4/3/2022

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            It’s nice that you had good weather for the commissioning ceremony yesterday. CNN noted that Jill brought the ceremony to life. As the submarine’s “sponsor” she’s the person on land who is supposed to keep track of the vessel to the extent possible. That’s hard to do with a VA-class stealth sub, but I’m sure Jill will do all she can.

            I continue to be troubled by the excessive cost of that sub! I was reassured to see that I am not the only one concerned about excessive defense spending. Today’s G had an article about the ire evoked by your record defense budget. I would like to echo several of the quotes in it. Here goes:

Rep Pramila Jayapal, leader of the progressive Caucus tweeted:

 We do not need to raise the defense budget by another $31 billion. It's time to make investments into our communities — not into a defense budget that is already larger than the next 11 countries combined.

Robert Weissman, president of the progressive group Public Citizen, says, “that expenditure, obviously, didn’t deter Russia from invading Ukraine.”

Stephen Miles, president of the progressive group Win Without War adds, “The threats we face in the 21st century” will not be “solved by spending more money at the Pentagon.”

            Please adjust your budget to devote more dollars to relocating refugees. I worry about the Rohingya who are being deported from India back to Myanmar into the hands of the Tatmadaw who committed genocide against their people. If they must be deported, please tell PM Narendra Modi that they can come here.

            As we enter this week which the Pope calls, Passiontide, let’s give special attention to the “persecution of the just man” which still happens all too often 2000 years after Christ died.

            HYITL