Tag: Cory Booker

Letter #2 to Stephen

Lucy Moore

Dear Mr. Miller:

It’s me again. Lucy.

June picnic on the White House lawn. Are you having fun yet?

The more I get to know you, the more intriguing you are. A real man of mystery, which ordinarily I find very attractive, but in your case… not so much. My first question is why you hide in the shadows. We all know that you are the one pulling the strings, making that witless, orange puppet sign one evil Executive Order after another. Why not step out from behind that curtain, take your bows as puppet-master and let us all marvel at your sleazy cleverness?  Ah, but maybe you are self-conscious? I’m not the only one who thinks you have an uncanny resemblance to the devil. Putting the fear of Satan in people wherever you go might have given you some kind of complex and driven you to the Dark Side. I wish I could help, but all I can think of is a lot of therapy (maybe electroshock), or extensive cosmetic surgery, or a one-way ticket to Transylvania. (Maybe that’s insensitive of me – stereotyping Transylvania, which I understand is a beautiful region of Romania with no more werewolves and vampires than anywhere else.)

But I digress! The purpose of my letter, as always, is to report my works of resistance this week.

  • I spent the afternoon with Senator Cory Booker. He is an amazing person, so full of humanity, compassion, optimism, and energy. I have always admired him, and it was thrilling to hear him speak. I have been suffering from anxiety about the state of the country, but I left the event lighter and more hopeful. His message was that even the smallest action can have a big impact. Don’t be paralyzed because you can’t fix it all, just do some small thing today, and another thing tomorrow, and together we can overcome. You’ve probably met Senator Booker. Weren’t you impressed…or maybe to be in the presence of that much goodness was a bit much.
  • I took an online training in how to support the immigrant community especially when confronted by ICE or other law enforcement. It was excellent, all about the rights of citizens and non-citizens, how to act in the presence of an arrest, what to say and do. At one point the trainer asked the audience of 1,400+ from all over the country what aspect of the organizing process they were attracted to – action, recruitment, training, reflection. Although I am a reflective person and as a mediator help people reflect on peaceful options to a conflict, I surprised myself by immediately hitting the “action” button. Next time you peek through that hole in your curtain you might see me out there raising hell.
  • I spent the evening with a friend whose mental health is fragile. She is on the edge because of the impact your puppet is having on her friends and relatives who are dependent on the VA and Medicaid. Her anger at you and your pals is in danger of consuming her and is already affecting her physical health. I tried to support her, let her vent, and give her some hope. It wasn’t easy, and when I came home, I took a few plates out of my chipped plate collection and smashed them on the patio. I remember muttering “take that, Mr. Miller.” It is hard to stay sane and healthy these days.
  •  I gave money to a small nonprofit that asks to remain anonymous for fear that you will put them in your whack-a-mole sites. It makes me very sad to see good people who are doing good things living in fear, hiding in the shadows. I can see why you hide in the shadows. We’ve already noted your unfortunate face and the evil you are doing. But these people should be proud and receiving accolades for their work, not cowering hoping they won’t be noticed.
  • And finally, I am very pleased to add my “Letters to Mr. Miller” to my list of 5-things-I-did this week. You can’t imagine the pleasure they give my many followers. And bringing a smile, a chuckle to someone who may be feeling powerless and abused by you, makes me proud.

OK, that’s a pretty good list, huh? Hope you’re impressed. It would mean so much to hear from you. I would treasure a letter and would treat it with great disrespect.

Have a nice day!

Sincerely

Lucy

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A Tip on Cultural Sensitivity for Elon

Lucy Moore

April 6, 2025

Dear Elon –

Oh, gosh, I really wish you had consulted with me before going to Wisconsin last week. I know some of those folks from the nation’s dairyland, and they do NOT take kindly to outsiders wearing the sacred Cheese Head Hat inappropriately. Of course, it is difficult to know just how to behave in a foreign culture (in this case, proud, hardworking, midwestern non-billionaires), but I have found that it always pays to spend a little time with local folks and learn a bit about them, their values, their customs, their culture. Oops, have I stepped in it again – using one of those banned words? So sorry if “culture” is on that list and I have triggered you. Try taking a deep breath or two, and think of something beautiful like a protest of 30,000 energetic Americans, or a hungry child diving into a nice nutritious meal, or a parent getting an email saying they have their job back…well, you may have your own pleasant thoughts, but those are some of mine.  

