8/5/2022

JRB,

            Congratulations! Your name is on the front page of the KCS with the headline, “Biden signing executive order hails KS vote.” Among the many quotes in the article, “In a decisive vote, in a decisive victory, voters made it clear that politicians should not interfere with the fundamental rights of women,” was my favorite.

            Are you ecstatic that KLS got on board with the Inflation Reduction Act? Hopefully Elizabeth MacDonough can clear it as truly a “reconciliation” situation so that it clears the Senate & can move to the House. The CSM claims it has more carrots than sticks to address climate change. Even conservative environmentalist are saying good things about “decarbonized clean energy” & “green hydrogen.”

            Speaking of protecting the environment, I saw a fabulous show on PBS this week. Green Planet, where 95-yr old Sir David Attenborough narrated beautiful time elapsed videos showing the emergence of seedlings & the growth of roots. Best of all is the final message that if we want to protect plants we should eat more of them, making the point that growing food for livestock takes much more land & energy than eating plants directly.

Along those lines, I suggest that you start publicizing meatless Fridays at the WH. It would be in keeping with your Catholic upbringing with a 2022 flair. Your chefs could make a big deal about farm to fork using produce that’s in season in the DC area. You could invite AOC over which might change her mind about whether you should run for re-election.

Please take a look at the article in today’s WP, “A love story, forged in Myanmar’s political strife, ends in execution.”  Journalists Rebecca Tan &  Aung Naing Soe should get a prize for capturing the beauty of Ko Jimmy’s relationship with his wife while also spotlighting the cruelty of the junta. I hope you are following the ASEAN meeting & doing what you can to influence their policies on Burma.

            BYBS,