.'s childhood and adolescence, perhaps repeated in J.J.'s estrangement from Alex. Just breaks my heart.

What is it with the readers of Doonesbury? Don't they understand that the comic strip is populated by characters? Characters who are not the author. Characters who have their own notions of right and wrong. Characters who -- if the author is halfway on the ball -- stay in character. When Earl includes Venezuela among the pariah states, he is expressing the point of view of Earl, not the point of view of Garry Trudeau. Duh!

In today's strip, the first frame has Duke's son saying to his father, "Sudan, Venezuela, North Korea -- you name it! We've been contracted by every pariah state you can think of!" There is nothing in fact to support the label of Venezuela as a pariah state. We returned from Venezuela three weeks ago. While there, we met with a senior U.S. Embassy official who stated unequivocally, "Chavez is certainly not a dictator." In addition, the current Venezuelan government has done much to improve the lives of the large majority of people in the country who have lived in poverty for decades. It is simply gratuitous, State Department pablum regurgitated. We expect better from Doonesbury.

In today's strip you grouped Venezuela with some notoriously evil regimes. This puzzles me. Though Chavez has no respect at all for Pres. Bush he seems to be truly dedicated to the welfare of Venezuela. He has brought medical help for its indigenous peoples, and had many sent to Cuba for cataract surgery, etc. Though the propaganda in this country derides him for using his country's oil wealth for the benefit of Venezuelans, from their viewpoint he's a Godsend. These people have it tough enough without you creating a bad image.

I, on the other hand, just love the Duke & Son strips on the dictatorships. I think they are some of Trudeau's funniest and most biting comics! (Even though Duke is not one of my favorite Doonesbury characters.) But that may be because I grew up under tyrannies (my father was a diplomat) and I have done a fair amount of international development work in the last decade or more, so I understand the reality of the situation. Meanwhile, the ones with Mike's mother and Zipper and B.D. did not tickle me much at all. Different strokes, eh?

Mondays are hard enough. (Spring thawing makes them harder for some reason; perhaps it's noticing all the work ahead of us, and all that didn't get done last year before the snow flew.) An incredibly slow response time (gremlins in the cable lines no doubt) only fuels my frustration with the Duke flashback. Mr.Duke's has long been my least favorite thread. There's enough of his kind in the reality-based community in D.C. centers of power these days. Sorry to rant, and register a rare complaint. GBT does so much to shine the light in the darkness. I suppose one should just grant him this bastard child run amuck. Carry on...

Wow. I feel so bad about those poor little millionaire girls. The world at their feet and all the money they'll ever need. It must be soooo hard to face daily life when you don't have to worry about getting a real job, about whether you can afford gas or food. Being rich and famous, what a tragedy.

Here at Wesleyan University, for decades, we have held an event known as "Zonker Harris Day" on the third Saturday in April. It has become a tradition. It is basically a festival, with great live music, delicious food, arts, crafts, and overall outdoor celebration. It is one of the highlights of the year here. Dozens of students devote time and energy into planning the event, and hundreds upon hundreds of students show up.

This year, Wesleyan's administration decided that they didn't like the idea of calling it "Zonker Harris Day", because they felt that was an inappropriate drug reference. There was a huge outcry from the student body. You can read about it here, in the first of dozens of articles and letters on the subject that have appeared in the school newspaper paper.

There have been protests, there have been negotiations with the administration, and in the end, it has all gotten us nowhere. However, we haven't given up. The festival is still going ahead, this Saturday. We are calling it "He Who Must Not Be Named Day"...

I just want to say that I really enjoy reading the soldier and Marine blogs posted in The Sandbox. It is great that they have an outlet to let their voices be heard, and it is amazing that more people are not aware of their situations. I commend their service and I am grateful for their service.

Sometimes I feel like hitting all three responses to your Straw Poll, like this morning with the "bitter" and "clingy" question. I can remember presidential elections back to Kennedy-Nixon in 1960, and by the end of every one of them the electorate has turned into a bunch of grumps. We're ticked-off at everybody.

