Dear President Trump, It’s only 1pm and already it’s been another banner bird day. We took the dogs to the Union Bay Natural Area this morning and saw or heard the following birds: redwing blackbirds, seagulls, mallards, song sparrows, wrens, two osprey (plus noisy chicks), and a heron. We also saw turtles sunning themselves on … Continue reading White by design
equality
So many phoenixes rising (out of the ashes of the patriarchy)
Dear President Trump, This morning I have three true stories for you, all of which I heard on the same day last week. The first involves a woman who re-entered the work force a few years ago and whose talents have quickly become apparent. Recently her boss asked her to take over a poor-performing department … Continue reading So many phoenixes rising (out of the ashes of the patriarchy)
Racist legacies
Dear President Trump, The other day Laura told her brother and me how awhile back she tried to find out if anyone in their family had owned slaves (their family is from Tennessee). She described how even though she didn’t find any evidence that their family owned slaves there are too many holes in the … Continue reading Racist legacies
Calling out “President Pussy Grabber” and other positives
Dear President Trump, Oh, oh, oh is there no end of shitty stuff that’s burbled up in the last 24, 48, 72, 96, etc. hours; no shortage whatsoever of mind-blowing crap that you and your hench-people have foisted on the rest of us. Then there’s the recent WP report piecing together how Russia manipulated Bernie … Continue reading Calling out “President Pussy Grabber” and other positives
What to do with misguided, poorly socialized men?
Dear President Trump, During our morning text check-in Laura and I decided it would basically be a full-time job if we were to take on calling out male privilege. She told me that this past week she’d learned a tough and disappointing lesson having realized she has historically over-accommodated male arrogance, downplayed it, and overlooked … Continue reading What to do with misguided, poorly socialized men?
It was gendered
Dear President Trump, I flew to Portland late last night after my first political essay writing class (!) for a three-day VA meeting. The class ended at 9pm and the meeting in Portland started at 8am and there just wasn’t another (safe) way to make the trip that would allow me to get here on … Continue reading It was gendered
Radical empathy (Part 6)
Dear President Trump, You know Mr. President, there are a lot of people out there who toil away at thankless tasks day in and day out, year in and year out. The variety of such tasks is vast; some get undone almost as fast as they are done and some would be squelched if the … Continue reading Radical empathy (Part 6)
“The scales of justice ain’t equally weighed out”
Dear President Trump, After reading Barr’s four-page distillation of the Mueller report another line from another Roots song has been playing in my head on continual loop: “the scales of justice ain’t equally weighed out.” The song, “Tip the Scale,” is from an African American man’s perspective and he’s basically talking himself through his various … Continue reading “The scales of justice ain’t equally weighed out”
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
Because God said….. Excuse me?!
Dear President Trump, Yesterday our pastor focused her sermon on the book of Numbers, chapter 27, verses 1-8, which tells the story of five sisters whose father just died. They get Moses to have a chat with God because they want to be able to share their father’s wealth with his brothers – at least … Continue reading Because God said….. Excuse me?!
Daily Trump Letters 