9/30/2022

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            You are going to have lots of fun today! Celebrating the investiture of Ketanji Brown Jackson in the Supreme Court, kicking off the Jewish New Year & commemorating Hispanic Heritage Month. A whirlwind of activity.

Speaking of whirlwinds, I was chagrinned to see that Ian is picking up strength on its way to the Carolinas. I hope their insurance system is in better shape than the one in FL. I just read in the WP that “a dozen firms that provide homeowners insurance in Florida have become insolvent in the past two years.” Apparently, “It is the most risky piece of land in the world for insurers from a catastrophe standpoint.”

When my uncle built his house on the Gulf in Bay St. Louis, MS, he accepted the fact that it would blow away in a hurricane someday. Luckily for his widow, that happened the year after she sold it. My uncle could afford to rebuild if he had to. Most folks aren’t that fortunate. Do you have thoughts on insuring people to live in such a risky place?

It seems that your Pacific Island Summit was a success. Did you get Manasseh Sogavare from the Solomon Islands to sign the pact?

I was disappointed that only one of the dozen leaders in attendance was a woman. I hope you congratulated Fiame Naomi Mataafa, PM of Samoa, for her persistence in finally taking office. As you may have heard, her predecessor, who was the 2nd longest serving PM in the world, refused to step down due to some complication related to their gender quota. She’s descended from chiefs so leadership runs in her family. I hope you made a special effort to make her feel at home in the WH.

You will recall that a little while ago I requested you provide refuge to Thaw Nandar Aung, the Burmese beauty queen. You will be happy to know that Canada already stepped up so she is safe. Plenty of other Burmese people could use a safe haven, so I hope you will continue to pursue finding them temporary homes in the US.

            BYBS,