Letters to the POTUS

Oct 5

Oct 5 9/22/2023

… Speaking of which, what do you think of the latest hullabaloo over the Senate dress code? Do you agree with the editorial board of the WP that Sen. John Fetterman’s gym shorts, sneakers & baggy hoodie represent a “radical shift” & desecrate the sanctity of Congress? ….

Oct 4

Oct 4 9/21/2023

…Urge VOZ to talk to VVP. VOZ is a brilliant speaker so he might be able to persuade VVP to stop fighting. It will require compromise. You could help figure that out….

Oct 4

Oct 4 9/20/2023

… Did you hear that a former Karenni refugee became a finalist in the Miss Universe Finland pagent? She is shining a light on the detrimental effects of growing up in the camps….

Oct 3

Oct 3 9/19/2023

…Have you heard of AJ Muste (AJM)? I just found out about him this AM when I looked up, “There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.”…

Oct 3

Oct 3 9/18/2023

… Burmese activist Christopher Win who calls himself a double-minority. He identifies as a member of the Maramagyi community which many in Burma associate with the Rohingya, but the Rohingya tend to exclude them because they are Buddhist rather than Muslim. They do not have any rights in their home state of Rakhine….

Sep 21

Sep 21 9/17/2023

…Perhaps you manage to address these challenges by staying positive. Perhaps you read CSM & articles such as today’s “Racial Unity in America’s Pews” about how churches are becoming more diverse…..

Sep 18

Sep 18 9/16/2023

I hope the people of ME are safe, especially those in Thomaston & Friendship. I spent 1982/83 there, …most of our families were barely making ends meet, so I hope Cyclone Lee does not put them over the edge….

Sep 18

Sep 18 9/15/2023

…It’s too bad you don’t have time to go down to Birmingham with Justice Ketanji Jackson for the 2023 Forging Justice Commemoration Week. The city has planned several events to mark the occasion of the bombing of the 16th St Baptist church where Denise, Carole, Cynthia, & Addie Mae were murdered 60 years ago…

Sep 14

Sep 14 9/14/2023

…What do you make of Mitt Romney’s announcement? I hope the people of Utah elect someone like him in 2025. We need Republicans with the courage to stand up to the MAGA side of the party….

Sep 13

Sep 13 9/12/2023

… Did you see the piece in the NYT about Bayard Rustin (BR) celebrating his “intellectual fearlessness” & “resistance to party dogma?” I was thrilled to see BR’s quote about his “stand against injustice” & how it came from his “Quaker upbringing”…

Sep 13

Sep 13 9/13/2023

…My experience with the UAW when our graduate students struck last fall as Department Chair, when I tried to calm the nerves of my rattled colleagues, makes me think we need to buckle our seat belts. This could be a bumpy flight….

Sep 11

Sep 11 9/11/2023

…I will be in NYC on Oct 1. Do you think I should head down to Ground Zero? How much time will I need? My heart hurts just thinking about it….

Sep 11

Sep 11 9/10/2023

…It was kind of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (NPT) to say, “you have nary aged a day & I would say you look even better than before,” but please do not be flattered into selling weapons to Vietnam….

Sep 11

Sep 11 9/9/2023

“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” - One Earth, One Family, One Future! How is that mantra informing the work of the G20?

Sep 7

Sep 7 9/7/2023

…Did you see any protestors at Ramstein AFB today? They were out in force in June suggesting the base be closed down….