Letters to the POTUS

Nov 6

Nov 6 11/5/2023

…My visit to the new Gorman Museum of Native American (NA) Art on the UCD campus illustrated that vanquished people survive. The collection of contemporary works included many expressions of the idea that despite efforts to eradicate them, NAs have survived & adapted….

Nov 4

Nov 4 11/4/2023

…What’s up with Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou? He looks like some of the boys I went to high school with in 1978, too cool for school & hoping to get high. Was he on board with the plan to avoid China’s “debt-trap diplomacy” & embrace our “high-quality transparent approaches to infrastructure and inter-development” investment?…

Nov 2

Nov 2 11/2/2023

…I am concerned that we are all ensnared in binaries & it’s tearing us apart…

Nov 1

Nov 1 11/1/2023

…You could launch your “Investing in Rural America” program anywhere, why pick Northfield, MN? ….You could have gone to Callaway, MN, instead, where Native Harvest works to maintain the ag practices of the Chippewa….

Oct 31

Oct 31 10/31/2023

…How was your trick-or-treating event yesterday? I love that the theme was “Hallo-READ!” …Why didn’t you don a costume? Since Jill was a cat, you could have been a dog….

Oct 30

Oct 30 10/30/23

…Our recent obsession with AI has me scratching my head. It was NOT invented yesterday. In fact, I just found a fascinating article “An AI experiment in college math education” written at Harvard in 2003….

Oct 29

Oct 29 10/29/2023

…Do you worry about a black swan event with China? Today’s news of a Chinese fighter jet flying within 10 feet of an American B-52 bomber caught my attention. Best to open lines of communication ASAP….

Oct 28

Oct 28 10/28/2023

…Did you see the compelling demonstration at the Lincoln Memorial yesterday of the shabbat table with empty chairs? The families of the hostages do not want us to forget that their loved ones are in Gaza in tunnels vulnerable to whatever attack Bibi may order….

Oct 27

Oct 27 10/27/2023

…Ned Temko, has hope for the Mid-East. He emphasizes that the situation is complex with “both sides feel(ing) immensely vulnerable, immensely uncertain, & immensely angry.”…

Oct 26

Oct 26 10/26/2023

…Did you have fun with the Aussies at the WH last night? According to the G, you had quite the group including a rap star, an Indigenous voice process co-designer & a body positivity activist. WOW! …

Oct 25

Oct 25 10/25/2023

It’s too bad that the B-52s won’t get to share their music with PM Anthony Albanese at your state dinner tonight. I understand Jill’s hesitation in having them play, but having friends over is a time for fun. Don’t you think?…

Oct 24

Oct 24 10/24/2023

…I am also curious about the Synod at the Vatican. It seems that they are arguing about “a “static” understanding & a “dynamic” understanding of tradition & the best way of “keeping the mystery of Christ.” I understand that the two Chinese Bishops returned home without completing the synod process….

Oct 23

Oct 23 10/23/2023

…you risk “blowing apart (your) own efforts to combat the climate crisis” & endanger climate goals by allowing LPG terminals in LA….

Oct 22

Oct 22 10/22/2023

…I was reassured to read in today’s NYT that some folks in Israel & Gaza continue to believe in peace, despite “paroxysms of outrage by the cacophony of social media.”…

Oct 21

Oct 21 10/21/2023

…How did things go with EU folks, Charles & Ursula (UvdL), at the WH yesterday? Unfortunately, your meeting didn’t get much press. I was happy to hear you talking about “standing together.”…