58 Comments

While I am steering clear of most news following the election, I am always grateful to see a new edition of "Letters from an American" in my inbox. Thank you for your scholarship and honesty. Guess I'm one of those "elitists" who still value both.

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Hear you loud and clear, Mr Nixon!

Will continue to tune in Lawence O'Donnell only... for the time being. Have not watched regular news broadcasts since BEFORE the calamitous night from hell...Have risen from my defeatist attitude to go back to my editions of those who bravely saw this man for what he truly is...and fearlessly sought to inform us all of the dangers to our beloved nation this man presents. Am 90 years young...not under the sod quite yet.

My Welsh " dragon" double helix has resurfaced with a Celtic.vengeance! We may have lost a skirmish...but the war is not over yet, my friend ! We must hang together and fight together to WIN THE WAR!

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❤️

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Thank you, Tom & Stephanie .🤗

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Do not allow others to make *elite* a dirty word... elites are those who need the Truth, who think, and are thoughtful and considerate above all else.

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Me, too.

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We will have to lean heavily on the Constitution and Rule of law in the coming years. God Bless and save our United States.

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Here's another perspective: If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin. -Samuel Adams, revolutionary (1722-1803)

Sad that John McCain, John Lewis, and RGB are no longer with us. What great patriots they were.

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Good thing we'll have Trump's support to freely express our ideas, even if they contradict his administration's agenda, unlike the conditions under the Biden administration. Trump has affirmed his avid support for the Constitution by pledging to undo the censorship apparatus built up under Biden. Those of us who wanted to shout from the rooftops that the pandemic was a manufactured scam and the COVID vaccines didn't work were accused of spreading 'misinformation' and had our social media accounts shut down. That will not happen under Trump. You will be able to say anything you want about Project 2025, or men playing women's sports, or Robert F. Kennedy publishing all the data on the vaccines, without fear of losing your ability to speak your mind or being accused of being a misinformation spreader. Thank you, Donald Trump! Please watch this video. These are not the words of a fascist or an aspiring dictator.

https://x.com/i/status/1855119856649355729

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Fortunately, RFK Jr. will not be able to pass Senate confirmation! By the way, David, have you looked at what happened to the children of the city of Calgary, Canada in only a year or so after the fluoridation of city water was discontinued?

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Just watch.

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Nov 8·edited Nov 8

You’re the best; thank you for this clarifying report. I feel stronger already.

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Planning a move to Australia where our son owns 2 homes.

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i suspect we will hear about more and more folks - from ordinary citizens to government officials - resisting, dissenting, collectively working against tfg and his sycophants. i also suspect there will be alot of in-fighting amongst all the loyalists who think they will be rewarded for their allegiance. on another note: i too am foregoing news in all ways, shapes, and forms. except for ‘letters from an american’.

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Trump promised everyone everything they wanted, sometimes multiple people the same thing or the opposite things. A lot of his henchmen are going to be disappointed. Also, his closest enablers are driven by greed. They will fight over the spoils and start to turn on each other.

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I have been hearing people talking about all the citizen-initiated ballots on abortion as giving white women a leave pass to vote for Trump. They vote to protect their reproductive rights and then vote for him once they have secured their own little corner of freedom. Thoughts? If it is true, it is yet another example of how insular we have all become. As long as I'm ok then bugger the rest of you all. The West has lost its mojo.

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Won't a national abortion ban (passed by the Republican-led Senate and House) nullify all state laws allowing abortion? If so, those voters are going to be very disappointed. Same with national laws about access to contraception, gay marriage, etc. I have been astoundingly depressed these past few days and looking into moving to New Zealand, but I am perking up. The extremists in Congress are going to anger a lot of people by overriding state protections for things like abortion and civil rights. Trump has two years before at least one of the chambers of Congress turns blue. Read what Heather has written about the preceders of FDR and how they led to his success. People like Heather, who remind us about dark days in the past and how we got through them, are more important than ever now. Thank you Heather!

I am worried, however, about all the experts in the civil service (I work with a lot of the scientists and engineers). They will be gone and not coming back. In that case, living in a "blue state" (I live in Boston and Washington state) will provide some protection because these states will still have competent civil servants. There are ways to fight back after we all get over our despair (we are all entitled to a period of mourning). I'm looking at re-engaging with Indivisible. Trump can do tremendous damage in 2 years, but I don't think he will have much more uncurtailed time than that.

