As you'll hear all day from many sources. Today's The Day.

We can't really imagine what life was like in Matt Cooper's house last night--how do you explain to a six-year-old boy that Daddy may not be coming home today or for a very long time for the future? And how do you begin to explain justice and the rule of law when you're pretty damn sure that you didn't do anything wrong? It's a conversation that's far from unique to the Cooper household, but that doesn't make it any less painful.

Along with the court arguments last week, Cooper's lawyers filed nine letters of support from old friends and family members pleading for leniency. The 11 pages of letters make for moving reading: While Cooper's all-around good-guy-ness is well-known in Washington, his role as a father in the case is less widely known. The picture that emerges from the letters is one of a devoted dad and a loving son.

In her letter Margaret Carlson writes "Prison in Matt's case would punish his family more than him, and punish his son most of all."

"[Matt's] young son Benjamin reminds me of Matt as a child. He is bright and sweet and endearing like his father. He knows more about dinosaurs than just about any six-year-old kid. Mandy and Matt are dedicated parents and make time to read with Ben daily. Matt's long term absence from home would no doubt be traumatic for Benjamin," his sister Ellen writes.

"Home detention would be a very real puishment for Matt, but it would--to at least some degree-spare his son very real suffering that would occur if Matt is required to leave his home," long-time friend Julius Genachowski wrote.

"While almost all children are heavily dependant on their parents, Benjamin is especially so.... [Matt is] both Benjamin's father and playmate. Matt plays chess with Benjamin, reads with him, takes him to the movies, and engages him in imaginary play (often involving a shared story about the super-secret 'Daddy School' that Matt has invented)," writes family friend Jonathan T. Molot "Bejamin's dependence on Matt is such that he experiences a great sense of sadness when Matt is away on even short business trips. In those cases, Benjamin counts the hours until Matt's return.... Since Matt's short absences take such a toll on Benjamin, it is difficult to imagine how Benjamin would cope with a more extended absenec. A child's sense of time is sufficiently different from an adult's that even a six month sentence would loom as an eternity for Benjamin."