March 3, 2021

Tomorrow Is National Grammar Day. Here Is George W. Bush’s 2008 Letter Inaugurating It.

Help. I have grammar in my eye.Carolyn Kaster/AP

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Tomorrow, as you know, is National Grammar Day, which makes today a good time to brush up on history.  President George W. Bush wrote a letter commemorating the day’s founding, in 2008, on White House stationery, replete with two spaces after periods.  I’ve contacted the George W. Bush Presidential Center to authenticate the letter:

Grammar site Quickanddirtytips.com

The White House
Washington

February 29, 2008

I send greetings to those celebrating National Grammar Day 2008.

Effective communication is critical to understanding the needs of others and building a prosperous future for our country.  By encouraging proper grammar in speech and literature, the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar helps educate people about the importance of mastering the English language.  National Grammar Day is an opportunity to recognize how communication skills can help more Americans prepare for the challenges ahead and compete for the jobs of the 21st century.

I appreciate the members of SPOGG and all those dedicated to inspiring a love of learning in their fellow citizens.  Your efforts help strengthen the character of our Nation.

Laura and I send our best wishes.

George W. Bush

I’ve also attempted to contact the Office of George W. Bush to seek comment, but his Media Inquiries contact page is broken.  Clicking “Submit” yields an error:

Screenshot by Mother Jones on Tuesday, March 2, 2021

I tried on multiple browsers:

Screenshot by Mother Jones on Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Dear Office of George W. Bush,

I’m writing about National Grammar Day, which is this Thursday, and want to confirm with you that President George W. Bush did in fact write the landmark February 29, 2008, letter on White House stationery commemorating the day’s inauguration as I’ve seen at www.quickanddirtytips.com/images/ngd/bush-letter.jpg. Could you please authenticate the letter? Does President Bush stand by the day?

Daniel King
dking@motherjones.com

It was a leap year, so February 29 checks out.

The day was founded by Martha Brockenbrough, the author of Things That Make Us [Sic], and although pedantry and prescriptiveness are actually the things that should make us [sic], there’s something recharging about a commemorative day, as long as grammar is viewed expansively and pluralistically and free of piety and sanctimony, including the right we all have to write run-on sentences.  Tomorrow is World Grammar Day; today we run sentences on.  And yes, you noticed that I just promoted National Grammar Day to World Grammar Day.  It contains multitudes.  Bush, known for his uniquely Bushian style, can join (or not).

If you observe the day, immediately donate $5 or $50,000 and nothing in between to Mother Jones.  I will thank you.  I am not suggesting quid pro quos, whose plural I have unpacked.  But I am suggesting a moral imperative to safeguard democracy and the independent reporting on which it depends by donating $900 million to Mother Jones today—act fast—and not a penny shy.  (You can donate any amount.)  Unless you dislike democracy.  Send strongly worded letters to styleguide@motherjones.com.  Never use two spaces after a period.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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