…I’m thrilled that you will be commemorating Equal Pay day with Margaret Purce(MP) & Megan Rapinoe(MR) at the WH today. As Lindsay Crouse (LC) suggested in today’s NYT, we still have a long way to go….
…Please consider my suggestion in yesterday’s letter to admit Rohingya refugees to the US. As I’m sure you heard, one of their camps had a terrible fire yesterday. It must be devastating for them to lose the few possessions they had, but even worse to lose any sense of security & normalcy that they may have experienced. Let’s open our doors to them….
Call James Shelby, AKA Qadhafi. He’s the head of the KC Homeless Union who is arguing that $7 million is spent to benefit the unhoused & no one is consulting with the folks who are living in tents in front of town hall. … He’s bringing folks together & looking after his neighbor. We need more of that kind of thinking these days …
…I am baffled that 14 GOP Reps voted against the House Resolution condemning the Burma coup. Rep Perry had particularly convoluted logic, calling it an “overt attempt to trap Republicans into condemning the claims of evidence of election fraud in Burma” while “perpetuating similar claims (in the Democrat’s views) of evidence in US elections.” …
…The take away for me is that tortured souls should not have easy access to guns. The shooter purchased his weapon on the day that he committed his crimes. If there was a waiting period, he might have found a different way to quiet the demons that were haunting him & 8 people would still be alive….
…According to MV you often attribute your mood to your Irish ancestry by saying stuff like, “my Irish is up” or “I’m in a Black Irish mood.” Don’t we all get mad or blue from time to time? Are the Irish the only people who believe “to live is to be hurt, but we’re not afraid to live?”…
As you feel the vibes of the Okehocking & Quakers in Chester, you might also feel the presence of Wm Edmundson (WE) who stopped there in 1675. WE was known by Friends as a the “trumpet of the Lord” and “the son of thunder” who “made the drooping & heavy hearted rejoice.” …he was a “sufferer” as he was incarcerated several times for refusing to tithe….
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…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….
…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….