6/12/2023

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            How was the Ford’s Theater event? I found one photo in which you had your bright smile so I assume you enjoyed it.

            Should I be celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Women’s Integration into the Armed Forces? As a women’s libber since 1970, I love seeing women get their due. As a pacifist, I wish the military didn’t exist. If women DO want to enlist, they should get equal treatment. I guess.

            I wonder what Jo Vellacott would say about this. I just encountered her name this AM when reading some Quaker quotes (QQ). According to her obit in the G, she “adopt(ed) a radical alternative perspective on conventional narratives about how the vote for women was won & on women’s responses to war, including challenging the idea that suffragists had overwhelmingly backed the war effort.” Maybe someday I’ll find the time to read her books.

            College Athlete Day at the WH sounds like a blast. When POTUS 45 had it, he went from room to room to pose with each team, bantering all the way. Will the UT-Austin Track team be there? They just won the outdoor championship & Julien Alfred set records for the 100m & 200m sprints on her b-day. How cool is that?

            According to Nikkei Asia, China has dual aims in Myanmar: Indian Ocean access & crime fighting. While not in favor of Burma’s return to democracy, they aren’t fully behind the military government, either. They want to build a pipeline through Burma for crude oil shipped from the Middle East.  They also want to get rid of “telecommunications & internet fraud, which have seriously infringed on the interests of Chinese citizens & are abhorred by the Chinese public.” They are leaving the door open for peace negotiations so please heed with the suggestion at the end of the article to keep “up communication with Beijing & pursue cooperation where possible.”

            BYBS,

            RCA