Dear Sen. Paul,
I write to you today to invite you to speak at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. I am compelled to do so because of the poor state of cross-party and cross-ideological political discourse at NU and on college campuses across the country.
As a Democrat and a committed progressive, I disagree with many of your political views. But in light of the political dysfunction in this country that stifles meaningful debate and encourages cloistered factionalism, it would be extremely valuable to have a conservative voice like yours come to a school like NU for a serious policy discussion that touches on issues engaged college students care about.
Just as in the political world, partisanship has taken root in the academic world. Far too few conservative...
Lifestyle
Dear 61,
I intended by this time to be much further along in the work on the Class of 1961 Legacy: The American Tradition in Performance, but as always the demands of my other life intruded and prevented full attention to the task. My own work at several theatres recently on the theatre piece I've created, Mark Twain 'S The Diaries of Adam and Eve, coupled with the single parenting of the twins, Peter and Mollie, now 14-- where are the snows of yesteryear?--coaching soccer and wading through eighth grade world history-(I'm doing much better In the eighth grade this time than I did the first time)--have my frantic back to the wall much of the time.
Perhaps you have heard about The Legacy from other sources... Oscar Arslanian has spoken with several people in the class and it was...
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Dear Mr. Hoekstra,
My name is Kyle Kamidoi and I am a second year law student at Wayne State University Law School. I am also the President of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA), and Public Relations Director of the National Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (NAPALSA). I am writing to you today regarding a campaign ad dubbed "Now" that you recently aired during the Super Bowl. In the ad you depict a young Chinese woman speaking broken English and talking about the outsourcing of Michigan jobs to foreign competitors. On behalf of my organization and supporting organizations I request that you formally apologize to the Pacific...
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My fellow Americans,
I write this as a dispatch from the Land of Snow and Tractors. Maine. The ventricular node to the heart of New England. I write this as an insurgent army of this-that and the riff-raff oozes into our Country from what we here call “Away.” I write this when a sense of Identity is staggeringly more important than essentially any other concept in our struggle, which often on good days resembles a movement. No, that was not sarcasm. We are gathering speed and momentum, and momentum shares the same root as movement. Imagine that.
I will also step on toes, because everyone has their hobby horse. Everyone has their precious idea which is, in their minds, infallibly true. While conviction is good, it can be used against us. That said, I want to keep this brief. Very...
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Letter originally published June 23, 2009 on http://www.pfaw.org/issues/marriage-equality/open-letter-to-president-obama-from-people-for-the-american-way
Dear President Obama:
I am writing to respectfully urge you to bring the energetic moral vision that you championed as a presidential candidate to the cause of equality for gay and lesbian Americans.
Among the reasons that millions of people were inspired by your candidacy was your eloquence on behalf of an America in which everyone is offered respect and equality under the law. At People For the American Way, we disagreed with your decision to stop short of supporting marriage equality, but we welcomed the clarity with which you articulated the constitutional principle of equality in so many other areas. That vision energized...
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Dear Johnny Weir,
A recent New York Times article, discussed your quest for the gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics. The author mentioned your outfit had a “touch of fox” on the shoulders, and, despite your third place showing at the United States Figure Skating Championships on Sunday, you thought your outfit “looked pretty.”
Please consider that there's nothing pretty about the fox that suffered and died to trim your outfit. The beautiful fox was likely anally electrocuted, or may have had its head bashed in, only to serve as decoration for someone's performance.
If you buy fur, no matter what size piece, or which animal it comes from, you're supporting an industry that has no respect for animals.
You say that you want to bring an “artistic style” to the Olympics, stating that...
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Dear You Guys,
Come on. I say that with as much sympathy and patience as I can, but seriously, come on. It’s 2008. We’re in the middle of the worst economic crisis we’ve faced in 80 years. There’s a close and fateful election happening that the entire world is watching with bated breath and fingers crossed. Gas is through the roof. We’re fighting wars on two separate fronts while keeping our militaristic eye firmly on North Korea and Iran. Clay Aiken is officially gay. Through all of these things, people keep talking about the exceptionalism of America, and the greatness of the American people. Well let me tell you something, there was no exceptionalism and no greatness this weekend. #1 MOVIE IN THE COUNTRY? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?
It’s time to try just a little harder, you guys...
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Dear Sister,
I have recently come back from a three week holiday in Israel, while you are in Iran. I am writing to you to express how I am appalled that you can sleep at night in such a country, where it has some of the worst human rights abuses in the world. Not only that, but the ayatollahs of Iran vow to destroy Israel.
Let me give you an account of my experience and add in some facts about Israel. I went to several towns and cities. I spoke to African migrants, all of whom unanimously claim that they have never faced any discrimination and are grateful to Israel for giving them the chance to live life like everyone else. The same cannot be said about African-Iranians, who are frowned upon and racially abused in Iran because they are not part of the 'Aryan race'.
Women in...
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Dear ___,
Oy.
Your note reminds me of the apocryphal story about the new rabbi of an American Orthodox congregation who asks the shul president what he should talk about for his first Sabbath sermon. The president says, “Something to do with yiddishkeit.”
“Maybe I’ll talk about Shabbos,” the rabbi says.
“Well,” says the president, “a lot of our members drive to shul. They might take offense.”
“All right, I’ll talk about kashrus,” says the rabbi.
“Actually,” says the president, “some of our members eat in Chinese restaurants. Maybe you should skip that.”
“Fine. I’ll talk about taharas mishpuche,” the rabbi suggests, referring to the laws regarding ritual immersion for women.
“Now that you mention it,” the president says, “my wife is scared of water. Not a great topic.”
“In that...
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Dear Fellow Illinoisans,
We are all plaintiffs seeking the freedom to marry in the two current lawsuits by Lambda Legal and the ACLU of Illinois and like you we are all residents of Illinois. We have been waiting for the freedom to marry for years, some of us for decades. We are writing because we need your help to win the freedom to marry – we are inches away from the finish line and right now, you have the power to help end the inequality and bring greater security and dignity to our families. Please call your representative in the Illinois House and tell them to vote YES on the marriage bill. We are in the home stretch of the legislative effort, and your phone calls and volunteer time are needed.
Every one of us has a story to tell about why marriage is important to our families and...
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