1/4/2025
My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,
It’s Independence Day in Burma where some folks are celebrating the 77th anniversary of the declaration of independence from Britain. Unfortunately, Aung Sun (AS) was assassinated in 1947, so he did not live to see the fruits of his fight for Burmese self-rule. As I have mentioned before, I hope our spies in Yangon are on the lookout for a woman like AS who can work some magic to unify the various ethnic groups to restore Burma to a more democratic state.
You probably heard that Gen Min Aung Hlaing freed 5864 prisoners but did not show up for the festivities in Naypyidaw. Do you think he’s afraid of being assassinated? At least the families of the freed prisoners can hug their loved ones & have a moment of joy.
Thanks for awarding Pfc. Wataru Nakamura a posthumous Medal of Honor yesterday. The award shows folks that Japanese-Americans responded to the injustice of their internment in a variety of ways, in his case, joining the military & fighting in WWII & the Korean War. I’ll be interested to see how Japanese-American soldiers are represented at the WWII Museum.
Speaking of Japan, what’s up with the steel deal? I get the impression you think we can’t trust the Japanese. As you know, the steel workers would like to see it go through, even if their union leaders don’t.
The folks at the Frontier Group claim you are perpetuating a “politics of nostalgia” & need to come to grips with the new reality which includes more efficient production & lower demand which means fewer jobs in the industry. They note that all politicians are failing to “articulate tensions & tradeoffs” leaving “the public without the language to understand what is happening or the tools to respond.”
If steel is so essential to our national security, why doesn’t the government buy US Steel? Truman took over the steel industry in 1952 when a strike threatened to disrupt our Korean War effort. The SCOTUS questioned that move, but who knows what could happen today.
Have fun at the awards ceremony today. I was excited to see Jane Goodall, Fannie Lou Hamer & Bill Nye on the list of awardees. Give my regards to Hilary. My mom & dad got to meet her when my uncle was awarded the National Humanities Medal. My dad said she was the most charismatic person in the room, much more so than her husband who was POTUS at the time.
Please extend my congratulations to all!
BYBS,
