Dear Gio

... My personal regret, looking back, is that I did not vote for Bernie Sanders in the primaries.  I was not an enthusiastic Clinton supporter from the beginning--in fact before the primaries I was telling my friends that I hoped she would decide NOT TO RUN:  She was too old--she carried too much political "baggage" for her detractors to exploit (which is exactly what they were able to do!)--and she was too much a part of the "political machine" that is disconnected from the concerns of many ordinary people.  I had hoped she would step aside for a younger Democratic Party candidate--a fresh face with new ideas and new energy.  But she was qualified--especially in the area of foreign policy, which I feel to be the most important issue we currently face as a nation--and she did decide to run.  

Bernie Sanders represents my values--my beliefs--but I failed to stand with him.  Like many other American progressives, I didn't believe that Sanders could possibly win being the "outsider" that he is.  Against Trump, I reasoned, progressives needed to be united behind the "strongest" Democratic candidate.  I compromised my ideals and voted for the one I thought was the most "electable" acceptable candidate.  I have been pursuing "impossible dreams"--jousting with windmills all of my life--but when it might have mattered the most, I played it "safe" instead of following my heart. 

It is a very scary world right now.  You and your family are on my mind a lot.  I remind you that you have strong friends on this side of the ocean.  You take care.

Love Rick 

Dear Sasa,

Good to hear from you. Thanks for news of family and blueberries.

I am certain that you must be shaken by recent destabilizing events--in Ukraine, Africa, Syria, Europe and most recently the USA.  God help us all!  Needless to say that we, like the majority of rational American citizens, are shocked and deeply concerned for the outcome of the national elections here--especially the results of the contest for president.  It is truly troubling.  I worry that our world, driven by fear, inequality, unrest, and anxiety, may be returning to the tribalism, extreme nationalism,"scapegoating", intolerance, and militarism that marked the politics of the 1930's.  

How could we elect a Trump?  We know him to be a racist, a misogynist, a liar, a narcissist, a bully, a con-man, and a megalomaniac--a man with NO real friendships--a man with NO governing experience--a man with serious personality disorders--a man unfit for ANY public office. While he obviously spoke to the deep frustrations and anger of a working class that has felt
​increasingly marginalized and excluded by the global changes taking place in the world, I don't want to believe that Donald Trump is a reflection of mainstream American values, belief, and ideals. How could so many be so foolish and so reckless as to express their protest in a way that now endangers not only their own future, but also the future of a very fragile world?

Our hope must be in the American tradition of "peaceful transition of power" and in our strong democratic institutions with constitutional "checks and balances" to hold those in power accountable.  Trump will be the new American president.  He will be given his opportunity to govern, but he will be watched very closely--and held accountable.

Our love to all of you,

Rick