President* Trump, Hey, I’ve got six new one-way pen pals, or seven if you count the ‘cc line. I’m not sure how long I’ll keep it up but I wrote group emails to the USPS Board of Governors with DeJoy cc’d Saturday and Sunday urging them to kick-start their moral compasses and stand up to … Continue reading Corruption lurking below the surface
Loss
Tears, unlikely boats, and saintly stars
President* Trump, I don’t know if there’s some cyclical hormone thing going on – I could probably figure it out if I went back through these letters and marked the days when I told you I was feeling emotional and tearful. Being well past having an obvious monthly cycle, it’s hard to tell. Whatever drives … Continue reading Tears, unlikely boats, and saintly stars
Small, safe thinking will doom us
President* Trump, Most people I know like to figure out solutions to problems and then get down and fix things – it feels good to get clear what an issue is, come up with something constructive to do about it, and then enact the fix. It’s easy to conjure the image of someone standing up … Continue reading Small, safe thinking will doom us
It’s our leaders who have to do better
President* Trump, This morning on our way to the grocery store (where I would eventually sit in the car with the dogs, waiting for Laura to do the shopping because it still isn’t safe for me to pick out my own vegetables), we stopped in the neighborhood we call “Swale-land” to take a walk. It … Continue reading It’s our leaders who have to do better
Words matter, a lot
President* Trump, Last night as I was trying to fall asleep, I realized that I closed out yesterday’s letter to you in a highly problematic way, one that betrays my implicit racial biases that, unfortunately, run parallel to the WP editors I called out earlier in the week. Here is the offending text: “This tree … Continue reading Words matter, a lot
A possible remedy for the problem of large, round numbers
Dear President Trump, Right this minute at 7:18am the Worldometer says that 99,883 people in the US have died from covid-19. I’m going to try to not check the website compulsively throughout the day as we close in on 100,000, but I’m not making any promises. Why do you think it is that big round … Continue reading A possible remedy for the problem of large, round numbers
Covid charades and “The Betrayals”
Dear President Trump, I know you have (and take) plenty of opportunity to look in the mirror, whether directly at yourself or at one of your surrogates, but I thought we’d start the day with yet another (from the WP’s coronavirus updates): “Although the rate of infection shows no sign of slowing, Vice President Pence … Continue reading Covid charades and “The Betrayals”
An especially long, hard letter
Dear President Trump, I read the following three WP articles today in this order (and please note, I’m almost certain that earlier today the first one actually had the word “Government” in place of “Draft” in the headline). “Draft Report Predicts Covid-19 Cases Will Reach 200,000 A Day By June 1” “The Coronavirus Pandemic is … Continue reading An especially long, hard letter
Mayday, mayday!
Dear President Trump, Happy May Day. Happy International Workers’ Day. Happy (I guess….. not) First Day of the Fourth Month of Life As We Knew It No Longer Existing. And here we are. The stooped woman wearing the same brown corduroy pants and turquoise coat she wears every day is walking her (very) elderly chocolate … Continue reading Mayday, mayday!
Bearing witness beyond the numbers
Dear President Trump, Are you getting daily (sometimes it seems, hourly) reminders to take care of yourself in the midst of the covid-19 crisis? Maybe it’s a function of being in the mental health profession, but we really are getting at least daily reminders that we need take care of ourselves, that we need to … Continue reading Bearing witness beyond the numbers
