Dear President Trump, We all got up way too early this morning. The dogs get to lounge around all day so they’ll be fine, but it’s probably going to be rough for Laura and me. I did take a walk first thing and that may help; mobilizing for an early morning walk usually lets me … Continue reading Locked away in a manger
Bullying and Micro-aggressions
Abuse of power, abusive power
Dear President Trump, I know a fair bit happened with the impeachment process today and that you made an ass of yourself in Europe this week, but I’m not going to focus on either of these things today. Instead I want to tell you about three recent encounters with sexism. The first was yesterday on … Continue reading Abuse of power, abusive power
When are microaggressions really macro-aggressions?
Dear President Trump, Maybe it was just a coincidence, but I thought it was kind of funny that in a recent picture of you with three other men, one of whom was Sondland, all of you were wearing solid color ties but only yours was red. Sondland’s was kind of pinky-orange and the other two … Continue reading When are microaggressions really macro-aggressions?
Safety and equality, equality and safety
Dear President Trump, There’s a line in Melinda Gates’ new book, The Moment of Lift, which I keep coming back to (pg. 163): “There is no equality without safety.” There are hundreds of insightful, gasp-in-recognition lines in the book, lines that evoke reverential nods and copious underlining for their elegant statement of fact, but this … Continue reading Safety and equality, equality and safety
Dysfunctional family dynamics R US
Dear President Trump, Looks like you’re keeping it light today with just three things on your schedule so far. Probably good for a Friday that falls on the 13th day of the month since I bet you can’t help but worry about such things. I just looked up why people are superstitious about Friday the … Continue reading Dysfunctional family dynamics R US
Handy targets
Dear President Trump, Dude, why don’t you just introduce a new Amendment to the Constitution allowing bigoted people to discriminate against anyone they want for whatever reason they choose to pull out of their asses? If you did it that way we could be done with this cynical, piecemeal game you all are playing with … Continue reading Handy targets
Sitting with the fact of racism
Dear President Trump, How was it for you sitting overnight with the idea that all white Americans are racist? Ok, I know, you haven’t read a single word I’ve written you and even if you had, you wouldn’t have stuck with this run of letters for a nanosecond, and even if there was some rent … Continue reading Sitting with the fact of racism
Strong women are being targeted even more blatantly than usual
Dear President Trump, Judging from the headlines, it’s a tough time to be an outspoken woman, isn’t it? In the WP alone there’s coverage of three disturbing stories that look to me like bald warnings to women to shut the f*ck up. The most chilling and sad is the murder of 75-year-old Sadie Roberts-Joseph, a … Continue reading Strong women are being targeted even more blatantly than usual
“Atmospheric discrimination”
Dear President Trump, For a few days now, I’ve been chewing on something to tell you about, trying to figure out how to frame it, what to include, what to let stay shadowy. This morning while I was getting some exercise I finally decided I was ready to tackle it (I’ll tell you what “it” … Continue reading “Atmospheric discrimination”
How is it Trump knows no one will testify?
Dear President Trump, A friend of mine who served in Viet Nam came up with a great play on “Mr. Big Stuff” that also fits you terrifically – maybe even better – “Mr. Bone Spurs.” You might have to reread yesterday’s letter to get it, but I think both versions of Mr. BS nicely conjure … Continue reading How is it Trump knows no one will testify?