Letter to President Biden

Dear President Biden,
Although we are roughly of an age and live within an hour of each other, we have never met in person. My first memory of you was during the hearings in the U.S. Senate to decide whether Clarence Thomas was an acceptable candidate for the Supreme Court. I can only imagine that those days continue to haunt both of us.
Diplomacy has since become your middle name. You were a strong vice president, a valuable resource for a young, inexperienced president who made good use of your insight and years of service to foster a bi-partisan view of governing. You helped him become a better national leader.
As you enter the last months of your first term as chief executive, you are at the center of unnumbered crises, both at home and abroad. It cannot be easy to keep your head focused on so many important issues while disparate voices shout at you to do their bidding or lose their support. I am especially concerned about how we stand by our allies without supporting their militaristic agenda. We should have learned since 9/11 that striking out in anger and revenge accomplishes nothing, and we should support teaching that lesson to every country that would try to repeat our mistake.
From my perspective, you have accomplished a great many positive outcomes during these few years, beginning with an all-out assault on the covid pandemic that saw the effects of trusting science and letting the experts direct the medical issue. You have managed to pass significant bi-partisan legislation designed to move the country forward so that everyone will benefit and life will be more equitable for all. It is not a perfect record, but it is a very solid start.
The next six months will be crucial to our country, as we prepare for another pivotal election. I know that I do not speak for everyone, but I am also sure that I speak for many when I implore you to spend this time focused on the positive, not the personal. The message voters want to hear is not about your opponent and his failures, both personal and professional; they need to be reminded of the good things that have happened since you took office. The message your campaign should be sending to the people is how you are planning to build on the past three-plus years to create something even better. The view you project should always be one that is looking forward with hope and confidence.
As you would probably say, “We are the United States of America, and we can do anything that we put our minds and hearts to.”
Sincerely yours,
Lanetta (Lanny) Parks
Lanny Parks has always loved books. She was a librarian at the EPFL in Baltimore, at Kent School, and Queen Anne’s County, and owned a local bookstore. Her weekly newspaper column ran for over 20 years. She has lived with her family in Chestertown for over 50 years.
Common Sense for the Eastern Shore




