8/9/2023

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            Have you ever heard of a side show? It’s a car thing & I am wondering if my community should be diverting resources to prevent them. Local journalist, Pendarvis Harshaw, rhapsodizes about them as “a sort of vehicular ballet & mini destruction derby.” It’s when a crowd of young folx gather at an intersection late at night to observe their peers doing donuts around a small group of crazy souls who stand inside the “hole.” Dangerous, noisy, illegal – all those things that young macho males love.  The best drivers aspire to be stunt men. Everyone else relishes the spectacle & basks in the excitement. Living in the moment, being rebellious. It’s what kids do. Having the cops come & break it up is part of the drama, so I have no trouble with that. We shouldn’t be wasting $$ with lots of fancy preventative measures. The kids will just come up with something else.

            Creative rebellion helps society move forward. It was evident this week in the red umbrella campaign in Yangon to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the 8888 Uprising. You’ll recall that was a pro-democracy movement led primarily by students & young activists on 8 August 1988, which resulted in a brutal crackdown. The youth in Burma always come up with a creative way to peacefully protest & mock the junta. Please get someone to take a photo of you with a red umbrella to show you are in on the joke.

            I hope the Land of Enchantment lives up to its name & you enjoy your visit to Arcosa Wind Towers facility.

            BYBS,

            RCA