Now if he doesn't encourage Putin to attack Europe and ignite WW III ... NATO, even without us in it, has to stand strong. I work with defense establishments in other NATO countries and plan to continue to do so.

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I don’t know. SCOTUS sanctified state rights on that so I’m assuming that they would have to reverse the Dobbs v Jackson decision in order for that to happen. Of course, that is quite likely. It would serve those smug white women who thought they could safely vote for Trump right if it did - except too many innocents will suffer. What a mess, eh?

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As I understand it, it's complicated. If Congress passed a national abortion ban and Trump signed it, then that would override any state protections (as well as Dobbs v. Jackson). Trump said during the campaign that he would not sign such a ban. But Trump is not exactly truthful. Another way to accomplish the same thing is to pass a "fetal personhood" law. Right now, even with a majority Republican Congress, there probably is not enough national support for either of these (national abortion ban or fetal personhood). But who knows. Fetal personhood was acknowledged in the Republican platform for this election. And I believe banning abortion is in Project 2025. I assume that most of the people Trump appoints to national positions (White House and FDA) will be anti-abortion.

Another way to ban abortion nationally is to enforce the Comstock Act, which could be used to ban mailing abortion drugs or block any medical supplies or other equipment related to it from being shipped. Again, Trump has said he would not enforce the Comstock Act, but who knows. In August Trump was asked about it and replied: “We will be discussing specifics of it, but generally speaking no … I would not do that.” That's pretty vague, and, again, Trump is not know for being truthful. [Note that the Comstock Act could also be used to ban contraceptives and "pornography" although it is doubtful that our male dominated government, beyond Mike Johnson, would want to ban pornography. Banning contraceptives most likely does not currently have enough support at the Federal level. But certain types, such as IUD's, could be prohibited in various ways.]

The federal government could also ban abortion drugs. One way to do this is to appoint people to the FDA who would revoke approval for mifepristone. Trump has said he would not do that, but that was during the campaign, and Trump is, once again, not known for being truthful. And it is not clear that he really objects to abortion himself (in the distant past he has supported it) but he does not have many real beliefs (aside from his belief that he is the greatest person who ever lived), and he can be influenced by the people around him.

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Thanks for the explanation. I guess we shall all see soon enough. Like you, I have no doubt Trump will do what the most influential people in the room want him to do. Considering all the theocrats lining up to do just that, nothing will surprise me. Unless they find some way to prevent young well-educated people from leaving in their droves, I foresee a mass exodus of people not willing to put their own lives/their loved ones’ lives at risk.

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Yes, it’s one thing to make a whole lot of promises and quite another to follow through. Take the deportation of millions of migrants. That only works if countries accept to take them back. It would also cost billions. Ditto the stoopid wall. Then there is Musk’s plan to gut all social services. The moronic Kennedy in charge of health banning immunizations. It will be chaotic and disruptive and all those eejits who didn’t bother to inform themselves will be mightily pissed off. Quickly.

Keep your New Zealand plan on the back burner though. Getting them out is another thing entirely…

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Yes, Federal wins over State in this case

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And they could lose those State rights if Trump does a national ban...so it would all be for naught.

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I’m not sure of the legals but my understanding is that after the usual legal skirmishes, it would eventually find its way to SCOTUS which would like to see women without any reproductive rights or sovereignty inside the marriage contract. So, you are probably correct.

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I had a couple days of shock, but the activist in me kicked in yesterday. Isn’t that what happened in Nazi Germany? As long as I am safe, others are on their own? I will not abandon what this country actually stands for, and what we have been given. I will not abandon those people I can help.

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Nov 9·edited Nov 9

I wanted to go under the bed, but I came out to read a lot from good folks already looking at a way forward and looking at the lessons we should take from this. I am principally very disappointed, actually disgusted about a good chunk of the electorate that brought us this monster again and his consequences to come. I am feeling the anger and hate that *they feel*. Why should I care about what this country becomes if they don't?

Trump will deteriorate further.. but this ugly movement is riding with him.

Sometimes we need to fight; when it comes like this, and it will come closer, it cannot be ignored. There will be a lot of resistance. But there is much that Trump says he's going to do that he just cannot. Read https://jabberwocking.com/what-a-depressing-night/ for instance for a reality check.

