Dear President Trump, You will no doubt dismiss the new WP-ABC poll numbers as so much fake news, but I’m sure you are studying them carefully to figure out how to best calibrate the next round of divisive fear mongering. As usual, people of color are the canaries in the coalmine in that over 80% … Continue reading Cowardly abuses of power
Month: August 2018
Matter and energy
Dear President Trump, Today is my mom’s birthday, the last in a long string of August family birthdays that started on the 10th with my deceased grandfather, then my father’s on the 12th, my twin sisters’ on the 14th, and our brother-in-law’s (BIL) on the 18th. When we were kids my brother and I would … Continue reading Matter and energy
Cynical and slick
Dear President Trump, Who is feeding you instructions? Is Steven Miller whispering in your ear? Or Steve Bannon from afar? Or maybe Vladimir P from further afar? Have they formed a boy band to make sure you hear the same message no matter which way you turn? I know you’re capable of coming up with … Continue reading Cynical and slick
“…. I don’t see any up sides to this situation”
Dear President Trump, Our brother-in-law’s (BIL) niece suggested we read Joan Didion’s memoir “The Year of Magical Thinking.” It’s Didion’s account of her life during the year following her husband, John Dunne’s sudden death from cardiac arrest. Her ability to capture the sense of loss and of being lost following a close loved one’s death … Continue reading “…. I don’t see any up sides to this situation”
John McCain’s gift
Dear President Trump, A little while back I wrote to you about the virtues of leading with love. It’s been abundantly clear you’ve not heeded the message and I don’t think it’s just because you missed that letter. You had such a great opportunity to pretend to be a magnanimous leader in how you chose … Continue reading John McCain’s gift
A long day with a bright spot
Dear President Trump, It’s only 6:30 in my usual time zone but it’s 9:30 here in DC and I’m exhausted. Because I’m traveling for the VA and had to have VA arrange my airline ticket, my flight this morning left at 6am, went to Portland for a 2 hour and 40 minute layover, and then … Continue reading A long day with a bright spot
Cornerstone of kindness
Dear President Trump, Sometimes it really doesn’t work to try to cheer oneself up with a platitude like “ this too shall pass” or “just hang in, it’ll be ok.” You may be getting a taste of this with everything you’ve got going on and how bleak it’s looking for you as more of your … Continue reading Cornerstone of kindness
Ordinary feels so strange
Dear President Trump, The ordinariness of being back home feels so strange. Because we’ve lived over 2,000 miles away from Laura’s brother and our brother-in-law (BIL) for over twenty years, not having BIL around is normal and yet now that he is dead, it feels anything but normal. It’s sort of like how Laura’s brother … Continue reading Ordinary feels so strange
Endings and transitions
Dear President Trump, I’m pretty much at the end of my stay here in Atlanta. Laura left this morning and I leave at the crack of dawn tomorrow. I think it will be good all around for us to be home. Laura’s brother says he’s ready to start sorting out his new normal without his … Continue reading Endings and transitions
More on stories
Dear President Trump, The days are blurring together. When we picked up our brother-in-law’s (BIL) cremated remains earlier and Laura’s brother signed and dated the release form, it was awfully disconcerting to realize BIL died just four days ago. It seems like infinitely more time has passed and it feels like it was just yesterday. … Continue reading More on stories