Cover to Cover
What a heart-tugging progression of covers over the past few weeks! First came the March 25 cover featuring “the Climate Kid,” Greta Thunberg—her intense, ageless, unforgettable face, followed by my euphoria over the huge impact she was able to achieve. Then came the April 1 cover, a stark plastic water bottle with the message that pollution is going to get worse. This devastating image was then followed by the heartwarming April 8 cover [“Meet Mississippi’s Fiercest Advocate for Reproductive Justice” by Rebecca Grant], which framed the abortion issue in positive terms; I have always deplored the way the label “pro-life” consigned the “pro-abortion” stance to the side of death. It is wonderful that a group of women of color in Mississippi are restoring the right to choose to its proper context: that of truly seeing to the needs of individual women and individual families, including the needs of children already born.
I await future adventures with your covers and stories, knowing that you will continue to balance the negative and the positive.
Christiane Marks chatham, n.y.
A Miss on Mueller
Unfortunately, in its lead editorial on the Mueller report [April 15], The Nation echoed the misleading characterization being peddled by President Trump’s apologists: that “Mueller found no evidence that Donald Trump or his subordinates conspired with the Russian government to steal the 2016 election.” In fact, nowhere does William Barr’s March 24 letter say that Mueller found “no evidence” of conspiracy.
Rather, according to Barr, Mueller’s report states that the “investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.” Saying that Mueller did not establish conspiracy sufficient to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt does not mean there was “no evidence” of conspiracy.
Given Mueller’s refusal to exonerate Trump on the charge of obstruction of justice, The Nation compounds its error by leaping to the unfounded conclusion that “Mueller’s key findings should tamp down the fervor for impeachment.” What “key findings”? To date, no part of the 400-page report has been released, and Congress has just begun its independent investigation of Trump’s wrongdoing. Since impeachment does not require proof that a crime has been committed, it is entirely premature for The Nation to kill impeachment in its crib before all the evidence has been gathered and presented to the American people.
Stephen F. Rohde los angeles
Parenting Lessons
I loved Dani McClain’s “What All Parents Can Learn From Black Mothers” [April 15]. As an older, white, never-married, new adoptive mom, I have a lot to learn about social networks, alternatives to patriarchy, and pride and vulnerability from parents like McClain. Thank you so much for running this piece!
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Onward,
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and publisher, The Nation
I did have to wonder if the illustrator had read the piece, though. Why all the tears? What a disservice to readers, given how inspiring and helpful McClain’s piece was.
Thank you for running it nonetheless. I can’t wait to read McClain’s book [We Live for the We: The Political Power of Black Motherhood].
Jennie Uleman jackson heights, n.y.
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