Dear President Trump, By the end of the day when I return to edit this letter to you, we’ll all know whether McGahn showed up in response to the House Judiciary Committee’s subpoena slated to start at 10am your time. The odds that he’ll attend are infinitesimally small, but who knows, maybe he’ll have a … Continue reading Our collective house is on fire and now is not the time to tinker
Critical Thinking
The biggest, most consequential question of our lifetimes
Dear President Trump, Our political essay instructor strongly cautions us against indulging in rants and strongly encourages us to make sure our work carries added value. The rant prohibition is self-explanatory (no fun, but clear), and the added value requirement is really just saying that it’s not enough to parrot what others have said about … Continue reading The biggest, most consequential question of our lifetimes
We’ve swapped one devil for another
Dear President Trump, Today is my monthly “gallery sit” for the cooperative art gallery I joined in January. It’s downtown and usually I take a half-day off from work, drive here, and park in an insanely expensive lot with way-too-small stalls. Today, however, I took the whole day off and used public transit to get … Continue reading We’ve swapped one devil for another
“Atmospheric discrimination”
Dear President Trump, For a few days now, I’ve been chewing on something to tell you about, trying to figure out how to frame it, what to include, what to let stay shadowy. This morning while I was getting some exercise I finally decided I was ready to tackle it (I’ll tell you what “it” … Continue reading “Atmospheric discrimination”
The wonder of feeling small
Dear President Trump, I hope Melania The Missing (from public view) has had a nice Mother’s Day. Have we? Why yes, thank you for (not) asking, we have. There’s been lots of well-wishing going back and forth among friends and family, including an especially nice “I miss you both lots!” note from our daughter this … Continue reading The wonder of feeling small
A long letter on a hard topic
Dear President Trump, Warning – this is a long letter on a hard topic. Last night on the way home I heard a piece on NPR about flood forecasting and how poorly people understand the phrase “100-year flood.” Most of us think if we live in a 100-year flood zone and we were flooded last … Continue reading A long letter on a hard topic
Forging a path between all and nothing
Dear President Trump, I’ve started this letter over four times now. It hardly ever happens to me that I can’t get a toehold with a letter, but today I’m really struggling. I’m quite certain it’s because I keep thinking about how white Northeast Seattle is and the fact that I live here and am not … Continue reading Forging a path between all and nothing
White by design
Dear President Trump, It’s only 1pm and already it’s been another banner bird day. We took the dogs to the Union Bay Natural Area this morning and saw or heard the following birds: redwing blackbirds, seagulls, mallards, song sparrows, wrens, two osprey (plus noisy chicks), and a heron. We also saw turtles sunning themselves on … Continue reading White by design
Sick of feeling stupid
Dear President Trump, I’m quite certain I’m not alone in my strong dislike of feeling stupid – most everyone, including those of you in the news, seem to try to avoid looking stupid at all costs (whether we are successful is another matter entirely). For me, feeling stupid is one of the top three most … Continue reading Sick of feeling stupid
May it not be too much to ask that we simply be safe
Dear President Trump, Why, pray tell, are you feeling so bat-shit crazy anxious on this fine May Day morn that you fired off 60+ Tweets in an hour? It wouldn’t have anything to do with Barr testifying before Congress, would it? Did your panties get in a twist over the release of Mueller’s late-March letter … Continue reading May it not be too much to ask that we simply be safe