Wednesday's postcard, and how Donald Trump salutes the fallen

May 29, 2024

Palouse River canyon north of Lyons Ferry

‘Dear Human Scum…’

Today’s slice of The Daily Rhubarb will be brief.

One of the unwritten chords in this “gently skewed experiment” is a commitment to wonder. By this I mean the miracle of our being here, the extraordinary gift that we’re somehow alive on this pale blue dot in the universe, with the capacity to open our eyes, to form communities and appreciate and enjoy our niche in creation. So I try to keep a humane balance between disturbing news and more sanguine fare.

Sometimes the two fold together, as in this viral video of Annabelle Jenkins, a new graduate of the Idaho Fine Arts Academy. As she received her diploma a few days ago she presented a banned book—The Handmaid’s Tale, A Graphic Novel— to the school superintendent, Derek Bub, who banned the book from the academy. It’s chilling that Bub banned the book, but Ms. Jenkins’ resolve in confronting Bub, visibly and non-violently, is a model of brevity and courage.

My Memorial Day essay—about the roots of my father’s patriotism and his confusion and dismay at the rise of Donald Trump—is unlikely to resonate with Trump fans. I doubt there are more than a few who subscribe to The Daily Rhubarb, but if you’re there, and still reading, today’s installment is mostly for you.

With it I offer a simple question: why? What’s in this for you and your family? At what point in your life story did you decide this angry, narcissistic brute best reflects your civic aspirations and interests? Do you understand he intends to replace our democracy with an autocracy? Does that matter to you?

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As I writing my Memorial Day piece, Trump was writing his. I am not making this up:

“Happy Memorial Day to All, including the Human Scum that is working so hard to destroy our Once Great Country, & to the Radical Left, Trump Hating Federal Judge that presided over, get this, TWO separate trials, that awarded a woman, who I never met before (a quick handshake at a celebrity event 25 years ago, doesn’t count!), 91 MILLION DOLLARS for ‘DEFAMATION.’ She didn’t inow when the so-called event took place—sometime in the 1990s - never filed a police report, didn’t have to produce the ‘dress’ that she threat3ened with with (it showed negative!), & sung my praises in the first half of her CNN interview with Alison (sic) Cooper, but changed her tune in the second half - Gee, I wonder why (UNDER APPEAL!) ? (sic) The Rape charge was dropped by a jury! Or Arther Engoron, the N.Y. State Wacko Judge who fined me almost 500 Million Dollars (UNDER APPEAL) for DOING NOTHING WRONG, used a Statute that has never been used before, gave me NO JURY, Mar-a-Lago at $18,000,000 - Now for Merchan!”

May 27, 2024, 7:00 a.m.

Note: the last line reference to “Merchan” is to New York County Judge Juan Merchan who, this morning, will be instructing the jury in the criminal case against Trump, who is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in an alleged scheme to pay hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels.

—tjc