10/21/2022

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            I hope you know that Japan's PM Fumio Kishida called the Myanmar junta "the Myanmar government" while defending Japan's decision to invite a junta representative to ex-PM Abe's state funeral. Please give him a call & tell him that Burma does not have a legitimate government right now & ask him to apologize for his faux pas. While you’re at it, invite him to join you in recognizing the National Unity Government before things go from bad to worse in Burma & it splits up into a bunch of fiefdoms.

            Please recall that WINTA. The indomitable human spirit will prevail. As the song in Jesus, Christ, Superstore notes, “If every tongue were stilled the noise would still continue. The rocks and stone themselves would start to sing.” I take that to mean, that when groups of humans have strong impulses they will prevail, no matter how much force the powerful might use to oppress them. We each have the capacity to think for ourselves & no matter how hard others may try to dehumanize us, we can control our minds.

            I am reminding you of this today because I am reading about the young women in Iran who refuse to be cowed by attempts of the military to silence them. I am reminding you of this today because the students in Burma refuse to be intimidated by the junta. I am reminding you of this today because the youth in the USA are planning to vote. We can rejoice that, now, more than ever, adolescents are uniting to make their voices heard using the power of social media.

            This is your moment to use your bully pulpit to encourage kids around the world to get civically engaged, continue to peacefully protest & show their elders that the world needs to change.

            BYBS,