Dear President Trump, I’m not sure what’s gotten into me the last few weeks (months?) with the much longer letters. I know they can be a drag and you’re probably even less likely to read them when they are longer rather than shorter, but since you don’t read them at all, I’m not going to … Continue reading Long letters, fatigue, and overwhelm
Immigration
A long letter about “undoing” rather than “dismantling” racism
Dear President Trump, I was so wrong – we aren’t catching a break at all. Even while on vacation you are quite capable of keeping the horror reels coming. I know your destructive little minions have been working long and hard on both the new rules about the types of social services immigrants will be … Continue reading A long letter about “undoing” rather than “dismantling” racism
Mental health projects
Dear President Trump, A few days ago a very large, very heavy box was delivered to our door containing the makings of an 8-drawer wooden bureau that will hold my messiest art materials – the hundreds of dried leaves, flowers, crumpled paper, and random bits of cardboard that I use for printing. All this messy … Continue reading Mental health projects
Righting (or rather “lefting”) this American context
Dear President Trump, Today, in this American context we have dozens of families making funeral arrangements for loved ones killed by hateful young white men with twisted agendas and weapons of war. We have hundreds of children in Mississippi who don’t know where ICE took their parents. We have a biracial couple in Ohio looking … Continue reading Righting (or rather “lefting”) this American context
The most obvious proximal cause
Dear President Trump, Some days I can type the standard greeting to you pretty much on autopilot; today is not one of those days. I am not, however, seriously tempted to replace it with something nasty or accusatory since I’m doing my best to channel my inner Michelle Obama and thus working at going high … Continue reading The most obvious proximal cause
Missing blessings and the weight of words
Dear President Trump, Maybe my Google search skills are faltering this morning, but I can’t find anything at all online about what either Chief Anne Richardson (Rappahannock tribe) or Chief Stephen Adkins (Chickahominy tribe) said in their respective blessings at the Jamestown commemoration yesterday. Nothing. Nada. There are references to the fact that they were … Continue reading Missing blessings and the weight of words
Racist menace
Dear President Trump, All day today I’ve been thinking about Ilhan Omar, wondering how she’s holding up, wondering how her children and her parents are holding up. They’re almost certainly all very stressed and worried for her safety, and likely their own as well. I feel stressed and worried for her safety and for the … Continue reading Racist menace
Gordian knots and fierce compassion
Dear President Trump, I just looked it up to make sure this angst I’m feeling over writing to you about you isn’t an existential crisis of some sort and it’s really not – it’s not at all that I feel my life lacks purpose or meaning. Rather, I think that once again you have me … Continue reading Gordian knots and fierce compassion
Campaign tactic: spewing racist hate
Dear President Trump, It was a mistake, I know. I’ve advised my patients to stop watching/reading/listening to news well before bedtime for years and years, long before this unhealthy mono-news diet featuring all you, all the time. But last night after the last dog walk at the tail end of the day, I took one … Continue reading Campaign tactic: spewing racist hate
A good-ish day for the US
Dear President Trump, Not such a great day for you and yours, was it? Between Acosta stepping down (voluntarily, my ass!) and you calling ‘Uncle’ on the census citizenship question, it was a banner day for the US, relatively speaking. I’m sure you piled on dozens more nefarious, crappy things today to undermine the environment, … Continue reading A good-ish day for the US