I also feel protected here in Massachusetts. But other governors too are now saying they will fight and not cooperate. A movement will begin.. already marches are being planned.

I do worry about foreign relations.. Ukraine mostly. But many of us need a break... then onward. This country is my home too.

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Well, MAGA folks, you got your wish. Don't complain when you can't afford basic household necessities.

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A good deal of the inflation we are experiencing in the grocery stores stems from global warming. Two years ago there were monsoons in SE Asia and droughts in South American, the major producers of rapeseed used to make canola oil. Canola oil is/was the most common oil used in American cooking. It's also a key ingredient in American snack foods (e.g potato chips) and in fast food restaurants. The price per gallon tripled. It has not gone down. Likewise, they've determined that "olive trees are very vulnerable to climate change." The price of olive oil has increased by 30% in the last two years. Coffee, cotton, the list goes on. And yet NEITHER candidate made a peep about global warming.

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At least we will be free to complain, unlike the conditions under the Biden administration. Trump has affirmed his avid support for the Constitution by pledging to undo the censorship apparatus built up under Biden. Those of us who wanted to shout from the rooftops that the pandemic was a manufactured scam and the COVID vaccines didn't work were accused of spreading 'misinformation' and had our social media accounts shut down. That will not happen under Trump. You will be able to say anything you want about Project 2025, or men playing women's sports, or inflation, or Robert F. Kennedy publishing all the data on the vaccines, without fear of losing your ability to speak your mind or being accused of being a misinformation spreader. Thank you, Donald Trump! Please watch this video. These are not the words of a fascist or an aspiring dictator.

https://x.com/i/status/1855119856649355729

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It was Trump who, after being warned by his own national security advisers that a deadly pandemic was coming, he did nothing to warn the public; he played it down as “like the flu, it will just …. go away”. He told Bob Woodward (who doesn’t lie about such things) that he didn’t want to create a panic. Six months later, he really did not have a plan to deal with Covid, except that his only concern was about its effect on his November Election Day. And yes, it was a real pandemic, and it killed over a million Americans, including a fairly large number of Trump supporters and others in Trump states! Let’s see how Trump and RFK Jr. and the usual suspects deal with the next pandemic: possibly the avian flu virus, which has killed migratory birds and wild mammals all over the U.S., has infected cattle herds and has now been detected in pigs.

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As the Trump Team takes office, much of the censored data on the totally ineffective vaccines that killed and injured many in America and across the world will begin to come out. Big Pharma will have to own up to their part in Warp-Speeding a vaccine that was not effectively researched and was known to have injurious side-effects and consequences for people's health long into the future. The Biden Admin orchestrated the suppression of data that would have proved this but kept the American public in the dark. There is a lot to be explained, but in the meantime I would plead with you not to line up for the next bird flu vaccine. The bioweapon experts have been perfecting this disease but the vaccine--if true to the last four years, will be more likely to kill or injure you than the flu. Please wait and be patient so you can learn the full history of the the mRNA vaxxes that were unleashed on an unsuspecting public. It was not the public's fault but rather a really ugly plot on the part of Pharma and our DOD--and absolutely, the Biden Admin. We have all been taken in somewhere along the line of the narrative that said the vaxxes were "safe and effective." The public was hood-winked and justice must be served so this ugly crime can't be implemented on us again.

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I already know more about the background research on mRNA vaccines, since I read the newspapers every day to learn what’s going on, from legitimate sources. The research goes back at least 30 years and the vaccines were produced quickly only as a result of the long research background, mainly by two dedicated researchers. It appears to me that yes, a component of the vaccines (a minuscule form of polyethylene glycol, I think, may cause allergic reactions in a small fraction of the population. You might ask yourself why far more than one million Americans died from Covid 19, while Trump was pretending there was no danger. And they’re still dying from Covid 19 in large numbers every week. You might ask yourself how the “truth tellers” will be able to distinguish disease caused by Covid 19 itself, which can attack any part of the body, from any that was caused by the vaccinations. I have had four such shots and nI’m in very good health.

After Trump and Musk and RFK Jr. are done with the health agencies, preventable disease outbreaks will become frequent. The avian flu may kill more people than Covid 19; the emerging evidence is that it can travel by air, although only about 47 people have tested positive for exposure to the H5N1 avian flu virus. While most of those people worked with animals on farms, some did not. Remind you of anything, like the travel stories on planes and ships when the pandemic was just getting going, that led to the travel bans?