I just wanted to say "thanks" from an old WPI guy - '72 who has enjoyed your strip for all of these years. You have made me laugh, cry, smile fast and smile slow and most of the time, have made me think. Almost always you have made my days better. Thanks again.

I've been wondering for a while what families of deployed and returned soldiers felt about the less than sympathetic response that Boopsie and Sam gave to B.D. upon his return from his long visit with Toggle. The response posted on Blowback was negative, and since we've been immersed in B.D.'s POV of his journey of recovery, I was initially surprised. However, now I wonder whether his wife and daughter were merely responding to "the straw that broke the camel's back" after years of trying to be supportive to B.D., but maybe needing some of that for themselves as well.

I just re-re-read the old Vietnam strips, and enjoyed seeing how happy B.D. was when he was with Phred. Big smiles! I wonder if he has ever been as happy since, even with his little daughter.

FYI: At Wesleyan University, Zonker Harris Day -- a student-run music and arts festival held every spring, on the same day that many prospective freshmen visit campus -- has been a beloved tradition since the 1970s. This year, University Administration has pulled funding for the event, insisting that the name be changed because the term "Zonker Harris" projects a "hippie-druggie" stereotype that the school is trying to get away from. Many students perceive this action as the latest effort to "mainstream" Wesleyan, and transform a school generally associated with quirky activists into a more preppy Little Ivy...

At last, I got it! It's been bugging me ever since Jorge came on the scene. This morning I finally realized who he is. He's the twin brother of Manuel of Fawlty Towers fame! He must be the smarter one...

LEDs are the least energy consuming piece of electronics we have. It's that warm capicator. It's that hot CPU. It's the standby state on the circuit boards, the trickle state on the battery chargers, the on-standby circuits of the phones, web devices, and appliances we all depend on. Don't ask me if your TV is really off when it's dark. LED power is the latest, best illumination source we have.

That reminds me of the one-hour-power-failure-to-save-the-planet gig this weekend: Great idea, brilliant concept, stupid execution. 1. People were encouraged (okay, okay, browbeaten) to turn off lights. Then they were encouraged to drive to a nearby hilltop to check the visual. Fact: More power was consumed getting the old Volare up that hill than was ever saved by turning off the lights. 2. B-ball games started the same time the power-out-thingy did. Tell me who turned out the lights but not the tube? Don't make folks choose between survival and the tube. Not now, not today, not ever. I'm just saying...

One of the bad things about getting older is that your support systems start falling apart as you do. The guy who has been cutting my hair for 20 years had a stroke, and I'm in crisis. Doonesbury has been part of my support system going back all the way to the beginning of the strip, and any threat to continuity is frightening. But Garry Trudeau certainly deserves a break. I hope he comes back rested and ready for the campaigns and election.

Re today's strip about LED lights in the bedroom: To save energy, that stuff, LEDs or not, should be turned off completely, i.e., not drawing vampire power when not in use. If Alex used multi-outlet surge protectors, she could turn a whole set of stuff off just by flipping the switch on one protector.

Sure, G, you need a break. With all those folks running around in your head, who wouldn't need one? One thing: B.D. and Boopsie's daughter, Sam, is being really pissy about B.D.'s visiting Toggle in the hospital. What, she forgot her dad needing company and support after leaving a leg back in Iraq? Not very sensitive...We've loved your stuff for lots of time. Please hang in there!

Enjoy your time off. I'll try and get through by kicking puppies or something.

Whew! My husband and I both got our hackles up when Doonesbury wasn't in its accustomed place in our L.A. Times Monday morning. I didn't believe the "excuse" (Trudeau on vacation) given the newspaper's ownership, et al., so came to this site to look for confirmation. Got it, but boy, we'd better see you back in June! (The Times is giving three other cartoonists some play time: I'd rather have old Doonesburys, so we'll see...) Thanks for every strip you've ever done, especially these guys coming out of the war.

