Dear President Trump, First thing this morning I thought of Marianne Williamson’s quote: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” It popped into my head when I was pouring my tea water. In trying to sort out why, I wondered if I was … Continue reading “Our deepest fear…”
Racism
Deconstructing white patriarchy
Dear President Trump, So I just want to be clear; it’s not that I think all white men are rootless or that your souls are all dead. In saying that I think white patriarchy is dead I’m not referring to any specific individuals, but rather to an oppressive system. Most people likely get this, but … Continue reading Deconstructing white patriarchy
The white patriarchy is rootless and dead
Dear President Trump, It’s been raining here for weeks. We’ve had almost twice the average rainfall for April and more rain is forecast. We can hear the water moving through the drainage system in the basement and I continue to be grateful we got it together a few years ago to replace our aged sump … Continue reading The white patriarchy is rootless and dead
Job security in the Age of Trump
Dear President Trump, Where, oh where to start? Let’s go with job security in the Age of Trump. Scott Pruitt’s job is hanging by a thread but he’s still useful to you so he’s getting a pass. He’s slithering by because he is doing a bang-up job of gutting President Obama’s environmental protections. Does he … Continue reading Job security in the Age of Trump
Distress tolerance
Dear President Trump, On my run this morning I was thinking about the incredible self-control and patience that people who have to put up with loads of crap day in and day out must have to have to survive. Then, along these same lines, I read a WP piece about being gay and living in … Continue reading Distress tolerance
“Dangerous unselfishness”
Dear President Trump, I just checked to see if you’ve said anything about today being the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jrs’ assassination and so far all I see are essays on how he would lament your presidency if he were alive and admonishments to you to please ignore the day and go golfing … Continue reading “Dangerous unselfishness”
Taking (kind of ) a break from the mayhem
Dear President Trump, Sometimes I can be pretty darn naïve, if not downright dense. Yesterday I was talking with a colleague about a project she is starting that involves recruiting a very large cohort of LGBT people for a longitudinal study on mental health. She was telling me that the original recruitment plan involving Facebook … Continue reading Taking (kind of ) a break from the mayhem
They won’t take “no” for an answer
Dear President Trump, I called it, didn’t I? Golfing at Mar-a-lago trumped being in Washington today for the rally. And last time I checked, you hadn’t even made a statement of your own; there was just a say-nothing squeak from a functionary about how you are prioritizing the safety of our nation’s children. Your true … Continue reading They won’t take “no” for an answer
Your allies believe you 200%
Dear President Trump, The other day I said that one of the chapters in your “Dictatorship for Dummies” book ought to be “Make Sure They Know You Are Lying.” I’ve had second thoughts about this one so I want to unpack and possibly amend it. In his (real) book, Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson describes how … Continue reading Your allies believe you 200%
Blind white privilege
Dear President Trump, I want to circle back to the ideas I was trying to develop yesterday on Lent and waiting. I actually feel less like I’m waiting for something to happen and more like I’m enduring what is happening, doing my best to hang in with the toxic uncertainty and the daily surges of … Continue reading Blind white privilege
Daily Trump Letters 