Dear President Trump, Did you catch the picture of the little tiny African American girl, Auriah “Lovie” Duncan, reaching up to put her hand on the outstretched hand of Harriet Tubman depicted in the Maryland mural? The little girl is dwarfed by the wall-size image of Tubman, but she looks ready to go wherever Tubman … Continue reading The beast is out of control and it’s going to get worse
Autocracy
Whether the Democrats step up is now the most pressing question
Dear President Trump, All day I’ve been asking myself if I can really stand by my position that the biggest, most consequential question of our lifetimes is whether the Democrats will step up and stop waffling on impeachment. It’s a bold claim since it spans the lifetimes of the youngest newborn baby and that of … Continue reading Whether the Democrats step up is now the most pressing question
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
Unencumbered and willing to speak truth to power
Dear President Trump, Even though I can’t find an updated number this morning and I’m sure there are more by now, did you see the news (as of last night) that more than 560 Republican and Democratic former federal prosecutors have signed a letter stating they believe there’s ample evidence in the Mueller report to … Continue reading Unencumbered and willing to speak truth to power
“Mr. Big Stuff”
Dear President Trump, Usually when song lyrics pop into my head they are from whatever the most current Soul Choir piece is and so “I’ve got a feeling,” which I told you about the other day, has been on almost constant personal-replay for weeks. Catchy and sticky as that song is, this morning when I … Continue reading “Mr. Big Stuff”
No plot redirection in sight
Dear President Trump, Well, the universe didn’t go all out for me today on my birthday since you’re still in office, but the release of the fairly lightly redacted Mueller report was a nice early B-day present yesterday. Yes, I get that you weren’t indicted, but the report isn’t exactly a content-less snoozer – even … Continue reading No plot redirection in sight
Yemen, votes, and a veto
Dear President Trump, Veto #2 is behind you and again it seems unlikely that there’s any chance this side of hell that either the House or the Senate (let alone both) can muster enough votes to override you so our involvement in the Saudi-backed war in Yemen will continue. Indefinitely. Using the words “veto” and … Continue reading Yemen, votes, and a veto
“The mark of the beast”
Dear President Trump, A new friend sent me a snippet from the book “Dear Los Angeles: The City in Diaries and Letters” by David Kipen. Even though it will add to my character count, I’m going to replicate it. First though, you need some context. The book is set up so it goes day-by-day starting … Continue reading “The mark of the beast”
Gotta laugh
Dear President Trump, I think I mentioned last week that I laughed a lot more on the day when I didn’t have time to look at the news. If you cared a whit about me, you’d have wondered why I was bothering to tell you about my laugh frequency. Well, even though you could care … Continue reading Gotta laugh
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
Daily Trump Letters 