Responses to Responses

Dear friends,

As the saying goes, shit's getting real in the USofA with Trump & his boys going full-on fascist. I am blown away by the mass protests against ICE abductions and the military invasion and all the ugliness Trump is inflicting on the country. I can't wait to see the massive turn out for No Kings Day! Not being in the US, and not being fit for physical protesting, I continue to write letters and encourage anyone else who wants to make their voice heard without bringing their body to the frontline to join me in the digital world of resistance.

Map of planned protests for No Kings Day courtesy of NoKings.org

It Started With AOC

Not long after the US election, I recall the fabulous AOC encouraging everyone on social media to start contacting Republican reps, no matter where they lived (she probably wasn’t talking to Canadians, but, whatever). She explained that Republican voters never, ever hesitate to give her a piece of their mind, so we shouldn’t hesitate to reciprocate. As you can see, I took her message to heart.

I’ve been furiously firing off emails to (mainly Republican) senators since February, and to my absolute surprise, many of them seem to feel inclined to respond. Most of the responses are, as my new FB friend Ann Medlock so delightfully described one, “candy-ass”, but, hey! they’re responses and that’s gotta count for something.

Honestly, I’m not writing to these right-wing white dudes (yup! they’re almost all dudes, and they’re all white) because I think they’ll see the light I shine through my emails. I’m writing to let them know that we’re watching them, and we have expectations (you know, like upholding the Constitution), and we’re going to hold them accountable.

And then, they go and send some ‘candy-ass’ response like I’m gonna just sit back and go, Okay – Dude’s got a point. He’s cool. I can just chill out now. Nah! I respond to their responses to my emails, again, not because I think if I make my point twice (and louder, always louder the second time!) they’ll jump on board the human decency train, but because I want to let them know that I’m not buying the bullshit and I know that they’re lying through their teeth and we’re still watching them and we’re not going to let them get away with destroying the country (and harming the rest of the world while they’re at it). I’m not sure if my cunning plan is working, but I figure if I can encourage lots of people to join in the fun, maybe we can wear them down a bit. I mean, if they think enough of us might unseat them, they just might start to crack. I live in hope.

This is not the void

I think that a lot of people don’t bother writing to politicians because they think it will just be shouting into a void. Quite often it is. I mean, my own provincial premier whom I’ve actually met irl never bothers to respond to my emails. However, I am delighted to say that I have received actual responses to my actual concerns from many of the most unexpected senators. Of course, I respond right away to their responses. Generally, speaking, that’s where that conversation ends, but, lucky for me, I send up to three emails on current issues each week, so I give them plenty of things to respond to. So, at this point in my new career of haranguing Republicans, I’m writing 2-3 letters of concern (eg Signalgate, ICE, Trump’s parade, DOGE, Fascism…) as well as 4-5 responses to said letters of concern each week. There’s probably a lot of wisdom in the idea behind the 5-Calls app in terms of pacing our protestations, but I am getting a lot of satisfaction (free therapy to help navigate these choppy waters) out of my back & forth correspondences with the white dudes, and I have time on my hands as a recent retiree. I guess we can say that I am spending my retirement getting into good trouble! So saying, I can definitely advise that you don’t push yourself too hard. Even with the Republican party eating each other up just now, I suspect we have a long road of protests ahead of us. And right now, those protests are needing to be bigger and noisier than ever!

Last fall, as the mother of a trans youth. I was asked to speak about trans rights at a campaign event for my local candidate, yet my own premier (tall guy on the left) won't even reply to my emails these days!

Responding to their ‘candy-ass’ responses – a snapshot

I thought I’d give you a snapshot of some of the ‘candy-ass’ responses I’ve received from various senators and my not-so-candy-ass responses to their responses as real proof that my emails are not disappearing into the ethers but are landing on the desks of those who have the power to do good or do evil. Enjoy!

ICE is outta control!

Senator Kennedy (R-LA) responds to my concerns about ICE kidnappings:

As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, I’m not staying silent while ICE agents act like Nazis. Also, always tell them that you expect them to speak up.

Dear Senator Kennedy,

In your email you say, “There are many ideas and proposals about the best way to enforce our immigration laws…” Imitating Nazi tactics should NOT even be considered as a way to enforce immigration laws, and yet, that is exactly how ICE agents are behaving. The fact that they are randomly revoking students’ immigration visas is illegal and immoral. The fact that masked unidentified agents are abducting students who have exercised their right to free speech is pure fascism. This is not law enforcement. This is fascism 101. Anyone who studied WWll knows this. You cannot ignore it, and I insist that you speak up before too many more innocent people are harmed by the ICE goons.

