During the Cold War, I decided that communism, specifically Soviet communism, was so dreadful that I would not visit Russia or support the Russian economy by buying Russian goods.
Now I have decided to boycott the United States of America, for similar but more compelling reasons. The government of the USA is not effectively democratic any more because the complexity of its political system makes it impossible to understand, unaccountable to the public, and either uncaring or hostile to the international community.
There are good people in the USA, and I have friends there. So when I say “the USA”, I mean the Government of the USA.
Here are my reasons
The illegal deliberate killing of non- US nationals on non-US territory, including the casual and brutal so-called collateral killing of unintended persons.
The detention for months and years of persons who have not been charged with any crime or found guilty of any crime.
The refusal to abolish the death penalty, to reform gun laws, to make its police and law enforcement agencies accountable and responsible, which make the USA a dangerous place to be.
A complete failure to curb wasteful and harmful energy usage, in wilful ignorance of the reality of environmental change and of the wishes of the international community.
Policies of hostile or imposed military and political intervention in the affairs of other nations, either against the wishes of their lawful governments or their common people.
Economic policies, notably in the realm of information technology, communications, entertainment and broadcasting, which are designed to be harmful to other nations, their consumers and corporations, so as to support US interests at the expense of others.
Spying, espionage, theft, and other illegal and immoral activities used to gain information with which to harm or influence other nations or persons.
The excessive use of the power of the State against individuals, the so-called whistleblowers. who do nothing worse than tell the truth about what they see and what they know.
What I see saddens me. The USA has standards of behaviour which are outdated, harmful, selfish and irrational, and in order to hide and excuse its shameful activities and preserve a national and global system whereby it can continue them, it is attempting to enforce those standards on the rest of the world, or get the complicity or acquiescence of the rest of the world. It kills, tortures, detains and threatens people, it browbeats and threatens governments and corporations, and it uses technology, military force, economic and political pressure, and illegal methods to achieve its goals.
It does these things in the name of democracy and freedom, and behind a smokescreen of religious rectitude and using excuses like “the war on terror”, “weapons of mass destruction”.
I am not against the rule of law. I think that it is wrong to kill, to bomb, to maim and steal and threaten, and that people who do these things should be arrested and tried. But you can't fight evil with evil. It has been proven not to work.
I won't be going to the USA in the near future, and difficult as it might be, I will avoid US goods and services.
Bill Dixon