4/13/2024

April 13, 2024

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            I’m sorry to miss the last couple of days of letters. Thursdays are my teaching day & I had to attend to planning class activities & communicating with students. Yesterday, I took a crew of 5 undergrads to meet the 5th graders. They loved it!

            I didn’t hear much about your trilateral meeting with the guys from Japan & the Philippines. I did hear that PM Kishida reminded our Congress that “freedom is the oxygen of humanity .. (which is) under threat around the globe.” I was surprised to learn that his family lived in the US when he was little. It’s nice that he feels that “Japan is already standing shoulder to shoulder with the US,” but I hope that doesn’t mean bullying other countries.

            I am sure you heard the news from Burma that Myawaddy has been taken over by the Karen National Union and its allies. This is huge because legal trade worth $1bn passes through this area every year. Now, instead of cargo, throngs of civilians are crossing the Friendship Bridges 1 & 2 into Mae Sot worried about what the junta is going to do next. According to AJ, this means “new battle lines have been drawn.”

            It looks like your remarks at the National Action Network yesterday were well received. It’s great that they are focusing on Black maternal health. I didn’t see many young folks at the conference. Perhaps the Rev Al Sharpton is too old school for them.

            I have to finish my taxes, so I best be going,

            BYBS,