Last week The White House announced that it would start taking letters to the President sent via Facebook. On a lark I shot something off. Thanking the President for being an adult in a nation full of bickering children, but centered my letter on one bothersome subject  that frustrates me: Guantanimo Bay. The fact that there are still prisoners accused of no crime living there after 13 years. In part, I wrote:


I did not expect a response, but only 5 days later I received this letter from The White House:


Maybe it was a boiler plate form letter but it still felt personal considering the note I had sent. 

But then only hours later I saw this news item:


Maybe it is an extreme coincidence. But I haven’t heard much about Guantanimo Bay in years, and with a furious election being fought, it does seem like unusual timing for the President to reopen this issue. 

Am I saying I single-handedly put this issue back on the map? Possibly. Do I think Barack and I are joining forces for justice on this issue? It’s likely. I will be monitoring speeches for mention of my name. Or perhaps Barack will just call it the “Obama-Schapiro Initiative.”

More as this story develops.