4/24/2021
JRB,
Are you in Delaware? It’ supposed to be nice there today. It’s overcast here & may rain this weekend. We’d all be happy if it did, because it’s been the driest April ever here. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor we are in “exceptional drought” conditions so we are in for smoke at the end of the summer. Perhaps I should plan to be in Northern WI for the months of Aug. & Sept. That assumes that the internet connection there is sufficient to support my Zoom activity. Please get busy on that infrastructure bill so I can depend on better broadband next year.
Did you read David Von Drehle’s piece in the WP today? He thinks you should appoint Bill Clinton & George Bush to head up an immigration commission to generate a recommendation of about 4000 words. He claims that any complex negotiation is made easier by introducing more issues so he suggests that the solution to the stalemate is to promise a pathway to citizenship along with a wall & better border security. It’s the opposite of a “can’t please everyone approach.” It’s worth a try!
You might want to try the same thing regarding Myanmar. Find out what the National Unity Government wants & what Senior General Min Aung Hlaing (MAH) wants & try to please them all. According to Pavin Chachavalpongpun writing in the NYT today, MAH is tight with the generals in Thailand, so you might start by talking to them.
Pls call Jessica Owyoung, co-founder of Compassion in Oakland to congratulate her on the excellent work her group is doing to protect the AAPI community by serving as yellow-vested escorts. A diverse group of youth are walking the streets together to prevent attacks on the elderly. It reminds me of the Guardian Angels who used to patrol Oakland in their red berets in the ‘80s. They’re still around, so maybe they’ll join up with the kids in the yellow vests to make Oakland safe for everyone.
BYBS,
RCA
PS – Pls congratulate Jill on her nice coverage in the G for her excellent work as a teacher & FLOTUS
