Dear Mr. President

February 11, 2021

Dear Senators,

You must know that you are not the only ones listening to this trial. We are all listening. That means people in this country and all around the world. We are listening and we are watching and many of us, like some of you, are tearing up, our hearts are racing, our bodies are tensing up and our emotions are spilling out.

The House presenters are clear and effective. Yes, they are emotional but even if they spoke in monotones, what they said would be emotional. The videos are emotional. The truth is emotional. The evidence, the facts, the importance of the events of January 6, 2021 are emotional. There is a direct line from months of tweets, speeches, actions and inactions from the former president of the United States to the events of that day. What happened was an attempt to overthrow an election and our democracy. Donald Trump wanted that to happen. You know he did. The court suits were over. The votes had been counted and certified by states and now was the day for you all to demonstrate how the peaceful transfer of power works in this country. Some of you were still trying to deny this. You know who you are and so do we.

I have questions and here are some of them:

1) Why are some of you still saying you don’t “think” this trial is Constitutional? It’s already been determined that it is, by a vote in the Senate.

2) Why did you, Senator Graham, say that former President Trump’s speech is not criminal? You KNOW that this trial is NOT a criminal trial?

3) How many of you have said, out loud, that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the president and vice-president of the United States and the election was valid and fair. What would have happened if you told your supporters that much sooner?

4) Why has Mr. Trump not been able to “I lost, fair and square”? Why do you think he invited his supporters to come to Washington on January 6, 2021 at the exact time the final certification was to occur? Why did he not come out immediately to say STOP.

As Senator Angus King said, “he had no problem saying Stop the Steal (a lie) but a lot of difficulty saying, “Stop the invasion of the Congress”?

5) If you do not vote to impeach, what message does that send to those who said, “The President Invited us”? Do you really think that the criminal charges against many of them will be enough to end the dangers to our country?

6) Do you really, in your hearts and in your minds, think the Commander in Chief had no responsibility for this horrible event or did not try to stop it immediately? We, the viewing and listening public, can’t see you or hear you but there are reports and artists’ drawing of what you are doing. We know that some of you are pretending not to listen, not watching the videos and suddenly finding papers to sort. It’s been reported that some of you (Cruz, Graham and Hawley) left the room. Did you all need the restroom at the same time, are you feeling remorse or are you calling Trump for directions?

I try very hard to be respectful, but I’m old enough to be Senator Josh Hawley’s mother, so I can say to him, Take your damn feet off the furniture!

February 6, 2021

Dear Sort of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene,

Last week I wrote you a letter, but never sent it. It seemed superfluous after all the publicity you had. I wrote you congratulations for winning your election despite the disgusting and weirdly disturbing videos seen on social media and the news. It was difficult to understand how someone as smart as you could believe the things you believed and then say them in your outside voice. Most people who have thoughts like you had don’t try to say them aloud or take videos of repeating thing that I won’t repeat here. Thankfully, they often have family who convince them to get mental health treatment. In your “apology” speech to the House of Representatives you said, “I was allowed to believe things that weren’t true”. I think that means either your friends, family and community did not realize you were being forced to speak lies or were supporting your first amendment rights to Free Speech, even when calling for or repeating calls for executions of Democrats, which could be seen as not protected speech. I hope it doesn’t mean that someone forced you to believe crazy, evil conspiracies. I finished the letter with some advice on what to do to save your current job. Now, that you have been stripped of your participation on committees, you have a lot of time on your hands to do other things. After all, you probably already rented an apartment and put down a security deposit and first and last months rent. Plus, you still get to vote on the floor of the House and keep your office and aides. I read that you plan on spending time with the former president and raising money for your “causes”, whatever they are.

Maybe there are some other things you could do to show how really sorry you are for your “forced beliefs”. I’m not suggesting sending you to a re-education camp, although that’s not a terrible idea. Check and see if the camp has a pool, workout area, and sports teams along with re-washing your brain. I can just see you singing in a shower that song from “South Pacific” – “I’m Gonna Wash that Conspiracy Theory Right out of my Hair”.

