5/9/2022

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            I awoke this morning to Art Garfunkel singing “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” It was part of a tribute on NPR for people who have died of CV. In this case, a son was eulogizing his father who had overcome many challenges in this life only to be brought down by a virus. You will recall the lyric:” I'm on your side, When times get rough, And friends just can't be found…” which will probably  be in my head all day.

            That song expresses my heartache about the violence and suffering in the world right now. It also captures my hope that people feel our presence & know that they are not alone.

            Did you hear that Bono sang “Stand by Me” with a Ukraine solider in a Kyiv subway/bomb shelter yesterday & then he toured some of the villages where Russian war crimes took place? I hope his visit brought some comfort.

            I’m sure that the moms in Ukraine appreciated hearing Jill’s sentiment, “the hearts of the American people are with the mothers of Ukraine.”

            Please make sure that the people of Burma know that we are their friends & that we are keeping them in our thoughts & prayers.

            I am disappointed that the Marcos family will be leading the Philippines again. It is worrisome that social media campaigns can distort history.  It is also worrisome that VVP is trying to persuade his people that “a clash with the neo-Nazis, the Banderites, backed by the United States and their junior partners, was inevitable.” Do you know anything about his claim that WWII vets wanted to be in Moscow for the Victory Day parades? Hard to believe that some 95 year-olds would want to travel all that way to affiliate with him.

            PBWY,

            RCA

PS – I wish the $33 billion in the Lend-Lease Act were going to humanitarian aid.!!! Sending more weapons will only make matters worse. WAR IS NOT THE ANSWER