Turning to my 5-things-I-did this week, it was a whirlwind of activity:

  1. I was in Washington DC on April 5, but missed the rally because I was working that day with a group of conflict resolution graduate students. There were six of us experienced practitioners and it really gave us hope to spend time with the younger generation, all of us together reflecting on our role as mediators and the challenges of making peace in these times. It was inspiring for everyone, and deep friendships were forged in just a few hours. A footnote: I’m getting tired of apologizing for my vocabulary which seems to be loaded with trigger words. Just in this paragraph alone I suspect there are four: peace, conflict, resolution and mediator. And if I come up with substitute words (like calm, differences, solve, helper?), I’m sure we will end up playing whack-a-mole. So, I suggest a truce…or maybe whack-a-mole is a favorite pastime of yours?  
  2. I watched some of Cory Booker’s 25+ hour phenomenal performance on the state of our country. I was amazed by his stamina, passion and commitment to say what we need to hear. I was inspired to work harder and I called his office to thank him. He is such a kind, caring, generous human being — don’t you think he has the makings of a great leader?
  3. I decided to look for the little guys – groups doing great work that have been hit hard by the loss of federal funding – and I found the Borderlands Restoration Network in Arizona. They are committed to restoring, rebuilding, and reconnecting the land, the resources, and the communities along our southern border. They have a gorgeous website. Just makes you want to reach out and give a helping hand…which I did! It just takes a little money to let them know you’re on their side. Or, it could be a lot of money (hint, hint) to really make a difference. www.borderlandsplants.org
  4. I delivered blank postcards to someone who had seen the 5-things-I-did project online and wanted to join the fun. I think he might let his two young sons write cards, so watch out for those. I bet they will be full of heart and spunk!
  5. I posted on substack, bluesky and Facebook, urging others to join the -5-things-I-did movement. It’s fun to see the numbers growing of people who share their 5-things each week.

Aren’t you proud of what you started? I am always very careful to give you credit for the great idea of doing 5 good things each week. You’re kind of like a godfather to us!

OK, gotta run. See you next week, and have a nice day!

Lucy

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Giving Tuesday

Lucy Moore

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Electronic Monday and Giving Tuesday….if you have anything left to give. This string of money-based “holidays” has become as traditional as the turkey on Thursday. And how ironic that Giving Tuesday is last in line. I scan the flood of emails reminding me that today is the day to give, and I will probably participate and click a couple links. But, in the past year since the last Giving Tuesday, I have realized that helping others is a complex undertaking. What, when, where, how, why to give are all questions that deserve some thought.

I am reading a wonderful book, insightful, witty and so educational for those of us embarrassingly ignorant about Africa. “Africa is Not a Country,” by Dido Faloyin, presents the continent in all its richness and variety, debunking myths that plague modern-day African countries ready for respect and acceptance as important players on the world stage. One of the most pernicious myths is that Black Africa is helpless, starving, ignorant, and generally incapable, waiting for White colonizers and their 21st century successors to save them.  

Lagos, Nigeria

Most impactful for me was Faloyin’s critique of charitable fundraising for African causes. With all good intentions, developed countries, European and US in particular, are able to create compelling campaigns to “help Africans” who are starving, being slaughtered or kidnapped, or other crises that the media features. What is almost always missing is the guidance or better yet partnership of actual Africans who know best the answers to those “what, when, where, how, and why” questions above. Our White eagerness to act quickly to feed a dying baby or rescue a kidnapped boy soldier, can easily go awry, contributing to political upheaval, corruption, and perpetuation of the stereotypical desperate African needing the White savior. Not denying there are very real crises that need assistance, the author emphasizes that foreign responses must be designed and directed by those on the ground.

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