If you really want to repent of your past sins and re-educate yourself to the truths of how horrid your beliefs were, I have some additional ideas for you. The first is to have a tutorial with a Constitutional expert on exactly what your rights are, how a law is passed, the role of the Congress, the importance of a free press and the election process. Next, ask, beg, David Hogg to allow you to meet with him and families in Parkland, Florida to hear what they have to say. You should do this in Newton, Connecticut as well. Following those meetings, you will ask to speak from the House floor about your experiences. I propose you then go on a speaking tour, starting in your home- town, to talk about how terrible lies get spread and what people can do to protect their friends and neighbors from believing and spreading them. You could continue your education by meeting with religious groups you have maligned, falsely accused (check your Bible about that sin) and harmed. Next, write down and publish in The New York Times and The Washington Post and The Chicago Tribune, and The LA Times an article listing the top 5 problems in your community and how you plan to address them. It apparently needs to be said that grammar and spelling should be checked. It was embarrassing to see “United States” misspelled in the legal document submitted by the ex-president’s lawyers. This could be true repentance, or at least a start.

According to Jewish beliefs, repentance includes saying more than “sorry”, especially when you turned around and accused the “media” of lying right after your apology. When presented with similar choices, you behave differently. You make restitution to those you have harmed. Make speeches and write articles about your true repentance and urge others to follow you. Then, you could ask Nancy Pelosi for a meeting to discuss the possibility of being allowed to work on committees.

January 29, 2021

Dear Republican Congresspeople,

This must have been a tough week of sitting shiva. You were like many others who have had to mourn their losses without the hugs and kisses, home baked meals and cakes, or the hand holding that usually is part of this process. I suppose there were many phone calls and emails from supporters, but it’s just not the same as reading the Tweets from your former leader. The week is over, and it seems like you returned to work without missing a beat from the work you did before the official mourning period. Sometimes it seems as if you didn’t realize there is a new administration. It also seems that some of you didn’t follow the news over this last week, I’m here to help out.

We’ve seen and heard new videos and reports about what happened at the Congress on January 6, 2021. Apparently, many members of Congress feared for their lives and the lives of their families. It seems that some of your fellow and lady Republicans urged the invaders to kill Democratic members of Congress. You must have seen and heard these reports and yet, we have not heard any gasps of horror from the Republican leadership, or even the Republican followers. We’ve also learned that there are more than a few Republicans in the Congress who were and continue to actively support the invaders. There are other reports about the events of Electoral Ballot Counting Day and the organizing committees for the invasion of the building, but you can go on- line and read them. We know that Matt, from Florida, seemed to think it was his responsibility to go to South Dakota and have a rally to diss Lynne Cheney. Kevin, from California, felt the need to go to Mara-Lago to buy a steak and have dinner with his old boss to chat about good times and plan for the future. Then, there was Marjorie, from Georgia, who now says she doesn’t support conspiracy theories, racial, ethnic and religious slurs and who clearly is trying to disavow anything she previously said that would look bad today. Her problem is she continues to ignore the rules of the House of Representatives by not wearing a mask and of skipping the security line and bringing a gun into the building. Some of her co-workers don’t trust her for those reasons.

What I really want to discuss are the actual policies and beliefs of the Republican Party in 2021 and going forward. What do you stand for? What are your goals for the country? Here’s what I think you are currently saying but correct me if I’m wrong.

1) You really like being in power. That seems to mean you like people to gather together and show you love. You like your judges and lower taxes for super rich people. You don’t want to share – anything.

2) You really don’t believe in democracy, not with a small letter “d” or a capital letter “D”

3) Just like the crowd in the movie “Life of Brian”, you believe that “yes, we are all individuals” said in a monotone and in unison. There is no need to play nicely or work with others.

4) You believe in guns, especially the military grade ones, law and order, especially when it’s applied to others, and PATRIOTISM, when it means BIG FLAGS and limiting the right to vote to those who believe like you do.What do you hate? Here’s what I am hearing and seeing:

1) Science is only a radical opinion, not a fact driven truth as best we know it. QAnon, on the other hand, is completely trustworthy.

2) Elections won by Democrats are, ipso facto, rigged.

