2/20/2024

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            I hope your trip to LA goes well today. The LAT says you have to “thread a careful line, so as to not alienate core segments of the Democratic coalition — Jewish voters, young people & people of color.” Haim Saban wants to hear one thing, while AOC & THB want to hear something quite different. I suggest you keep repeating our mantra, WINTA, & pose the question, “what would happen if we started diverting funds from the military-industrial complex to other more peaceful pursuits.”

            The junta needs to contemplate that strategy. Their idea to conscript every Burmese citizen between the ages of 18 & 27 is wreaking havoc. Two people were killed in a crush standing in a passport line in Yangon.

            I have to run to my happy place to prepare the kiddos for their trip to our campus next week. They will be finding various destinations & I need to orient them. I suspect they have minimal experience with a map, so I am intrigued with how things will go today.

            How are you at map reading? I like to do it, but as I get older I find it more challenging.

            Speaking of the diminishment of aging, take a look at the article in today’s WP about the 80-year-olds in MI. I especially liked what 81-year-old Barry Johnson said about asking for assistance. He noted, “Whether it be furniture or running the country, when you’re older, you need to know when to ask for help. Biden can, but Trump can’t.”   

            According to the Jewish tradition, “when you ask someone for tzedakah, you give them an opportunity to perform a mitzvah that they may not have done on their own.” I’m sure Haim Saban will be impressed if you quote that line from e-Jewish philanthropy.

            BYBS,