3/31/2022

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            It’s an exciting day for me in my quiet little life. It’s my first day of class with 10 eager, bright folks who are preparing to be teachers. I will be guiding them through the inquiry process in the hopes that they will become teachers who use evidence from their classrooms to disrupt the status quo & teach everyone to use math to make the world a better place. This year we will be trying to get to know our “enigmatic” students. Those who try to go unnoticed in the classroom & miss out on the benefits of getting engaged. Math has a way of traumatizing people which makes them hide. We have a lot of damage control to deal with. Wish me luck.

            Speaking of damage, I am SO disappointed to hear that you want the US producing more oil! I know that’s the politically expedient thing to say, but it’s the wrong thing to do! This is the perfect opportunity to wean us from our dependence on fossil fuels. As Peter Kalmus writes in today’s G, “A visionary leader would seize this moment to reduce consumption while protecting low-income households and preventing the rich from profiting off this global crisis.” He suggests “it’s time to phase out fossil fuels and industrial beef production with wartime resolve.” Please give that some serious consideration.

            Thanks for your attention to Myanmar in the joint statement that you made with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tues. I appreciated your “call for an end to violence against civilians in Myanmar, the release of all political detainees, including State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and foreign detainees.” This quote was in today’s NYT in an article about the extraordinary # of political prisoners that the junta have locked up. It’s amazing to me that the youth there keep resisting in the face of such oppression. Please encourage peaceful resistance there.

         BYBS,