Dear editor,
Wow, after years of flipping past the Comox Valley Record’s editorial page to avoid the bilious inanities of Tom Fletcher, this Tuesday, Jan. 23, I was shocked – most pleasantly shocked – to read Terry Farrell’s Commen-Terry (Trump one year later; what are you doing?) imagining a path to a world of mutual respect between people and for our beautiful—horribly endangered—planet.
For me it is both sad and frightening to see how quickly the world’s most powerful nation, a nation that once stood for the hope of a better world through peace, compassion and democratic ideals, is descending into a society based on hatred, lies, oppression, the gutting of social good for the exclusive interests of the wealthy few, and the absolute rule of a strongman.
History does not speak well for such misadventures that seem always to end in misery, violence, devastating wars and social/environmental destruction.
I wholeheartedly agree with Farrell that we must, for our children, for our species, for our planet, do more than sit by and watch our humanity dissolve itself.
I greatly appreciate Farrell’s idea that we can do something and we can do it without waiting for government approval, or for someone else to lead a protest, or for politicians to figure out that the current path isn’t going to end well. We can just not go there and spend our money. Actually, I think we could expand the idea and just not buy anything American—nothing.
What if each of us said: no way, I will not support the promotion of hatred and the massive abuse of our natural world. Until the United States rejoins the Paris Climate Accord and discards the plans for its wall of hatred, I will not buy anything American. Sure, sure, it seems like a little thing, but the great thing about it is that we don’t have to attend any meetings; we don’t have to get permission of anyone; we’re not even breaking any laws or showing up for a march.
We would be simply saying: the way Trumplicans are behaving doesn’t work for me; I won’t be part of it—“enough already.” I won’t be part of promoting hatred and the destruction of our natural world. Until the United States decides to act on this minimal gesture to save our earth and care for its people, I will not empower that government and its corporate partners with my money. Yes, it is corporations that would pay the price but, not to worry, when the corporations speak—Trumplicans listen!
Norm Reynolds
Courtenay