Dear President Trump, I’m hanging out upstairs semi out of earshot of Laura as she conducts her review session via Zoom with her class ahead of their online final tomorrow. I don’t know how many of her 83 students have joined, but when I was still downstairs I heard quite a few of them exclaiming … Continue reading Voluntary and involuntary social distancing
The Common Good
Questions and more questions
Dear President Trump, I know we aren’t supposed to panic – check, got it. Well, I’ve got it in theory, anyway. How about you? I’m thinking you’re probably feeling waves of panic too as this thing barrels ahead, no holds barred (I know viruses aren’t sentient, but this is how it feels). I would venture, … Continue reading Questions and more questions
Getting really real
Dear President Trump, Friday the 13th came a day early for Robert Redfield, didn’t it? Seriously, did you watch the tape of Katie Porter relentlessly aiming her logical questioning super powers at him yesterday, finally extracting a begrudging “yes” from him that all Americans, regardless of their ability to pay, can be tested and treated … Continue reading Getting really real
Steady there, please
Dear President Trump, Because the odds that you read any newspaper, let alone the WP, are slim to none, you almost certainly don’t know that their new online format leaves out obituaries. I first noticed this on Sunday or Monday (days are kind of a blur lately) and found it disturbing, but then the next … Continue reading Steady there, please
Imagine…. if there were no International Women’s Day
Dear President Trump, Well, where to start on this 110th anniversary of International Women’s Day (111th if we count its initial instantiation in 1909 in NYC as National Women’s Day)? There are so many relevant directions one could go, but I think I’ll start by telling you that Friday night when we went to the … Continue reading Imagine…. if there were no International Women’s Day
Making space and time for delight
Dear President Trump, I can’t remember if I told you about it back at the end of January when it came out, but I’ve had a tab open on my browser since 1/31/20 set to the This American Life podcast episode entitled “The Show of Delights.” Our friend told me about it the day it … Continue reading Making space and time for delight
Tarnished silver lining
Dear President Trump, I don’t have much for you today, but here it is – a haiku summing up where I’m at: Tarnished Silver Lining Trying not to touch my face sort of distracts me from everything else. May we be safe from an increasingly politicized, opaque public health system. May we be willing to … Continue reading Tarnished silver lining
Highly consequential lies
Dear President Trump, Last night Laura and I got to talking about the Civil War and her father’s family, who were from Cloverport, Tennessee, a tiny, tiny bulge in the road, which is sort of near Toone, which is sort of near Boliver. I think I told you in another letter that we drove through … Continue reading Highly consequential lies
Coronavirus ~ is there a method to their madness?
Dear President Trump, Last night starting shortly after dusk we had a lovely view of the waxing crescent moon and the bright, especially close-looking, Venus out our front window. At bedtime I let the dogs out for their last tinkle hurrah and found that the atmosphere had shifted such that the moon was an incredible … Continue reading Coronavirus ~ is there a method to their madness?
Righteous prohibitions
Dear President Trump, Following on from yesterday’s letter about history and privilege and how we are finally getting some traction with new, corrective history, today was pretty much a banner day. First, earlier today the US House passed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act 410-4, making lynching a federal hate crime (for the record these four … Continue reading Righteous prohibitions
Daily Trump Letters 