I usually read Doonesbury in the San Francisco Chronicle religiously. It starts out my day. Today it was not in its usual spot, and I'm wondering what happened.

Editor's note: GBT is taking a 12-week extended leave, as noted in this Editor & Publisher story. The syndicate is sending out Doonesbury Flashback strips, but an individual client newspaper may choose not to run them. If you disagree with your paper's policy, be sure to let them know. Throughout the hiatus, the Town Hall will continue to provide all of our supporting features -- SayWhat?, Mudline, Blowback, Straw Poll, Daily Briefing, FAQ and The Sandbox.

Today's strip, where Sam begins to come around and forgive B.D. for vanishing for weeks, really hit home. I'm lucky enough to have had both my parents in my life for as long as I can remember, but there were definitely points I didn't see one or the other for weeks at a time, and I had only a dim idea of where they were. When they got back, it was always a combination of relief to see them, and anger that they left in the first place. I'm sure both they and I hated the anger part, but it did usually subside, far faster than the relief did. I would ask them to play catch, or go for a bike ride, still pouting slightly. So, kudos. It never ceases to amaze me that a cartoon strip accurately represents reality.

Women! I'm sorry, but women really are different from men.

Looks like Sam's not exactly Daddy's little girl anymore; she even looks different, not so much a little girl, now. For his pains, B.D.'s admonished, "Stop demanding unearned intimacy!" It's Trudeau who's taking a vacation, not the world of Doonesbury. What an ironic coincidence, if coincidence it is, that 35 years earlier, as documented today in the Flashback section, B.D. comes home to a dad who camps out in front of the TV with a backpack full of beer, pretzels and aspirin and for whom intimacy is "Hi, how's school... well, see you later."

A sabbatical? Rats...and I was so looking forward to what icons would represent the candidates. Senators all? TOGAs!! Rest well, GBT. We need you for the campaign.

Keep Toggle! What a wonderful counterpoint to the other Gen X-ers shown in the strip (Zipper the permanent slacker and Jeff the self-sabotaging Machiavellian). Really, Kim is the best of the Gen-X Trudeau crew, and we can't leave her to stand alone! (And Alex and Sam are more Gen Y than Gen X.) Doonesbury needs a stand-up metal-head with a heart, at least as a recurring character.

A triple play! First, B.D. (whoever knew, back in the day, he would become our tragic hero?) returns for his long anticipated homecoming and encounters. Second, for SayWhat? you pick up that quote of the week from St. John, with his whispering sidekick Holy Joe setting him straight. Third, I get to vote in an actual Straw Poll meant for me! Whadyaknow? My vote counts!

p.s. I'm voting for the Old, White Guy. Gotta love a man brave enough to sing: "Bomb, bomb Iran". Sure beats: "Bring 'em on"!

Mark might have better chances of finding a real partner if he shaved off that damn goatee. Dropping the mustache wouldn't hurt, either. I suppose I should say a "real fictional partner" as opposed to a "fictional fictional partner". But you know what I mean.

Duke really is going to Berzerkistan! Lord Bell, Mrs Thatcher's spinmeister through three elections, is now going to advise Belorussia's president Lukashenko (the last dictator in Europe) on how to improve his, erm, colourful image. I wonder what more scary prescience will jump out of my favourite comic today.

I blinked and B.D. grew up.

It is the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, no end in sight and presidential candidates backpedaling as fast as they can on withdrawal. I just want to say how much I have loved this strip over all these years, and to thank you for your work. Monday's strip with B.D leaving and Toggle recovered enough to be "sad" was just perfect...

B.D.'s care for Toggle is what an officer strives for. I was privileged to have several high speed NCOs who wanted to make officer, and asked me how to be a good officer. The first words out of my mouth were always "LOOK AFTER YOUR PEOPLE." Hooah.

