Dear Laura and Bob
Hope you had a great time in China and I really hope that the harsh Party rules forbade you from accessing the internet for a month. You are going to be coming back to the land of the spree and the home of the grave. I don't know how much news about your country has trickled through to you beyond the great wall, but even if it has I am sure you are going to be shocked when you come back. You go away for a month and this is what happens! This is one of those few times when you find yourself constantly running out of words. On one hand, they are having the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression and on the other hand they have a vice presidential candidate a heartbeat away from the presidency who is utterly incompetent, ignorant and incoherent (those adjectives admittedly apply to the presidential candidate as well). One is a current disaster, the other one is a disaster waiting to happen. I hope you come back soon and get ready to vote. It's going to be necessary than ever. Have a safe trip back and hope you had a lot of fun. Your stories are going to be the only thing enlivening an otherwise gloomy time so I am looking forward to meeting you.
Take care
Ashutosh

P.S. Although I have to admit that this event may mire Republicans in deep muck for good and make Obama's victory almost certain. I think there have been few circumstances where members of a political party in the US have so blatantly voted against their own leaders' wishes.