…I was excited to learn about Kenneth Frazier & his success in leading Merck to team with J & J. … I wish we had more CEOs with his life experience. Grandson of a person born into slavery, child of a single dad who convinced him he could do anything, part of a team of lawyers that got a guy off of death row …. Perhaps when he retires in June you can find a spot for him in your cabinet….

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…I encourage you to put in a word for Burma during your address tonight. The tiny town of Myaing has just experienced a mass shooting, …The people of Myaing usually spend their days harvesting thanka bark to make a special kind of makeup which the people of Burma use to protect themselves from the sun & the heat. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to protect themselves from their own army….

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I was troubled to read about Ground Based Strategic Deterrent Missiles in the Guardian today. Apparently, Northrop Grumman has used 410 lobbyists & $119 million to persuade Congress that we need a new ICBM. … Nuclear weapons are old school. Let’s stop throwing away our $$$ on them.

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…I hope your guy, Bharat Ramamurti, can keep track of $1.9 trillion & make sure that it gets spent as intended. That’s a pretty daunting task!…

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…If you have a minute, take a look at Anisa Nandaula’s poem, “Choose to Challenge” on the IWD website. I’m inspired by her line, “Scream when the world has chosen to whisper.” I look forward to the time when we don’t need a IWD anymore….

…In any case, I am struck by the parallels between the brutal response to the marchers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965 & the actions of the Myanmar military in all the Burmese cities. Yesterday, protestors in the ancient city of Bagan were fired on….

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….Our nation is fortunate, too. Don’t you think? While we have had our troubles of late, we are overcoming them. When I see what’s going on in Burma, our Jan 6 coup attempt pales in comparison. When I see the people struggling with the flood this fall in Guatemala, the winter storm in TX seems minor…..

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…“they are unarmed, but they are the true warriors” & are defying the general’s view of women as weak. I smiled at their “defiant creativity” of stringing “up clotheslines of women’s sarongs, called htamein, to protect protest zones, knowing that some men are loath to walk under them.”…

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…So please take a few minutes today before you talk & Eric Lander talk about Cancer Moonshot 2.0 to express your sympathies for all of the people of Myanmar & tell them you are sending prayers. It’s the least you can do….

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…Did you ever wonder why the protest signs in Myanmar are written in English? Today’s CSM offered the answer, explaining that there’s a “global peace industry, enhanced by the connective power of the internet” to appeal to an international audience…

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I got a smile out of reading about Jill’s “semi-stealth visit”…I hope to meet Winette someday, because not only do we share the same last name, we share a passion for baking & STEM education. I’m sure her PhD in Biomedical Engineering comes in handy when she’s thinking through a new cooking technique. Maybe you can invite her to the WH so she can show off her award-winning cupcake baking talents…

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…If I had more time, I’d figure out how to slip a word about elephants into this note as I was excited to see protestors riding elephants in Ongyaw, but alas, my timer just rang so I am closing.

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…It looks like you got a warm reception in Houston yesterday & got to meet Judge Hidalgo. I’d love to hear what your impression of her was….

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…I hope that UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield (LTG) is also knowledgeable on the topic (Myanmar). I caught the tail end of her remarks to the special meeting that the special envoy to the UN Sec Gen called today. It seems that she’s bringing her commitment to multilateralism to the situation…

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…It’s too bad that distributing the vax in an equitable & orderly manner has turned into such a nightmare. The NYT has a fascinating info graphic to represent this dynamic for every county in the US. Take a look. It’s fascinating….

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