Letter to the Editor Regarding Trump’s Presidency

I was one of the millions of people who did not vote for Donald Trump.  In fact, during the inaugural event, I was discomfited as the “historic” crowds of supporters were described, since Trump lost the popular vote by about 3,000,000 votes.  Be that as it may; the die is cast. The question is what to do now.

A 69 year old woman, I have grandchildren to whom I would like to bequeath a planet that will support not only their generation, but the generations to follow them.   How that is going to happen when the oil companies are in charge of the environment and global warming is dismissed as rhetoric impeding the possible greatness of America.  How do I express my concerns when the American commander in chief, the leader of the free world, communicates by tweeting nonsequitors that are not meant to engage dialogue.

The majority of Americans care about the ravages of climate change and its impact on not only our own lives and livelihoods but those of the generations to come.  In a time of global climate change, where population shifts to impoverished cities create civil strife such as we see in Syria, which has turned into a full scale war engaging world powers.   That conflict was instigated by increased temperatures leading to severe droughts in the countryside, which forced those who had lived off the land to flee to the cities to find work to support themselves and their families.  The strain on the cities infrastructure and lack of sufficient employment opportunities led to civil unrest.  This unrest escalated into armed conflict, which brought in outside forces supporting opposing sides of the conflict.  All our Chief Executive Officer says is America first.  I wonder what that could mean for the people in Syria and other countries in Africa and Asia who are or will soon be in the same situation when the droughts worsen and global warming is exacerbated by corporations who have the rights of people and people who don’t have the rights of corporations.

Since the reins of power have been handed off to businessmen who have a history of not paying their fair share of the democratic freight, we doubt that our social priorities will be supported, that a country of immigrants will quickly forget where they and their parents came from as they demonize the latest wave of new entrants from foreign shores.  We are in the biggest population shift ever known on this earth.  Tens of thousands in Africa and Asia, Mexico and Central America are on the move, their futures threatened by climate change, deforestation, and the production and sale of illegal drugs.   They have descended on European countries in unprecedented numbers and have been accepted in large but inadequate numbers.  President Trump wants to put up a wall and totally exclude particular categories of immigrants.  What affect this will have on international relations remains to be seen.

We need to work together to accomplish peaceful, nonviolent change.  The time to organize is now. Work with your neighbors and your coworkers, families and friends.  Resist the forces of xenophobia that threaten to swallow up the truly good people of America.