My Houseplants Say Hi, And Other Texts I've Debated Sending This Morning.
Poppets! I hope you had a restful and/or adventurous and/or mysterious weekend. And if you had all three, you’d better reply with a story to share with the class, you very interesting human you.
Let’s jump in:
The online debates over the shootings in Texas and Ohio are toxic and, for the most part, counterproductive. BUT there are a few pieces I encourage you to read and/or listen to: When Black Panthers Carried Guns, Conservatives Supported Gun Control from BuzzFeed; More Perfect’s episode on the Second Amendment (entitled The Gun Show); and The men behind the US's deadliest mass shootings have domestic violence — not mental illness — in common from Business Insider.
Related: our dear friend of the Missive Alex shared this on Twitter this morning and I nearly punched my computer a la a 2004 meme: ‘Using the Lord’s name in vain’: Evangelicals chafe at Trump’s blasphemy. Because let’s put their decision making process in perspective. Demanding to see the birth certificate of the first African-American President? Fine. Saying in his candidacy announcement that the Mexicans coming into the country were criminals and rapists? Fine. Bragging about the non-consensual groping of women? Fine. At least seventeen women accuse him of sexual assault, including a prominent journalist who details the incident in a national publication? Fine. Un-ending violations of the emoluments clause? Fine. Demanding Soviet-like loyalty from everyone around him? Fine. Banning those from (certain) Muslim-majority countries from entering the US? Fine. Accusing one of his predecessors and one of his political opponents of murdering pedophile Jeffrey Epstein? Fine. “Some fine people” on both sides, when one side is literal Nazis? Fine. Children in cages? Fine. Putting us closer to the brink of nuclear war with, well, everyone? FINE. But taking the Lord’s name in vain? MY WORD, THAT IS A BRIDGE TOO FAR *fans self*. Oh goodness, I could’ve kept going with that list but just googling “worst things Trump has said” is giving me existential anxiety before 7 am.
And on that note, listen to David Frum on Trump: Don’t Grow Numb To This.
Ugh, today’s Missive is rough. So why don’t you listen to the latest My Favorite Murder mini-episode featuring heart-warming stories? A nice chaser to the madness above, which can only be described as shots of Everclear left in an abandoned Chernobyl compost bin.
Me rn:
Be kind to each other,
Amy