Dear Mr. President,
We, the African civil society leaders of Publish What You Pay - a global coalition campaigning for an open and accountable gas, oil and mining sector - are addressing you on the eve of the US - Africa Leaders’ Summit.
We are addressing you as concerned citizens, forced to see their countries cheated out of revenues as illicit financial flows drain Africa of its resources. Because of trade mispricing, opacity and secrecy jurisdictions our continent has lost out on more than $1 trillion over the last 30 years. Africa is generating revenues, but many of these flow to the pockets of rich corporations and individuals rather than back to citizens. It shouldn’t be this way.
We are addressing you as worried parents, who fear that by the time our grandchildren grow up...
Politics
Dear Michael Gove,
You will never read this, but I feel compelled to put it out there in the faint hope that more people will realise the repercussions of your latest initiative.
I am proud to work at a small school, on a small estate, in the most deprived ward in the county. The life expectancy in this ward is a full 20 years lower than the neighbouring village, which tells you a little bit about our intake. Add to this that within our 530 students, we have 36 different languages spoken and over 40 per cent of students do not count English as their first language.
Effectively, we are everything you hate and everything you would like to abolish. We are the skidmark on the sparkling underpants of your brave new world of academies and free schools. It is no secret that you would...
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Hon. Mr. Al-Abadi,
I am pleased to write to you as the President of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), a global network of more than 1,100 parliamentarians from 140 countries with democratically-elected parliaments around the world who promote peace, democracy, the rule of law and human rights.
On behalf of PGA, I would like to welcome your designation as Prime Minister on 8 September 2014. We trust that you will successfully handle the extremely delicate situation in the country at the moment and that you will display leadership and resolve to bring about peace, stability, human rights, justice, sustainable development and the Rule of Law for the benefit of the people of Iraq. In this respect, we would be honoured if you would consider PGA, the largest global parliamentary...
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Hon. Mr. Al-Abadi,
I am pleased to write to you as the President of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), a global network of more than 1,100 parliamentarians from 140 countries with democratically-elected parliaments around the world who promote peace, democracy, the rule of law and human rights.
On behalf of PGA, I would like to welcome your designation as Prime Minister on 8 September 2014. We trust that you will successfully handle the extremely delicate situation in the country at the moment and that you will display leadership and resolve to bring about peace, stability, human rights, justice, sustainable development and the Rule of Law for the benefit of the people of Iraq. In this respect, we would be honoured if you would consider PGA, the largest global parliamentary...
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Dear senators:
Thank you for your letter of March 9 explaining your system of government. We were unfamiliar with the complexity of your laws. For three years we have been negotiating a nuclear energy agreement with your president. We now realize our mistake. As your letter makes clear, the authority to establish such agreements on behalf of your country rests with your Congress.
We are in your debt for this clarification. Moreover, your letter has prompted us to undertake a broader study of the American political system. What we have learned has opened our eyes. For 35 years, we have treated you as an adversary. Our intelligence agencies told us that your culture and your political system were radically different from ours. We now understand that we were misled. Your country is...
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Dear Salman Khan and Jacqueline Fernandez,
It was probably not your intention to be in the middle of this embarrassing political controversy. Clearly, all you wanted to do was visit your old friend Namal and distribute some spectacles in order to boost your charity. But, I must say, you two… the time you picked for this was just a little shortsighted.
It’s understandable that as you come from Mumbai (Jacqueline has been there for all of six years now…) you were ‘not aware of what was happening here.’ But by now you must know your friend Namal’s dad has been terribly busy trying to convince the people of Sri Lanka to re-elect him as president. And, well… things have not been going too well for him.
However, he must like you very, very much; because, just one week away from the...
3,119
Dear senators:
Thank you for your letter of March 9 explaining your system of government. We were unfamiliar with the complexity of your laws. For three years we have been negotiating a nuclear energy agreement with your president. We now realize our mistake. As your letter makes clear, the authority to establish such agreements on behalf of your country rests with your Congress.
We are in your debt for this clarification. Moreover, your letter has prompted us to undertake a broader study of the American political system. What we have learned has opened our eyes. For 35 years, we have treated you as an adversary. Our intelligence agencies told us that your culture and your political system were radically different from ours. We now understand that we were misled. Your country is...
5,611
Dear Mr. Tom Cotton, et al,
We received your letter from March 5. Our English is not the best, but we believe we understand your main points. Thank you for your interest in joining the Revolutionary Guard. We know you appreciate the many exciting opportunities the Guard provides to fight the Zionist-Crusader alliance while awaiting the coming of the blessed Mahdi, while also earning you money for college.
Unfortunately the Guard is not for everyone. We have stringent requirements that must be met. Per Reference 3563-3 Paragraph 5.9 and Surah 8 of the Noble Quran, you must be between the ages of 17 and 35, bearded, a Shia Muslim, a resident of Iran, and possess a diploma from your local madrasa or equivalent GED certificate. Our understanding is that you are citizens from the Great...
3,335
Dear Mr. Obama,
Congratulations on your recent victory, and for helping build such a strong mandate for change. In that spirit, please do not forget the other aisle you need to reach across. All the relief and publicity for the middle class won't do anything for the 40-100 million Americans who are starving, unemployed or just plain poor.
You have gone out of your way to build a bridge to those of us fed up with war, pollution, inequality, corporate lawlessness and business as usual. You have energized a whole new generation who is far ahead of their elders in knowing what urgently needs to be done. I have never seen such an outpouring of heartfelt emotion, hope and support for an American politician in my life, and I remember Kennedy well. You are the first president in my lifetime...
3,100
Dear President Obama:
Congratulations!
I’m sure this is a moment you want to savor, a time to take a deep breath, get some rest, hydrate, regain your balance, and take a long walk in the sunshine. It might be as well a good time to reflect, rethink, recharge, and perhaps reignite. I sincerely hope that it is, and I urge you to put education on your reflective agenda.
The landscape of “educational reform” is currently littered with rubble and ruin and wreckage on all sides. Sadly, your administration has contributed significantly to the mounting catastrophe. You’re not alone: The toxic materials have been assembled as a bipartisan endeavor over many years, and the efforts of the last several administrations are now organized into a coherent push mobilized and led by a merry band...
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