Dear President Trump, Behind all of the drama about what Barr said Mueller said has been another devastatingly sad story; the deaths by suicide of two Parkland, FL teens who survived the mass shooting at MSD high school last year and the death by suicide of a Newton, CT father of one of the first … Continue reading We failed them
Leadership
It would be nice not to care
Dear President Trump, We went to a concert last night and I twisted much of the day over the inevitable “Hey Seattle, how are you?” question the mainliner would toss out when he came on stage. I had a few passing fancies that he’d actually address the day’s events but knew it was unlikely – … Continue reading It would be nice not to care
“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”
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
Piling on in the worst ways
Dear President Trump, Over the last couple of days I’ve started seeing media folks (David Leonhardt, NYT; Joe Scarborough, WP) calling out your tepid response to the white nationalist terrorist attacks in Christchurch. They are pointedly saying that your failure to condemn such attacks encourages violence towards non-Christians and people of color. It’s a huge … Continue reading Piling on in the worst ways
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
Not condemning white nationalists encourages them
Dear President Trump, A wave of sadness washed over me on our way to where we planned to walk the dogs this morning. It was no doubt fueled in part by being exhausted from having been at the vet ER at midnight last night with the little dog who couldn’t stop licking. He seems better … Continue reading Not condemning white nationalists encourages them
Rebuked
Dear President Trump, I was super happy to see E. J. Dione’s WP editorial the other day arguing that you’re stoking the impeachment debate because it’s a terrific distraction from more pressing issues, like your budget priorities, which he called out as horribly regressive and cruel. There are lots of people who have your number; … Continue reading Rebuked
Canaries in snowy coalmines
Dear President Trump, LOL – I almost wrote “Dear President Tramp.” It actually works pretty well if we consider the verb form; “ to walk heavily or stomp about.” You don’t do anything cautiously, let alone thoughtfully – you’re a stomper, for sure. Then there’s the noun form, which refers to someone who “travels from … Continue reading Canaries in snowy coalmines
“Victimhood for Dummies”
Dear President Trump, You’re the master of the aggrieved victim charade and we’re watching yet another round of your ‘woe is me, what have I ever done to deserve this?’ performance as the House Judicial Committee gears up with their record requests. I know they’re being accused, and not just by you and yours, of … Continue reading “Victimhood for Dummies”
Daily Trump Letters 