Dear Justice John Paul Stevens,

Thank you very much for holding out for probably about eight more years than you actually wanted to be a Supreme Court Justice. Your refusal to retire, or for that matter die, during the Bush administration, a pair of options that so many of us considered without nearly as good reasons as you had during those dark times, is a beacon to us all.

Though being a Cubs fan probably helped to prepare you for a decade of senseless disappointment and near-constant sorrow, staying on the Court until you are damned near 90 so that your replacement by an arch conservative will not drastically unbalance the bench and the nation for a generation to come is conduct above and beyond the call of duty, and your nation owes you a debt of gratitude.

Now you go enjoy the fuck out of your retirement, good sir. God knows you’ve earned it.