6/4/2024

My Dear POTUS, JRB,

            It’s a crazy time of year with graduations, commemorations & heat. Today it will get over 100 here. My dog must be soaking in the frenzy of activities & expressing her agitation by crying a lot. Do you know if Commander is acting weird?

            Will he be at the Congressional Picnic today? It looks like you’ll have a lovely day for it. Too bad you can’t stay long.

            What’s up with your border policy? Why are you curtailing the number of people who can ask for asylum? Isn’t that against our USA ethos? My Friends at the FCNL argue, “the U.S. government has the capacity & responsibility to administer & maintain efficient & just migration rather than relying on fiscally irresponsible, antiquated, & harmful migration management approaches that abandon its asserted legacy as a country of immigrants.” What sayst thou to these assertions?

            I encourage you to consult with Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI). As an immigration lawyer she knows a thing or two about the system. She’s not happy with your latest plan, nor is Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA.) I know you are eager to do something, but I suggest you go back to the drawing board.

            As we reflect on people fleeing their homes, let’s hold the young men of Burma in the Light as they sneak into Thailand to avoid military conscription. For more info on that, check out Rebecca Tan’s piece in today’s WP. She tells of “groups of baby-faced teens” navigating over the River Khwae Ya & the rubber tree plantations to find their way to Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Their moms insisted they leave home, & they are terrified.

            It’s hard to find serenity in this world, but, as Thich Nhat Hanh would say, the way to peace is to be peace.

            BYBS,