12/24/2021

MDF&P, JRB,

We are having a beautiful morning. How about you? It’s perfect weather for me to deliver Christmas cookies to the neighbors. I am trying to get into the spirit by listening to the Kings College Festival of 9 lessons & carols, but hearing God scold Adam for sinning isn’t too uplifting. How are you getting into the spirit?

I’m surprised to see that you will be spending the weekend at the WH. It must be nice to be surrounded by gorgeous decorations & to be fed delicious meals. Would that all Americans could revel in such luxury.

The big news of the day is the 448 flights in the USA that have been canceled due to staffing shortages. Up till now we, Americans, have taken our smoothly functioning economy for granted. We rarely stood in line. We rarely experienced disruptions. The ATM almost always had cash. People showed up to work on most days. It never dawned on us that our collective good health supported this system.

I remember when one of my friends returned from her Peace Corps stint & noted that the US operates so well because people don’t get sick very much. This was not the case in Africa in the late ‘80s. All kinds of maladies crippled communities. Even when people showed up to work, they weren’t operating at full speed.

Do you think that’s our future? I certainly hope not.

I got some hope from seeing that you “echo” DJT’s comments about the “safety & efficacy of vaccines.” I love that your admin could utter his name in such a positive light. I was disappointed that the NYT chose not to run the story about that minor miracle.

I am tempted to stop subscribing to the NYT since they seldom mention you, but today’s story about the crooked family in Mayanmar who procure military equipment for the junta while living the high life, was worth the price of my subscription. Please freeze the assets of the Kyaw Thaungs.

BYBS,