3) Donald Trump – Yes. Other Republicans – can’t trust them either.But here you are, stuck with a Democratic administration. Is your new plan, reworked from the old plan of being obstructionists, to be obstructionists unwilling to discuss good ideas on fixing public health issues, the economy (not trickle- down economics nor “oh my goodness, THE DEBT.) or infrastructure or climate change or social justice or EVERYTHING?(Deep Breath). Do you have any ideas or interest in solving these really big problems? If not, well, I’m thinking of the Bob Dylan song, “The Times They Are a-Changin”? It was an ode to the 60’s and the anti-war movement and the civil rights movement and a young generation looking for change.

I’m not quite sure how to apply the same lyrics today, it could go either way. It’s creepy.

“Come senators, congressmen please heed the call.

Don’t stand in the doorway, don’t block up the hall.

For he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled,There’s a battle outside ragin’.

It’ll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls, for the times they are a’changin.”

January 22, 2021

Dear Friends,

Big sighs and dried tears, a weight lifted, and my mind cleared of negative thoughts. Even with our cloudy skies there are moments of sunshine. I’m no longer maniacally watching the news or pouring over the paper. I actually had the attention span to finish one book, start three others and am practicing relearning chords on the guitar. Maybe I’ll get around to learning a new language!

Of course, everything isn’t all better. I know that, we all know that. It will be months or even a few years before our lives are “normal”. So, let’s go forward with a greater sense of security that our leaders are competent, caring and honest. No, I’m not being Pollyannaish. Okay, maybe a little, but it’s almost sunny today and I’m feeling inspired.

Speaking of sunshine and being inspired, how about that inauguration? I’ve never felt more physically present at the ceremony than this year. At some point I stopped worrying about “no way are they patriots’” disruptions and starting relaxing with the beautiful scenes of the flags, the view of the entire mall, the sounds of the Marine band and the gorgeous voices of Lady Gaga, JLo and Garth. President Biden’s speech was solid, full of kindness, honesty and unity. Amanda Gorman’s recitation of her poem was stunning, perfect and totally amazing. I know that as a nation we are far from united and we can count on the jerks in Congress to try and spoil, block, distort and lie. I think we also know that President Biden, Vice President Harris and their administration know that and know how to deal with them and to deal with the myriad of problems we collectively need to solve.

I want to thank the creators and producers of the evening event. It was so much better than the fancy balls we used to see. It was also a terrific show. From watching President Lincoln watching us (I swear I saw him smile), to the comforting sound of Tom Hanks voice, to the scenes across America – I’m going to tear up again- it was wonderful. The young boy, Ben, perfectly reciting the famous words of President Kennedy, was incredible. He was the boy with a stutter who was comforted and encouraged by President Biden a few months ago. Wow! Here come the tears again. The performers, the essential workers, the medical people, the children, oh my goodness, I LOVED it.It reminded me of the words of the Phil Ochs song, “Power and Glory”.

“Here is a land full of power and glory, beauty that words cannot recall. Oh, her power shall rest on the strength of her freedom, her glory shall rest on us all, on us all.”

Shabbat Shalom.

January 19, 2021

Dear Rush Limbaugh and his Listeners,

As I’ve written before, I don’t usually listen to the radio when I’m home, but I do when I’m driving. If that drive includes the hours 12 noon to 3:00 p.m., then I turn the dial to hear what you are talking about. That means I listen for 2-10 minutes, max. Since I only drive to get some groceries that means I’m not on the road for very long so there isn’t much time to listen to your show. There’s also the fact that it is impossible for me to listen to your voice for more than a few minutes as you always sound so angry.

I heard a little of what you said today as I drove from Miller Road to just before Stadium, a journey of less than 2 miles. It was enough to hear you warn your listeners with a message they will hear over and over and over again forever. Good grief! If I didn’t know better, I’d be scared to death. Starting tomorrow our country will become a place that your listeners won’t recognize. Our country will change RADICALLY from a place we know to a place we don’t know and don’t want!!!! We will be SOCIALISTS! You also told us that we won’t recognize any of our institutions!!! I didn’t hear any reasons for this change other than the RADICAL DEMOCRATS who hate our country and want to destroy it. I don’t know what you meant by not recognizing any of our institutions but maybe you expanded on that idea later on in the program to explain exactly what will be different. Are you suggesting that the people who have so far been named to head these institutions are all Radicals? Is that because they have great reputations and are people with experience and knowledge or because many of them represent the great diversity of our people and they don’t all look like you?

