Dear President Trump, This morning I read a piece in the HP, which led me to another in the WP, and I’ve been thinking about the pair of them off and on all day. The headline of the HP article is incredibly provocative: “Ocasio-Cortez Aide Calls Democratic Party ‘Cowardice’ The ‘Greatest Threat To Mankind.’” Corbin … Continue reading The weight of the world is heavy indeed
Integrity
Scumbags must share their playbooks
Dear President Trump, This morning on my way home from dropping Laura off at the U for a graduation ceremony, I approached the arterial that borders the South end of our neighborhood as an elderly couple was making their way across the street. Upon arriving at the new corner, the woman used her cell phone … Continue reading Scumbags must share their playbooks
As long as the right people suffer and die, POTUS is good with it
Dear President Trump, This morning the emotions, including tears, were full on from the start – the very first headline of the very first WP article I saw got me going and I’ve been tremulous since. Here’s the headline (WP’s punctuation included): “An activist faced 20 years in prison for helping migrants. But jurors wouldn’t … Continue reading As long as the right people suffer and die, POTUS is good with it
Lots to get off my chest
Dear President Trump, I’m usually very happy when Friday rolls around because it’s my work-at-home day when I can get actual work done that requires actual thought. I don’t do so hot in the thinking realm when I’m constantly interrupted and distracted, either by VA email (much of which has nothing to do with me) … Continue reading Lots to get off my chest
Clogged filters
Dear President Trump, I’ve probably told you before about my favorite introvert workday lunch routine, but in case I haven’t or it was a long time ago, I’ll tell you really quickly that it involves eating a lunch I brought from home while studiously ignoring email and reading NPR for about 20 minutes. This is … Continue reading Clogged filters
Ping pong and real reality TV
Dear President Trump, Did you ever play ping pong as a kid? One of the quirky things about my family is that after our house fire and the rebuild, my parents thought it would be fun to have a pool table with a ping pong cover in the dining room. They didn’t really appreciate what … Continue reading Ping pong and real reality TV
Checking virulent pomposity
Dear President Trump, Just because we’re both human, you and I have some basic things in common, like we both put our pants on one leg at a time, that sort of thing. Well, unless you have someone dress you and to keep you focused they make a game out of it and have you … Continue reading Checking virulent pomposity
The beast is out of control and it’s going to get worse
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
Our collective house is on fire and now is not the time to tinker
Dear President Trump, By the end of the day when I return to edit this letter to you, we’ll all know whether McGahn showed up in response to the House Judiciary Committee’s subpoena slated to start at 10am your time. The odds that he’ll attend are infinitesimally small, but who knows, maybe he’ll have a … Continue reading Our collective house is on fire and now is not the time to tinker
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
