I miss the missives, don’t you?

One of the simple pleasures used to be receiving a hand-written letter from a friend or relative. Those days are decidedly gone. Or are they?

We received this letter from an old friend of my wife the other day. It’s a wonderful assemblage of non sequiturs and spontaneously conceived notions, and the fact that “A” took the time to write it all down and mail it to us makes it something special — much more so than a tossed-off email would have been, or worse, a text message.

Enjoy it. And maybe write a letter to someone today…

Dear Sue and Kevin,

I really enjoyed your letter. Today I went on the Link TV website learned about The Guardian’s latest scoop about the NSA pressuring technology companies to write a “back door” access into products they sell that are supposed to ensure internet privacy. Microsoft has collaborated on this in a big way. Then as I write this, I’m watching a show about animals that like to eat watermelon, including a croc & a tortoise. This was topped off by a man using his head to split open the watermelon & eat it like an animal. The show that broadcast it is Bloopers, an apt name for our society as well as our politics & the sum of our lives.

I will go to a political rally on Monday. It’s a protest against a strike in Syria. Since it’s just a few minutes from my house it’s convenient (that is a factor!) & there will be groups in many cities. “H” may go too. I wrote to all of my representatives & the White House about my opposition. I’m not even convinced there was use of chemical weapons. It doesn’t matter what we do in the Middle East — we are not making points for the U.S. We are the imperialist predators & we will be as long as we use Israel as a spy base. We have to break our dependence on oil & put in place a reasonable but dedicated effort to steadily reduce our consumerism of gasoline, plastics, heating oil, and petroleum-based products.

I saw Lee Daniels’ The Butler last night. It was a good movie. Tickets were $15.50. If you haven’t seen it, it hooks you from the first scene & Oprah’s acting was the best I’ve ever seen her do. My cat Grandy is also 20 & such a manipulator but he has a life to be envied. Take care —

Love,

“A”