Avian flu has already killed large numbers of sea mammals in other parts of the world. It’s now just a matter of time before the virus becomes highly contagious among humans. Bring out your dead! Bring out your dead! I will call it the Trump plague.

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Thank you for your thoughts, Noel. It may still be too early to actually be able to see the truth about the vaccines. The media is still holding sway, censoring and suppressing. I do not want to cause great upset, but I do want people to realize that the vaxxes were not researched and their purpose was never to prevent COVID. The new book based on the Pfizer papers that were ordered by the FDA not to see the light of day for 75 years--but then by FOIA request were legally released. The contents of these papers is truly horrifying and has much more to do with destroying the ability of women to have children and to compromising the healthy birth of children. There is much more. I would not ask you to read this except for the very nefarious and ongoing destruction that these vaxxes are proving to be responsible for. You can hear the powerful interview of Naomi Wolf (I'm sure your fact checkers will put her down as part of their suppressing the truth). https://live.childrenshealthdefense.org/chd-tv/shows/good-morning-chd/pfizers-crimes-against-humanity--media-reporting-failures/ Sooner rather than later the truth must come to light. It is a very hard pill to swallow but it must never be allowed to happen again.

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I never follow such links, nor provide them. I don’t want to get down in the rabbit hole you’re in, and I won’t believe something just because somebody asserts it and promulgates links purporting to “expose the truth”. I don’t even know whether you are an American or instead are a Russian bot. I’ve spent enough time listening to anti-vaxxers raving on the radio about all the people who supposedly died from vaccines. I won’t be responding to you any more on this subject. Perhaps you should contact RFK Jr. for a job in the Trump administration to hunt down all the people involved in creating the vaccine and put them on public trial. I bet that no jury would convict a single one of them of anything “nefarious”. You are just promoting another destructive conspiracy theory, which Russia always does to try and drive wedges between Americans. The bird flu will be the next great challenge of governments everywhere. If it is as bad as it looks, populations will be decimated unless they have a vaccine that keeps the victims off of ventilators. Better prepare you ‘advance medical directive’ and medical power of attorney before the bird flu hits; since you will refuse any vaccine, you will be going on a ventilator. The vast majority of people that died of Covid 19 or were hospitalized with it and then died, were people that never got vaccinated, in many cases because of (people or bots?) like you. So you will have all those lost souls on the demerit side of your karmic record. I have no desire to communicate with those who have gone down conspiracy rabbit holes.

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Thank you David W for your outright joy at being able to express your Right to Free Speech. After four years of having it suppressed and terming us Mis, Dis and Mal-information spreaders--even with the science to prove we had a point to make on the other side of the govt narrative. And especially during this election season to see all other candidates except the Biden/Harris team censored to the point that no one had even heard of Kennedy--except for the brainworm :/-- or the other candidates and many are not even aware NOW that there is a very important MAHA movement (Make America Healthy Again) that has been a part of the Kennedy/Trump alignment for two months. Censorship of our Right to Free Speech is extremely effective when you control the media. This was exactly what the Biden admin did. I also want to shout from the rooftop. Our 1st Amendment Right to Free Speech is the most important issue of this election. I ask you Heather CR to recognize this and celebrate this primary aspect of the Trump/Vance victory as a victory for ALL Americans and for our Constitution.

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Good luck with that. I have no problem with free speech, no one should. I believe that people should be able to say whatever damn fool thing that pops into their mind, no matter how ridiculous, as they don’t mind being criticized for it. People define themselves by the things they say and do. The problem comes when people engage in slander and libel, and spread lies, and use abject lies to stoke fear, anger and hate among the population, for political ends. The great journalist Maria Ressa, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for standing up against the Duterte regime in the Philippines, said that all the bigotry, lies and calls for retribution and violence that we saw Trump and Vance use in their campaign had all, even down to Trump sexing a microphone, had been first used by Duterte years ago. Under Duterte, tens of thousands were murdered without due process, not directly by his orders in most cases, but he takes responsibility anyway. These are the kind of people you have given tremendous power to. Do you really think they will even care about your free speech? No - good luck with that.

