Dear President Biden,
The nature news from around here is that a bunny or bunny family has taken up residence in our backyard, complete with a freshly dug, quite deep, burrow in the lawn. Mind you, our “lawn” is not one of those neat and tidy bright green things like you have outside your windows. Rather, it’s a fairly scruffy patch of grass Laura has wrested back from the moss that’s dotted with large clumps of un-mown clover, lambs ears, and Queen Anne’s Lace – now complete with a “sprain-your-ankle-in-a-heartbeat” hole snugged up to the largest clover clump. It’s cozy and sweet – at least to us, and the bunnies.
So this burrow is pretty impressive considering that bunnies only have small claws with which to dig their burrows. Here’s what the handy Google blurb says (the capitalization and bolding pattern is theirs):
“Rabbits Do Have Claws, and They Are Very Useful for Surviving in the Wild. Claws Are Essential for Building Burrows and Hiding from Predators. While wild rabbits do not need their claws clipped…”
Someone went a little nutty with this one and I’m afraid it wasn’t proofread very carefully; it sounds like the claws themselves are essential for hiding from predators. I’m picturing a bunny that can whip out a huge fan of claws that blend in with the surrounding terrain as camouflage. It’s also hilarious that they felt the need to tag in that wild rabbits “do not need their claws clipped” even if it is a prelude to telling caretakers of domesticated rabbit that they do need to clip their charges’ claws. But who knows, maybe this clear statement about leaving wild rabbits claws alone has saved some wild rabbits from being messed with.
Anyway, the bunny burrow in our backyard is surrounded by big masses of rabbit down, which Laura is calling “Angora.” And of course, now the entire backyard is safe from mowing since it is unthinkable that we would in any way disturb or scare our new neighbors.
The one political thing I want to put in front of you today is a rework of the statement you made yesterday (or Tuesday, I’m not sure) that historian, Dr. Heather Cox Richardson featured in her email newsletter this morning. The original statement is:
“We’re going to make it clear that the United States is back and democracies of the world are standing together to tackle the toughest challenges and the issues that matter most to our future.”
Personally, I think that it would be more honest if you said something like:
“We’d really like to be able to say that the United States is back, but we don’t yet have all Democrats of the Senate standing together to tackle the toughest challenges and the issues that matter most to our future. Please stay tuned.”
Seriously, that is the more accurate statement. Right now yours is just empty bravado and everyone but you sees through it (and really, you probably see through it too).
I was dismayed to read yesterday that Joe/Mitch Manchin said that you haven’t spoken to him about the filibuster or his refusal to support HR1 or the infrastructure package. What’s going on with you, sir? It’s totally fair game for you as POTUS and as leader of the Democratic Party to have heart-to-hearts with your people to try and persuade them to get on board. Yes, the GOP screamers will say you’re using strong arm tactics since that’s politically helpful to them and it’s also all they know to do to each other, but if you/we can’t get Manchin and Sinema to come around we aren’t going to have much of anything left to protect so please step it up. And fast.
May we all be safe from wild bunny claws and from leaders who are too chill about dangerous renegades.
May we all be willing to see and call the GOP on their BS before it’s too late.
May we all understand that our democracy really isn’t all that strong and that it can’t protect itself.
May we all accept that stripping voting rights and rigging electors in even a couple of states is absolutely not ok.
Sincerely,
Tracy Simpson
The Biden Letters 