GUEST BLOG: John Stroh – What it means to “AVOID AMERICAN”

An update to the idea of letting go of America and what it means to “AVOID AMERICAN”

On this grand occasion of a visit by a Trump agitator to New Zealand next week – I speak of the former Fossil Fuel Industry ogre who is tasked with the oh so challenging job of finding a use for and promoting the sale of American weapons around the world – it seems timely to serve up a reminder to let go of America. The European Union is doing it and New Zealand as a country has opportunities to follow suite.

At a Diplomatic and geo-political level this calls for:

• Reinforcement and strengthening of our commitment to the Paris Agreement – all government policy (particularly energy and environmental), new legislation and fiscally relevant measures should be directed at diminishing the role of fossil fuels and the fossil fuel industry in New Zealand.
• Reinstatement of a total ban on visits to New Zealand by American warships, primarily as a signal to the Trump administration that we do not trust him or his stooges to keep the world safe, in fact, that we regard America as a loose cannon with a moral ineptitude on steroids.
• An unequivocal rejection by our Government of any American advances to secure a bilateral trade agreement with New Zealand while Trump remains President, perhaps longer. They will not sign an agreement that does not put America first and New Zealand last. Enough said.

I am making some progress with my own efforts to let go. I have been successful in avoiding the purchase of any products from America sold in supermarkets. I have failed only on two counts (to the best of my knowledge) with regard to my general intention of avoiding the purchase of anything American. The first, some purpose specific tires for a vehicle, the second a professional photography related product by a company that is known to oppose the politics of Trump. I have continued to use US based online technology, but much less. I am not convinced that Facebook is one of the good guys and I am still reeling from the shock of seeing a former employer of mine sucking up to Trump.

It may also be important to remember that there are still well over a hundred million American citizens who do not yet comprehend that Trump is an incompetent, delusional narcissist. So although it would be satisfying to see this creep removed from office it wouldn’t necessarily be the solution to the overall problem that the World has with America.

So, let’s be safe rather than sorry and start letting go of America now.

About John Stroh
Following a professional and management career with IBM in New Zealand and overseas, John owned and managed small companies in IT, niche market food exports to Japan and business consultancy. After his first wife, Annie, died in 2010, John ‘retired’ and spent several years in the remote outer Sounds. Now a Gold Card holder, he has remarried, has a husband & wife landscaping business and lives in an old farm homestead near Christchurch.