Toggle sad, yes. Sad, but a good thing in that (1) There is a bond between an officer and his troops that can't really be explained if you haven't been there, (2) Toggle is getting a good male figure that his father obviously wasn't, and (3) B.D. has learned to be an officer.

We'll now have to work on Toggle's taste in "music". Glad to help my fellow soldiers.

My wife and I had a laugh this morning when Mrs. DeLuca revealed that she has been dating one of Toggle's nurses. I met my wife while I was taking care of her brother after he had a head injury. This series has hit pretty close to home, but comically so today.

It seems a partial closure of the Toggle storyline will be what leads up to the hiatus. It will be good, during the drought, to know how he is/going to be.

Yeah, I started to cry when I read today's strip. Not only are Toggle and his mom two great characters, but B.D. is growing in ways I never dreamed he was capable of.

Thank you for the Toggle strips. Today's acknowledgement that "Toggle is sad" nearly broke my heart. These strips bring the war home in ways that no news account, no matter how sensitively drawn, can.

As a physical therapist, I know the enormous and mostly misunderstood impact that TBI has on soldiers and others in bad accidents. Thank you for including this in your strip with Toggle. The frustration alone that people go through when they have difficulty verbalizing after TBI is beyond what most people ever consider. It is devastating. Thanks for giving these people a much needed voice.

I sometimes wonder if Garry Trudeau ever played volleyball. It would be a shame if his consistently brilliant commentary overshadowed the great timing and delivery of strips like the one on Sunday:

"So, bro, want us to trash your room?" (Bump ... setting up the action)

"No!" (Set ... keeping the action going)

And finally, the payoff from Toggle:

"I love these morons." (Spike! Yes!)

As always, thank you.

Read today's strip on my widget. Please stop making me cry. Will have to resort to reading only "Cathy" or "Garfield." IQ will drop. Children will be left with idiot for mother. All your fault.

Go get 'em, Toggle.

Thank you for your strips dealing with Toggle. Most of us here are directly affected in some way by the wounded warriors. As a Military Police officer, whose job is to assist, protect and defend the troops and their families in whatever way they may need, I can feel empathy with B.D. as he prepares to leave and Toggle is sad about it. In the past few months I have been working with the WTU guys here in my area, and I can tell you that they are very appreciative of any help that they can get, whether it be a ride to the PX when they're walking and it's raining, or just giving them information regarding access and parking privileges. Thank you again for your support of us on the front lines and behind them.

I could never like Skid. Too much 'tude and I don't care how good he thinks his reasons are. I've been riding longer than a lot of biker dudes have been alive, though maybe not Skid (What am I saying? He's a comic strip character!) and have known a few. Yeah, there's criminal types you can't get along with, but even among the edgier guys, there's a lot of live-and-let-live attitude. Now it turns out Skid's fronting for ne'er-do-well Zeke, so now he's in context. I love J.J.'s line, "That's an offer, not a threat. Do you even know how blackmail works?" Classic. Simply classic. Could she be getting tired of this mooch at last? Enjoy your vacation, Garry. Should be an interesting fall.

The thought balloons are back! I didn't realize how much I missed them; they add tremendous depth.

It was great to see Garry Trudeau down under in Wellington these past few days. As a fan over more than thirty years, I very much enjoyed his New Zealand Writers & Readers Week talk on Thursday evening and especially the opportunity to meet him afterwards. Picking up on his reference to conservative cartoonists being likely to appreciate the opportunity to deal with a President Obama, we had a brief discussion about Chris Muir and his Day By Day online strip. Newspapers might want to pick this feature up during the Doonesbury sabbatical!

I wonder if all the people who now regard Skid as a villain are really correct. Could it be that he's actually trying to teach Zeke a lesson (Lord knows Uncle Stupidhead could stand to learn a thing or two) and that he and the Widow Doonesbury have been in on this together right from the start? After all, he didn't drop her once he found out there wasn't any money to be made...I shall await the return from hiatus with bated breath.