Jessica

Senator Cornyn (R-TX) also responds to my concerns about ICE kidnappings in which he blames Biden (natch) and pretends to worry about the safety of women and children to defend kidnapping immigrants and sending them to concentration camps:

My response to his response is an extension of my response to Senator Kennedy:

Dear Senator,

Thank you for your response to my concerns about how the Trump/Musk administration is abusing the law against immigrants and the chaotic lawlessness of ICE. I understand that immigration is a complex issue, but there are correct ways and means to enforce immigration laws without using Nazi tactics. As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, I am absolutely appalled to watch history repeating itself with government sanctioned violent assaults and abductions on innocent people. No due process. No warrants. No nothing. Just barbaric assaults and imprisonments on anyone the government deems ‘dangerous’. We are learning that many of the individuals being abducted by ICE agents and sent to for-profit detainment facilities, or worse, shipped to work prisons in El Salvador were legally documented immigrants who have broken no laws (unlike Trump’s top security goons who recently violated every security law written while endangering our troops and our national security).

In your email you write, “I also secured an amendment to the legislation requiring aliens be detained if arrested for assaulting law enforcement officers.” Excuse my language but give me a fucking break. Trump recently pardoned well over 1000 insurrectionists (all white American citizens, not a single immigrant among them!) who attacked the Capitol on January 6^th 2021, injuring and even murdering law enforcement officers. I’ve not heard a peep from you about this obscene abuse of presidential power celebrating violent thugs who happily murdered law enforcement officers while defiling the Capitol and threatening the lives of our representatives and all who worked there. Unless you publicly decry Trump’s pardoning of these violent insurrectionists, your hypocrisy and racism are glaringly obvious.

You also say, “Foreign students and guestworkers can make important contributions to our economy and society, and we should update our laws to ensure that we fully benefit from those contributions.” No kidding! ICE’s new Nazi approach to dealing with immigrants, legal or not, is making life increasingly terrifying and impossible for some of the brightest minds in our country who are here on student and/or work visas. And we are starting to see our produce rot in the fields because the undocumented immigrants who feed us are being rounded up and shipped to prison camps. ICE has been unleashed and we will all pay the price. Not the least is watching our neighbours and friends disappear just as Jewish Europeans disappeared when Hitler unleashed his brownshirt brutes.

Senator – This is not immigration policy. This is thuggery directly out of the Nazi playbook. You cannot continue to ignore this. You must speak up now!

Jessica

About Trump's Corruption...

Senator Cramer (R-ND) writes a bullshit response to my outrage about Trump’s abuse of power:

Point by point, I tear his sorry excuse of a response apart and demand he speak out against Trump’s corruption:

Dear Senator,

Thank you for your response to my concerns about Trump’s excessive abuse of his powers. Your timing couldn’t be more perfect as Trump (along with Musk!) is presently meeting with 3 tyrants in the Middle East where he is about to receive a $400 million luxury jet (“Palace in the Sky”) as a clear bribe from the royal family of Qatar, making the US indebted to their whims. While Trump bleats on about how “Little girls will need to be satisfied with just two dolls…” (sexist much?), he is acquiring a fucking palace in the sky to add to his already massive piles of wealth. Gross.

Not just gross, but also a gross violation of the Constitution!

Article I, Section 9, Clause 8: No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

I know we’re all getting pretty used to Trump thumbing his nose at the Constitution as it seems to be a daily occurrence, but I wish to remind you that you were elected to defend it. This latest violation absolutely cannot go unchecked.

You say in your email, “President Trump is clearly testing the bounds of his executive powers, but as I have said many times, I am very protective of the authorities granted to Congress under Article I of the United States Constitution.” Trump has repeatedly exceeded the bounds of his executive powers. Now we need to see action and not just words from you about protecting the authorities granted to Congress.

You also say at the start of your email, “Since the beginning of his second term, President Trump has been operating at break-neck speed to fulfill the promises he made to the American people during his campaign for re-election.” Trump promised to make life more affordable, and enough gullible Americans believed him and gave him their vote. Trump did NOT promise to allow his billionaire buddy Musk to recklessly pillage every government service that Americans rely upon for everything from receiving their social security checks to not dying in an airplane crash to having clean water to drink to not dying of salmonella, yet that was his perverse idea of cutting costs. You may have heard that very little money has actually been saved by Musk’s drug-fuelled antics, yet millions of Americans have paid a huge price. Trump did NOT promise to hand over access to every single American’s personal private information to the unelected crazed lunatic Musk, yet that is exactly what has happened in the name of “cutting unnecessary spending”. Trump did not warn his voters that he would be the most corrupt president in US history, raking in obscene profits while destroying the economy and violating the Constitution. Trump promised NOT to mess with Medicaid, and now he’s ripping this literal life saving service away from millions of Americans, many of whom voted for him because he promised not to touch it.

