10/12/2023

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            Be careful about what you say. When a radical settler in the Israeli army embellishes his eyewitness account, too many people are willing to repeat his story, including you. The situation is bad enough as it is without fake news.

            I encourage you to repeat the language used by my Chancellor, Gary May, in his statement. “Our community is reeling & in pain from the terror & escalating violence we are witnessing in Israel & in the Gaza Strip. Especially horrific is the use of hostages & the great losses of civilian lives. We stand in support of our Jewish & Muslim communities. We deeply mourn this catastrophic loss of life & the destruction of many families & futures.” This speaks my mind & avoids anger & blame.

            I wish I had the magic words to calm the fears of our young folks. “This, too, shall pass” is not very reassuring, but is the best I can do. Apparently, Lincoln expressed this adage in 1859 saying, “an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence, to be ever in view, & which should be true & appropriate in all times & situations. They presented him the words: "And this, too, shall pass away." How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction!”

            Please thank UN Ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, for her statement condemning the junta’s attack on the displaced person’s camp on Oct 9. If you replaced the word, Burma, with Israel, the last sentence could be useful in thinking about a way forward there.

“The United States will continue to support peace, human rights, & the establishment of a path toward a genuine & inclusive democracy in Burma through our work with members of the Security Council, other UN Member States, & regional partners…”

I hope to have the wind at my back on my bike ride over to the dentist’s.

BYBS,