October 6, 2020
Dear Mr. President,
So, how are you doing today? I didn’t want to bother you over the weekend but now you are home and doing great! That’s wonderful news. No one wants the President of the United States, one month out from an election, to get sick and die. That would be terrible for the country on so many levels. One, we don’t want you to die. Two, we want the people to decide whether or not you leave office. Three, there is enough drama going on and we, the people, don’t need more worries than we already have. You are trying so hard to project an attitude of “What? Me Worry” (shout out to Alfred E. Neuman) but, for most of us, that’s an attitude we don’t have.
You know, it’s not based on your projections of not worrying. It’s more about our reality of worrying about loved ones and ourselves. We do worry about the DTVirus, the economy, the division in this country, racial injustice, climate change, education for our children and grandchildren, suppression of the vote, foreign interference in the election, violence and so much more. By the way, I think many of us worry about violence from the far right, you know, the ones that carry long guns to peaceful protests and believe their guns are the ultimate protection. I was actually thinking about violence against women, children (not that looney Q crap) and people of color.
As usual, I do have some advice for you. Please wear a mask!!! You think you are modeling courage and the “can do” spirit. Some of your supporters said it was a “miracle” when you took a spin around the hospital. But, “here’s the deal”, for most of us, it seemed incredibly irresponsible and, frankly, stupid. I read an OpEd by someone named Heather MacDonald, in the City Journal. She wrote, “There is still no uncontroverted evidence on mask wearing”. That’s simply not true. Wearing a mask is not a perfect way to prevent infecting others but it is PART OF WHAT INTERVENTIONS WE HAVE!”.
Sorry, I got carried away with emotion. This OpEd person also wrote “Trump is now modeling masculine leadership at its best, upbeat, rational and unbowed.” Sigh, there’s only a few problems I have with this sentence, like, EVERY WORD!!
Okay, I’m calmer now. My last piece of advice, which, of course, you are free to ignore, is a reaction to your words to Rudy Giuliani. You said, “Great generals do not lead from behind. They get out in front and motivate troops.” My advice is let the great generals do their jobs. Your job is leading an entire nation, not just parts of it. Your job is modeling responsible, appropriate and sane public behavior.
Dear Mr. President 