NO KUMBAYA FOR ME: IT'S PERSONAL

NO KUMBAYA FOR ME: IT'S PERSONAL

"Peace in our Times". Most people don't know that the actual phrase was "Peace FOR our times" It was uttered joyfully and boastfully by Nevelle Chamberlain after his meeting with Adolf Hitler , a meeting in which he acceded to Hitler's demands regarding Czechoslovakia to prevent a world war. What we do know  of course, is that the duplicitous Hitler would soon break that pact and  and march into Poland and other countries in his quest for world domination. The lesson: Hitler was a viper. You don't compromise with vipers.

Now I don't think that President-elect Donald Trump is a "Hitler" nor do I believe that the American people are particularly prone to collaborate with the Nazi programs the way that almost the whole of the German people did in Pre-War Germany. But Donald Trump's rise to power by appealing to the worst instincts and fears of some 50 million voters is truly a potent threat to our democracy and to me personally.

The title of this post reads rather bluntly "It's personal". There are several reasons for this. My wife and sons are Jewish. My closest friends and colleagues over the years are African-American, Puerto-Rican, Indian and Arab. Even my little chihuahua, Lulu, is Mexican although I doubt that she crossed the border illegally alone. I worked with  and advocated for students with disabilities for almost two decades at City University and shuddered when he mocked that reporter in front of thousands of people and millions of TV fans. I spent many an hours indulging in "locker room" talk as a young man but never heard the kind of gross remarks made by the "President Elect" about his use of power to maul innocent women. I have nieces and cousins who I cherish and who would meet Sir Donald's criteria for "assaultable" women. These may be 'small things" (as one Trump supporter called them) to put aside so we can have a strong assertive decision maker who will set the course of this country straight and "drain the swamp".

My point is we can't let this slide until the next election. Obama's " don't boo vote" doesn't work in this country. Our only option is to obstruct this team of vipers at every corner and in any way but violence. Demonstrations, petitions, legal action will not be enough and may lead to violent confrontations. There are too many guns floating around this country on both sides of the street. I am of the opinion that the most effective way to fight them is to attack their pocket books with selective economic boycotts of their business ventures and institutions. We are in the majority (She did win the popular vote you know.). I don't pretend to know anything about community organizing and effective boycotting but it seems to me that if all of the many, many single issue progressive groups coalesce, we can pull this off with the help of social media.

So I will cope with my angst by participating in these boycotts and donating what I can to groups like Planned Parenthood, Moveon, Black Lives Matter, the Green Party etc. It may be a "small thing " but it will make me feel better.  No "peace for our time"  or "agree to disagree" in this political climate. No Kumbaya.