Don't make too many presumptions about Mama D, folks. The patriarchal presumption seems to be that Der Momster is all frothy for marrying and giving over with the monies obediently to the new hubby, and hence a victim of Leather Jacket Boy. Er whuh? Mama D is out having a good time here, no catching her doodling Skid's name with a little heart instead of a dot over the i and papering the house with bridal magazines. If anyone might end up with a broken heart, it might be Skid, as big Mama finds another boytoy. But hey, it figures that to these guys, Mama D is just a ploy-object in the male scheme to get at Mike. God help'm if Joanie ever finds out. I could wish Joanie off-sprog lays in a boot when she finds out the particulars. Or Mama D does. That would be fun.

Oh my gawd! *HAPPY DANCES* all over the place. Zeke Brenner is about to git his! I have hated the character ever since he burned down Duke's house.

I too am distressed that Doonesbury will be on break; I look forward to each day's strip, knowing I will get a chuckle. A dozen weeks is going to seem like a long time.

As for Nancy's 3/10 comment, I think she has forgotten how many boyfriends Mike's mother has had; just because this one is a cad and a blackguard in no way implies that she is incapable of attracting honest and decent men, just that she has been taken in by this one.

I know how grueling it must be to create a quality strip day after day, week after week, but the timing of your 12-week vacation is dismaying to those of us who look to your satirical commentary for the "real truth" in Iraq, D.C. and elsewhere. I guess this means we won't have a series on Eliot Spitzer! The good news is you'll be back before the conventions and the general election. Enjoy the time off. We'll have to rely on folks like Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Bill Maher in your absence.

Oh, no! Doonesbury is going on hiatus! For 12 weeks we'll all be having jitters, headaches, lethargy, and snapping at those around us...

Every time I read Skid's comic balloon I hear Sam Elliot's voice...

There must be some mistake. I'm looking at the comic strip labeled "Doonesbury" in my local newspaper, but the story seems to be more like "Rex Morgan."

I think it is really too bad of GBT to imply that the Widow Doonesbury is only capable of attracting a man as part of a plot against Mike. You'll be old yourself someday, Garry!

I realize people are thrilled when GBT throws a character in their demographic direction, and become somewhat illogically attached to the character's moral standing. That being said, I do believe a number of readers need to re-evaluate their clucking regarding Mike's skeptical approach to his mother's "dying" boyfriend. Mike was completely right, the mother was completely wrong, the new boyfriend is the very epitome of a dirtbag, and a number of people need to, at the very least, take their foot off the pedal of moral indignation with regards to all the young whipper-snappers.

Amazing! The dictator of Berzerkistan is naming months of the year after himself, just like Turkmenistan's late dictator, Saparmurat Niyazov. I'm enjoying this parody immensely, as well as the political commentary it expresses.

As you're probably aware, Wesleyan University has two music-festival-type celebrations named after your characters; Duke Day and Zonker Harris Day. These events are quite treasured by us students, and these have been the traditional names for decades. This semester, however, the Wesleyan administration has given us an ultimatum demanding that we change the name of Zonker Harris Day or they will shut down our celebrations. They claim the name glorifies drug use (though of course the character hasn't used for years). Never fear, we students are actively fighting them on this one, and with any luck we can continue our tradition.

Today's strip was on the topic of marketing Berzerkistan as a tourist destination. The article taking up all of page five of the Travel section of the Boston Globe was "Exotic, elevated, remote, relaxed Kyrgyzstan." Once again, only in Doonesbury do we get clues to some of the machinations going on around us...

At the risk of dating myself, I finally realized what Alphie reminds me of. In the old Donald Duck/Scrooge McDuck comics, the inventor character Gyro Gearloose had a mini-robot 'helper', smarter than the average bear, who, while more anthropomorphic than Alphie shared a similar top dome shape. Okay, okay, Helper's head was a light bulb, but the background gags et al resonate. I realize it's likely coincidence, but it would be fun if it wasn't.

