I feel a deeply personal pain when I hear the verbal abuse and spiteful name-calling spewing from the mouth of our government’s highest representative. It triggers the sad memory of cruel childish taunts and mean-girl gossip suffered so long ago. Back then the only defense I knew was to repeat to myself the protective rhyme I’d been taught, “Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never harm me,” though I knew, even then, that it was not true. ...read more read less