Senator, I trust that you have the intelligence and clarity to recognize the chaos Trump has caused in just over 100 days in office. The only people who have benefited from the upheaval and destruction are the Trump family and their billionaire buddies, while the rest of the nation suffers. What will it take for you to finally speak out against Trump’s corruptions and ineptitude? You were elected to stand up for the residents of North Dakota. I will continue to remind you that you are in office to defend the Constitution and to represent your constituents. You must speak up now!

Jessica

Another Kool Aid laced response from Senator Hagerty (R-Tennessee). I wonder whose side he’s on now that the Musk/Trump bromance is exploding:

As time marches on and I receive more and more candy-ass responses, I’ve grown a little less formal with my language:

Dear Senator Hagerty,

Thank you for your response to my concerns about the chaos caused by Musk and his Muskrats.

In your email you say, “The American people sent a strong message to Washington by overwhelmingly electing President Trump in November.’ I think you Republicans might require some lessons in basic math. Trump squeaked in with a teeny tiny 1.3% win. I will remind you that more eligible voters chose NOT to vote for him than those who did. This in no way adds up to a mandate nor an overwhelming ‘win’ for Trump.

As for DOGE – now that Musk and his unvetted teenage muskrats have had full access to everything that you and I hold dear (like our private information) and uploaded it onto their own unsecure networks while destroying every federal department that Americans depend on, destroying millions of lives (fired federal employees, AIDS patients who can no longer receive their medication, children no longer receiving meals, cancer patients for years to come who were relying on the research that DOGE cut…), and basically breaking everything they touch (The Mark of Musk!), do you still support this decision? Musk barged in promising to save billions of dollars, but, in fact, he has saved hardly any, and, in fact, has likely cost us all a shit-ton more because of the net losses he has created. Are you still a fan?

Senator, if you’re looking for savings, look no further than Trump’s overpriced golf jollies that American taxpayers are paying for while they wonder how they’re going to pay their rent or buy food for their kids. How about that $45million parade planned for his 79th birthday (Amazing that he’s reached this ripe old age with his diet!)? The man who craps on a gold toilet is laughing all the way to his crypto bank while millions of Americans have no idea how they’re going to cover costs. Is this what you support?

Senator, nothing about Trump’s government can be described as efficient. It is chaotic, and cruel, and mainly illegal. I think you are smart enough to recognize this. It is time for you to speak up against the chaos and corruption.

Jessica

Making them nervous about their constituents dying if Medicaid is cut (except, of course, Senator Ernst (R-IA) who publicly doesn't give a fuck about her dying constituents:

Senator Lankford (R-OK) sends a basic non-response to one of my numerous emails in defence of Medicaid. He always signs his emails “In God We Trust” (‘cuz nothing says says separation of church and state like a senator signing his emails this way!):

My uber-pedantic response where I press for details and actual answers (I didn’t get any):

Dear Senator Lankford,

Thank you for your quick response to my concerns about cutting Medicaid. I’m afraid you did not answer my question, so I will ask again – Will you be voting ‘yes’ to Medicaid cuts?

In your response you say, “Right now, we have brazen fraud, waste, and abuse in many federal programs.” I didn’t ask if you will be voting to eliminate Medicaid fraud. This is something entirely different. I believe that drastic cuts to the program are being proposed in Trump’s so-called Big, Beautiful Bill (give me a break!) and I need to know how you will be voting on this.

Senator, when I read the words “we have brazen fraud, waste, and abuse…” I need to point out that we don’t need to look any further than Trump and Musk’s business jolly to the Middle East where they are happily cavorting with notorious authoritarian leaders to line their own bulging pockets as they negotiate personal business deals. While Republicans are bellyaching about skyrocketing debt (getting even higher under yer boy Trump!), your corrupt leader is the poster child for brazen fraud, waste, and abuse. So, rather than cutting Medicaid and causing massive suffering and struggle for many of your constituents, why don’t you blow the whistle on the brazen fraud, waste, and abuse happening right under your nose for all the world to see?

I look forward to your answer to my question – Will you be voting ‘yes’ to Medicaid cuts?

Jessica

But, hey! Senator ‘Doc’ Marshall (R-KS) gets it!

