To: The Nemesis On the way to Discovery Park this morning with the dogs we passed through the Ballard neighborhood, a part of town west and south of us that was first inhabited by the Shilshole people who were displaced by Nordic people in the mid-1800’s. As we passed the main drag, I reminisced out … Continue reading Mindfields
Divisiveness
24 more days to go with a maniac on the loose
To: The Treasonous Chicken No one wants to lose a game of “chicken,” but I think the deal is that if you don’t want to lose such games, you really shouldn’t initiate them. Now that you’ve lost a very public, very consequential game of chicken it’s clear you’re trying to spin having signed the relief … Continue reading 24 more days to go with a maniac on the loose
Boxing Day and Kwanzaa ~ compare and contrast
To: The Lame Duck Earth Scorcher Sometimes I think I’ve been living under a rock most all my life or that I’m about as incurious as they come. For years I’ve known that the day after Christmas is called Boxing Day and until about 1 minute ago I didn’t even wonder what it was referring … Continue reading Boxing Day and Kwanzaa ~ compare and contrast
All children are deserving — not just the sweet-tempered ones
To: His Highness Who Simply Can’t be Bothered with US I so wish I could genuinely say that I hope that you and your family had a good Christmas, that you enjoyed one another’s company and had fun teasing each other about silly old family stories featuring one or another of you doing something goofy. … Continue reading All children are deserving — not just the sweet-tempered ones
A Christmas Eve missive
To: The Scrooge on Steroids You know, this holiday season is about as grim as it’s ever been in my lifetime as we shuffle inexorably to over 350,000 Covid deaths by year’s end. Have you seen the CDC’s projections for mid-January – once the fall out from all the Christmas travel starts hitting? They’re telling … Continue reading A Christmas Eve missive
Lessons from lemmings
To: The One Who's Forcing the GOPP's Implosion I was inspired to read about lemmings this morning by the fantastically moronic stuff being reported about certain members of the GOPP (Grand Old Pathetic Party) and their fanatical devotion to you. Before musing about what political calculations may be driving their apparent idiocy, I want to … Continue reading Lessons from lemmings
Kick-ass activist women clean House
To: The Most Prominent Symbol of a Dying Breed I’m just trying this on – not necessarily to buy or lease – but I’m realizing that one of the major arguments against the “burn it all down” position is that those who are already the most marginalized would almost certainly be the most vulnerable during … Continue reading Kick-ass activist women clean House
The MAGA-merica fever dream is breaking
To: The Disgraced Leader of US Well, of course the jury will be out for quite some time on whether the bones of this place, this pseudo democracy (messed up as it is by mega-money and abuses of power) are good and strong enough to bother rehabilitating around. The answer to that overwhelming question almost … Continue reading The MAGA-merica fever dream is breaking
Maybe the bones aren’t so good after all
To: The Wrecking Ball This morning our good friend sent me of Maggie Smith’s wonderful, hard, sobering poem “Good Bones” in response to yesterday’s letter. Here’s a link to the poem on her blog: http://waxwingmag.org/items/Issue9/28_Smith-Good-Bones.php. I’m 99% sure I’ve told you about this poem before, but it was a long time ago so I’ll remind … Continue reading Maybe the bones aren’t so good after all
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it still doesn’t lead to just indictments of killer cops
To: The Race Baiter I’m still reading Jill Lepore’s tome “These Truths: A History of The United States.” I’m all of 24% through it and have about 31 hours left to go. It’s fascinating and devastating, in equal measure. I keep coming across quotes and circumstances from 150 or 200 years ago that feel like … Continue reading A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it still doesn’t lead to just indictments of killer cops
Daily Trump Letters 