Letters To My Government

The following is simple: letters I've sent to the administration since the Trumpocalypse

[myresistance]

August 19, 2020

Please ensure the decommissioned letter-sorting machines for the USPS are put back in service as soon as possible. The fact that they were removed at all, especially given the current climate and upcoming election, is an unforgivable and undemocratic travesty.

[myresistance]

June 29, 2018

It has recently come to my attention that an article has been published on the official DHS website which is not in keeping with American values.

In addition to the frankly fascist and terrifying overtones, there appears to be a good deal of symbolism, intentional or not, that was once commonly used by the Axis in World War II. I wish I could be certain that this was some kind of hack or error, but the current situation in America is such that I am no longer able to honestly say that.

https://www.dhs.gov/news/2018/02/15/we-must-secure-border-and-build-wall-make-america-safe-again

I don't have time to go into all of the atrocities our country needs to sort out, so please forgive the formatting of the following:

Families belong together. Women have a right to choose. Transgender people are not a threat and deserve equal treatment. Queer people are not a threat and deserve equal treatment. The Republican party is about to gut the justice system, please don't let them.

Honestly I'm so disgusted and disappointed in the leadership of this country that I don't know where or how to start. Citizens and non-citizens are both human. We cannot continue this. Something must be done- please help fix this.

[myresistance]

Not a Letter

I realize I've been slacking. I don't have a good excuse. I'm numbed by the things our country has done, horrified by the things it is doing, and aghast at the thought of what it may do.

[myresistance]

January 16, 2018

Please renew the Rohrabacher–Farr Amendment. And I have been getting form response letters from your office that don't actually address the issues I've been writing about- just the first sentence (Hence my decision to only address one issue this time). Please make sure someone is actually reading your constituents' missives.

[myresistance]

January 8, 2018

Let me start by saying that I still very strongly support net neutrality, and I am glad our state has chosen to fight for it. I hope the same attitude is taken on other national concerns, such as supporting women's rights, healthcare, the EPA, and NASA.

In terms of more specific goals, ending the Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, Nicaraguans, and now Salvadorans is churlish and wrong. Ending DACA is even worse. Please allow our citizens to remain in our country without impugning their liberties or violating their basic human rights. People in America should not feel threatened by our government. The government was made to serve the people, not limit them.

The government was also not designed to expose our citizens and our country to more danger. As such, please continue to do everything you can to prevent offshore drilling, both for our state and our country. ANWR and tribal lands aren't even ours to violate, and yet somehow we've managed to put them at risk, too, which would be shameful- if I thought our legislators had any sense of shame left. Endangering America for profit might be our president's byline, but that does not make it acceptable.

Speaking of Americans in danger- why haven't we provided more assistance to Puerto Rico? Our citizens are starving, unsheltered, and powerless. Why have we not remedied this? Either they are part of our country or they are not, and honestly either way we should be helping them rebuild. A great deal of our medical supplies are manufactured there, and our healthcare system doesn't need any more handicaps.

As far as supplying aid is concerned, what on earth is going on with Pakistan? Supply aid or don't, but civilian assistance (food, water, medicine) should never be based on military action or inaction. Aid is not a punitive thing, and America is no country's babysitter- we can't even look after or control ourselves right now.

There is no justification for the steady, sinister erosion of American values that is taking place. I am embarrassed to live here.

[myresistance]

December 19, 2017

There's so many abhorrent things going on in our government right now that I hardly know where to start. I don't envy you. For now, of course, please stop the GOP tax plan, by any means necessary. Do what you can to retain/regain net neutrality. And don't stand for corruption amongst your peers- it's become increasingly obvious that our elected officials no longer prioritize the will of the people, and anything you can do to remind them that they are indeed beholden to those they represent would be welcome.

[myresistance]

Letter to the President

12/5/17

You imposed an unconstitutional travel ban, supported an unrealistic and harmful tax plan, and authorized the destruction of our national parks. There is no redeeming quality to be found in your personal or professional life. You routinely lie, you openly cheat, and you have a history of committing literal molestation. What are you, a cartoon villain?

I know this letter will never actually reach you- that's what staffers are for. But seriously, you're basically the embodiment of corporate greed. What on earth happened to you to make you like this? And when will you stop? How can you possibly live with yourself?

[myresistance]

December 5, 2017

There's a lot in this letter, and I've organized it as best I could. Unfortunately, I feel like we're trying to hold back a flood with a colander: we can't plug all the holes, and it's going to destroy everything we built.

First, I cannot believe the GOP Tax plan actually passed. I hope you are as ashamed of the Senate's actions as I am. Please work as hard as you can to revise/reform it into something practical and palatable, or better yet, scrap it all together.

Second, The desecration of national monuments, specifically Bears Ears and Grand Staircase, is an affront to American values and the American people. It is plainly obvious that our president is doing things sheerly for his own financial or political gain, and that is unacceptable. I hope you are not willing to stand for such blatant corruption.

