Dear Muslim Republicans,
I share your outrage and hurt at Donald Trump’s recent comments and policy suggestions about Muslims. I share your outrage and hurt that he still is polling well among Republicans. I share your outrage and hurt that we should even have to discuss such matters. But obviously we do.
Freedom of religion is one of our most sacred American values, protected by our Constitution. Never should someone be disparaged, profiled, or have their rights infringed upon because of their religious faith. Republicans like to talk a good game about our Constitution but, clearly, many are making an exception when it comes to religious liberty. This is quite sad and it is this kind of double standard that has caused so many liberty-loving people to leave the Republican Party and...
Lifestyle
Dear World,
In nearly a decade of doing Humanitarian aid and disaster relief work in Pakistan, including weeks at a time spent in places like Swat and Bannu not far from the border with Afghanistan, the first time I ever saw a black-colored shuttlecock-style fully sight-impairing burqa was on a trip back to the U.S. on a ridiculous poster for the award-winning Showtime television program "Homeland." And in the middle of this pack of burqa-cloaked "subhuman Muslim she-wolves" (as the creators of "Homeland" would have us believe) was this innocent, frightened, lily white, blond-haired, blue-eyed little red riding hood, trying valiantly to make her way back through the terrorist forest to the safety of the U.S. Embassy. I wanted to throw up all over the poster and its "thinly-veiled"...
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Dear Mr. Lurie,
I was driving down I-95 past our gorgeous (and green) Lincoln Financial Field when I saw it: not one, but two billboards (and that was just driving south) blaring that Dunkin Donuts Sweet Black Pepper Bacon Sandwich was the official breakfast sandwich of the Philadelphia Eagles.
I thought my head would explode.
After my initial shock at the sheer irresponsibility of such an endorsement by our team, I decided to write to you. With 560 calories, (300 of them from fat) this deadly sandwich contains egg, cheese, four strips of bacon with a “seasoning blend of brown sugar and black pepper”, served on a buttery croissant. It’s the complete trifecta to steal our collective health-fat, sugar and salt.
Philadelphia fans are like no others in the world. Their dedication...
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Dear Mr. Lurie:
I have followed and supported the Philadelphia Eagles for over 50 years, and I have never before written to the team or its owner. I began going to the games at about 8 years of age with my dad; he had season tickets at Franklin Field. I remember seeing the great running back Timmy Brown; Brown once got all of his teammates on the 1964 team to autograph a football which my dad gave to me (wish I had that football now). We suffered through the Joe Kuharich years ("Joe Must Go!"). We moved over to Veteran Stadium and kept our seats for all the years there. We weathered the Buddy Ryan era. If I might say, his arrogance and his bounties represented a low point, not just for the Eagles but also for all of football.
We lived the rollercoaster all those years: the highs,...
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An Open Letter to Those Who Use the Word Retarded:
There are so many vulgar and disrespectful words we hear on a daily basis, but the one that resonates with me most has been clear for quite some time now. There is absolutely no place in our society for the word “retarded” and I would love nothing more than to tell you why.
I'll be honest, I haven't always been offended by the use of retarded or even known what the word meant, for that matter. Growing up, I'm sure it was thrown around a lot more than I even realized. Although it has never been a significant part of my vocabulary, I can remember hearing some of my classmates in middle school refer to the short bus as the "Retard Rocket" and not thinking anything of it. I can even recall some friends and I citing a line from The...
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Dear Scott,
First, thank you for the incredible music you helped bring into the world.
As a 90s kid, I literally grew up listening to your songs, whether I knew it then or not. Back then, before I found my place in the world of rock and metal, I had no idea who you were or who Stone Temple Pilots were, but I remember hearing “Sex Type Thing” and “Plush” thinking there was no way a person could vocalize like that. The undulation of you tone and built in controlled grit and vibrato were out of this world and unlike anything I’d ever heard before.
The first time I heard “Interstate Love Song” I teared up a little, and still do a bit, even to this day. The same goes for “Still Remains.” There has always been something tragically beautiful about your work, the emotion and soul in it...
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Dear Sunshine,
I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you so much for bringing light into this world. In a time where trusting motive is a constant worry and competition wins out over collaboration, you have shown me that there are amazing women to look up to. Thank you for helping me understand that there are people who believe in others and who support those around them, simply for the sake of showing someone support!
Thanks for reaching out and asking if I’m okay. Thanks for sending a sweet note via “snail mail,” because it means you took time out of your day to really be there for me. I love that. And I love you.
Thank you for your patience. Thanks for understanding that we’re not all caught up to your selflessness, and not because we don’t want to be. It’s hard, you know. We...
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Dear Jon Hamm and the Cast of Mad Men,
We were planning to invite the guys from Glee to our next piano bar party, but Lea Michele and Darren Criss can deal—we're officially putting you on our guest list instead. We think it's amazing that you got crazy (and drunk?) and unleashed your inner mega-theater-nerds at the Mad Men wrap party. Yeah, we heard about that, and it's all in writing. Christina Hendricks told Vanity Fair: “There was a lot of singing of Little Shop of Horrors, ‘Defying Gravity’ [from Wicked], and a little bit of Frozen. I wish we were cooler.”
Wait, excuse us? EXCUSE US? What could possibly be cooler than seeing John Slattery tackle “Let It Go” with a side braid, or watching Elisabeth Moss belt “Defying Gravity” while cackling and standing on a chair? Nothing in the...
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Dear Guy,
I hope you don’t mind if I call you Guy. It’s just that I feel as if we’ve been old friends for such a long time. It was the 70s when I got my first album of yours. It was Texas Cookin’. I was living in Kansas, married to my first husband who worked at the Co-op Elevator. I was a waitress at the local truckstop.
From first glance I loved that album. The cover image of a denim clad “Black Haired Boy” squinting into the sun was familiar to me and reminded me of the country boys I had cut my eye teeth on. While the back cover shot of you and the lovely Susanna, framed by the back window of an old pickup truck filled me with romantic hope. We had an old ’52 red pickup we’d named Gus and I imagined my husband and I being as happy as you two looked. “My Favorite Picture...
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Dear Fellow Restaurant Patrons,
We are here and we brought our kids. I know. No, stop crying. Yes, I'm talking to you, not my children. Look, I think this can work out and we can all get out of this dining experience with our sanities intact and our bellies properly filled, but I think we need to discuss a few things first.
As our vivacious brood enters the restaurant, my two boys deeply engrossed in their pretend sword fight, just know that your whispers and eye rolls do not go unnoticed. When the hostess seats us a few tables away from you, and the toddler squeals with excitement and delight, your dramatic sigh is so loud it's almost tangible. When my preschooler preoccupies the waitress we share, with his entree indecisiveness and a slew of knock knock jokes he's been practicing...
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