Then I heard you explain what is meant by “making America great again”. You said something like “when the country was like “Leave it to Beaver” and “Father Knows Best”. Actually, those aren’t the exact programs you referenced but they were TV shows from the 50’s and 60’s. So, that was the last time America was great? Is that what has been meant for the past 5 years? You do know that sounds pretty sexist and racist. Did you really think that Mr. and Mrs. Cleaver represented the average American family?

The last thing I heard you say was a comment that ALL Democratic politicians ALWAYS say that Martin Luther King, Jr. or JFK or Ted Kennedy inspired them to run for office. Huh? First of all, what’s wrong with being inspired by these people? Second, do you really think that politicians under the age of 60 are looking at people from 50 years ago as their inspirations? Third, so who were the Republican heroes of yesteryear beside Ronald Reagan, who couldn’t get elected today because he had a sense of humor. President Eisenhower would be seen as a radical leftist with his legacy of crazy ideas, like infrastructure, regulating big business and, I don’t know, standing up to the Khrushchev.

Why exactly did you win Medal of Freedom? Let’s talk after the first few months of the next administration and hear what terrible things have happened because Democrats are in office.

January 18, 2021

Dear Senator Hawley,

First of all, I want to wish you a Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. What did you do today? So many political leaders were giving speeches, participating in Zoom conferences on social justice or spending time at food banks working to pack up meals for those in need. Oh, wait, I see you Tweeted a nice platitude about celebrating his life and legacy and how he was and “continues to be a reminder that one person committed to justice can change the world.” It’s nice to know you are so committed to justice.

I had actually never heard of you before last week. You remember last week? You became famous for your stance on “justice”. I do have a few questions about your speech during the counting of the electoral ballots. First you condemned the violence that took place just a few hours earlier. Then you said, “Violence is not how you achieve change”. Then you said, “We do need an investigation into irregularities, fraud.” You already knew that there were more than 60 legal cases looking into potential “irregularities” and “fraud,” but none were found, and the cases were all thrown out of courts. You also knew that the violent people in the Capitol building were looking to change an election by violent means. My first question is, did you think you could change an election by lying? My next question is, did you think that hinting there could be something hinky about elections in other states wasn’t a lie? Did you think that “Justice” was being served by your speech? Did you think you would be seen as some kind of hero? Did you think?

I was curious about what was driving your efforts to lie and then pretend you were defending the lie that there was fraud in the election. I was curious to know why a “deep thinker” like you wanted to challenge Senator Ted Cruz as the most hated person in the Senate. I read some articles about you, including the one by Katherine Stewart in the NYTImes. There was one quote from you that really stood out. “We are called to take that message (that Christianity has sole legitimate authority over all aspects of human life) into every sphere of life that we touch, including the political realm…to seek the obedience of the nations. Of our nation”. Since I’m not a Christian but I’m also not a “pagan secularist” (that is a line from David Lang, a political organizer for Christian conservatives), I have to say your words on January 6, 2020 don’t sound very Christian, very “just” or even justified.

Your idea of freedom is to conform to your conservative Christian ideas, not the Constitution of the United States. Your beliefs deny me my rights to follow my beliefs. If you want to demand allegiance to your version of religion, may I suggest returning to your studies and become a priest, not a United States Senator.

I’ll stick with the words of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 12, 2021

Dear Followers of False Messiahs,

Throughout history there have been people who garner the support and admiration, the love and absolute trust in a charismatic leader whom they think is The Messiah. It never ends well. Not for the charismatic leader, the followers of that person or the societies they lived or live in. On the other hand, there are charismatic leaders who don’t lead their followers off the edge of a cliff, deep end of the pool or convince them to drink some Kool-Aid. So, my question for you is do you think DJT is a messiah, a savior of the United States of America, the White Race (a social construct, not a biological one), certain sects of Christianity (not all of them), and you personally? If you do, our conversation is over. If you believe with all your heart that Democrats are evil liars, Marxists (what does that mean?), Communists (so last century), Socialists (again, what does that even mean?), or just plain old haters of America, the Constitution and religion, then this conversation is over.

