June 25, 2025

Dear Elon

Several weeks have passed since you left me to go back to selling cars, and as is often the case with a soured relationship, I now see clearly what the problem was. I am a thoughtful, moral, caring, compassionate human and you are not. What a pity that you have so much power and I do not. But here’s the thing. There are a lot of us, more than there are of you, and we are clever, patient, and committed to the constitution which warns us about the likes of you and your orange crony.

So, I am not writing postcards to you anymore. You’re not worth the postage stamp. But I am continuing to do at least 5 things each week in your honor. These are specifically chosen because you would hate them, which includes just about everything I would want to do anyway.

Here is a sample… you better reach for your blood pressure medicine:

• I was one of over 2,000 who protested a meeting of Western Governors, keynoted by Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum. We focused on stopping the effort to put our public lands up for sale, something Mr. Burgum favors. The crowd was diverse (love that word as much as you hate it!) and signs were creative. There were local Indigenous people drumming and chanting in front of the venue, and when we all joined in, apparently we could be heard in the meeting rooms. This may sound pointless to you, but it felt great, and that’s critical. When was the last time you really felt great, surrounded by thousands of strangers who agreed and supported you? Probably not since… ever?

• I sent money again to World Central Kitchen to help them feed people in Gaza. They are amazing, aren’t they? So efficient, so energetic, so unstoppable. I marvel at people who look at a desperate situation that seems overwhelming and do the impossible. They move fast and fix things – a little different from your motto: move fast and break things.

• Hmmm, let’s see what else would you hate? I rode in a friend’s new Toyota hybrid plug-in electric car. It’s a great car. She loves it. And out on the highway she stepped on the gas (or volts?) and we shot past what appeared to be a collection of cookie sheets randomly stuck together. But, wait — was that a Tesla logo? We were going so fast it was all a blur.

• I have a friend with a trans daughter. It has been a real struggle and she is now 17 and off to college. I spent some time with her, giving her decades-old, out-of-date advice about roommates, choosing classes, staying healthy, bringing your own pillow, getting a good desk chair with back support. Oh, I had no end of useless advice. She was so gracious and straightened me out on a few points. And we laughed a lot and I told her since I would be closer to her than her mother would be, she should consider me a foster-mom. Given the LGBTQ+ climate in this country, I wanted her to know that she had a defender close by. A fierce mama bear is never out of date.

• And my final good deed is to make our break-up final with this letter. I will always appreciate your mandate to do five things each week, but just about everything else about you repulses me.

Have a nice day… on second thought, don’t,

Lucy