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Professor, Heather! You are my source of truth to power and truthful context in these upside down times! I so deeply appreciate access to information for. YOU!!! From my heart and mind the most profound THANKS

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My vineyard crew of Hispanic workers all voted for Trump as did most everyone in their community. They sheepishly admitted they voted for Trump because their housing, groceries, gas, etc. affordability was much better in Trump's first term than in Biden's term. All the other issues that have been debated are irrelevant compared to their decreased ability to get by, day to day. It doesn't matter whether Trump had anything to do with consumer affordability or whether Biden did either. Maybe we should postpone debates about abortion, immigration, foreign wars, etc. until more Americans can afford basic daily living. Maybe Democrats and Republicans should address this problem.

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I'm aware that the Trump campaign made a strong effort to win the Latino vote. But the lies they used to win those votes were soul crushing for me. And sadly - these workers simply don't know that a POTUS has very limited power to control the economy. (When I asked around with non-college educated Hispanic voters, I felt that, at least among the men - machismo is very much alive. They were not going to vote for a woman.

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Nov 9·edited Nov 9

When the coming dictatorship ends, and the 20th century has shown us that it is usually takes at least one generation, then finally a new Constitution can be written that will fix the flaws that brought us to this said day. Authoritarian regimes do not answer to laws, or courts, or Constitutions unless they want to. They are not voted out. There is very little historical evidence to support the idea that any of our institutions will hold given the authoritarian party's control of all branches of the government, the military, coupled with complete executive immunity. For four decades I worked directly with refugees fleeing from authoritarian regimes from all parts of the world. Almost always, the refugees had underestimated how bad it would get in their country. There is no reason to believe the US is any exception to this naiveté, particularly given this is our first experience with a dictator. As bad as it feels now, the catastrophe hasn't even begun yet. Now is the time to prepare for the worst.

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It was actually the Biden administration that began to tear down the Constitution by censoring social media content that didn't agree with its agenda. Trump has just promised to take steps so that that won't happen again. If we have free speech, no authoritarian will be able to hold their sway. The media has portrayed Donald Trump falsely, and if you only read certain news sources, you will have a distorted view of him.

Please watch this video. These are not the words of a fascist or an aspiring dictator.

https://x.com/i/status/1855119856649355729

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Nov 10·edited Nov 10

Trump is traitor who should have been in jail or in front of firing squad already. Biden spent four years cleaning up his god-awful mess. I read a variety of reliable media - along with conversations I have with professionals in the government. I worked in Washington from the Reagan through Trump administrations. I helped refugees from countries around the world included most who fled authoritarian regimes. I have spent times in war zones and in third world countries ruled by dictators. So, I know authoritarianism when I see it. But actually, I assume you are a Russian bot...so I won't take it personally.

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A famous Russian media troll, Mikhail Zvinchuk, who created a Telegram channel to spread Russian bullshit, was quoted in a Washington Post article published November 6: “In principle, it is possible to manipulate people easily”, he said, adding that conspiracy theories have made it easy “to manipulate large masses”. That, he said, is “because a person, when under the deepest stress, is ready to believe absolutely any nonsense”. I believe that you are incorrect when you claim that everyone who supported Biden and Harris is either misinformed, or wrong, or both. Consider the possibility that you have been taken in by a some of the most skilled liars, yourself. RFK is always spouting some kind of conspiracy theory. It was Trump who has lied the most and backed every asinine Q-anon bullshit and meme. It was Trump and Musk who have held regular conversations with Putin. Put 2 and 2 together and it equals 4. These guys are all in cahoots together. They will render catastrophic damage to the U.S. and the world. You voted for the wrong team!

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Heather,

Thank you so much for being such a brilliant and strong voice for history and truth.

My father was a foreign corespondent in the 60's and a broadcaster for 40yrs. News has been around me my whole life. (I have seen history come home in a briefcase.)

Now at 63yrs the news has become a catalyst for my art. My motto is "I'd like to make money, but I want to make history!" This time will inspire new art that is powerful. Some of the still popular songs are from times of discord and turmoil. My own work has become completely political in a satirical and playful way. (Instagram @colbyparkerbeutel)

Please continue providing your wisdom, we need this now more than ever. I am thirsty for information and the history that connects the dots.

You are Inspiring, Brilliant and Wise.

Thank you!

Sincerely Colby

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Dear Heather, I was wondering if you might make for us a reading list for this moment in our history--from our founders, from different moments in our history. Things that inspire association and comparison in your thinking as you reflect upon our time.

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