It is possible that there are true radicals in this country and around the world, who would like to destroy governments, institutions and I don’t know what else. The mob last Wednesday at, and then in, the Capitol building, seemed to be those sorts of radicals. I don’t know them and what exactly makes them tick like a bomb. I do know lots of people who would love to see changes in the way society functions. Many believe that health care part of Human Rights and we should all have access to both preventative and restorative health treatments. Many believe there are serious social and justice issues that need repairing. Many believe (due to trusting science) that climate change is an existential threat to all of us. I would argue that these “radicals” are not out to harm you, the followers of the False Messiah. It’s so sad that you believe they are out to harm you, especially when you saw and heard the noose, the plastic ties, the calls to hang or harm our elected leaders. The mostly peaceful protests during the last year were not riots or calls to kill and destroy other people. There were instances of destruction of property that was condemned by most. Antifa might be a thing but it’s not 81 million Americans. Surely some of you are reasonable people!

Now what do we do? What if we think of the real radicals as a cult whose members need to be rescued and deprogrammed? Okay, maybe deprogramming millions is a pipe dream (not a pipe bomb). What if those people who are charged and convicted of some of the serious crimes arising from last week, are fined and/or jailed but also have to go through sessions of deprogramming or mental health treatments? I really don’t know how this would work but it’s worth a try. In addition, let’s think about ways people could refresh their memories about what the Constitution actually says, about how government actually is designed to work, and how threatening to harm, maim or kill elected officials, including the Vice President of the United States is a terrible idea. Maybe we could use social media, movies, tv, and op-eds to promote Real Civics lessons. Maybe I’m a cockeyed optimist about the possibility of improving the chances that the US remains a democracy in the future.

If none of these ideas are useful for returning sanity to politics or safety to governing, then the Kool-Aid cure may be all we have.

Dear Friends,

I think I’ve figured out the problem, so, maybe the solution will be easier now. The problem seems to be that there are facts and “alternate facts”. This afternoon I listened to a bit of the Rush Limbaugh radio show. Just to make sure I had the “facts” that are also known as “alternative facts”, I went a website with the script from the show. I did not know that poor, besieged President Trump was only asking his loyal minions to fight for the country and for him, that’s all. His loyal followers were not the people inside the Congress rampaging- those people were Antifa and actors dressed up to look like MAGA folks! Did you know that George Soros hired the actors to pretend they were Trump supporters? I guess he bought them the red hats and the Confederate flags and the Trump banners. The ones who were wearing the black t-shirts were either the Antifa or those who didn’t get to the wardrobe center on time to get the red t-shirts or the animal skin costume with the Viking horns.

So, if the MAGA people were just outside protesting, just like so many other protestors have, why are they being blamed for violence? Rush Limbaugh told me that it was the radical left, AKA, Democrats, the BLM who promote violence, not the Republicans who voted for Trump. That must be the reason there were police in full body riot gear lined up on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial last summer and there was the need for “it wasn’t really tear gas, just chemical spray” and troops in uniform protecting Trump’s right to hold up a bible. After all, Republicans aren’t violent or dangerous. Only Democrats are and that’s why so many need to be locked up. The proof that this was a legitimate protest to get weak Republicans to stand up for the President and the Country was, actually…… I don’t know as the logic started to get a little too logical for me. It was so “logical” that it made no sense.

So, the simple problem is about 39% of the country (according to Senator Ted Cruz who must know the truth) believe the election was “stolen” by corrupt and radical Democrats who need to be jailed and not trusted. The problem for those who believe the other set of facts, you know, the ones that are provable and are actually true, can’t convince the minority who believe the “alternative facts” that they have been lied to by Trump, Rush Limbaugh, and new groups of people who are posting wild claims on social media with shocking (SHOCKING) proof!!!The simple solution- there isn’t one. I’ve got no solution. It would be nice to have people to talk to about the problem, but no one really wants to talk to people who are clearly liars, thieves and evil. When the two sides don’t want to solve the problem, I’ve always said “okay, then the adult will solve it for you”. That used to be the principal of the school or the parents and it worked pretty well as the two sides decided they weren’t really that mad. Today, I would suggest the FBI, Homeland Security and the Department of Justice might be the adults who will discover the truth, prosecute and lock up the true marauders and evil doers and protect us all.