This deserved a word of thanks and encouragement:

Dear Senator Marshall,

Thank you for your response to my concerns about the proposed Medicaid cuts proposed in Trump’s Big, Deadly Bill. I am relieved to hear that you will fight to protect this life-saving service. I hope that you will also speak up to defend Medicare and SNAP. I don’t know about you, but I feel pretty certain that the millionaire and billionaire classes don’t really need more tax cuts, whereas, with the record number of unemployed Americans, Medicaid is a matter of life or death for many of your constituents.

I hope that, unlike a number of your Republican colleagues in the House, you will actually read the entire bill. How embarrassing, and frankly, inexcusable that these representatives voted in favor of the Big, Dangerous Bill without actually reading it. In my opinion, they should be removed from congress for this breach of trust!

And, speaking of inexcusable behavior from your fellow Republicans – shame on Senator Ernst. What a cold, ignorant, vile excuse for a human. How the hell did she get elected???

Thanks again for not being swept up into Trump’s lies about this Big, Odious Bill and all the damage it will do if passed.

Jessica

And then there’s Eric (R-MO)! Finally, after writing him dozens of emails, he responds, not once, but twice in the same day!

Here he is absolutely wowed by Trump’s Big Ass (Bill):

And I’m not having any of it!

Dear Senator Schmitt,

Thank you for your response to my grave concerns about Trump’s Big, Terrifying Bill. What makes it terrifying, I hear you ask. How about the fact that it will kick millions of Americans off the things that keep them alive such as Medicaid, Medicare and SNAP? How about the fact that it will take power from the courts and hand it over to the Felon-in-Chief? How about the fact that even Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of the most ardent MAGA Republicans is now decrying it, now that someone told her what is actually in this bill that she – oops! – neglected to read (along with her colleague Rep Mike Flood)?

You say in your email, “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, commonly referred to as the budget reconciliation package, is a bold step forward for America’s fiscal responsibility. This revolutionary legislation will reflect our commitment to restoring American strength—militarily, economically, and morally.” I wonder if, like Ms. Greene and Mr. Flood, you haven’t properly read this monstrosity of a bill either to come to such wild conclusions. I assume you have also decided to ignore the CBO that estimates this bill will explode the debt by $2.4 trillion while kicking 10.9 million Americans off their health insurance. Please tell me, Senator, how does this madness equate to ‘fiscal responsibility’?

You also say in your email, “By locking in the Trump tax cuts, we’re giving families and small businesses the ability to grow and thrive.” Oh geez! We’ve been waiting for this nonsense trickledown theory to prove itself effective for decades, ever since Regan hoodwinked the American public into falling for it. What we’ve seen is the rich getting richer and everyone else struggling to survive, including your hardworking constituents. The truth is that, by locking in the Trump tax cuts, he is ensuring that he and his billionaire buddies continue to steal from the poor to make themselves even richer. That’s just gross!

And then you say, “The package also prioritizes national defense, reins in bloated bureaucracy, and mitigates waste, fraud, and abuse in federal welfare programs.” In fact, Sir, I believe it is the bloated and insatiable greed of Trump and his oligarch cronies that needs reined in ASAP. And, if you’re looking for waste, fraud, and abuse, look no further than Trump’s cabinet of crooks and drunkards. One idea for saving tens of millions of dollars is to cancel Trump’s birthday parade and leave the poor Americans who are wondering how to pay for their rent or their medications or their food alone.

Before you vote in favor of this Big, Deadly Bill (because, yes, millions of Americans without health care will die prematurely – I sure hope this concerns you more than it does your cold-hearted colleague Senator Ernst), I hope you read every damned word of it and reflect on how much damage it will do to this great nation.

Jessica

These dudes who are 100% opposed to gun control sure are worried about Americans’ safety (as long as they can blame immigrants).

In which I challenge how can he know the kidnapped immigrants are illegal if you deny them due process:

Dear Senator Schmitt

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my outrage about the numerous illegal abductions being carried out by ICE under the guise of ‘immigration reform’. We all know that the masked, unidentified, heavily armed ICE thugs are just out to fulfill Trump’s racist orders to kidnap 3,000 individuals each day and ship them to for-profit prisons.

You say in your email, “Part of that strategy includes deporting illegal immigrants…” My question to you is, how the hell do you know that they are ‘illegal’ if they are not allowed due process??? I also wish to point out that these masked ICE agents are kidnapping individuals as they dutifully show up for their immigration hearings, when they are taking their kids to school, or when they are working. These ICE thugs are illegally pretending to be repair people and employing all kinds of sketchy methods to fulfill their daily abduction quotas. These thugs are breaking the law every day in everything they do – from being masked and unidentified, to nabbing innocent people. So, please don’t preach to me about ‘illegal’ behavior from hard working immigrants when it’s the actual law enforcement officers breaking laws!

