4/22/2022

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            It looks like you enjoyed yourself in Portland yesterday. In all of the photos that I saw you were beaming, especially when greeting Gov. Kate Brown. It seemed that you 2 had a heart-felt conversation. What was she asking you for?

            Did your motorcade drive by Harriet Tubman Middle School at 4:00 yesterday? The Sunrise Movement PDX organized youth to protest there. The kids are not happy about the I-5 expansion. The last I-5 project left generational trauma in Albina so let’s not repeat the same mistake.

The Institute of Transportation Studies here at UCD could show you lots of evidence of “induced traffic.” That’s the paradoxical phenomenon that widening highways causes more traffic rather than alleviating it. So, in 2030, when the thing will be finished, traffic jams on I-5 will be worse than ever. Not worth it!

On this Earth Day, let’s follow the lead of the youngsters & make the JUST TRANSITION. I hope you’ll invite them to the WH to learn more about it.

You might also invite my colleague, Jorge Dubcovsky (JD), so he can give you some talking points about the effects of climate change on wheat production. Since Russia & Ukraine account for over 25% of the world’s wheat production, JD’s work is more important than ever. He’s working as fast as he can with folks around the world to breed wheat that can grow in harsher conditions. It’s a great example of collaboration, which is quite uplifting in this time of conflict.

I was heartened to see that the Tatmadaw wants to have some peace talks. Please do what you can to support that.

Have a good time in Seattle today,

BYBS,