Tuesday, January 31, 2017

UPDATED: My Pledge



There is so much that I feel tempted to write about this morning, but I hope this post reflects a little of what is going on in the world these days.

On Sunday, I posted what follows on my Facebook page. It was something I wasn't especially keen to do, as the post makes clear, but I felt it important to make it 'public' as a means of giving me additional commitment to take an action that entails a personal cost. I hope you like it, and after you read it you might want to read this article which, rather serendipitously, appeared online last night.

Here Is My Pledge

It is coming up to a year since my son took us to Southern California. It was a trip of a lifetime for me, given that I have had a lifelong obsession with the state but somehow never managed to visit before. With its philosophical and environmental orientations, California continues to exert a very strong pull on my heart and in my imagination and, to be honest, I had hoped to make another visit sometime this year.

But as the saying goes, “Man plans and God laughs.” I have come to the difficult conclusion that I cannot in good conscience lend any legitimacy to the current American president and his racist, divisive and hate-filled policies by visiting and spending tourist dollars in his country. The final catalyst for this painful decision was the executive order forbidding citizens and dual-citizenship holders from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from travelling to the United Sates, a thinly-disguised attack on 218 million predominately Muslim people. If such vast numbers are to be excluded, who am I to simply ignore this fact, pretend I have no moral responsibility here, and merily indulge my own wants and travel inclinations.

It is easy to sign petitions and to write tweets saying that one stands with Muslims, but I have concluded it is time to put, if you will forgive the colloquialism, my money where my mouth is.

Why am I posting this? Contrary to what some might think, it is not to hold myself up as some kind of exemplar of rectitude and principle; rather, in all candour, it is to keep me strong in this undertaking, because if I break this pledge, everyone will be quite justified in dismissing me as a hypocrite who cannot be taken seriously. Because I do not believe in miracles, I assume that things are only going to get worse under the crazed administration of Donald Trump, so I also assume that my self-imposed travel ban will be for at least the next four years.

UPDATE: I see that writer Linwood Barclay has made a difficult decision to cancel his U.S. book tour:
I have no illusions about what the impact of my withdrawal will be. I don’t imagine Steve Bannon will say, “Whoa, Barclay’s not coming, we better rethink this.” As one Twitter follower said to me, “Your call, but we’ll get along fine without you.” I’ve no doubt. But this really wasn’t about trying to send a message. I just have to be able to look myself in the mirror.
We each must take the measures we most deem fit in these extraordinary times.

10 comments:

  1. My wife, who has family that live in the States. and I decided to forego any visits to the US on election night as long as Trump and his 'kronies' occupy the White House. We're with you in spirit and action.

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    1. Thank you, Anon. That is heartening to read. Our last visit to the U.S. was just before the election. Little did we suspect it would be our last for a long, long time.

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  2. .. salamanderhorde tweeted just yesterday.. that it's quite likely I will never set foot in The USA again.. passing over it at 30,000 I may look down again on the missing mountaintops of Pennsylvania.. or the dunes of South Carolina.. I hope you have spotted links to Trump Hotels.. asking for 'best trip memories' .. no doubt to gather data. but garnering mainly astonishing slashes of venom from readers.. As I have pointed out to many, including some of your contemporary Indy bloggers, it seems apparent that Trump is committing moral, political, ethical & 'brand' suicide.. For him, there will be no going back or any useful future.. he's engaged in a salt the earth, burn the bridges final act. .. and the twin louts Bannon & Millar are pushing him as hard as they can.. those two are the inheritors of the kingdom.. the twin Rasputins.. and will flog Spicer & Kellyanne until they drop.. I look for a military coup to end this.. The current Executive Orders of course are nonsensical albeit inventive pieces of paper.. as Bannon is suppressing them until signed by Trump to much fanfare and showboating.. selfie pics and video all round.. of the king signing..

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    1. The Twilight Zone scenario now playing out can have several conclusions, the best of which is Trump's removal from office, either by coup or impeachment, though I doubt that latter possibility, given the extraordinarily high infestation of political whoredom in politics today, Salamander. I had not seen the links to the Trump Hotels, but I will be sure to visit momentarily. Undoubtedly the webmaster for his site is being kept busy wiping clean the honest appraisals you say are being left there.

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  3. Tough call, Lorne. Because, like many British Columbians, I have an affinity for the people of Washington and Oregon, I'll keep my options open - or I will should I renew my lapsed passport. If the condition Kirby references, Gleichschaltung, takes hold, the normalization of what Trump supposedly stands for, then I'll join you. I'm hoping the people of the west coast will reject this racist, sexist garbage out of hand. If they succumb that'll be it for the U.S.A.

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    1. My choice is just a personal one, Mound, not a prescription, but I hear you about the West Coast. I feel similarly, which is what made my decision to boycott travel there a difficult one.

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    2. .. my advice to the estimable Mound.. is renew that Canadian passport toute suite.. Its the 'gold standard' for theft or imitation, for good reason. Canada - Canadian - stands for something - My passports have stood me in excellent stead around the world. Its one of the few documents, along with my prized birth certificate & that of my son.. that has allowed me to travel the world with confidence.. 'that my papers are in order' .. so to speak. I don't suffer the suspicion or mistrust that many of the world's citizens are confronted with. "Country of birth? sez the border agent.. "Canada" ..

      An anecdote though.. Once, while threading the delicacy of carrying a lot of pro photo gear into Dubai.. and questioned by one of their Customs agents, an Arabian in full white regalia & his retainer, slave bearing a bottle of water & cup (Ramadan) simply pushed past me and barked at the agent.. I was a mere foreigner to this Prince or wealthy pimp.. I was not perturbed by his behavior.. but unfortunately, he had come between me.. and my passport. His English comprehension turned out to be impeccable.. when I rubbed shoulders with his haughtiness.. and suggested he was welcome to cut in front of me if he was in a hurry.. but do you mind handing my Canadian passport to me first? It was there on the counter, under his elbow.. along with my Customs declaration re cameras and lenses.. There was a moment.. a long moment.. then he said he had studied at The University of Toronto.. did I know of it? I told him I did, thanks.

      He glanced at the passport, picked it up.. looked through it.. handed it over.. then turned his back on me.. and began berating the Customs Agent in Arabic.. presumably about his private jet to Abu Dhabi refueling being delayed.. He stormed off.. my papers were stamped a split second later by a very shaken agent.. Canadian eh..

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    3. A very instructive anecdote, Salamander. Thank you.

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  4. I made the choice not to visit or even change planes in the US until this man is gone. It seems to me that economic consequences will have an effect. I hope thousands of people do the same.

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    1. One can only hope that Americans see the profound damage their president is doing, both economically and socially, Riley's sister.

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