You also say, “There has been a great deal of controversy surrounding the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and those like him. Garcia is an alleged gang member of MS-13, a Salvadorian gang involved in lucrative international illegal enterprise.” Give me a break! This has been proven false over and over again. Please don’t tell me that you fell for that lousy photoshop job Trump did of Mr. Garcia’s knuckles! I trust that you have the critical thinking skills to recognize glaring falsehoods such as those the Whitehouse has spread about Mr. Garcia. What is also glaring in his case is that it has been weeks since the Supreme Court ordered Trump to facilitate Mr. Garcia’s return from the El Salvadoran work camp, and Trump continues to ignore the courts, thus violating the Constitution. Will you demand that Trump upholds the law rather than casting unwarranted aspersions on hard working immigrants?

Jessica

After I posted this on FB, my brilliant friend Marty suggested this: “One might ask Schmitt what is the definition of "alleged". Allegations must be proven in a recognized judicial setting. Allegations have no weight or force otherwise. You might suggest to Schmitt that you have heard "allegations" that he is a big fan of child porn and that he abuses his wife and is also an embezzler. Ask him what he should do if you were to publish these allegations. He would doubtless feel confident that he has access to a proper place in which to contest your allegations, to defend himself and of his right to punish you for defamation. So why not the same for Kilmar?” I will definitely keep this in my back pocket to use on the next senator who says that an immigrant is an alleged criminal!

Look for the cracks!

It looks like my fave penpal Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is starting to crack, says he stands up to Trump. I kinda believe him.

A letter like this deserves a word of gratitude and a lot of encouragement to stay strong and enlist other reps to join him. I sent this off immediately after receiving his email:

Dear Senator Grassley,

Thank you for your email clarifying your position in regard to Trump’s obscene overreach as he marches our country into fascism. Now, more than ever, as he illegally turns the National Guard and Marines on peaceful protesters in LA, illegally threatens to have Democratic governors arrested, and has turned ICE into the gestapo just to meet Stephen Miller’s random quota of 3,000 arrests (kidnappings) per day, including ripping children out of school as well as assaulting immigrants attending their hearings – NOW is the time to gather your colleagues from both parties and stop this authoritarian takeover.

Senator Grassley – what we have been witnessing over the past 5 months, and especially in the past few days is absolutely terrifying. There is no question, Trump and his Project 2025 pals want absolute power that answers to no one. My understanding of his Big, Nasty Bill is that, if it passes in the Senate, not only will millions of Americans lose access to life-saving services (I assume that, unlike your colleague Senator Ernst, this concerns you), but Trump will be handed all the loopholes necessary to make him untouchable. We have seen that not only is he showing very obvious signs of cognitive impairment, but he also completely lacks any sense of morality. Trump is a classic narcissist who, unfortunately, has been given power, and now he wants more. He is a wannabe dictator, and to my horror, we are watching everyone capitulate to his toddler-like demands. It is such a relief to learn that you are standing up to his dangerous nonsense, and I implore you to continue. Hopefully, you will set an example for other representatives and senators to stop Trump before it is too late, and we enter a full-on dictatorship.

I hope that you are speaking out now against his illegal and dangerous overstep in Los Angeles. We all know that he is the one causing the problem and it is a threat to our constitutional rights to peaceful protests. The people of LA are right to stand up for their neighbors who are being kidnapped. He ran on a promise to deal with violent criminals, yet he pardoned the 1,500 J-6 violent criminals who stormed the Capitol. I think we can agree that neither the school children, nor the people working at Home Depot for minimum wage, nor the laborers growing our food, nor the immigrants dutifully showing up at their court appointments are violent criminals. These are friends and neighbors who contribute to our society, pay taxes, and are just trying to get by. They are being abducted by masked, unidentified, violent thugs working for Stephen Miller and Tom Homan. Senator Grassley, this is NOT immigration reform. This is gestapo-level violence, and it must be stopped now. Please continue to do everything you can to stop this homegrown horror show.

With thanks,

Jessica

If AOC says we should do it, let’s do it!

Back, sometime in that ill-fated month of November of 2024, it was as if Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez opened a door for me (us) to access the world of Republican representatives to let them know we are here to hold them accountable. If the MAGAverse can freely bombard her with their ‘thoughts and opinions’ then we should feel no compunction about letting her Republican colleagues know exactly what we think about their complicity in the demolition of the United States of America. I have friends and family in the USA and so I write for them. I am witnessing gross human rights abuses happening every day across the country, so I write for those victims. I live in a country under threat of annexation and economic warfare, so I write for myself and my fellow Canadians. If AOC says we should write and call her Republican colleagues, then we should definitely do it!

Be Noisy!

Jessica