4/22/2024

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            On this 22nd day of the 4th month, it’s fitting that we celebrate the Earth & my brother, CTA. A boy scout, fisherman, gardener, CTA loves to be outside, getting dirty & communing with nature. He is full of energy & always says yes to an adventure. He’s one of the friendliest people I know, always welcoming newcomers with a smile. His impulsive nature got him into trouble as a kid, but his participation in AA has transformed him into an intentional, disciplined person, sensitive to others’ trials & tribulations. Could you give him a call & uplift his accomplishments?

            I’m curious about your announcements today at Prince William Forest Park. Did you know that place has a fraught past? At one point, Mary Bates & a group of freed slaves lived there. Their descendants were displaced by an eminent domain decree & were never compensated. Let’s remedy that harm & make sure they get a piece of the $7 billion in grants you are announcing today.

            Have you spoken with Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin (Nid), yet? He’s heading to Mae Sot tomorrow to talk to local officials about the hospital that has been inundated by wounded folks from Burma & how Thai entrepreneurs are being affected by the escalation in fighting & its impact on the trade route into Burma. Please remind him not to take sides!

            Have you met Sister Joan D. Chittister, the nun I mentioned yesterday? She’s got some powerful thoughts about peace which might be helpful to you in your conversations with Nid, Bibi & VOZ. She suggests, “Peace is not the acceptance of evil. On the contrary, real peace requires resistance to evil….courage, not power…that uses love rather than force to change the world…one person (can) refuse to make war, but it is not possible for one person to make peace. To make real peace takes two. To solve an impasse with the other, I need to ask myself what it is in me that is feeding the war.​”

            BYBS,