Dear President Trump, Behind all of the drama about what Barr said Mueller said has been another devastatingly sad story; the deaths by suicide of two Parkland, FL teens who survived the mass shooting at MSD high school last year and the death by suicide of a Newton, CT father of one of the first … Continue reading We failed them
Divisiveness
It would be nice not to care
Dear President Trump, We went to a concert last night and I twisted much of the day over the inevitable “Hey Seattle, how are you?” question the mainliner would toss out when he came on stage. I had a few passing fancies that he’d actually address the day’s events but knew it was unlikely – … Continue reading It would be nice not to care
“The scales of justice ain’t equally weighed out”
Dear President Trump, After reading Barr’s four-page distillation of the Mueller report another line from another Roots song has been playing in my head on continual loop: “the scales of justice ain’t equally weighed out.” The song, “Tip the Scale,” is from an African American man’s perspective and he’s basically talking himself through his various … Continue reading “The scales of justice ain’t equally weighed out”
Indictments or no, there’ve been plenty of high crimes and misdemeanors
Dear President Trump, I’ve pulled back from the “no further indictments” ledge I was on yesterday having seen commentary from quite a number of more levelheaded people who are reminding everyone that there’ve already been indictments of and guilty pleas from many people in your inner circle regarding Russia and that it’s not always possible … Continue reading Indictments or no, there’ve been plenty of high crimes and misdemeanors
No further indictments =>Limbic overload
Dear President Trump, How are you? What’s your world like tonight now that Mueller has submitted his report to AG Barr? It’s pretty inconceivable to me that you haven’t somehow been able to find out the contents of the report. In fact, I think you found out what is and isn’t in it a couple … Continue reading No further indictments =>Limbic overload
Piling on in the worst ways
Dear President Trump, Over the last couple of days I’ve started seeing media folks (David Leonhardt, NYT; Joe Scarborough, WP) calling out your tepid response to the white nationalist terrorist attacks in Christchurch. They are pointedly saying that your failure to condemn such attacks encourages violence towards non-Christians and people of color. It’s a huge … Continue reading Piling on in the worst ways
We are not now and never will be an autocracy despite some people’s best efforts
Dear President Trump, In past letters I’ve covered how the Declaration of Independence promised only some life, liberty, and the right to pursue happiness, but Roger Kagan’s recent WP essay on the rise of autocracies has led me to revisit the topic. Kagan lays out how the predictability of contained communities and circumscribed kin-groups is … Continue reading We are not now and never will be an autocracy despite some people’s best efforts
Not condemning white nationalists encourages them
Dear President Trump, A wave of sadness washed over me on our way to where we planned to walk the dogs this morning. It was no doubt fueled in part by being exhausted from having been at the vet ER at midnight last night with the little dog who couldn’t stop licking. He seems better … Continue reading Not condemning white nationalists encourages them
Words have life and death consequences
Dear President Trump, Christchurch, NZ is 8,904 miles from Washington D.C. as the crow flies and yet ideologically the distance between the men who murdered 49 people during prayer services yesterday and you is not nearly that far, your thoughts and prayers Tweet notwithstanding. The men who carried out the horrifically well-orchestrated attacks on two … Continue reading Words have life and death consequences
Rebuked
Dear President Trump, I was super happy to see E. J. Dione’s WP editorial the other day arguing that you’re stoking the impeachment debate because it’s a terrific distraction from more pressing issues, like your budget priorities, which he called out as horribly regressive and cruel. There are lots of people who have your number; … Continue reading Rebuked
Daily Trump Letters 