Dear President Trump, Typing out today’s date I see that we’ve landed on a “Friday the 13th” for the Judiciary Committee Impeachment vote. I kind of doubt Nadler decided ahead of midnight last night that it would be better to have the vote on such a Friday, but maybe he had an eye on the … Continue reading The McConnell Menace
Democracy
Toxic headwinds
Dear President Trump, I had a late meeting yesterday and didn’t leave work until about 6. Typically this means I’ve missed all the news on NPR and instead get Fresh Air, which, depending on the topic and guest, is either a nice break from the usual or leads me to decide that quiet is the … Continue reading Toxic headwinds
Inauguration to impeachment
Dear President Trump, I told you yesterday afternoon that I was close to the end of Michelle Obama’s book (I had the afternoon off and thus could write to you). Well, later I listened to her describe how she coped on election night by going to bed early so she could have a few more … Continue reading Inauguration to impeachment
History lessons
Dear President Trump, In the midst of all my imagining of a democratic society that finally fully embraces empowerment for all of America’s diverse peoples, it occurred to me that I needed a better historical handle on what motivated White men to enfranchise Black men and then eventually men to enfranchise women. All I knew … Continue reading History lessons
Revolutionary evolution
Dear President Trump, The Poem-a-Day this morning is by Todd Fredson and is entitled [Erratum: Found Ecology Piece], the brackets being part of the title (you can read it here if you want: https://poets.org/poem-a-day/ for today’s date). It’s a short poem and seems simple enough, but it’s had me thinking hard all day. It’s nominally … Continue reading Revolutionary evolution
It’s not about Vladimir’s vanity
Dear President Trump, What’s the thread connecting a call from our daughter in the middle of the night last night about the Cave fire evacuation zone closing in on Santa Barbara and the following happy quip from your BFF Vladimir? “Thank God no one is accusing us anymore of interfering in the U.S. elections,” Russian … Continue reading It’s not about Vladimir’s vanity
It is our duty to overthrow despotism
Dear President Trump, While we wait to see what those tapes and other detritus that Lev Parnas has handed over to the House Intelligence Committee reveal about you and Rudy, I’m going to finish out the first section of the Declaration of Independence, which is basically the poetic portion most relevant today. The last two … Continue reading It is our duty to overthrow despotism
Revolt until we get it right
Dear President Trump, Remember how the other day I offered a modest re-write of the first sentence of the Declaration of Independence, swapping in ‘people’ for ‘men’ and ‘we are endowed by Creation’ for ‘ they are endowed by their Creator’? Well, I’d like to move us on to the next major sentence fragment. It … Continue reading Revolt until we get it right
What gives with Trump being happy about the hearings?
Dear President Trump, Apparently you were crowing this morning on Fox & Friends that the Democrats look the fools now that the scheduled impeachment hearings have wrapped up. Laura read me something from Twitter about how you were jubilant over how it all went. I don’t what the original source for that was, but even … Continue reading What gives with Trump being happy about the hearings?
‘Truthbusters’
Dear President Trump, You are actually way ahead of me on this, but it finally dawned on me that while those who are testifying before Congress during the impeachment inquiry are doing so under oath, the people questioning them are not doing so under oath. I don’t believe you’ve framed the issue this way; instead … Continue reading ‘Truthbusters’