PS- to the half -naked guy in the weird Viking costume. This is no way to impress or get a date with neither woman nor man.

January 6, 2021

To Everyone,WTF!!!

Today’s scenes weren’t from the movies “Olympus has Fallen” or “White House Down” but I look forward to the documentary “How Trump tried to Destroy Everything”. Hopefully footage from today will be the in the second from the last scene of the documentary. It may end with a shot of someone in an orange suit and with orange/white hair entering a prison. I’m writing this letter around 4:30 this afternoon after being glued to the news for several hours except for a nice walk to lower my blood pressure. We ended up listening to the coverage, so the walk only helped a bit.I also watched a little of Trump’s speech that lasted about an hour. It was boring, repetitive, obnoxious and full of already proven lies. Actually, repeatedly proven lies as all the accusations have been evaluated as false, falser and falsest. As the speech ended, he invited the crowd to walk to the Congress, so they did. Then, we all saw what happened next. Trump sent out a particularly impotent tweet and then made a short, incredible inadequate speech that summed up his utter failure as a national leader to quell this insurrection. I see on Facebook that some are supporting this violence by comparing it to 1776. This is as false as the idea that the vote was all a big conspiracy to thwart the will of the people who wanted Trump and Pence.

Now what? First, the Republicans who challenged the electoral votes in six states need to support accepting the Electoral College vote, TODAY. Next, those who broke into the Congress need to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law for all the crimes they committed. Finally, President Trump needs to get on his hands and knees and prostrate himself before the American People to beg for forgiveness for instigating today’s insurrection. If there is no agreement on the punishment, an audit completed by 15 people selected at random, will make the final decision on how to punish him.

It’s getting late and many of us are going to Barcelona, Spain for a virtual tour of Gaudi’s Familia Sagrada, so adios. Let’s see what happens next.

January 4, 2021

Dear Senator Cruz,

I hope this letter is received by you or your staff and you consider my point of view. I don’t speak for every voter outside of Texas, only for myself. I really like it when Heather Cox Richardson, an impressive person, always says she doesn’t speak for her employers when she gives her talks on Facebook or on YouTube. It’s a nice way to say she is intellectually independent meaning she does her research and isn’t compelled by outside forces to say or write stuff she knows is garbage. It seems like a no-brainer for a public person, one who represents constituents, and The Constitution of the United States of America, who takes the Oath of Office to protect said Constitution, who went to Harvard Law School and who may or may not have passed the exam on what is written in said Constitution, for that person to speak truthfully about our recent election. And yet, that is not what you have done.

In 2016 you are on record and on tape (no-one uses records any more, or tape, really) as making some pretty negative statements about Donald Trump. For example, after losing to you in the Iowa primary, Mr. Trump claimed he won it, and it was you who committed election fraud. You then said, “What Donald does, when he loses, is he blames everybody else. It’s never Donald’s fault.” You also called Donald a “liar” and a few more choice words, on many occasions. Let’s flash forward to yesterday when you said, “We’ve seen in the last two months unprecedented allegations of voter fraud, and that’s produced a deep, deep distrust of our democratic process across the county. I think we in Congress have an obligation to do something about that.” What a statement from the Senator from Texas on integrity, truth and justice!!!!

It seems to me that the “deep, deep distrust” didn’t just happen. It’s been carefully constructed by that same person you disparaged a few years ago as a “liar”, certain social media sites and, now by you. You know very well that each state has verified and certified their election results. You know very well that Texas doesn’t get to sue another state for their election results because the Texas election results are affected. You know very well that trying to invalidate a fair and democratic election is another word for “coup” which is illegal. You know very well that 60 challenges to the elections have been thrown out of courts in states and at the Federal level. You also know very well that your effort to investigate allegations of election fraud even though it will not overturn the will of the people, is a ruse. You claimed, “this is not a principled constitutional position”. So, what is it? What is your “principled constitutional position”?

You do your best to say this in a nasal yet serious voice with a serious look on your face. This might work in Texas but don’t count on it for running in 2024 as a contender for the Presidency.

I have a deep, deep distrust of every word that comes out of your mouth.