I wonder if the timing of this week's Flashback series relates to the current running of the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) International Robotics Competition. This tournament, originated about 15 years ago by Dean Kaman of Manchester, NH, parallels the NCAA March Madness, with over 2,000 high school teams from all the states, several Canadian provinces, and at least four countries overseas competing with game-playing robots in over 40 regional tournaments and a final national tournament.

I've really enjoyed this week's re-run of Alphie the trash-talkin' robot, just as much as I did the first time. I hope we see more of the little guy. God forbid that Doonesbury should ever become "cute", but I think Alphie has potential. And did Alphie really flip he bird to the crowd as he buzzed off? Sure looks like it. If so, then that's the first time anyone's ever gotten away with that on the comic page.

I suspect that B.D. is taking on the unofficial role of Recovery Coordinator. The Presidential Commission on Care for the Wounded Warriors highlighted the importance of this real position. The Commission indicated that the Coordinators would have be vested with the authority to mandate that the best possible care be provided for the serious TBI injuries. The Coordinator would have to be able to tell a General that the best care choice was outside the Department of Defense hospital, and mandate a government funded transfer, or, on the other hand, tell a family that the best treatment option was in a DOD or VA facility.

As the marvelous Presidential Commission Commissioner Ed Eckenhoff stated, "The private sector stands ready to assist. We have several hundred, a couple of hundred VA/DOD hospitals; we have over 5,000 very good hospitals within our country (Presidential Commission Hearings July 25, 2007)." The Commission stated that the Department of Defense should establish a network of public and private sector expertise in Traumatic Brain Injury, and utilize both.

It will be interesting to see if Toggle's mother and BD face the same hurdles earlier families faced in finding the best care, wherever it may be, for Toggle's needs and best chance for a full recovery. As Commissioner Eckenhoff, the Founder and head of the National Rehabilitation Hospital in D.C. was well aware, the cooperation of the services has not always been a given. B.D., as a role model for Recovery Coordinators, pushing the envelope, would provide a welcome boost for moving everyone along the right path.

Thanks for telling it like it is with respect to being on time. Although it pains me to share this attribute with W, I was relieved by the double-bank shot punch line -- nicely played! Thanks, as always.

I can't believe you are falling for the Obama mass hysteria. See today's Adam@Home...

Not being a citizen of the "land of the free and home of the handgun" I try to avoid American politics -- short of tossing out my TV. I would rather wait and watch you poke fun at your next president

Mr. Trudeau is a genius. Easily, the finest and most finely tuned political and social issues cartoonist in American history. Glad I lived when he did.

I am glad that you have started to pick on Senator Obama, as have some of the late night comedians. I think it needs to be done, even though if he is the nominee I will be voting for him. Thank you. I very much enjoy Doonesbury.

Perhaps I'm just an old cynic, one who came of age when another Prophet of Change (Jimmy Carter) promised us more of the same warm palaver Obama has been spreading with such apparent success. However, my youngins, it's a Cartoonist's job to puncture bubbles. Dat's wat da man do. Carry on, GBT.

Obama love-in? Becoming the subject of an English course at Walden Trivial Arts College is no body blow, but it's no love-in, either. Me, I'm just wondering when (or if) Zipper will ever graduate.

Someone has written protesting the "Obama love-ins" in recent Doonesbury strips. Oh dear! The strip's handling of the topic has constituted a deadly attack on the Obama campaign, and on the flutteringly light-minded people who are wowed by this naive man's rhetoric and can't see his vanity and emptiness.

Uh oh! Judging by recent strips in the paper, it looks like five years of Obama love-ins for Doonesbury. Gag. Really, I'd rather you stick with Bush hate stuff; the Obama mush will put us to sleep. Do hate -- it's the "progressive" thing to do!

No question; fact. Starting in Vietnam, when I did, Garry, you have the attitude of the troops, the brass, the politicians and the facts re: after-wounding treatment down pat! It is spooky since you weren't there to go through it, but I have been medivac-ed as "LT" and the DJ have, with an arm loss (use of), and I am a TBI. I am now retired and can't forget the horrors of Walter Reed but it was, for me, exactly as you show it. Thank you and a tip of my green beanie to you.