Third, Net Neutrality must be protected. Our rights are being assaulted on all sides; privatizing the internet is only going to lead to chaos and rampant misinformation. Corporations should not be allowed to control the flow of information, ideas, or knowledge; the very thought is abominable and I cannot see a single benefit.

Fourth, The third iteration of the Travel Ban somehow snuck into effect. As I have stated before, this is unconstitutional, uncharitable, immoral, and downright frightening. Actually, everything in this letter is.

I'm sick of this. Everyone I know is sick of this. Our current government is passing laws and acts without even bothering to read them, curtailing our freedoms as if they could be bartered or bought. I feel like I'm watching a cheap off-brand reality show every time I read the news. This is exhausting. We are regressing by decades in mere months; at what point will this stop? What, exactly, do Americans have to do to prevent our government from harming our nation?

[myresistance]

November 1, 2017

HR 490, aka the "Heartbeat Protection Act", is unconstitutional and immoral. Please do not allow this insulting and dehumanizing legislation to pass. Women have the right to their bodies, their health, and their safety. A heartbeat does not a life make, despite what Hollywood may have told us. Furthermore, valuing a fetus more than the woman who carries it is archaic, misogynistic, and unjust.

America has very little dignity left; let's not undermine it.

Requiring a woman to have a transvaginal ultrasound without medical necessity is so invasive it qualifies as a violation.

[myresistance]

Oct. 15, 2017

Please vote against the bill banning abortion at 20 weeks. Women's rights are not a joke. The right to our own bodies and autonomy should never have come up for debate; it's heinous and unconscionable.

[myresistance]

September 22, 2017

Please do not vote in favor of the Graham-Cassidy Healthcare bill. Healthcare is not a political stalking-horse, and I am very tired of having the lives and well-being of my fellow citizens toyed with for what seems to be nothing more than a hollow ploy to gain political power and garner attention. This is ridiculous. Lives are quite literally at stake, and this needs to stop.

[myresistance]

July 26, 2017

I cannot believe Trump has the gall to ban transgender persons from the military. This puts American citizens in direct danger. I cannot imagine the backlash that may already be affecting those brave men and women, from their peers and superiors, now that our president has spouted such hateful rhetoric. What will happen to those already in the military? Does he even have the power to do this? He certainly doesn't have the right. This is obscene and abhorrent. Reverse it immediately. There has to be something we can do to protect transgender servicepeople.

[myresistance]

July 25, 2017

Okay, so here's what I don't get: It's brain cancer. McCain has an actual deterioration of his neurologic function. His mental state cannot be confirmed. ...Why is he voting? Why are the majority of decisions since 6-12 months prior to the onset of symptoms not being reviewed? And, of course, I am shocked I even have to say this, but: don't let them take away our healthcare.

[myresistance]

July 18, 2017

Please use your influence to stand up for Internet users like me and keep the net neutrality rules that are already in effect.

The FCC should reject Chairman Ajit Pai’s proposal to give the telecom giants like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast the legal cover to throttle whatever they please, stripping users of the vital access and privacy protections we fought for and so recently won.

I’m worried about creating a tiered Internet with “fast lanes” for certain sites or services because ISPs could have too much power to determine what I can do online. Thankfully, the current FCC regulations mean that Internet providers can’t block or slow Internet users’ ability to see certain websites or engage in data discrimination by charging websites and online services money to reach people faster. That’s the best way forward to make sure competition in the Internet space is fair and benefits Internet users and small businesses as well as larger players. Pai’s proposal would transform Internet providers into gatekeepers with an effective veto right on expression and innovation. That’s contrary to the basic precepts on which the Internet was built.

The internet is a useful educational tool and social resource. In this day and age, inhibiting its use reeks of fascism at the very least. We have the right to communicate, to be well-informed, and to have access to the same raw materials and sources as the rest of the global community. Sharing knowledge is sacrosanct. Sharing perspectives is vital to the formulation of our own outlook and our responses to global and local events.

I hope you will protect Internet users like me by supporting the existing Title II net neutrality rules.

[myresistance]

June 27, 2017

I cannot believe even a temporary, limited version of the travel ban has been implemented. It's obscene, discriminatory, and un-American. The perception alone will destroy our country's values, image, and dignity. Can you imagine any other country banning travelers of specific nationalities? How did this happen? This is unacceptable.

[myresistance]

June 26, 2017

First thing’s first: Let me just say that I was floored and thrilled by Congresswoman Jayapal’s speech at Seattle Pride. We need more of that sort of spirit and support. A lot more. Now, to the rest of it. I find it’s easier to focus on one travesty at a time. I realize that we don’t actually have that luxury, but for right now the most time-sensitive matter seems to be Healthcare. Do not let the Affordable Care Act be replaced by the atrocity known as the American Health Care Act. It is unthinkable.

[myresistance]

June 16, 2017

The time for donkeys and elephants is over. Be a mule. Dig your heels in. Refuse to budge. Protect those who cannot protect themselves. “All” means everyone. Women, people of color, LGBTQIA+. Everyone. Stop letting one corrupt administration destroy centuries of progress.

Resist.