One of the great things about this job is that, as I don't consider myself a "real journalist," I don't feel obligated to keep my opinions to myself. When I cover a political video, sure, I try to be fair, but I also feel free to give my own personal take on the contents. As long as I also give you the opportunity to view the video and form your own opinion, I feel I've done my job.

One of the other great things about this job is that every once in a while, I come across a video that makes me want to shut the hell up.

This dynamic spoken word performance by a (perhaps fittingly) anonymous Marine -- the full text of which can be found here -- is a breed apart from the armchar analysis of most political videos on YouTube. Yes, it's got passion, it's got politics, but at its core is a powerful reminder of a simple truth: that the men and women of our all-volunteer armed forces have all willingly given up their own safety and freedom to serve what they believe to be a greater purpose.

We all have our opinions -- about the administration's actions around the world, about the current state of the military. But there is no opinion involved in knowing this: it's a brave and extraordinary thing to choose to serve -- to choose to leave your life and family behind and go wherever called, whatever the risk, and to do it without question. To serve your country.

I'll have more opinons tomorrow. But today ... Semper Fi.

Thanks to the priorities of American news coverage, you may not have heard this, but on July 19 -- for context, around the time that Lindsay was getting out of rehab and Britney was frigging up her OK cover shoot -- 23 South Korean aid workers were captured by Taliban militants in Afghanistan. Since then, two of the seven male hostages have been murdered, and according to the captors, two of the 16 female hostages are gravely ill.

The Afghan government, which has a non-negotation policy when it comes to terrorists, has ruled out the possibility of meeting the militants' demands and releasing jailed insurgents, though a face-to-face sitdown may still be in the works.

But the families of the hostages are taking an extraordinary action. They are posting videos online on YouTube, reaching out to their imprisoned loved ones and appealing to the captors. In this video, Ryu Hang Sik sends a message to his wife, Kim Yun-yeong. He tells her how much he loves her, how proud her children are of her, and asks her to hold on just a little bit longer. Watching him read his letter aloud, his fist clenching in his lap as he reviles himself for sleeping and eating when he knows his wife doesn't even have those simple privileges, it's hard to imagine anyone would not be moved.

More videos will follow. Let's hope that somehow, they reach both captives and captors, and maybe it'll be hearts and not heads that make the difference in this crisis.