Toggle's replacement is a Claymate? That's harsh, man. Haven't our boys suffered enough?

I'm so glad to see a TBI patient in your strip. I hope it calls attention to the challenges of long-term care for those with severe TBIs. My son had a severe TBI at 16, and it was really hard to find a place that would take him -- I cared for him at home myself until he was 18, but it was too much for me as a single parent. I finally found a great place in Washington State called Delta House, but I think they were the only facility West of the Mississippi that took young men and women with serious TBIs. Where will these kids coming home from the war with TBIs go? Long-term care for severe TBI patients isn't in the job description for most nursing homes.

Thanks. Today's strip hit the twelve. A perfect example of the art of communicating by skipping.

When I was growing up, all those years ago, I would spend part of my summer with my grandparents in So Cal. We'd go to Disneyland, the beach, and all the other things that made life in that part of the country so appealing. But my favorite thing -- the thing I looked forward to the most -- was grabbing from their top shelf their Pogo book, Ten Everloving Blue-eyed Years. I would read it in the car going from here to there, at night after dinner and all the times in between. At first, I suppose the attraction was the art and the silly words Walt Kelly was so adept at creating, making the Swamp a playful and child-like place to visit, but slowly its subtle messages seeped in.

It was after several years of this that I started to really read the words and make connections to the allegories Kelly was painting with them. It was an epiphany. Suddenly, at the age of 12, I was getting it, what all the grown ups got and it was fun. It was like being part of a club.

It was about this time that Doonesbury came to my local newspaper. The very first panel I read was the classic about the football player dying on the field and being carried away to mighty applause. I loved it. It was dark, twisted and sick, but in a way that made you question society, not the messenger.

I can only say, after pulling down the Pogo book recently and immersing myself in Kelly's brilliance once again, that there is only one who compares to him: GBT.

I have been following Toggle's progress with great interest. I agree with a former poster that while GBT regularly skewers targets of choice, he invariably does it in a classy way and with considerable compassion. I have been reading Doonesbury for well over thirty years and, in my opinion, he's a national treasure. Rock on.

I wonder if someone with aphasia could come up with the wrong network for NBA -- maybe he really wanted NASCAR on Fox.

Like so many posting on Blowback, I am following Toggle's story with great interest, and his situation rings some bells with me. What strikes me is that the problems he will face are not unique to aphasia. I am sure that anyone with experience of deafness, other speech defects, dyslexia or even living in a foreign country will be able to identify with the feelings of frustration and isolation caused by an inability to communicate effectively.

On behalf of the National Aphasia Association (NAA), I would like to thank you for raising awareness of aphasia in your comic strip Doonesbury. Not many people know about aphasia until they or someone they love is devastated by this condition -- "the sudden inability to communicate, speak, read, write or understand language, usually as a result of stroke or traumatic brain injury." Few realize that aphasia is more common than cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy or spinal cord injuries.

More than 1 million Americans have aphasia and there are over 200,000 new cases each year. This number is predicted to continue growing as our population ages and as Iraq veterans return home forever changed due to traumatic brain injuries, as depicted in Doonesbury.

As Mr. Trudeau correctly points out, aphasia does not affect intellect. However, because people with aphasia have a difficult time expressing themselves and understanding what is said, others often mistake this communication challenge as a loss of intellect. As a result, people with aphasia are treated differently, and sometimes ignored, which leads to isolation and depression, which is devastating. An NAA study found that 70 percent of aphasics felt people avoided contact with them because of their difficulty communicating. Ninety percent felt isolated, left out, ignored and lonely.

There is no cure for aphasia, but speech-language therapy and constant social interaction is critical for recovery and maintaining a meaningful life. Family, friends and society must help people with aphasia reconnect with their communities and life. All it takes is understanding, patience and a few commonsense strategies to improve communication.

1) Have the person's attention before you speak.
2) Minimize or eliminate background noise (TV, radio, other people).
3) Keep your own voice at a normal level.
4) Keep communication simple, but adult.
5) Give them time to speak. Resist the urge to finish sentences or offer words.
6) Communicate with drawings, gestures, writing and facial expressions.
7 Confirm that you are communicating successfully with "yes" and "no" questions.
8) Praise all attempts to speak and downplay any errors.
9) Engage in normal activities whenever possible.
10) Encourage independence, avoid being overprotective.

NAA is a consumer-focused, not-for-profit organization that was founded in 1987 as the first national organization dedicated to advocating for persons with aphasia and their families. Free resources, advice and support groups can be found by calling our hotline (800: 922-4622) or visiting our Web site (www.aphasia.org).

I have to say I was a little disappointed in today's punchline. Mr. Trudeau seems to have spent a great deal of time researching medical jargon, conditions, treatments and even military procedure for dealing with a severely wounded soldier -- and yet he can't take two minutes to figure out that there are no NBA games on NBC? That's the kind of thing B.D. would know, so his interpretation of Toggle's attempt to communicate doesn't ring true.

I can't believe I'm buying the Daily News every day just to see how Toggle is doing. I'm praying for him!

My day does not get started until I go to my computer and read your cartoons. While chuckles are emitted (often) when reading, I often find some 'real life' similarities. You do have a great knack for amusement, but deep down there appears to be a message for all of us, one that can help us (and those around us) to live a better life. Please continue on (we all need what you have). Thanks!

May be frustrated...? Ohhhh, yeah! Been there, done that, got the t-shirt and relatives with bitemarks on their rumps for souvenirs; we've forgiven each other. When GBT earns a Pulitzer for the Long Road Home strips, there will at least be more balance in the universe. I've been forwarding Toggle's story to others, and it's striking a resounding note. Thank you for today's observation concerning a huge part of living with a TBI. Frustrating just begins to describe it, for both the survivors and those who love us. It's nice to know there's some understanding out there.

Hey, we all know that Skid is a retired doctor. They are the only ones that can afford Harleys. The biker image goes over big at Old Indian Riders Home.

I wonder if Skid is supposed to look like famed outlaw country star and former biker David Allan Coe. I thought I saw a resemblance.

I love reading "Blowback" and usually agree with the comments. But am I the only poster who understands that Skid is a parasite, a vampire after Mom D's money and emotional support? Mike's canny question today held up a mirror to Skid's reflectionless image. Kudos to Mike for finding his Inner Warrior!

Re: Skid. Thank You So Much. Us career motorcyclists are really quite creative, alert (the non-alert bikers are already dead, you know), intelligent folks, generally speaking. Every now and then there is truly a spark of genius amongst us. Thank Gawd (and His Illustrator, GBT) for pointing that out. Whelp simply does not listen. Significant come-uppance must be in the offing, else the Universe will remain out of balance.

So it looks like Mike is going to face his hidden prejudicial feelings toward the older generation, again. I expect this Beat generation Biker to be something of a Robert Hunter fan, but I'll wait to see what's cooking on the blotter.

Of course Skid is back! But he only has three months to live?!?!? Poor fella. Certainly he wants to spend as much time as possible with that spunky woman! What fun! Shame on you who, like Mike, are judging Skid by his appearance without considering his character (or waiting for it to develop). Are you suggesting that all Mike's Mom has to offer to another person is her money? How sad that both of these wonderful characters are being sold short. I think Mike (and some of you readers) are about to learn something, once again, as this story plays out.

I hate to say I told you so, but....

Nice to see Skid back, but why the "outlaw" image? Instead of being a one percenter, I wish he were a member of the Patriot Guard Riders, or Rolling Thunder or Bikers Against Child Abuse.

Skid is back? He knows there's no money there. Maybe he just wants to be around someone with the same hair color.